The Great Gatsby

My boyfriend is a total movie buff- he has to arrive about forty-five minutes beforehand (not a bad rule considering I'm chronically late to everything!) I was so excited to go see The Great Gatsby that I didn't even protest this rule... Especially when he threw in dinner! ;) 

The Great Gatsby is AMAZING! It has me yearning for the Roaring Twenties! I'm a huge fan of Baz Luhrmann! I think Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge were both epic! I love the juxtaposition of modern music with a historic theme. I think it reflects how the themes are timeless- it's just the context that changes.

Down to business... To find out how to recreate the fabulous scene below, tune in here!
This is possibly my favourite show to date, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Bonus points: you'll get a teaser of The Great Gatsby soundtrack!

I can't wait to read F. Scott Fitzgerald's book now. I usually read novels before watching the film adaptation but I changed track this time. What did you think of the movie? Or the book? 

If you're interested in having a night time soirée, check out this blog post for some inspiration... Don't forget to put the Moët on ice!

Have a Great weekend, I'm off to party like Gatsby ;)

Stay sweet, ole sport! x

Update: Just finished the novel, by far my favourite novel of the year! Short, sweet, scrumptiously written and so tragic. A head-spinner surely if you haven't seen the movie but I love how the story has stood the test of time. Dix points, ole sport! ;) x

Monday Macarons

As you read here, I've been fascinated by macarons for a while now. These elite pastries are so delicate, and notoriously fiddly to make that I decided last weekend in Dublin to stop by Ladurée in Brown Thomas and try out the crème de la crème of macarons!

They were a little pricey- €1.87 each, but well worth it! I think however, the large boxes of these little delicacies are a bit much- it's hard to justify paying €45 for a box of biscuits at the end of the day! But the box of six would be a cute gift to bring to a dinner party!

The server said that these last up to four days in the fridge, but I found that despite the TLC I gave them, by the time they had survived a taxi, train and bus journey they were a little cracked. So perhaps the boxes are part of the advantage for that- they're snugly packaged to prevent any damage.

My favourite flavour was undoubtedly the Bubblegum Rose (my boyfriend tasted bubblegum icecream for the first time today and was swooning over how accurate it tasted, but it was nothing to this macaron!) 

On first bite through the crisp shell, into the soft centre I tasted the rose, but as the macaron reached my back molars, the bubblegum flavour burst through. This seemed like a small feat of molecular gastronomy! I wish I had bought all their stock of Bubblegum Rose, I'll definitely have to pick up a few more on my next visit! ;)

The Vanilla was almost over-powering. Perhaps because ordinary 'vanilla' products use vanilla essence, which doesn't contain any real vanilla pods so my tastebuds were a little underdeveloped (note, I always use homemade vanilla extract in my recipes! ;) ) But the flavour was really intense, almost in a negative way I felt, as it was overshadowed by the Bubblegum Rose! 

The Pistachio was a little flat. I have previously tasted pistachio macarons with a chocolate ganache filling and those were much better! I think the pistachio lacked any real wow factor, as the filling looked more guacamole than high-end pastry, but as a lover of pistachio I enjoyed this too!

Let's be real here, the Bubblegum Rose was my favourite- but I'm clearly biased! My excitement at tasting a Laudureè macaron may have had something to do with it! ;) 

What do you guys think? Have you tasted a Ladurée work of art yet?? How do you think the pricetag stacks up in today's economic climate? Let me know in the comments below!

If you have any macaron-making tips, keep me updated, I'll attempt to make them soon!

Stay sweet! x

Update: I visited BTs in Dublin (September!) and the Bubblegum Rose wasn't on sale, very disappointing! x