Part 3 of our Ultimate Staycation Guide takes us to Provence, one of the most beautiful regions in France. Located at the foothills of the Alps it offers exceptional natural beauty (which is probably why Rénoir, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Picasso and other great impressionist artists drew inspiration from the area).
Whether you’re out in the vineyards, hiking up the hills and mountains beyond, or discovering endless fields of lavender or sunflowers, Provence is a stunning variety of landscapes.
To evoke the Provence spirit in your home, comfort is key. Create a room where you can relax and unwind. Textures and colour palette are pivotal here – use warm pastel colours, textiles of natural materials, and aged furniture with scuffs, patina and wood carvings. Complete your mind’s journey with an abundance of fresh flowers and herbs – with a heavy dose of lavender for good measure. Champagne optional. CBM
Products to try
1. Palm Beach Collection Linen Scented Soy Candle, $42.95, 2. Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque champagne, $249, 3. Jo Malone London Lavender & Musk Diffuser, $127, 4. Ella Baché Floral Oil Face and Body Cleansing Oil, $74, 5. Jurlique Balancing Blend Essential Oil, $35, 6. A’kin Lavender Body Wash, $24.95, 7. L’Occitane Cocon de Sérénité Relaxing Pillow Mist, $35.
take your
tastebuds
on a trip
Lavender Macarons with Honey Buttercream
Ingredients
Macarons: 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1 tbsp dried lavender buds, Purple food colouring, 3/4 cup almond meal, 2 egg whites, 3 tbsp sugar
Honey buttercream: 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup confectioners sugar, 2 tbsp honey
Method
Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Line two sheets with baking paper. Blend confectioners sugar, lavender and almond meal in a food processor until fine, then whisk everything into a large bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment affixed, add the egg whites and sugar. Turn the mixer on to power level 4 and whisk the mixture together for 3 minutes.
Next, turn the power up to 7 and whisk an additional 3 minutes. Turn the power up to 8 and whisk an additional minute or two.
There should be a stiff meringue in the bowl. Feel free to mix in food colouring at this point and whisk at 8 speed for an additional minute to incorporate the colour.
Knock the meringue that’s trapped in the whisk back into the bowl. Now, add the almond meal mixture into the bowl all at once – you don’t need to be too gentle with the batter. By the time it’s ready, its consistency will be runnier than you’d think, closer to pancake batter than cake batter.
Fill a pastry bag with batter. You can use a pastry bag with just a coupler, or with a tip. Pipe your shells onto the parchment-paper lined baking sheets, a little more than 2cm in size, spacing them about 2.5cm apart.
When you’re done piping, pick up the pan and whack it down hard against your counter. Do this another time, rotate the pan 90 degrees and do the same thing twice. You might see tiny air bubbles appear on the top of the rounds; a good sign because they could be potentially damaging if buried within the batter. Repeat with the other pan.
Slide the pans into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, at which point the shells should be able to be cleanly picked off the parchment paper.
Let the shells come to room temperature.
Honey buttercream:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter using the whisk attachment for about 2 minutes.
Slowly add the confectioners sugar, and whisk until everything is incorporated. Do the same with the honey. Beat another minute or so to get everything incorporated. Fill macarons with the honey buttercream.
Eat, and then eat some more.
Recipe by the Australian Good Food Guide
