Free macarons in NYC on March 20

by Amy Chen on

March 20 isn’t just the first day of spring. In New York, it’s also Macaron Day, where at least 11 bakeries across the city will be handing out free macarons.

As www.macarondaynyc.com notes, macarons are the “new cupcake.” What’s so tasty about macarons? For starters, the classic French pastry feels less indulgent than a cupcake, but the flavors like caramel, coffee, ginger, pistachio, raspberry are sweet enough for any sugar fix.

New York’s first annual Macaron Day coincides with the fifth annual Jour du Macaron in Paris. So far, participating shops in Manhattan include Bouchon Bakery in Columbus Circle and Macaron Cafe, a sweet little find in the Garment District that sells its namesake treat for $1.95 a piece.

You know you’ve found a good macaron when the candy-colored confections are crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside (gotta love that buttercream or ganache filling).

Details: Tell the participating bakery you’re there for Macaron Day. One free macaron per customer; quantities are limited.

I know I’ll have a hard time walking out of the bakeries without being tempted by all the other treats.

Turkish Food: Borek

by Adrienne Wilson on

When I put börek in as my only word for my Google search, I was almost positive I would retrieve an extravagant amount of information on: Börek; the disco/hockey star, Börek; the factory in insert city (here), or Börek; the new fragrance from Will Ferrell (the latest star gone / perfume maker). Without having to narrow my search I found the börek I was looking for listed at the very top. It is the same börek I’ll be munching on in the city of Istanbul in 22 more days. Honestly, I hadn’t a clue what börek was a month back, but a friend of mine told me to try some when I land in Turkey. And it looks like I will.

Börek is a Turkish term for filled pastries, which means while börek may not be any of the other items listed above there is still a handful of börek to choose from. This Turkey Travel Planner defines several types of filled pastries, where the filling is usually white sheep’s milk cheese and a chopped veggie such as parsley or spinach. For a break down of the different types of börek to inquire about in at your local Turkish restaurant head over to Turkey Travel Planner. I’d like to learn how to prepare something like this at home, but I haven’t mastered some of the simpler pastries, therefore I’ll leave the ones filled with white sheep’s milk cheese to the people that know how to make it taste best.