Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead let life live through you.
And do not worry that your life is turning upside down.
How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?

—Rumi

Turning, turning, turning. The world spins and the wheel of time ticks on and we with it.
Lately, I have felt particularly discombobulated. Occasionally, I feel like I am experiencing time like looking up from underwater, the glassy reflections distorting themselves infinitely.
I think this is a symptom of what the rest of school is going to look like—I’m at the point where my schedule is far more free-form and of my own choosing, but my deliverables pile up. As someone who works better in a regimented schedule, it’s rather a challenging change.

I’ve been making more time to bake, lately, which helps me feel grounded in my creativity at least, even when I feel less grounded in my concrete work. As a result, I have a few batches of aging egg whites in my fridge at any given time, making spontaneous macarons a responsible if not practically compulsory task.

These macarons are reminiscent of an upside-down pineapple cake (just missing the maraschinos).
A crispety-crunchety macaron shell encases a rich salted caramel Italian meringue buttercream, which is smooth and undulant on the tongue. At the center, offsetting the sweetness, is a jewel of sautéed pineapple, tart and a little juicy.

I used Wilton gel colors for these macs. I have recently learned that the more color you need, the longer you should let the shells sit and dry before baking as the gel food coloring can retain moisture.
I also trace out all of my macaron sizes on parchment rather than use a silpat.
Both of these techniques have allowed my macs to form feet while avoiding cracked tops, where before I was consistently only getting one or the other.

The shell recipe is directly from Pies and Tacos’ fantastic Swiss method. I suggest following her tutorial to a T!

Pineapple Caramel Macarons
makes 12 macarons

ingredients:
macaron shells, as per Pies and Tacos (see above)

for the caramel sauce:
100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
42 grams (3 tablespoons) butter
60 grams (1/4 cup) heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

for the pineapple:
3 slices of fresh pineapple, chopped finely
pinch salt
2-4 teaspoons sugar (to taste, depending on the sweetness of your pineapple)

for the caramel frosting:
3/4 recipe caramel sauce, as above
2 egg whites
100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
30 grams (2 tablespoons) water
1/2 teaspoon salt

directions:
Make the caramel sauce: place sugar in a pot over medium heat.
Cook without stirring until deeply golden brown.
Remove from heat and carefully whisk in butter and cream (mixture will sputter).
Add salt and whisk to combine.
Allow sauce to cool completely before continuing on.
Make the pineapple: place all ingredients in a small saucier over low heat.
Cook, stirring often and adding water as needed (I used a total of 1/2 cup) until the mixture is thickened, golden, and fully cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Make the caramel buttercream: place sugar, salt, and water into a pan over medium heat.
Begin to whip egg whites on high; once the sugar syrup comes to 240 degrees F, the egg whites should be at soft peaks.
Slowly stream the hot syrup into the whipping egg whites, being extremely careful to not splatter the syrup.
Whip on high speed until the meringue has cooled to close to room temperature (or fully room temp, if your butter is completely at room temp).
Add butter one piece at a time, whipping until fully combined.
Slowly drizzle in cooled caramel sauce (use approximately 2/3 to 3/4 of the sauce).
Pipe large circles on half of the macaron shells and spoon pineapple filling into the hole.
Top with second macaron shell.
Allow to mature in the fridge for at least 24 hours.