pastries

Perhaps it's the rainbow of cheerful hues, the adorable two-bite size, or — most likely — the perfect crisp-chewy texture, but I just can't get enough of French macarons. Even when I'm stuffed to the gills, I can always make room for these tiny, delicate pastries.

True, macarons can be temperamental (meringue is the capricious culprit), but they do respond wonderfully to patience, encouragement, and a loving touch. So before you dismiss the idea of making these little lovelies at home, we've found a basic recipe that breaks down the uncooperative veneer of the elusive macaron.

Although part of the same happy pastry family, the French macaron should not be confused with the coconut macaroon. They are similar in concept, but differ greatly in execution: while both entail adding dry ingredients to a delicate egg white meringue, the one "o" macaron uses finely ground almonds as its base and requires much more gentle handling.

Much like a first date, there's a good chance that your first batch could end awkwardly. As in love, you simply pick yourself up and try again. Once you begin to understand the macaron's nature — its singular texture, its response to your oven, its personality in your climate — suddenly it's like the realization that you both enjoy the same rom-com movies and takeout Chinese: everything just works.

Ready for the challenge? Read on for the recipe.

Lately, I've been seeing towers of cream puffs, or croquembouches, appearing all over the place, particularly in bridal magazines or on wedding blogs. The croquembouche is most certainly a delicious trend – we had one at our wedding and it was quite a hit! — but these magnificent sweet sculptures are more complicated than they may appear. To get an inside look at how these profiterole towers are made, I reached out to Gerhard and Mary Michler, the driving force behind Gerhard Michler Fine European Pastries and Creative International Pastries, in San Francisco.

Gerhard first started baking at age 17 in his native Austria, so it's safe to say he knows a bit about French pastry. Michler chalks the growing cream puff tower trend up to the fact that people seem to want to see new things these days, and that a croquembouche (also known as a pièce montée) is an exciting conversational piece. For more on this amazing French dessert sculpture, keep reading.

Happy Fat Tuesday! Don't you wish this plate of beignets were real rather than just a picture? Dice215 shared the image in the Savory Sights group in the YumSugar Community.

Freshly made vanilla bean beignets with warm chocolate fudge sauce on the side.

For the recipe, check out her blog. If you have a delicious photo to share, upload it to the Savory Sights group in the community!

Empanadas would make the ideal stranded-on-a-desert-island staple. They freeze well, are great for using up leftovers, and are as suited to the beginner as they are the expert. But best of all, they can be filled with just about anything, so they shouldn't be overlooked as both a convenient finger food and an unexpected dessert.Make the cleanup easier than ever for your next fiesta by serving up fried beef-and-egg empanadas to whet your guests' appetites — then creating a baked banana version to close out the night. There'll be no forks or spoons necessary! Want either (or both) recipes? Just read more.