Macarons at Midnight by M.J. O'Shea & Anna Martin

dinner.”
    “What’s that?”
    Henry laughed. “Don’t worry about it.” He cocked his head and gave Tristan a searching look. “What on earth do you eat?”
    “I found a curry shop nearby. Pizza. Burritos. I really like burritos. Sometimes I grab a Chinese.” That and the odd hamburger were his favorite things so far about living in the US.
     
     
    T RISTAN STAYED through the rest of the macarons, helped Henry box them and place them in the refrigerator to wait for the next afternoon. He felt accomplished, and he hadn’t done anything other than sit and watch for most of the time. He’d smiled more in the past few hours than he had in months, though, and flirted and laughed and even snuck in a few surreptitious touches. But it had to be close to dawn, and Tristan was getting sleepy. He was a little worried about trying to find his flat, but he needed to go to bed soon, or else he’d end up doing a face-plant on the concrete somewhere. Tristan needed his rest. Especially if he was going to help Henry later.
    “You look like you’re getting tired,” Henry said.
    “Yeah. I’m shattered.”
    “Shattered,” Henry mimicked. He smiled to himself.
    “What?”
    Henry shrugged. “I just like the way you talk. It’s cute.”
    “Piss off,” he retorted with a smile.
    It was different than when the guys at work copied him, though. A lot different. Tristan couldn’t help feeling the warmth spread in his belly.
    “So is this the part where I ask for your phone number?” Henry looked hopeful. As if Tristan had any intention of not giving it to him.
    “So I can help you later?” he tested.
    “Well, yes. But even if you change your mind, I’d like it anyway.”
    “I think we can do that.” His phone had long since died, but he pulled a receipt out of his wallet and jotted his number down with a pencil he found on the counter. He handed it to Henry. “Call around four?”
    Henry nodded. “I can’t believe you’re actually going to help me.” He ripped the receipt in half and wrote his name and number on the blank piece. “I so owe you dinner.”
    “I think we can do that too.”

T RADITIONAL F RENCH M ACARONS
     
    These delicate beautiful treats are sure to impress!
    They can be filled with nearly anything you can think of.
     
3 egg whites
¼ cup white sugar
1⅔ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup finely ground and sifted almonds or store-bought almond flour
     
    Macarons are tough customers, but a few quick tips will help you on your way to chewy, tender perfection. Honeyfly Bakery recommends starting with uncolored macarons, then using gel food colors (not liquid) once you get the basics down.
    First, line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and thoroughly wipe out your mixing bowl. Any fat or oil will ruin your batter.
    Beat egg whites with a whisk attachment until whites are foamy; beat in white sugar and continue beating until egg whites are glossy, fluffy, and hold soft peaks. When you lift your mixer out of the egg whites, they should make little peaks that flop over. If no peaks form, keep beating, but make sure to stop before the peaks are too hard to flop over!
    Sift confectioners’ sugar and ground almonds in a separate bowl, and quickly fold the almond mixture into the egg whites, about thirty strokes by hand. This step is called “macaronage.”
    You’ll want to check the batter here. It should be just liquid enough to make a ribbon that falls off your spoon and melts back into the batter in the bowl after about 10 seconds. If it doesn’t, stir a few more strokes at a time until it does exactly that. Stop at that stage. Further mixing will make the batter too liquid.
    When batter is mixed enough, spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip or a plastic bag with a corner cut off. Pipe the batter onto the baking sheet in rounds, leaving space between the disks. Let the piped cookies stand out at room temperature until they form a hard skin on top, about