Macaroons

I recently used Bouchon Bakery's recipe (and it was only the second time I've ever made macarons), and it worked fabulously! Be sure to use the right kind of almond flour--very fine and blanched. Nuts.com has reasonably priced almond flour.

Here is the actual recipe: http://www.today.com/id/42335346/site/todayshow/ns/today-food/t/move-over-cupcakes-try-parisian-macarons/#.UREQfqVi4Xc

I found this video by Gesine Bullock-Prado to be very helpful when I took a stab at making macaroons. She has a full ingredient list in her book, Sugar Baby.

http://vimeo.com/20498796

I know what you're talking about... I tried Pierre herme and Francois payard's macaron recipes, each macaron gods in the pastry world, but I ended up using Alice Meldrich'a recipe from ooey, gooey, crispy, crunchy and preferring it. She owns a bakery in Berkeley but she does a lot of recipe testing for herself, other cookbooks, and other companies (I.e. Sharffebberger chocolate) so I have found all of her recipes thus far to be extremely precise, reliable, and well-conceived.

Alternatively, you can also use Bryan Voltaggio's modern macaron recipe that allowsor more flavor adaptations since it relies on methyl cellulose f50 and albumin powder I leaven rather than egg whites. He uses a dehydrator, but you can get away with putting your oven on low an turning it off.

What recipe are you using? Kathryn Gordon's "Les Petits Macarons" is a great guide! Also, I would recommend trying silpats for macarons as opposed to parchment paper.