I developed a mild to moderate obsession with French pastry a couple years back. 

I never disliked baking; it just wasn’t… my favorite thing. I don’t like sweets, and I never had much fun with the standard cookie recipes. They all followed the same vague format, and I got bored eventually. 

But pastry? It’s ridiculous. It’s precise. You have to master everything you do for it to turn out well. Macarons are a favorite to make. 

You have to carefully weigh the ingredients in grams. Whip the egg whites just enough. Take the time to sift the almond flour and powdered sugar. Pipe each individual shell onto parchment. Tap the shells onto the counter until they are free of air bubbles. Dry just enough to bake but not too long, or they won’t rise correctly. 

Precision is key. It’s an art form. It’s hard to perfect, and a feeling of accomplishment follows every success. 

The same feeling translates over to every other French pastry I’ve made. Croissants, Pate a choux, Madelines, opera cake, and plenty more. 

I’m really fascinated by the dedication required. 

Nowadays, after spending so long trying to perfect the little details, I can’t help but try to make other desserts more extravagant. The way I make chocolate chip cookies screams “excessive.” 

I spent a while figuring out how to make chocolate chip cookies. It involves chocolate bars instead of chips, an hour of chill time, browning butter, beating the eggs and sugar for a long time, and topping with flaky sea salt. I also bake them at a low temperature and combine flours with different protein content. 

Obviously, this is ridiculous. But I like to bring this element into anything I can. Things are more worthwhile when there’s a learning curve. 

I don’t like easy. I like the precise. The complicated. The little details. The things you can’t learn things from the back of a bag of chocolate chips. 

That’s what makes pastry fun for me.