Ah yes, Valentine’s Day. A holiday of skepticism where restaurants lure in unsuspecting customers with overly-priced, pre-fixed menus. Remember, this menu was specially crafted for you and your partner. Also 20 other couples in the dining room.

My cynicism comes from having worked in the restaurant industry long enough to know this holiday is when we milk you, the public, for all it’s worth.

That is, of course, not to say you won’t have a great time going out for a dinner date. Hell, if someone wants to buy me a dinner at Black Cypress, I won’t say no.

But, and I’m sure you saw this coming, try cooking for the one you’re trying to seduce instead. It’s much more personal, speaks of putting in effort, and if it comes out disastrously, their reactions should determine whether the person is worth your time or not.

I’ll suggest keeping it light as post-dinner activities are not as conducive if you have a few pounds of food swishing around in your stomach trying to break down, unless of course it’s Netflix binging with a tub of ice-cream. Actually that does sound pretty good.

Of course, if your partner prefers the opposite, go for that. You are trying to seduce her/him, not me.

Most importantly, ask your date about dietary restrictions, religious or health-wise. Making something with nuts for someone with a nut allergy will not make an evening go well.

Valentine’s Day is all about aesthetics and effort. In light of that, I’m going to attempt to teach the brave on how to make the quintessential cookie in terms of refinement and elegance: the French Macaron.

The bane of many a home baker, these temperamental cookies are notoriously difficult to get right the first, second, third, fourth, and even fifth time. Not that they won’t taste good – they often won’t look good.

Like many properly executed French pastries, half the battle is in the appearance. A perfect macaron will come out with a smooth shiny shell, and little perforations at the bottom known as “feet.”

If your cookies don’t have them, it’s not a failure. They will still be delicious, but the satisfaction won’t be there. Fret not, practice makes perfect; I haven’t met many who got it right the first time, even the professionals. If the person you’ve made these for doesn’t appreciate the effort, on to the next.

You can fill these gems with whatever filling you like – Nutella, peanut butter, buttercream, jam, lemon curd, or in this case, a luscious chocolate ganache.

Unfortunately, these cookies demand precision and some planning. A digital scale makes things easier as the volume conversions are estimates. This recipe yields about 24 cookies, sandwiched total. This means you’ll need at least a couple of sheet pans, if not, halve the recipe.

I’ve written the instructions exactly the way I make them, I’d suggest following suit.

MACARON SHELLS

Start to finish: 3 hours

Serving: 24 cookies, sandwiched

100g egg whites (about 3 eggs)

50g or ¼ cup granulated sugar

200g or just fewer than 2 cups icing sugar

110g or 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon finely ground almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill is available at Walmart and Safeway. If you have the time, get the Honeyville or Wellbee’s brand online, as they’re much finer)

15g or 1 tsp cocoa powder (optional if you want to make chocolate looking macarons)

Pinch of salt

CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING

Start to finish: 5 minutes

Serving: fills 24 cookies

100g or 2/3 cup 60 percent chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli)

100g or 2/3 cup heavy cream

50g/4 tablespoon butter, cubed, slightly softened

Directions:

1. Separate the whites from yolks, and make sure your hands and the bowl are absolutely clean. We need to make a meringue, which will not form if there is a speck of grease. Set yolks aside for something else, or discard.

2. Line your sheet pans with baking paper. Trim so that it fits into the pan without overhang as it’ll be easier to pipe later on.

3. I like to put my piping bag over a big mug so it’s easier to pour the mixture in without spilling. Use a wide round tip. If you don’t have either, a gallon size Ziploc bag will suffice – just cut a hole at one of the corners.

4. Sieve the almond flour and icing sugar together. Sieve cocoa powder together if using. Sieve it again a second time to make sure it’s all incorporated and there are no lumps.

5. To make the meringue, add a pinch of salt into the whites. Begin whisking (either by hand or mixer) until frothy and add half of the sugar. Continue whisking until the whites start to look like a solid white foam and add the rest of the sugar.

Whisk until you reach stiff peaks with the meringue – glossy and shiny like shaving cream. You’ll be able to turn the bowl over without anything falling out (good for scaring roommates).

6. Add any form of food coloring – saturating the whites. The color will fade with baking. Use powder or gel as you don’t want excess moisture that comes from liquid coloring. Mix in thoroughly.

7. Pour the almond flour and sugar mixture into the egg whites and start folding the mixture with a spatula. You can be a little rough at the beginning, knocking some of the air out. It’ll look like a mess, but eventually, it will come together.

Fold until there are no streaks remaining and it resembles thick pancake batter that flows like lava. Do NOT over fold. This is the trickiest part and only practice will get you consistency.

8. Transfer to piping bag and pipe onto your trays about the size of a quarter. Take your tray and bang the bottom with your hand, or tap it firmly (and loudly) on the counter top. You want to pop any remaining air pockets in the shells. Set aside to dry until a skin forms on the shell, about an hour or so.

9. Make the filling while you wait – put the chocolate in a bowl and bring the cream to a boil. Just as it boils, pour the cream over the chocolate and butter. Mix with a spatula and set aside, uncovered.

10. Once the shells are dried (when you can run your finger over them without it sticking) bake at 300 degrees for about 13 minutes – timing varies on how big or small you pipe the shells. Complain about how the shells are cracked, they’re too flat, or no feet formed.

11. When done, let them cool before attempting to take them off the paper. Match up shells around the same size, and pipe or spoon a generous amount of the cooled ganache, which should be thick like a paste. Sprinkle with a touch of salt over the chocolate before sandwiching them.

Your cookies will be best eaten if you allow them to sit for 24 hours in the fridge as the shell and ganache fuse together.

Good luck, and may the macaron odds be ever in your favor.