Bakery worth waffling about

Whenever I read about yet another place promising great French-style patisserie, I rush over, try everything they have to offer, and invariably leave depressed and cross.

Patisserie

Good patisserie is no easy thing to get right, and should not be promised lightly.

You'd think I'd have given up by now, but I'm stupidly optimistic. I spot something gushy written about a place called Lèige Café in Sandown. According to this piece, the French-style baked stuff made by fourth-generation Belgian patisserie chef Jean-Francois Schevenels is very good indeed. I rush over.

Liège is a three-meals-a-day place (savoury as well as sweet), but for this visit, I'm only interested in sweetness and coffee. I get a cappuccino and am delighted. It's strong, the way it should be, with great flavour. And the crema is thick and dense. A good start. And it gets better as I attack a Belgian waffle.

I had very recently been scarred by a surreally bad waffle run-in at the revamped Four Seasons Westcliff Hotel, so I approach this waffle with trepidation. No need. This is one of the best sweet things I've eaten in a long time. Proper Belgian-style, with sugary crust. A waffle to cross town for. Other glories include truly fine, tiny, layered mousse cakes, various croissanty confections, including an outrageously good pistachio variety, and French-style macarons. Sadly, these are not for sale individually (or at least not when I was there). Still, the day-glo box of macarons, while not quite a threat to Ladurée, is pretty good, and not exorbitant. Liège Café is in Atholl Square, Wierda Road East. 011-036-2924.

Macaron for dummies

The fine French-style macaron, based on ground almond, is not easy to make really well, despite what many cookbooks tell you. There's a reason the French leave it to the experts. Unless you get off on try-try-try-again and are slightly masochistic, I suggest that for wheat-free biscuit making at home, the sturdier English macaroon, based on coconut rather than almond, is the way to go.

For 8 big macaroons

2 egg whites / ¼ tsp cream of tartar / 100g caster sugar / 30g ground almonds / pinch of salt / 1 tsp vanilla extract / 250g shredded coconut.

How: Preheat oven to 160C. Whisk whites until just frothy, add cream of tartar, then beat until you have soft peaks. Add sugar a teaspoon at a time, whisking in between. Fold in almonds, salt, vanilla and coconut. The mixture should hold its shape. Shape into plum-sized mounds on a lined oven tray. Cook for about 25 minutes or until they're patched with gold. They should still be damp in the centre. Let cool before eating.