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Dessert Wines and Espresso Macarons with Chocolate Caramel

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3. With a hand whisk, whisk together the powdered egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk in the egg whites and cream of tartar until the mixture is homogenous. Set the bowl and whisk attachment on the mixer and whisk on medium speed until the merignue is glossy and forms stiff peaks, about 11 minutes. Once the meringue reaches stiff peaks (the whisk will leave marks in the meringue as it goes around in the bowl) and resembles marshmallow fluff, stop the mixer. Turn the bowl upside down to check that you have reached the right stage: the meringue should not slip in the bowl.

4. With a spatula, quickly fold the sifted dry ingredients into the meringue. Stop folding when the batter appears to be 90 percent incorporated, scrape the sides of the bowl, and fold in the yellow food coloring with 1 to 2 more strokes.

5. Spoon the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip (alternatively, cut a 1/2-inch opening in the bag). Fill the bag halfway, leaving the rest of the meringue in the bowl while piping; cover it with plastic wrap while a batch is in the oven. If you overfill the bag, you will not be able to squeeze it hard enough to pipe even, tail-less shells. Twist the top of the bag to close. Pipe the meringue on the silicone mat into quarter-sized mounds, 1 1/2 inches apart from one another.

Source: Wine Spectator

Aboard the Cruise Line Where Caviar Flows Day and Night

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As a cruise reporter and former cruise ship employee, I have been on nearly 200 cruises. But I had one gaping hole in my résumé --the one cruise line most often voted “World’s Best” in a variety of categories by a number of publications, including Travel + Leisure magazine.

But I finally made it, and am writing this article while sailing aboard the Seabourn Sojourn .  

Seabourn is in the “luxury cruise lines,” category where all beverages and gratuities are prepaid in the cruise fare. There are other luxury lines: Silversea, Crystal and Regent Seven Seas. Each line is different, but Seabourn wins most polls. 

So let’s see what makes it different.  

First some history. 

Seabourn was started in 1986 with two small 200 passenger sister ships, Seabourn Pride and Seabourn Spirit . Another 200-passenger ship ( Seabourn Legend ) was added in 1991. From the beginning, Seabourn has had -- and still does -- a reputation for impeccable service. 

Source: Fox News