This was truly a bittersweet week. This week I had my last final practical, essentially my last time cooking at the Art Institute. We have one more week of class, but the cooking is done. For the final we made the Special Macaroon with a crème brulee insert and Lemon Raspberry Tart with a Coconut Shortbread crust topped with Italian Meringue. We also made a melted Isomalt garnish. I was worried about the Special Macaroon. The first time we made it, I had lots of trouble. I actually made it four times. This time I only made it once! I could have gotten more rise in the macaroon, but both the texture and color were quite good. I thought I might have over baked my tart shell, it had a bit more color than I thought it should have. It was ok but I did over fill my shells with lemon curd. I was not thinking about the weight of the meringue. I was happy that the meringue was a very good consistency and Chef Elizabeth stated that they were very evenly browned.