Macaroons

A perennial Christmas favourite, these easy and infinitely variable cookies require no resting or chilling, and are a great way to use up leftover egg whites. Made all over the country, the macaroons from the picturesque village of Sent in the lower Engadin surely have the most evocative name. They are called puglinas, a Romansch word that means ‘chicken poop’.

You can vary their contents as you see fit. Some families make them bite-sized, and put a whole nut on top, but I li