As we clicked through the slideshow of Chocolate & Zucchini's Clotilde Dusoulier food shopping in Paris, we got jealous of those beautiful, sweet macarons she seemed to be enjoying so much.
Then, at the restaurant where we ate dinner last night, they served a plate of airy almond cookies at the end of the meal. Now we're really craving macarons...
We Americans usually say macaroon, which brings up images of sticky, coconut cookies — not at all the crumbly almond confections from France. We read this Introduction to French Macarons from our friends at Serious Eats as well as a few other explanations and learned that the words macaron and macaroon are interchangeable. But the coconut variety is a diversion from the real thing.
True macarons are delicate blends of ground almonds, egg whites, and sugar. According to the Serious Eats article, the French bakery Ladurée was the first to make little sandwiches out of them with jam, cream, or ganache.
Making them at home will most certainly require a reliable pastry bag and some patience. A few recipes we rounded up give measurements in grams, European-style, so you may also need a conversion chart. But what a beautiful outcome! Here are a few recipes, should you feel a craving coming on...
(Images: Kristin Hohenadel; Romulo Yanes for Gourmet)
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Hooray! I wanted to try making them even before I ever tasted them. I finally got a delicious taste when I visited Vegas a couple of weeks ago--there are so many nice pastry shops there! Thanks for posting this link. I wasn't yet reading Serious Eats when the fabulous Robyn made that post, so I'm glad to see it! Hopefully, I'll be making macarons soon!
view OneWallKitchen's profile
Speaking of which--maybe you could do a post on almond meal/flour. I love frangipane, marzipan, etc., and make my own almond meal in the food processor. I'm not sure I can grind it finely enough to make a smooth-topped macaron, though. I've never seen meal in the common markets or looked for it in the speciality shops.
view OneWallKitchen's profile
You can't write about macarons without linking to Tartelette, she makes them like, 3 times a week.
www.tartelette.blogspot.com
view snickitysnack's profile
Lora Zarubin finagled the Ladurée recipes for 2 or 3 of their varieties for HG back in the '90s, and Pierre Hermé's must be featured in one of his books...
The French Cookie Book provides recipes for some of the many different regional varieties of macarons (the ones that Dorie Greenspan mentions), and Paris macarons too, I think, but their recipes are not similar to those of Ladurée, as I have compared them.
http://www.amazon.com/French-Cookie-Book-Bruce-Healy/dp/0688088333
It really *is* easier to grab a flight to Paris than to try to make a good macaron at home... sigh....
view mschatelaine's profile
I tried to make them
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcweiss/sets/72157604572490082/
They are not easy!!! But even not-so-perfect ones taste pretty good!
view Kathryn's profile
For those in New York who don't want to try baking them, Joyce Bakeshop on Vanderbilt Ave in Brooklyn has great French style macaroons - almost as good as the ones I had on rue de Bac in Paris! (No - I don't work there, just a regular customer)
view genevieve_s's profile
monika1, you don't have to go to Paris for that, go to Ladurée at Cours de Rive in Geneva....dangerously close !
view Jany's profile
Kathryn- I tried making these last weekend too!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autzve/2424653485/
YUM. Can't wait to try again, and with different flavorings (my ganache was bittersweet).
SnicketySnack- thanks for that link!
view ashleym (aka autzve on flickr)'s profile
Provence en Boite in Brooklyn (on Smith in Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill) also has them. Though I haven't tried them yet.
view Sasha's profile
For anyone in the Bay Area, Miette (as you probably already know) makes great macarons. I am quite partial to the rose geranium variety.
And Kathryn (so nice to meet you last month, btw!!!) and Ashleym those homemade ones look so great! Yum.
view faith's profile
These looked familiar. They have them at Burdick's Chocolates in Harvard Square. Very yummy. Perfect when you want something sweet, but not an entire pastry. They call them Luxembourgers, but the description reveals them to be "les macarons." And Burdick's does mail order!
Link
view feathers's profile