Killer Macarons on the Magnificent Mile
Macarons, two airy meringue half domes glued together with creamy filling, always seemed the province of dainty ladies who lunch. Unable to jet off to Pierre Hermé, the wonderful sweets boutique in Paris, on a moment’s notice, I figured that’s just how they’d remain.
Chicago, despite its many sugary accomplishments (including the apple fritter from Old Fashion Donut that's as big as my curly blond afro or the soothing Cake and Shake dessert of Mindy Segal at Hot Chocolate) is not a macaron capital. To my knowledge, outside of a few mignardise trays at the four-star level, no one really made a decent one.
Then a couple of weeks ago, Andres Lara, pastry chef of NoMi, launched La Boule de Noël, a temporary holiday macaron boutique held every Tuesday through Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m in the Park Hyatt. Located in what is generally a desert of serious eats (because of the high rents), this Mag Mile temporary store is a shopper’s godsend.
The daily selection changes but often includes hazelnut praline, gingerbread, salted-caramel pecan, and lemon varieties. My favorite was the coconut passionfruit. One bite transported me on a temporary tropical vacation.
Though I'll lobby for year-round sales, if you have a macaron hankering, you better get over to NoMi, because the whole affair closes as of December 31.
La Boule de Noel
800 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago IL 60611 (map)
312-335-1234
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4 Comments:
Macarons aren't meringues, they're made out of almonds. But they are delicious. Herme had one last summer with grapefruit and Campari. Yum.
ginalouise at 4:16PM on 12/19/08
Well, you whip the egg whites until stiff peaks and fold in the almond sugar mixture to make them...so yes, while technically not a pure meringue, it's still pretty meringue like in my book....though you could also call it a hardened souffle maybe...
Michael Nagrant at 4:23PM on 12/19/08
You have a curly blond afro? Can we see it?
emilydev at 7:31AM on 12/20/08
Unfortunately, my critical reviewing career dictates I have to keep my curly blonde afro under wraps for now, but some day!
Michael Nagrant at 12:38PM on 12/20/08