Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 25, 2008 at 10:00 AM
In the spirit of tight battles this week, we bring you Cakespy's showdown between macarons and madeleines. The two pastry delights may be similar-sounding, have similar fussiness factors and each draw from français roots, but only one can be our leader. The votes are in, and ahead with 169 total yays, Team Macaron wins. But not far behind, Team Madeleine got a respectable 123 votes.
Still undecided between the fairy sandwich and fan-shaped Proustian cookie? Aran of the precious site Cannelle et Vanille analyzed the polls best. "I see the madeleine as the 'stout' girl vs the 'école superior' refined macaroon. Madeleines are soft and bumpy, dipped in coffee, making a messy table from spilling milk...And the macaron with its thin crunchy exterior and refined almond crumb is like the perfect, slim daughter of a diplomat.. The macaron has traveled the world... as the madeleine is a sweet country girl." Sounds like a sweet Aesopian fable of the Town Cookie and Country Cookie.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, March 20, 2008 at 11:00 AM
If you're in Paris, today is the day to visit Pierre Hermé and grab some free macarons, along with help raise money to treat rare diseases. (And if you don't live in Paris, don't even try to find anything as good as Pierre's macarons; you will fail.)
To celebrate the third-annual Macaron Day, Pierre Hermé shops are offering three free macarons plus a special raspberry chocolate macaron to raise money for Fédération des Maladies Orphelines (an organization dedicated to treating rare diseases). To donate money to the organization, buy one or more red macarons. I recommend shooting for "more"—besides that it's for a charitable cause, any excuse to eat lots of macarons sounds good to me.
Previously
Introduction to French Macarons
Where to Find Macarons
How to Make Macarons
Interview with Macaron Specialist Dorie Greenspan
Posted by Emily Stone, March 13, 2008 at 10:15 AM
If you gave up something for Lent this year, chances are it was either carbon emissions or chocolate. And if you fall into the first category, I'd recommend that you celebrate the close of the Lenten season by supporting a business in the city that that put Mardi Gras on the map—New Orleans. Try Sucre on Magazine Street, the year-old business whose owners Tariq Hanna and Joel Dondis have been hailed by the New York Times as plugged-in post-Katrina entrepreneurs.
Their inspirations are mainly Parisian (their macarons are modeled on Ladurée's, and they pack gifts into pink paper purses à la Fauchon) mixed with sultry French Quarter signatures like the Meuniere bon bon (dark chocolate filled with a burnt-butter-and-almond white chocolate ganache).
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Posted by Robyn Lee, February 15, 2008 at 6:45 PM
I know I just posted a photo of a caramel macaron and not long before that a different beautiful baked treat by Mad Baker, but I couldn't not post her stack of perfect macarons because it's rare to come across such macaron excellence. ...Okay, maybe not so rare for Mad Baker, but I wanted to point it out for the rest of us plebeians who will never reach her level of baking prowess.
Previously: Where to find macarons, and another macaron-filled Photo of the Day from Mad Baker because I just can't help myself.
Posted by Robyn Lee, February 13, 2008 at 6:30 PM
Photograph from Sara Rosso on Flickr
Caramel macarons from Paris's Ladurée stand out from the rest because they're filled with pure, gooey caramel instead of the more widely used caramel cream. If you need any more reason to visit Paris, stare into the heart of the macaron's "money shot," taken by Sara Rosso.
Previously: Sara takes beautiful photos of pretty much everything, such as this sliced pear and Nutella. If you don't know what macarons are, be sure to read our introduction to French macarons.
Read the Chicago Sun-Times's feature on macarons for a quick explanation on the macaron's composition and structure, and where to find them in Chicago.
Posted by Robyn Lee, October 26, 2007 at 6:45 PM
Of course those are Pierre Hermé macarons.
I hope you enjoyed reading this week's macaron posts as much as I enjoyed writing and doing research for them. And by "doing research" I mean "eating a lot of macarons."
Here's a round-up of the posts in case you missed any of them:
In a related Talk topic, Sandro asked, "People just pretend to actually love macaroons, right?" My answer would be, "No, I'm quite sure I love them. But maybe I should eat another one just to be sure."
For more macaron goodness, check out Carol Gillot's latest post on Paris Breakfasts where she visits Gérard Mulot's macaron-filled kitchen. Aside from the photos of muti-tiered macaron-filled tray carts, the part of the entry that most grabbed me was this paragraph:
Many of the stagieres / workers are from Japan. There are (are you sitting down!) 18 Gerard Mulot shops in Japan just selling ONLY MACARONS!!!! WOW! They all come to Paris to learn the recipe and get the training. Hello? YOW American pastry chefs get off your duffs and get on!
I'll gladly go to Paris to be properly trained in the macaron arts.
Posted by Robyn Lee, October 25, 2007 at 4:45 PM
Although you may have gotten the impression that my brain is bursting with macaron knowledge, the information I know is just an insignificant crumb compared to the macaron database stored in Dorie Greenspan's head. Her culinary prowess encompasses seemingly all things sugary and delicious, as seen in her library of publications, which focuses on three of the most mouthwatering topics in the world: baking, chocolate, and Paris. Knowing that she had worked extensively with the macaron king Pierre Hermé and written two of his recipe books, there was no question that she was the perfect macaron specialist for me to talk to.
How did the macaron craze begin? What in God's name caused me to having a giggly conversation (the giggling was just on my end of the phone, by the way) about a sandwich cookie? According to Dorie, I could partially blame it on Hermé. She explained that when Hermé opened his shop in Paris in 2001, he was the first person to hold a show for his seasonal desserts in a somewhat unconventional style.
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Posted by Robyn Lee, October 22, 2007 at 2:45 PM
When most people hear the word macaroon, they think of a chewy mound of shredded coconut, lightly sweetened and held together by egg whites.
That's not what I'm here to talk about.
The macaron that I will expound upon this week is a dainty French cream-filled sandwich cookie which, in its best form, will fill your soul with warm, fuzzy happiness after one bite. I've converted many to joining The Cult of Her Majesty the Macaron, although not without answer to that first question...
Mac-a-what?
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Posted by Robyn Lee, October 9, 2007 at 10:00 AM
While living the high life on her extended vacation in Paris, Carol Gillot of Paris Breakfasts went on a tour of famed pâtisserie Gérard Mulot's kitchen. As the pâtisserie is known for its wide array of French macarons, it's no surprise that Gillot documented the macaron-making process. Now, where can I get a sextuple-nozzled macaron batter dispenser?
Posted by Robyn Lee, July 24, 2007 at 6:10 PM
Jen B. looks like she's running a little macaron factory with her photo of dainty chocolate macarons topped with small mounds of plain blue-tinted buttercream shortly before the buttercream is smushed down by another chocolate cookie. The birth of a macaron is a beautiful thing.
Posted by Robyn Lee, June 6, 2007 at 5:30 PM
Karen, aka Mad Baker, is an engineer and software developer by profession, but I think she would be successful running her own patisserie. Her beautiful French macarons, many with unconventional flavors—such as the pictured black sesame, green tea and mango—outshine those made by professionals. I only wish I lived in her home city of Singapore so I could try them.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, May 4, 2007 at 9:15 AM
Lynn of To Short Term Memories made these lovely macarons for herself after teaching a cooking class. One's filled with dulce de leche and the other with kaya, a rich, creamy jam made with coconut milk, eggs and pandan leaf most popular in Singapore and Malaysia and usually served spread on toast. I do not know how I will continue to exist in the world today knowing I cannot have these in my mouth!
Posted by Ed Levine, April 2, 2007 at 8:00 AM
This is my favorite PBJ-related blog post.
With a roadmap for making some fabulous-looking PBJ macarons.
Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 6, 2007 at 5:13 PM
Serious Eats intern extraordinaire Robyn, whom you probably know better as the Girl Who Ate Everything, spent last semester in Paris and is going back later this week on her spring break. It might not be comprehensive but her short guide to the City of Lights is certainly très charmant, and there is probably no one I trust more to tell me where the best macaron in all the arrondisements is. If you've got tasty foods and good restaurants to suggest for her upcoming trip (or an idea of the perfect souvenir for her to bring back for me!), please by all means leave a comment.
