Waiting to see my doc today and in the waiting room picked up Jan. issue of Martha Stewart's Living; there was an article and recipe for French macarons, although she called them macaroons. They were the sandwich type, though.

yk, I only bought ONE COOKIE (for $1.50 though). (OT - do you live and/or work in Cambridge?)

I probably should have gotten 6 instead of 12. At least they were only $0.75 each, but they are on the small side. I don't get to Havard Sq too often, so that's why I decided to get too many than too few.

I should have known when the shop assistant told me that the macarons were made at their sister store (in Walpole, MA), then delivered frozen to the Cambridge store twice a week. The Cambridge store thaws them according to demand. My guess is that the freezing process destroys the texture of the filling.

No, i don't live or work in Cambridge... we are a bit farther West of the city. There's no easy public transportation for me to get from my home to Harvard Sq, and parking is always a major headache there, so I don't go to H Sq as often as I would like.

although she called them macaroons. They were the sandwich type, though.

Those are the French macarons.

Yes, Auduchamp, that was the point of my post; perhaps I did not word it in a manner that came across that way.

I wish to point out that in 1792 when two Carmelites nuns sold macarons in France to suport themselves, they become the "macaron Sisters".Macarons where to enter in Paris history.
The macarons they made were a simple combination of ground almond, egg whites and sugar. NO SPECIAL FLAVORS. NO FILLING. JUST 100% cookie.
It was not until the 1900 that Pierre Desfontaines of Parisian pastry shop and cafe Laduree decided to take two coockies and fill them with ganache. So in a way those saying the vero French macaron is a sandwich are right after the XX century and indeed they are the Laduree Macarons kind but those saying it is a simple cookie are also right refering to macarons before they were "changed "by Laduree.
Is this important>? Guess not but it can teach all of us a lesson that things are not always black and white.It is not easy to be in posecion of the total truth.
May be because I an old enough to have tried the macarons in Laduree in rue Royale and also the simpler version ages ago with my father. He used to love them and we used to buy them I think it was in a pastry shop located in Rue Montorgueil when the Halles was still in existance.

The word in English is macaroon! If you want to discuss the "other" type of macaroon, you can refer to "coconut macaroons!"

Nora gorged herself on macaroons in Ibsen's "Dollhouse." I just remembered that.

Thin

I haven't had macaroons from Laudree in Paris, but there is a small French bakery in San Francisco that has some that I think are wonderful. From the descriptions here they sound very similar. They make them in a variety of flavors, chocolate, rose, raspberry, pistachio, cassis, etc. Its Patisserie Philippe, 655 Townsend, right near the train station. I highly recommend them!

san francisco chronicle had this article in last weeks paper.
sorry that i do not know how to do the small url.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...sn=001&sc=1000

dd and i think a macaron tasting is warranted this summer.

I thought you'd all enjoy this article that appeared this morning in the San Jose Mercury News.

http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine...nclick_check=1

Since my first attempt at macarons was so pathetic, I'm thinking of going to the class!

Macarons and Macaroons are NOT the same thing.

The recipe provided above is not a recipe for classic double-sided French macarons.

Macarons may have a simple recipe (egg whites, sugar, almond powder), but are in fact very tricky to make successfully.

Check out this site for instructions and illustrations:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archive..._chocolat.html

If it took chef David Lebovitz close to 8 tries to get them just right, they can't be that easy to make!

Although I was adamant earlier in this thread about French macarons all being the Laduree sandwich type, my trip to Alsace in the fall proved this to be not altogether correct. In that part of France I only saw the type of cookie that we refer to as macaroons here in USA, made with either coconut or almonds. And these are infinitely easier to make than the Laduree type, which I have never attempted but their reputation as being tricky to make precedes them. But they are indeed, IMO, the best!

grandmère, there are indeed different types of macarons made in France. Macarons made in Normandy, for example, are not double-sided like the well-known "Parisian-style" macarons invented by Ladurée in the 1930s. But unlike macaroons known in North America, they are all generally made with almond powder, not shredded coconut.


http://www.chocoparis.com/laduree/

The coconut ones were sold in all the little shops lining the main street of Riquewihr. I was surprised to see this.

I have seen the coconut variety called "rochers" since that is kind of what they resemble.

And yes, I think the caramel/fleur de sel La Durée flavor is my favorite.

Didn't have time to read through the entire thread, but FYI you can now buy frozen macarons at Trader Joe's, in vanilla and chocolate flavors. They are absolutely yummy.

Our local bakery, Provence, in Nashville but I haven't tasted them yet. Saving that flavor for when I go to Paris on March 14th!!!

Anyone who's in Paris this week will be happy to know that free macarons will be on offer chez Pierre Hermé and others on Macaron Day - March 20th (next Saturday).

http://www.chocoparis.com/2010/03/jo...n-macaron-day/

A Laduree has recently opened in Zurich. Just off Bahnhofstrasse:

Ladurée
Kuttelgasse 17
8001 Zürich
Switzerland

gruezi

Looks like Keith and I will have a place for a snack when we are in Zurich this August. Will also try Sprungli.

Thin

Not clear whether Laduree stores will be participating in this Macaron Day event or not. Does anyone know?

bette33, the website lists Pierre Hermé, Jean-Paul Hévin, Sadaharu Aoki, Laurent Duchêne, Arnaud Larher as participating shops in Paris.

I have had these cookies at Bouchon, in the Time Warner bulding, and find them an excellent substitute for the Laduree ones. Everyone in my family has different favorites, from chocolate, to pistashio, almond, and we were excited when we 'found' them in Columbus Circle. I've seen the Laduree ones in the airport in Brussels, and several places in London. They are not at all like what we call macaroons, but are a light, sandwich cookie. Enjoy!

François Chocolate Bar (François Payard) at Mauboussin Jewelry - 714 Madison Ave. 4th floor New York, is also listed as a participant in the U.S.

Thin,

Sadly, the Laduree is not a sit down cafe like in Paris - just a shop...This was a big disappointment to my girls and I as we eagerly waited for the grand opening:( But do walk down the nearby Augustinergasse. One of my favorite little streets in Zurich - at Christmas it is total charm - sure it is lovely in summer too.

Spruengli is a real institution. Worth a self guided tour of the chocolate shop downstairs and then the pastries upstairs (warning Swiss pastries always look better than they taste). Filled with old Swiss couples... very busy. You want the one on Paradeplatz not one of the small shops around town...I have heard the little bar downstairs is a place for rich older women to get picked up. Isn't that a hoot? In summer you can sit outside for coffee or an ice and watch the crowds go by...

If you want the best Latte Macchiatto (sp?) however, head down the road two blocks away from BHstrasse to the Nespresso.... And for the best Bellini even inside of Italy go to the Baur Au Lac (Rive Gauche restaurant/bar in bad weather - the terrace in good).


gruezi

Guezi, we are staying at the Baur au Lac, so it is great to know that I must order a Bellini whilst sitting outside and eyeballing the shoe choices of the other guests.

Thank you for you help. You are very nice.

Thin

The Washington Post had a few macaron recipes today in its Food Section. This could save us thousands of dollars in airfare.

There's an official website for the NYC version of Macaron Day (Saturday, March 20) with a list of all the participating pastry shops:

http://macarondaynyc.com/participants.html