For some inexplicable reason macarons have never made it across the Channel. As with 24 month old Vieux Comté, decent escargots and proper bread, to enjoy these little suckers has always involved a trip across the ditch to the country we once owned and then lost but miss a whole lot more than America as the food is better.
But now (woohoo) a Parisian baker has transplanted himself to Norfolk and has started to appear at farm markets selling these mouthwatering beauties.
Yesterday morning I stood with him in the torrential rain discussing the new craze for "wasabi and strawberry" macarons (thank Pierre Hermé for that one). Unfortunately his range was rather more conservative but still utterly delicious so here on my dining table are two green tea and one coffee macaron, very likely the first to reach my village but certainly not the last.
Here - for those unfamiliar with such delights - are real Parisian macarons in their natural environment (the window of Stohrer's on Rue Montorgueil).
Bon apetit!
17 comments:
What is the recipe that the macaroons look like that? I made them as a kid, but they were drop cookies & didn't have that nice, round uniform appearance. And they have filling?
Friday, during my downtown foray, this Hoosier stopped to buy a French coffee press (made in England! :-D) I'd wanted one for a while and found them on sale. I've used the wrong grind, but I got stoned on the caffeine much more quickly! Whew!
Wouldn't you know, I looked up the man's name to confirm the spelling, wrote it down and still mis-typed "Hiros(h)ige." Humph.
WV: hadies = she-devils
Speedway, macaroons and macarons are completely different animals. Macarons are peculiarly French, nothing like a macaroon and not really like meringues although they superficially resemble them. Yes, they have fillings and they're more addictive than crack cocaine.
As for coffee makers: this post tells the tale of me cleaning out my cupboards to find I possessed (god knows how) five shiny Italian coffee machines (including one really expensive Gaggia), eight cafetieres (what you call French presses) and a bunch of those octagonal aluminium espresso makers.
I managed to narrow it down for a while but I'm back up to five cafetieres, one Gaggia and three octagonal espresso makers again.
Other than my favourite Cuban coffee I'd recommend Lavazza Qualita Oro (the gold packet) for French presses if you're going for ready ground. I always keep a stash in an old coffee tin in my fridge.
Hiroshige is actually spelled ひろしげ so I wouldn't worry about any English version … though I WOULD worry about the "hadies".
Well, doh! ひろしげ Of course!
Dive, you are とても面白い
Lucky you having a French bakery come to town! Although there is the factor of great temptation to be considered :)
Is that a dragon on your cup?
Speedway, five years of Japanese classes and I can only just hold basic conversation. Sheesh!
Ms.M, I'm never one to resist temptation. I fully expect to be a couple of stone heavier by Autumn.
And it's a phœnix on my cup … just coincidence; nothing to do with the last Hairy Potter movie.
Dive, I used the translator feature for the Japaneses characters for 'so funny,' but when I translated it back to Japanese it read 'very interesting.' Either way, it's true. You are both.
This is blatantly unfair.
My word verification is "mange," which in French is the familiar form of "to eat." In English it's a canine skin disease. You decide.
Why thank you, Speedway, you are too kind.
One of our favourite pastimes in Japanese class was to put our homework assignments through BabelFish and then read the results aloud in class. I don't think I've ever laughed so much.
Unfair, but yummy, Petrea.
Yay for Mange! There's actually a French deli in Westminster called Mange, a shop sign that always cheers me up when I walk past. For some unaccountable reason I've never yet felt tempted by their wares.
Funny, when I Google "macaroons" with two OOs here, I get images of these things. I also get images of macaroons made from coconut. These look wonderful.
They are indeed wonderful, Robyn. As are coconut macaroons.
Darn it, now I'm hungry.
I love your subtitle to this blog/
And, Oh, I love this post! Macarons may not have made it across your Channel, but they certainly have made it across our Pond in recent years! Keep up periodic reports on your macaron adventures & I'll keep on cking in here.
Hi there, Liz, and welcome!
You have macarons? I'm going to have to move to Pasadena.
It's odd … since coming across Petrea's "Pasadena Daily Photo" many moons ago I now find myself following more blogs from Pasadena than from the rest of the States combined (indeed more than any European country). I feel I know the place better than my own village.
Haha, Neetzy. The flavour and texture are somewhat different.
Glad to see another macaron lover! My daughter and I have perfected the fabrication of macarons in the Parisian style. She has a business on the side, making macarons for special events. Pistache, framboise, citron, café, chocolat, almond, pecan (ok, not French but wonderful), thé vert, rosemary... fillings of chocolate ganache, buttercreams, and more! Me, I just make them for friends and parties!
We are both pretty type-A which helps when making macarons as the measurements, temperatures, number of beats, etc. must be exact. There is no ability to just "toss in a little of this and that" and have perfect macarons.
Exact, labor-intensive, perfectly delicious... the reason we love to EAT them!
Bises,
Genie
Ah, Genie, who can not love macarons?
I am so jealous that you have perfected the recipe. I am drooling (please excuse me) at your descriptions. As you'll see if you come across my cookery blog I am the precise opposite, being a thrower in of handsful of ingredients and a lavish sploosher of liquids (it can get a little sweary over there, too, so probably best steer clear).
Luckily I now have a local Parisian macaron supplier so I won't have to learn discipline in my kitchen.
My usual cooking skills were honed at the side of my mom who concentrated on the best flavors and ingredients and was a bit of the "this and that" cook. My daughters and I share recipes which always includes, "I substituted..." The macarons are more of a scientific exercise which suits the chemical engineer (daughter) and analyst consultant (moi) in us - hah!
I will mosey over to your recipe site this weekend.
Bises,
Genie
Hee hee, Genie, I must confess I find baking far too scientific and exacting a process for a man; we males are too chaotic and unable to do more than throw stuff in a pan and hope for the best. I am definitely a fan of the "I substituted" approach, however.
BEware my cooking posts. You might need goggles, rubber gloves and a copy of Roget's Profanisaurus as my alter Ego (Dive) tends to swear and rant appallingly.
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