The French, it seems, know what they are doing when it comes to macarons. These delicate airy cookies are not to be confused with the macaroon. The macaron is a traditional French pastry that looks like a little sandwich filled with cream or ganache while macaroons are dense cookies made, traditionally made with almond or coconut. It’s the delicate, airy meringue-type macaron that come in a variety of flavors and brilliant colors that the French do best. And I for one definitely appreciate the effort!
On a recent trip to Paris, my parents brought back several tiny black boxes filled with macarons from the famed Ladurée bakery. I immediately ate them in one sitting because anyone who knows macarons knows that you have to eat them fresh. And they made the trip from Paris to Napa well. Delicate, airy macarons in flavors like blackberry, lemon and of course chocolate. I was ready to jump on the plane and move to Paris just so I could indulge in macarons every day.
But luckily for me, I live right down the street from Bouchon Bakery in Yountville and they can definitely hold their own with this little cookie. The macarons at Bouchon Bakery are indeed inspired by the famed Paris macarons and come in traditional flavors like chocolate, caramel and vanilla with a wonderful seasonal flavor always thrown into the mix. My favorite is the pistachio macaron. If you visit now, you’ll find pumpkin macarons on the menu…delicious!
If you want to make macarons at home, Epicurious has a recipe for Laduree’s Chocolate Macarons. I have not attempted to make them myself as I found myself walking down the street to Bouchon Bakery for a Pistachio macaron before I even managed to purchase the ingredients. But if you try it out, let me know how it goes.
Written by Linzi
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