parisian macarons

. . . an unusual and delicious little cookie!

For a girl who adores desserts, I'm a little embarrassed to share that I hadn't eaten one of these sweet confectioneries until today. 

I've seen them in photos ~ and bakeries ~ and find them most interesting . . . their smooth slightly domed top, ruffled circumference, and creamy filling. What a unique combination.  

I stopped by a bakery this morning with one goal in mind . . . to sample a Parisian Macaron.

I chose chocolate, of course. It was an almond meringue disc filled with rich, chocolate ganache. Mmmmm . . .

I was pleasantly surprised by its texture and flavor. It was mildly moist and easily melted in my mouth. The smooth, chocolate ganache filling complimented the unique cookie discs. Every bite was like a little piece of heaven.

I'm excited to try Miette's macaron recipe . . . and make these petite beauties at home!  

And just in case you were wondering . . . 

A macaron is meringue based and made with egg whites, powerdered sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and sometimes food coloring.  

They are commonly filled with ganache, buttercream, or jam. 

These cookies rest at room temperature for 2 hours
before baking, a step that is crucial to achieving
just the right balance of crispiness & chewiness.

Its name is derived from an Italian word  

maccarone or maccherone. This word is itself derived from 

ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste, which is the principal ingredient. 

  

Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavors 

that range from the traditional raspberry and chocolate . . . 

to the new truffle, lemon, grapefruit, pistachio, and hazelnut. 

I just love this Parisian post card!

Bon Appetit!