Macarons in Paris [MERGED TOPIC]

[ludja]

Wow, this thread has ignited a new culinary passion that must be requited--french style macarons!!!!

Anyone know if you can get these in the US besides NY? anywhere near San Francisco per chance?

Admissin: I do have a cookbook on French cookies and may have to try my hand at some before I go to Paris next!

Delights: is the saffron in the cookie itself or flavored in the buttercream?

and thanks (I think ) Swedea for the gorgeous photograph!

[Akiko]

I missed this thread! We were just in Paris last week and went to Pierre Herme on several occasions to pick up goodies. I sampled all his macarons in the process. He has a very unusual white truffle macaron, and if you like white truffles, you should really go try it before he changes his collection.

I offerred one to a friend who didn't know what a white truffle was and he went, "oooh" and made a face. I guess it wasn't what he was expecting.. white truffle to him meant a white chocolate bon bon.. not a mushroomy tasting thing.

Very unusual, in a good way

[Louisa Chu]

Pierre Herme will have the white truffle macaron at the shop for the forseeable future - it's one of his signature items that he keeps every season - like the Ispahan - the rose/raspberry/lychee macaron. The white truffle's more of an aroma than a flavour - your friend probably wanted something more like the pH3 - the white chocolate filled boules - and those are part of the current collection.

Edited January 13, 2004 by loufood (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Anyone know if you can get these in the US besides NY? anywhere near San Francisco per chance?

Boulangerie (aka Bay Bread)

2325 Pine Street (off Fillmore)

San Francisco, CA 94115

415-440-0356

They have about a half-dozen flavors at any given time. I'm not sure, but they may ship.

[ludja]

Anyone know if you can get these in the US besides NY?  anywhere near San Francisco per chance?

Boulangerie (aka Bay Bread)

2325 Pine Street (off Fillmore)

San Francisco, CA 94115

415-440-0356

They have about a half-dozen flavors at any given time. I'm not sure, but they may ship.

Thank you very much Margaret Pilgrim!

I will definately check it out and report back soon.

It will certainly be fun to experiment, but do you have any favorite flavors from their bakery?

Thanks again.

[ludja]

poked around a little on google and found a recent SF Chroncile article on macarons; along w/a recipes for Herme's chocolate macaron!

macaron article

[chezcherie]

Boulangerie (aka Bay Bread)

2325 Pine Street (off Fillmore)

San Francisco, CA 94115

415-440-0356

They have about a half-dozen flavors at any given time. I'm not sure, but they may ship.

Yessssssss! I will be up there for the Fancy Food Show this weekend, and will certainly check them out----j'adore les macs!

[LJC]

don't miss La Duree (? spell) on the Champs d'elyse (spell?). IMO the world's best. If I remember correctly I think Piere Herme worked here before Fauchon. Regardless the macarons are the great.

[Bux]

don't miss La Duree (? spell) on the Champs d'elyse  (spell?).  IMO the world's best.  If I remember correctly I think Piere Herme worked here before Fauchon.  Regardless the macarons are the great.

Laduree. They translate macaron as "macaroon" which I've always felt was misleading, but they're not the only ones who do that. We've had the discussion on eGullet before. Hermé worked here and at Fauchon. Anyway, Laduree claims to have invented the macaron as we've come to know it. "At the beginning of the XXth century, Pierre Desfontaine, the grandson of Louis Ernest Ladurée had the idea to stick two of them and to fill them with 'ganache'." Certainly any study of macarons would include a tasting here.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

"At the beginning of the XXth century, Pierre Desfontaine, the grandson of Louis Ernest Ladurée had the idea to stick two of them and to fill them with 'ganache'."

This late. I am surprised. My love and search for this pastry began with a chocolate "cookie" we used to by at a French bakery in Los Gatos, California. It was, essentially, a single chocolate macaron. I took it for granted for years, until the bakery went out of business. It was until I found its double version in France that I understood the passion of my childhood. Still today, chocolate is my flavor. Herme et al can improvise as well they should, with this art form. I will still return to the "cookie" of my childhood. (Filling isn't all bad! )

[artisanbaker]

fao margaret pilgrim:

the bakery in los gatos was pascal janvier's? if he is still in business i would be he makes a great mac-

herme's are awesome.

i make rose flavored every valentines season and they sell like crazy...

[PaulaJK]

Where is Paul's located?

[Bux]

Where is Paul's located?

The original Paul is in Lille. There are some 30 Pauls in Paris alone. It's quite a successful chain and the quality is very good. In the Buci shopping street you will find a Paul at 77 rue de Seine, 17 et 21 rue de Buci. http://www.paul.fr/magasins/fr_magasins.htm - to search for other addresses in France or abroad (Dubai, UK, Japan, etc.)

[Druckenbrodt]

I've just moved to Paris and am looking to do a spot of freelance writing on some of the weird and wonderful things I'm discovering here. I have an idea I want to pitch to one of the UK papers which I have gleaned from stray snippets I've read/heard, but I wonder if there is really any truth in it?

What I want to know is, is there really a macaron war raging in Paris? Or is this wishful thinking because it would make such a great story? Or, horror of horrors, is this subject all a bit 2003? And who in your opinion are the big players? And what is their main plan of attack? Is it mainly Laduree vs Pierre Herme? Or are there some other mercenary troops out there seeking to confuse the issue? And is Catherine Deneuve the only French celebrity partial to macarons (and if so, why isn't she plus grande)?

By the way, I noticed from a previous macaron posting a lot of rave reviews about Paul's macarons. Did you know that Paul is owned by the Holder group, the same family that owns Laduree? I believe that some of the Paul macaron recipes have been 'donated' by the pastry chefs at Laduree, which explains why they are so good.

Personally, I think I prefer Pierre Herme's macarons. Surely the point of macarons is that they are also meant to tease you a bit? Like leaving a little question mark on your tongue? Anyway, the avocado, banana and chocolate macaron, released on the 16th of March as the publicity material informs me, is particularly good - for those of you who aren't in Paris and who like to be teased by macarons of the imagination.

[pim]

Macarons war

Interesting. Ladurée macarons do not hold a candle against those by Pierre Hermé, who is indeed sui generis.

I wrote a little piece about this on my blog.

A tale of two Ispahans

[little ms foodie]

Personaly I'm a fan of Fauchon macarons. mmmm. Lemon! Pistacio, chocolate!!!!

[bleudauvergne]

Macarons war

Interesting. Ladurée macarons do not hold a candle against those by Pierre Hermé, who is indeed sui generis.

I wrote a little piece about this on my blog.

A tale of two Ispahans

If you haven't had the chance yet, please do click through and read Pim's essay about her visit to Hermes. It's really a pleasure to read.

[Bux]

Ladurée's versions are the classic, perhaps the standard, for the craft of macarons. Pierre Hermé, who was, I believe pastry chef at Ladurée and Fauchon prior to opening his own shop on the rue Bonaparte, has applied a new level of creativity and pushed the envelope of what could be done in the name of macaron. The best chocolate macaron I've ever had has been at Hévin. I've no really had enough macarons to make any definitive statements of relative quality. In fact, I've not nearly had enough macarons.

[Druckenbrodt]

I'm very grateful for all these responses which suggest perhaps a broader focus is required and more extensive research... Clearly it's not a straightforward Laduree vs Pierre Herme thing. Will have to visit Fauchon and Hevin... What about Le Notre? I've had macarons from the Le Notre outpost in Kuwait which were pretty fantastic. Not sure what the Parisian versions are like although I saw they run macaron classes for the general public which would be interesting to pursue.

It seems like there's a mini macaron universe out there of potential contenders to the crown of the ultimate macaron. I wonder if there is such a thing as the perfect macaron? Or if part of the point of them is the sheer variety of interpretations and flavours. I wonder whether I ought to visit every patissier in Paris to make sure I have researched this thoroughly enough...

Loved Pim's essay on the visit to Pierre Herme. I think I agree that the caramel au fleur de sel and the l'huile d'olive et vanille are among the best. Perhaps because they've both got something quite weird and slightly bitter going on that counterbalances the sweetness?

I can't help suspecting that Laduree are in danger of resting on their laurels somewhat...

[origamicrane]

This is a really good thread as currently I am in Paris

in front of me now is a macaron from Laduree and one from Pierre Herme.

haven't been to fouchon or helvin but will try and got there before i leave on friday.

But first lets have a head to head with the main contenders!!!!

In the left corner is the Legendary Lemon macaron from Laduree!!!!

In the right corner is the new contender thats been produced by the tender loving care of Pierre Herme!!!!

let the fight begin.

ding! ding!

Round 1.

FIGHT!

although they look like yellow coloured mini hamburgers they are in fact the king of macarons that were bought today at their respective outlets in Rue Bonaparte.

As we can see on the left the Laduree on look less tidy and more crumbled and the Pierre Herme one is more well formed.

ding! ding!

Round 2.

FIGHT!

So the first bite of the Laduree macaron it is lighter, creamy and very crumbly with a melt in the mouth texture almost sublimating on the tongue but when you start to chew you find that there are little bits of crushed nuts inside which adds to the texture and then the citrus flavour start to kick in from the creamy filling.

Now a bite out of the Pierre Herme you notice that the shell is thicker then the laduree one which would explain how it managed to mantain a excellent shape on the metro back to the flat where as the Laduree one started to crumble a bit.

Biting into the crisp shell there is slightly more resistance before it crumbles and then you hit the rich dense filling this one isn't as creamy as the Laduree but the lemon flavour is more deep far more intense. I would compare it to the difference between fresh fruit juice and that made from concentrate. With PH being the fresh juice. This is a lot more flavour and sweetness to this one and the fact that the shell is thicker and the shape is better suggest to me that PH macarons have a more loving creator.

As you can see from the top view the Laduree has started to disintegrate while the PH still looks round and together.

ding! ding!

Round 3.

FIGHT!

final round 2nd bite and the Laduree has all but crumbled and the PH still has good form. So end of the match and it down to points.

enjoy that?

i know i did yum!!

Ok so which one is better in my opinion?

both have their merits and this is down to my personal tastes. So feel free to disagree with me.

But right now i prefer the Laduree one as its lighter less sweet and less complicated. To make you understand my reasoning i'm going to do some other comparisons. Think about the difference between milk chocolate and dark chocolate one is simple while the other is complex, same with these macarons.

The Laduree is the simpler one uncomplicated instant satisfaction and complete disintegration in seconds you could quite happily go through a dozen of these and not notice.

Where as the PH one is something to ponder on to be eaten slowly and analysed bite after bite, if we are tallking height of culinary excellence, PH wins hands down. But the PH one is too sweet in my opinion. I know that it has better ingredients, has had more tender loving care in its creation and it truly is the finer macaron.

But unless you had eaten Laduree macaron first you wouldn't understand or appreciate the thought and work that gone into the PH one.

If a PH macaron was a restaurant it would be a 3 Michelin star restaurant but as such you couldn't eat there everyday, you would go there for a treat once in a while.

anyway lets see if i can get to fouchon and helvin tomorrow

[little ms foodie]

origamicrane that was REALLY good! Thank you.....I literally am salivating! 12 days till I'm in Paris eating frest macaroons!!!

[fresh_a]

Pierre Herme apparently just took over control of his company and brand name again.

here...

[origamicrane]

hi all just tried some of the macarons from PAUL

I'm please to announce they are really good and cheaper then all the rest.

They are a little smaller sized and less sweet but that just means you can eat more of them before you feel blotted hahaha

[Druckenbrodt]

Fresh_a - thanks for the Pierre Herme article - interesting to also see he's opening a new store in October.

Origamicrane - I loved your macaron boxing match. I was hoping for a second installment...

[MobyP]

Origamecrane - thanks for that. I thought it was only me and my wife that did the double on Laduree and Herme. Our hotel room usually looks like a Sid and Nancy heroin binge by the time we're through.

[Edit to add: When I was at Laduree a few weeks ago, the croissant and pain au chocolat were appalling and stale (at 9.30am). I ended up throwing them away rather than finish them. Anyone else have this experience?]

Edited July 20, 2004 by MobyP (log)