Happy Friday!
Today is Macaron Day, a celebration of those sweet colorful French pastries. Although mainly celebrated in NYC, it’s my favorite excuse to pick up a box of little dainty desserts. In honor of Macaron Day, I’m sharing a few of my favorite recipes and posts.
It’s no surprise that I’m a huge fan of macarons. My first trip to Paris, almost 10 years ago, I remember passing by a bakery window with these treats. I wondered what they were and it was years before I saw them pop up in the states. Well, I’m so happy the macaron craze arrived and made one of my favorite desserts able to be enjoyed by many.
Bonnie Eng of Thirsty for Tea’s easy how-to illustrates the steps for creating a macaron tree. I made one for my French Christmas photoshoot and love how elegant it made my dining table setting.
Ashley of Sugar & Cloth made skinny macaron ice cream sandwiches. These are perfect for your sweet tooth on a diet. French macarons are gluten free anyways and this brings a healthier touch to the filling.
Next is a chocolate macaron recipe (my favorite flavor) from Mindy Cone’s awesome macaron cookbook. I love how simple here recipes describe creating the normally complex macaron. Definitely a great start for beginners!
I have two favorite macaron patisseries, one in San Francisco and the other in Los Angeles. Chantal Guillion in SF is wonderfully simple, serving just macarons. She also carries my favorite tea from Paris. Definitely a must-stop if you ever visit! As for LA, Bottega Louie will overwhelm you a bit, but it is beautiful. So may people feature this restaurant on Instagram now, it cracks me up. Still it is wonderful and closest thing to Laduree I’ve found in LA.
Which brings me to my conclusion, nay the origin of all macarons, the wonderful Laduree. I love visiting this patisserie and all it’s macaron glory in New York and Paris. It literally glows with pastries inside :)
There you have it, my little tribute to macaron day. Please enjoy and go have a macaron today!
Have a wonderful weekend!
