Dainty, delicious, gorgeous to look at, and not so easy to make at home, the French macaron is truly a pastry creation that inspires a smile and longing to taste.
Since the 19th century, a typical Parisian-style macaron is a delicate sandwich cookie filled with ganache, buttercream or jam. The basic ingredients for the outside meringues are egg white, sugar and almond flour . When baked, the circular macaron displays a smooth top, a ruffled circumference—referred to as the "crown" or "foot" or "pied"—and a flat base. For the centre, there is an extraordinary and endless selection of flavours and fillings, a testament to the creativity of the chef and a bounty of ingredients. All together, these gorgeous cookies are slightly crunchy on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside and definitely melt in the mouth.
The delightful macaron has an inspired and somewhat mysterious lineage. According to Wikipedia:
The culinary encyclopedia Larousse Gastronomique (1988) traces the origin of the macarons back to a French monastery in Cormery in the 8th century (791), also saying that according to legend the pastries had the shape of monks' navels.
A Swiss online encyclopedia on the history of baking says that the almond biscuits were brought from al-Andalus (present-day Spain) to Marrakesh (present-day Morocco) in the early 11th century by the sultan and first king of the Almoravid dynasty Yusuf ibn Tashfin, and that it was served mainly during Ramadan.
A popular legend tells that the macaron was introduced in France by a chef of Catherine de Medici, however, a thorough investigation of records listing service personnel who worked with Catherine since her arrival in France until her death revealed the absence of any Italian chefs.
In the 1790s, macarons began to gain fame when two Carmelite nuns, seeking asylum in Nancy during the French Revolution, baked and sold the macaron cookies in order to pay for their housing. These nuns became known as the "Macaron Sisters". In these early stages, macarons were served without special flavours or fillings.
Credit: Wikipedia
The filled version of the macaron is widely believed to be the invention of the Ladurée family, owners of the well-known Parisian pastry shop and tea house who now have shops around the world.
Today, it’s reported that the Ladurée brand sells 15,000 macaron – every single day.
At ROUSSEAU Chocolatier, we love making macarons. Our delicate almond meringue shells are filled with scrumptious ganache style creams and crafted by hand in the traditional French style. Always fresh and made from the finest real fruit and a variety of ingredients, we’ve seen our customers enjoy our macarons on many occasions from elaborate weddings, dinner parties and holidays to picnic lunches and afternoon tea. This spring, our featured flavours are:
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Raspberry
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Hazelnut
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Lavender
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Coconut
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Pistachio
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Strawberry
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Banana Nutella
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Lemon
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Passion Fruit
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Mango
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Chocolate
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Blackcurrant
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Tiramisu
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Pineapple
PS…Nathalie’s favourite macaron is Coconut and Julien’s is Banana Nutella. But, really, you should try them all.