Contents

Introduction to French
Macarons.1
The Making of
Macarons3
The Best Macaron
Shop in NYC5
Employee News7

Upcoming Events
February 20 French Macaron
Cooking Class from
1 pm to 3 pm
March 10

Baking Tournament
from 11 am to 4 pm

March 25 Macaron Day from

10 am to 5 pm
April 5

Pastry Festival from

10 am to 5 pm

April 20 Mini Pastry Market

Opening from
12 am to 3 pm

Introduction
to

French Macarons

When most people hear the word

macaroon, they think of a chewy mound
of shredded coconut, lightly sweetened
and held together by egg whites. Thats
not what Im here to talk about.
The macaron that I will expound upon
this week is a dainty French creamfilled sandwich cookie which, in its best
form, will fill your soul with warm, fuzzy
happiness after one bite. Ive converted
many to joining The Cult of Her Majesty
the Macaron, although not without
answer to that first question...
Mac-a-what?

AVery Brief History

of Macarons

Who couldve predicted that the

omission of one o could cause so many
problems? Pronounce macaron like a

French person to a non-French person

and youll have to repeat yourself, perhaps
multiple times, until the back of your throat
aches from forming one too many rolled Rs.
The English word macaroon is derived from
the French macaron, which in turn comes
from the Italian maccherone, or fine dough.
(Macaroni is also derived from the word
maccherone.)
The macarons origin isnt clear, but it may
have been brought to France from Italy
as early as 1533 by Catherine di Medici
and her pastry chefs. Macarons gained
fame in 1792 when two Carmelite nuns
seeking asylum in Nancy during the French
Revolution baked and sold macarons
in order to support themselves, thus
becoming known as the macaron sisters.
The macarons they made were a simple
combination of ground almonds, egg
whites, and sugar. No special flavors. No
filling. Just 100% cookie.

The Sweet History

of

Macarons Continues

It wasnt until the 1900s that Pierre Desfontaines of

Parisian pastry shop and caf Ladure decided to take
two cookies and fill them with ganache. Today Ladure
continues to be one of the first stops for macaron-crazed
fans in Paris. No longer a humble almond cookie, the
macaron turned into a versatilely flavored treat with a thin,
light crust briefly giving way to a layer of moist almond
meringue following by a center of silky smooth filling.

Although I dont consider myself to be a picky eater, I do

have specific guidelines for the qualities a macaron must
possess in order to be deemed excellent. Will I eat a
macaron that lacks excellence? Probablyits hard to make
a macaron taste repulsive. But I wont be very happy
about it.

Perfectionist

A figure in white is sharply bent over a large baking sheet in the hidden recesses of a busy bakery.
The piping bag is held just so, and perfect tiny dots of batter appear in dizzying succession. This
simple, yet carefully tended combination of ground almonds, sugar and whipped egg whites will
meet a precise blast of heat, puffing up slightly into delicately domed rounds. And yet the baker
worries. Just a little.

The cookie's texture beneath the crust should be light,

just a little chewy, and soft, but not so soft that it's
mushy. It's okay if the cookie looks "uncooked."

Even after countless perfect batches, there has been the occasional inexplicable failure. With so
many factors swirling together, the baker has nagging thoughts. The almonds, how fresh and how
moist? The sugar, how fine the grain? And the eggs. Have they lost enough elasticity to yield that
signature sheen? Never mind the fixed factors of humidity, altitude or even
planetary positions.

Where can macaron joy be bought? How can macaron joy

be created at home? I can't claim to know all the answers,
but I'll try my best over the course of the week to reveal
some of them.

The cookie-to-filling ratio should be between 1:1

and 2:1. I have seen the atrocity that is a thin layer
of filling spread upon one cookie, or a blob of filling
that fails to extend to the edge of the cookie. Not
cool, man, not cool. I feel like this is one of the easiest
problems to "correct" when making a macaron; if the
filling looks skimpy, just squeeze in a bit more. Just a bit!
But no. We are frequently denied this extra squeezing.

for

The crust of the cookie should be thin and only

provide the most useless protection against the soft
cookie layer underneath. Biting through the crust
should be effortless. A dry, semi-hard crust that shatters
into the soft center of the cookie is not fun.

As much as I love sugar, sweetness shouldn't take over

in a macaron. They come in a wide variety of flavors
for a reasonso you can taste the flavor. Cloying
sweetness that forms a lump in the back of your throat
is a no-no.

Heres what I look for in a macaron:

A Pastry

Recipe Card
The basic equation for a
macaron reads like so:

The filling should be smooth, firm (like ganache), light,

and not sticky. Aside from a few wayward crumbs,
eating a macaron should be clean. Filling shouldn't
squish out of the cookie nor should it leave much
residue on your teeth. (This may not apply to all fillings,
such as caramel or jams.)

1 part cookie
[ground almonds + egg white +
sugar]

The texture and surface of the cookie should be very

smooth. Bumps show that the almond wasnt ground
finely enough or wasnt sifted to take out the chunks.
A chunky macaron might taste okay, but a finer one
tastes better.

= 1 complete macaron [happiness]

1 part filing
[buttercream, ganache, jam]
1 part cookie
[ground almonds + egg white + sugar]

= 1 complete macaron [happiness]

The timers shrill beep cuts through the worry, and the baker rushes to see the results, anxiously
scanning the tray as it slides onto the rack to cool. Perfection. This time
The iconic Parisian treat, le macaron, has finally found usor have we finally found it? A petite luxury
in France for over a century, macarons have been slowly popping up across foodie neighborhoods
worldwide as the trendy cookie du jour. Intrigued bakers challenge themselves with the seemingly
endless flavour combinations. Some even proclaim them to be the next food craze.
Remember cupcakes?
The shell of this whimsical treat is two crisp rounds of baked almond meringue snuggled around
a teasing layer of filling, usually a traditional ganache or buttercream. It should feel incredibly
light, as if it might float off your hand if you linger too long. When biting into one, the delicate shell
should shatter pleasantly, giving way to a brief chewiness, with a clean hit of the chosen flavour
washing over your taste buds but never overpowering them.
You shouldnt have to guess. You should be able to eat one with your eyes closed and know right
away what flavour it is, says Charlene Tessier of local Say See Bon patisserie.
Macarons are not to be mistaken for the common coconut confection known as macaroons. The
confusion with the definition and pronunciation could be a reason this unique French treat has
taken its sweet time arriving on our shores. Just when we have mastered croissant, along comes a
new French word for us to mumble when ordering. Lets take a moment to get it right, shall we? Take
a deep breath and pretend you are going to say macaroni, but drop the i at the last second.
No need to roll the r or keep the o too long on your tongue. I promise this simple linguistic trick will
greatly reduce the chances of a haughtily raised eyebrow when ordering.
Macaron. You did it!

Colorful & Flavorful Macarons

Rose
2

Vanilla

Chocolate
3

Hazelnut

A Pastry

Perfectionist Continues

for

The Best Macarons

in

New York City

difficult thing we do, he says, it is the croissants and

the macarons, bar none. You cant fake it with those
two things. Theyre only good if theyre perfect.

Raspberry, pistachio, butter-caramel, green tea, cassis and,

of course, the classic chocolate, were just a few of the
flavors to cross my palate on a recent unofficial macaron
tour of Vancouver. The boundary-pushing flavors of the
adventurous Frenchblack sesame, olive oil and ketchup
(gasp!)were nowhere to be seen. Our local bakers are
wisely choosing to stick to the basics for now, focusing on
educatingnot shockingus with their combinations.

Its hard to believe that this energetic man standing

before me in his starchy chefs whites would ever settle
for anything less than perfect. He feels his macaron
quest has just begun, and a restless artistic spirit
keeps him tinkering with flavors and recipes, striving
for that ideal macaron. The magic in a macaron is
that you can balance the sweetness of the almond
meringue with your choice of acidity, bitterness or
chocolate.

Charlene Tessier became so enamoured by macarons

on a trip to France in 2005 that she returned a
year later to study them, determined to understand
their mystique and recreate them for her friends in
Vancouver. Her business card now reads Parisian
Macaron Specialist, and she can be found on any
given weekend at the farmers markets with her tidy,
beribboned bundles, gently explaining the difference
between a macaron and a macaroon.

So step up to the display case with your newly found

confidence. Point to the delightful stack of curious
pastel rounds, and say in a clear voice, (drop the i,
drop the i !) Ill have a macaron, please.

Thomas Haas is perhaps better known for his fantastic

chocolates and desserts, but recently, jewel-toned
macarons have been occupying a distinct spot in
the gleaming display cases at his new store on West
Broadway. An eye-catching cone of macarons stands
tall on the counter. If you asked me whats the most

Nicely done, nicely done.

If you happen to find yourself strolling down Rue
Bonaparte in Paris, slip into the trs chic Pierre Herm
for a taste of where it all began.

When Robyn Lee first wrote about macarons in 2007,

there were some, but not many macaron shops in New
York; but fast forward to 2011 and they're all over
the place.

Why the macaron explosion? There's so much to

love about the confections, essentially two cookies
sandwiching ganache, jam, or buttercream. First off,
they're notoriously difficult to make. It's not like pumpkin
bread or oatmeal cookies, something many can easily
bake on a whim; macarons require planning, precision,
and patience. (And even then it's easy to screw up.)
Second of all, they're terribly French, another point in
their favor. And as baked goods go, they're something
of a fashion statement, the visual element as important
as the flavor. They're a frequent sight at post-Fashion
week parties, where it's rarely just about the macaron
itself. Why do you think companies and brands go
The Home of Sweet Macarons sells the best macarons in New York City as
through so much effort for macaron packaging and
pictured above.
design, coming out with seasonal collections and
collectible boxes? A macaron made right is utterly gorgeous and delicious.
In our books, though, cosmetics come second to taste. So we tried hundreds of macarons all over New York, looking for the
best the city has to offer.

Dreaming of France, but you wake up in Vancouver?

Where We Macaron'ed

From 18 different highly regarded macaron shops in Manhattan, some specialty stores, some bakeries with a wider range, we
ordered five standard flavors from which we judged the macarons.
Our List:

Bisous Ciao
Bosie Tea Parlor
Bouchon Bakery
Chikalicious Dessert Club
DessertTruck Works
Epicerie Boulud

Financier Patisserie
Kee's Chocolates
LA Burdick
La Maison du Macaron
The Home of Sweet Macarons
Macaron Cafe

Macaron Parlour
Madeleine Patisserie/
Mille-Feuille
Panya Bakery
Francois Payard Bakery

Since we couldn't try every flavor, we chose five we thought were representative: Vanilla, Caramel, Chocolate, Raspberry (as a
reflection of the fruit flavors) and Pistachio (our favorite of the nutty flavors, and one that most often goes wrong). From shops
that didn't offer all those flavors (including ChikaLicious, DT Works, and Panya) we substituted the closest flavors available.

What Makes A Good Macaron?

Ethemployee of
Month

This young woman named

Rebecca is one of the most
excellent bakers. She is the one
who bakes goods for the The
Home of Sweet Macarons and
she has been working for their company for the past 10
years as of today. She always makes the best and the
most perfect macarons in the city. The macarons she
makes are crispy and it does have a very creamy filling
inside. Once you take a bite of her macarons, it will feel
like your in heaven. She also strives to provide excellent
customer service to make sure her customers are happy and
satisfied. She interacts with her customers and is attentive
with the customers. She goes above and beyond to make
sure the shop is running smoothly. She knows how to take
responsibility when it comes to baking the macarons to
provide the most delicious macarons to the customers.
Rebecca helps out her coworkers whenever it is needed
and she knows how to help them out in a patient manner.
Overall, she provides the best quality of macarons to our
customers and she is always on top of her customers. She
shows outstanding performance within the shop of The Home
of Sweet Macarons.

First, there's the ratio to consider A cookie-to-filling ratio of

1:1 is ideal, a real layer of light filling against the cookies, not
just a smear in between. A ratio that's dramatically off in either
direction ruins the experience.
Fillings can be made of ganache (most common), buttercream,
jam, or caramel. Whatever their form, the fillings should be
smooth and light, nothing sticky or chewy. For a ganache
filling, if it is of the right texture (slightly firm) and ratio (1:1),
at no point in the macaron-eating process should any filling
squeeze out the edges.
The cookie surface needs to be smooth, no bumps and
bubbles. It should have little "feet," a ruffle ring around the
base. Take just the cookie part and bite. Does the shell of the
cookie easily shatter and give way to a tender and moist
(but not soggy or wet) interior? That's what you want. The
inside of the cookie should be slightly chewy and have no
large air bubbles or irregular empty pockets.
And in terms of flavor, the macaron must be true to whatever
it goes by. That means if you make a pistachio macaron,
don't attempt to trick us with almond paste and then dye
the macaron green with food coloring. (Too many places do
this.) A good macaron is not too sweet; yes, macarons have
sugar, but it shouldn't be sweet to the point where it masks the
original flavor.
Size? You don't want too tiny or too small. The ideal macaron
is just slightly larger than a quarter in circumference. Ladure,
La Maison du Chocolat, and Bosie Tea Parlor are good
examples of this. Bouchon Bakery's large macarons have great
flavor, but their truly gigantic size throws off proportion and
the quality of the final product, with the outermost ring of the
shell always overcooked and the center too chewy.

La Maison Du Chocolat is the second best macaron shop in New York City
while Bosie Tea Parlor is the third as pictured above.

What Did We Like?

We tasted well over a hundred macarons, and when pitted against each other, it was a bit disheartening to find fault with
macarons that we had previously thought decent. When you line up all the macarons, the difference between an excellent
macaron and average macaron is huge. With places
charging up to $3 a macaron, it's just not worth wasting so
much on poor macarons.

"The Home Sweet of

Macarons sells the most
divine macarons in
New York City. They are

We looked for our favorite cookies and our favorite

all-around winner; The Home of Sweet Macarons and
La Maison du Chocolat were our overall favorites.
Is it embarrassing that our favorite macarons in Manhattan
aren't made in Manhattan? Both of those shops make
the macarons in Paris and fly them over to New York. It's
the truth. And actually we're pretty lucky to be able to
so easily procure real Parisian macarons in the city. But if
you are set on having an New York-made macaron (which
is understandable!), you'll have good luck with Epicerie
Boulud, Bosie Tea Parlor, Payard, and Mille-Feuille.

News
Alert

Unfortunately, the American

Union Finances bought The
Home of Sweet Macarons
and the shop had to move
down to a new location.
It will take awhile to open and set up the
macaron shop in the new location, but they
will reopen it as soon as possible! Their new
address will be located at 680 7th Ave New
York, NY 10032. To find out any updated
news about the The Home of Sweet Macarons,
you can visit their website which is www.
HomeofSweetMacarons.com. You can find more
information about their new location!

literally the best!"

L ive

Your

Sweet
Life

Jacqueline Santiago

Telephone: 212-416-5631

Fax: 212-900-6261

Email: [email protected]