les macarons

When I was in Paris these cute little almond meringe-ish desserts became my very favorite sweet. Laduree, the famous tea room and patisserie on the Champs-Elysees, has the best in the world. I still talk about them a lot, so much so that all of my French students chipped in and ordered some from the macaron patiesserie Paulette in L.A. They all joke about my ridiculous passion, though I know some of the students secretly love them just as much as I do. I attempted making macarons once and decided that it was going to be my very LAST attempt--8 hours in the kitchen with underwhelming results. So, for now I've decided to content myself with searching for new bakeries in the U.S. that churn out the delicate desserts (they are rare) and browsing Etsy's assortment of macaron paintings, soaps, jewelry...you name it. Apparently I am not the only one in the world obsessed with macarons!

Light and crispy on the outside. Moist and rich on the inside. Prime.

Macarons from Laduree in Paris.

Macarons from Sucre in New Orleans.

Macarons from Paulette in Los Angeles...my favorite so far in the U.S.