macarons

ladurée ou gerard mulot?

although others may argue that there are more venerable institutions for macarons (fauchon, pierre hermé), our family stays with the tried and true. we are partial to the macarons, those delectable confections that bear no resemblance to the passover macaroon (double 'o') comprised of coconut and more coconut (also delicious - have you ever had dean & deluca's chocolate coated version?). i digress. the parisian macaron lies somewhere between heaven and earth - two cookie like rounds sandwiching a delicious fruit or ganache filling. we love the packaging of these treats at le bon marché, but we really are stuck with the two shops noted above.

now admittedly, i've soured on ladurée a bit since jane told me that they were bought by the french chain paul (in my opinion one step up from starbucks' brand model). that notwithstanding, who can resist the shopkeepers on rue jacob dolling out these nuggets in many flavors, packaging them beautifully in the prada green boxes bearing the script logo? not i, nor the kids for that matter. we seem to pair these macarons - delicate, somewhat 'crusty' - with a palmier ('elephant ear') for good measure.

on the other hand, the ritual of purchasing macarons at gerard mulot on rue de seine is like a family pilgrimage for us now. standing patiently on line, ordering the brightly colored treats, going to the cash to pay, returning with ticket in hand to 'pick up' our goods - all lovely and delightful, and oh-so-civilized. you couldn't possibly think that they'd LET you carry your package up to the register to pay, now. that would just sully the whole process.

so, please decide for yourself - and if you have your own thoughts, feel free to try and sway me by fedexing a box of macarons to me - anytime!!!

bon appetit,

harley