While in downtown Chicago this weekend celebrating Mother’s Day, I happened upon one of my favorite French pastry shops outside of France – Vanille Patisserie. (By the way, this charming little shop is a MUST if you enjoy a little taste of French heaven in the Windy City.) While I debated the store’s Sunday hours, I anxiously googled the shop’s website to find that they were indeed open – thank goodness!!
The shop sells many French pastries, but what they are known for are the delicate and decadent French macaron. Unlike the American version that’s made with coconut, the French version features two flaky, yet chewy cookies that sandwich a cream or ganache filling.
Although I arrived toward the end of the day, there were still plenty of gorgeous macarons to choose from. I immediately spotted the cassis macarons and, as I had hoped, their dark purple color was as rich as their black currant flavor. One dozen macarons later, I was admiring my colorful wares displayed in their charming chocolate brown box wrapped in a purple bow. Little by little, I managed to make my way through the entire box (sharing a few with my husband and darling children), tasting all of the flavors I purchased, including:
- Cassis
- Vanilla
- Red Raspberry
- Pistachio
- Boston Cream
Four days later, I found myself staring longingly into that same brown box, now completely empty, wishing for Mother’s Day and macarons all over again. C’est la vie!
Ciao!
