In honor of National Macaron Day (March 20, yes, I know I’m a week late!), I’d like to share with all of you 5 sweet and little known facts about the French confection.
The Making of a Macaron – The macaron is created by taking two small meringue-like cookies or biscuits made with almond flour, and sandwiching them together with a variety of fillings.
French or Italian Origin – Most people associate the macaron with French desserts or pastries; however, history places the origin of the macaron in Italy (at least the almond-based portion of the cookie).
Macaron vs. Macaroon – The French macaron we know and love today is often confused with the American macaroon. Although the spelling is similar as are the pronunciations, that is really where their similarities end. Unlike the almond-based French macaron, the American macaroon is made with shredded coconut held together by egg whites and sugar, often dipped in chocolate. Learn more about the link between these two tasty treats.
A Model Macaron – Macarons have long been considered tres chic but there is only one macaron that has held the title of “supermodel of the food industry”…the famous macaron of Laduree in Paris. The story and recipe for the Laduree macaron date back to the mid 19th century when Laduree started as a tea salon. It is there where Pierre Desfontaines first combined two of the delicate almond cookies with a ganache filling and voila!…the rest is macaron history, as they say.
From Classic to Unusual – Macaron flavors seem to be endless! Aside from the traditional and quite popular fillings of raspberry, vanilla, lemon, chocolate, pistachio, etc., pastry chefs today have become more daring by tempting macaron fate with flavors like egg nog, Bloody Mary, wasabi, green tea and more. In fact, Laduree is said to have a vault containing over 100 secret macaron recipes with various flavor combinations!
And there you have it! Enjoy!
