Mad for Macarons!

Is there any treat that says "Paris" more than the macaron? I'm trying to remember the first time I had one but I'm drawing a blank. Surely I don't want to think of a life without macarons though! You might think that I'm crazy for sweets but those of you who know me know that I choose cheese over dessert any day. So why the infatuation? There is just something about those pretty cookie sandwiches filled with interesting fillings that has my heart.

Forest and I found ourselves conducting an informal macaron tasting starting in the 9th after lunch at Rose Bakery (which was good but a bit over hyped and over priced IMHO). We walked across the street to Arnaud Delmontel, they advertise the fact that they won the best baguette in Paris for 2007 and they have very pretty patisseries in the window to entice you inside.

I'm forgetting which flavors we chose now but we were both very disappointed in all of them. They were over sweet and the fillings were like jam, gummy and unappealing. Fail.

Another day, another macaron (this should be Paris' official slogan!)

Pierre Herme. I'd never been (gasp!) and Forest insisted that it was top on her list so off we went. Insert swoon gestures here. These are amazing! Perfectly light cookies that crackle when you bite into them, really interesting flavors, filling that is light as air, not too sweet. Delicious!! Win! Of course Pierre Herme also does chocolates, Dayne declared them awesome when I brought them home.

At Fauchon we found macarons only at their cafe, not in the main shop. Again we chose a few flavors and again we found disappointment. Sweet, uninspired flavors and gummy filling. Fail.

Finally as I headed towards security at CDG on my way home I spotted a precious little cart- Laduree! I've had them before and have always thought they were the best, but would they hold up against the now favorite Pierre Herme? They had gorgeous little boxes that held 6 snugly so I chose a few flavors I knew Dayne would like and a Pistachio and flavor of the month, Christian Louboutin, for me. I made sure the box wasn't smashed in my carry on and immediately upon arriving home at 10pm we opened it. I assured Dayne we needed to eat them all right away as fresh macarons are the best macarons! Let me tell you that Christian Louboutin flavor, raspberry cookies with chocolate ganache filling, was amazing! And I even kept my pistachio macaron for breakfast the next day and it was still great. Winner!

It would be tough for me to pick only one if I had to between Laduree and Pierre Herme. So I won't!