Macaroons from Pavillon Ledoyen

     The word macaroon means different things to different nationalities.  Whilst in America we could care less as to whether it is macaroni and cheese or cheese and macaroni, Europeans take the matter of food very seriously.  Case in point, the macaroon.

     There is the Italian variety and the French one, the latter one being the one of interest for this post.  French macaroons are less dense and a lot more airy than Italian ones.  They’re basically made of meringue and have a creamy filling in-between, which can be anything from a fruit jam to a creamy mousse (ganache).  They are served at the end of a meal as petit fours secs, as accompaniment to coffee.

    The Parisian bakery Ladureé is credited with the creation of the French macaroon.  As such, they should be on your MUST VISIT list when in Paris.  In the meantime, we can have these delicacies directly sent to our door via Pavillon Ledoyen, a purveyor of all things gourmet, also located in Paris.

     Pavillion Ledoyen opened in 1791 as a restaurant.  It passed through a number of owners, even overcoming a fire in 1848.  Eventually, the brand grew to what it is today, shipping French delicacies all over the world for those who do not have the good fortune of living in Paris.

     I was lucky enough to receive a box of their classic collection, which included both fruity and creamy flavoured macaroons in all the colours of the rainbow.  Presentation is important for the brand, as the red box in which the macaroons arrived demonstrates.  It makes them an ideal hostess gift (one that will make you look totally “non-desperate”). We tasted them with a nice espresso, freshly ground and brewed.  Our favorites were the coffee, chocolate and citrus flavours, closely followed by the blueberry and pistachio.  The strawberry one was the least favorite as the jam seemed too stiff; however all flavours had the dreamy, airy texture a proper French macaroon should have, and they melted in our mouth in a couple of bites, as will you.  

     Enjoy your happy coffee moment!