urbanfoodie

L’obsession. (via Paris vs New York)

Bonus photo: Chocolate Macaron with Nutella filling

(image via Serious Eats)

When I recently declared that macarons were the new cupcake, I thought I was some kind of trendcasting genius. Token indulgences like this are bound to explode in these difficult economic times, much like lipstick sales skyrocket when times get tough. I even went and did a little Google Trends analysis of searches for “macaron” in the U.S., learning that interest in macarons has gone up dramatically from practically nil in the last two years:

Then I did a little more research and found that the Foodista blog beat me to this trend report by less than a month (goes to show…don’t neglect your blogging). They even included a little Google Trend screen cap (note that most searchers were within France). Then there was the macaron cookbook review featured on Eat Me Daily. Serious Eats has featured many a macaron post since 2007, most recently breaking some news that Starbucks is going to start selling macarons imported from France. That’s OK, this little blogger may not be the most forward food trendcaster, but I will continue to extol the virtues of this most sophisticated cookie (and don’t confuse it with the macaroon).

Pour moi, the X-Factor of a macaron is in the breakthrough of the delicate crust to a soft, airy cookie texture. The closest I have ever come to experiencing macaron perfection is Miette Patisserie.

Bouchon Bakery comes a close second:

Here in the Twin Cities, Sweets Bakeshop in St. Paul brings a respectable offering to the meringue gods. But I do find myself wanting in the texture department with the Sweets macarons, which have more of a dense, somewhat pasty interior. Perhaps the recipe will evolve, as Sweets is relatively new. I do have to say, the flavor of the salted caramel filling is outstanding. Below are a couple of macarons, one pistachio/chocolate and the other some other flavor that was not very memorable.

One of my friends suggested that macarons are too difficult to make to ever achieve the popularity of cupcakes. I am going to put that to the test with my own attempt next weekend. Stay tuned. Project *Macaron will return soon enough with the next effort at making this pastry take over the world.

EDITING NOTE: *I mistakenly added a second “o” the first time I posted this, totally proving that….well, I guess it’s pretty easy to mix up the macaron and the macaroon (hey, at least I know the difference), and I need a copyeditor. Oops!

More Macarons! This time from Bouchon Bakery in Yountville (more pics from the day in Napa on my flickr).

The Bouchon macarons are larger and more dense (with a slightly more intense taste) than the typical variety, such as those at Miette Patisserie. The one pictured above is a Blueberry macaron that my friend Arnold got, and I had hazelnut. I prefer the more delicate, airy texture and lighter flavor of Miette’s macarons, but the Bouchon macarons are still quite good. Split it with a friend.