I hate to admit it but in all my trips to Paris I have never had a macaron. I didn’t even think to have one. There was never a craving or desire to look at all the pretty little cookies lined up by colour or to buy the packages from Pierre Hermé as gifts. While the world swooned for these little things, I somehow went unfazed. I know, I don’t understand it either!

But Oh Happy Day’s recent blog post about making macarons created a sudden obsession to buy, bake, consume and give all things macaron. In fact, I was working as a stylist on a home photoshoot and was pretty adamant that somehow a pretty plate them get included in a shot (this was an easy sell, actually).

Luckily I have access to two incredible local places that, like is Paris, make macarons an art form: Paulette Macarons in Beverly Hills (she’s Parisian) and Jin Patissiere in Venice (who makes unusual bite sided macarons). My first stop was to Paulette’s which was a wise choice because the colours, flavours and presentation were beyond incredible. My favourites were the coffee, vanilla and the Jasmine green. I can honestly say I have never tasted a treat so perfect. So good were they that the box I bought for the shoot didn’t make it home. I had to run back and pick up a second box!

Not being able to get to Paulette’s on a regular basis, I thought I’d try out Jin’s but wasn’t able to make it there this weekend. I thought after reading Jordon’s recipe that they should be easy enough to make and started a web search for tasty yet easy recipes. Since the macaron dates back to the 18th century, it has basic ingredients and instructions. They basically consist of egg whites, almost powder, and sugar. The buttercreams can be made using different recipes and ideas and there are endless possibilities with this little sweet pastry.

For a great introduction on the macaron, read this article. For an easy, tasty recipe that I used along with more great macaron recipes, click through to read more.

Macarons from Thomas Keller’s cookbook Bouchon.

• 5 1/4 cups of almond flour (I use Blanched Almond Meal Flour)
• 5 cups of confectioner’s sugar
• 1 1/4 cups of large egg whites (7-9 eggs)
• 2 vanilla beans, scraped of the seeds
• Pinch of Cream of Tartar

1. Combine the almond flour and sugar and set aside.
2. Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks then add a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to whip until they hold stiff peaks. Fold in the vanilla bean seeds and 1/4 of the flour and sugar until it comes together. Fold in the rest of the flour and sugar.
3. With a 1/2″ plain pastry tip, pipe the batter into 2″ circles, at least 1″ apart. Let rest for 1-2 hours until the macaroons form a skin. (Very important!)
4. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then rotate the baking sheet and continue to bake for 10 more minutes.
5. Fill with simple vanilla buttercream.

More wonderful recipes can be found on:

• Hazelnut Macarons on Cannelle et Vanille
• Chocolate Macarons on the FoodNetwork
• Martha Stewart’s Macaron and Filling recipe.