Le Jour du Macaron

Today, March 20th, was Le Jour du Macaron in Paris. What, you ask, is The Day of Macaroons? Why, it's only the best day invented. The rhyming slogan was "Un petit don pour un macaron" (A little donation for one macaroon... not so catchy in English). For a small donation of any size, you get a free macaroon at various locations throughout Paris and all of the donations benefit autism research. Since Alyssa, Grace, and I don't have class on Tuesdays, we set-out on a philanthropic Parisian Macaroon tour. We made a pact to try a new flavor at each place we went to so as not to repeat our macaroon experience. Here's how the day went:

Cafe and Caramel Macaroons!

Stop 1. Sadaharu Aoki- We walked in for our free macaroon, only to be told by the lady behind the counter that a free macaroon only comes with the purchase of one item. So, we decided to buy one macaroon to get another one free. We each picked two, and then the worker told us that we don't get to choose our free macaroon flavor- everyone gets café as their free one. We were bummed, but the café was still free, so we didn't care too much. I picked caramel for my other one. Despite its orange appearance, the caramel was yummy. The compote in the middle was closer to actual caramel than the jelly that most macaroons have inside. I was a little hesitant to try the café because I'm not a coffee fan, but it was very light and didn't taste strong at all. A couple of girls in the shop were apparently on the same pilgrimage as us and kindly pointed us in the direction of our second stop

Stop 2. Pierre Hermé- We had high expectation for Pierre Hermé, because we had heard that his macaroons rival those of LaDuree, the shop where macaroons were invented. We were instantly greeted by a friendly worker who handed us flyers that had a picture of every one of the 25 macaroons we were to choose from. We made our decisions, gave donations, and walked to the nearby Place de Sainte Sulpice to enjoy our treats. On our way out of the shop, another friendly worker gave us complimentary chocolates. I had a milk chocolate praline piece. I chose the Mogador macaroon, which was a mix of chocolate and passionfruit flavors. I was curious what it would taste like, since I'd never heard of such a combination before. It was rich, tart, and not too dense. Additionally, it looked very cool, which gave it some bonus points in my book

Creme Brulee

Caramel Apple

 

Yazin

Stop 3. Jean-Paul Hévin- A couple blocks away was Jean-Paul Hévin. There were no other customers inside and there was only one worker, which threw us off after leaving Pierre Hermé, where it was very busy and there were at least 6 or 7 workers behind the counter. We noticed the donation box and read the sign that told us that one donation of any size would get us three free macaroons. We were so excited about this we didn't know what to do with ourselves. I picked out a caramel apple, creme brulee. When I asked the worker what yazin was, she said something about it being a Japanese flavor. I was feeling adventurous, so I picked that for my final choice. We sat in the nearby Jardin du Luxembourg to rate these macaroons. The caramel apple tasted much more similar to caramel apple than I was expecting. It was very good, but the flavor was better-suited for fall than the first day of spring. The creme brulee didn't really taste much like creme brulee, but it was still wonderful with a powerful caramel center. Finally, the yazin was very citrus-y. I have no clue what the brown center was, but it was good nonetheless

We took a break to get some real food and lower our blood sugars so as not to go into diabetic comas. After an hour and a half of eating real food and lounging around the Jardin du Luxembourg, we headed to our final stop

Stop 4. Pierre Hermé (Galleries Lafayette 1)- We went to one of the Pierre Hermé locations inside Galleries Lafayette and picked out new flavors. This time, I got the rose flavor. I was very intrigued by the flower-flavored macaroons, as they seem to have them at every macaroon shop I've seen. How could a food possibly capture the flavor of a flower? I have no idea, but it did. I'm very glad I tried it, but I probably won't get it again since it didn't have a very strong flavor. As my photographer professor said, it's more of an olfactory sensation than anything

Stop 5. Pierre Hermé (Galleries Lafayette 2) There are two Pierre Hermés in Galleries Lafayette, which is pretty silly, considering they're only 2 floors away from one another. Whatever, I'm not complaining. This time, I chose Americano Pamplemousse (American(o?) Grapefruit). It was very tangy, and the compote in the middle had little bitter chunks of what tasted like grapefruit rind. The tangy and bitter flavors didn't mix very well and I probably won't be ordering it again any time soon

Pistachio

Chocolate-"vanilla"

Stop 6. Jean-Paul Hévin (Galleries Lafayette) Just like the first Jean-Paul Hévin, I got to pick three for donating. I got chocolate-vanilla, citron, and pistachio. The chocolate-vanilla must've been some sort of mistake, because there's no way there was any vanilla in that. Triple chocolate would've been a more accurate name. Citron is the french word for both lemon and lime, and the macaroon was definitely a fusion of the two flavors. It kind of tasted like Sprite in macaroon form. I'd probably get this one again on a hot summer day. Finally, pistachio was good, but didn't taste too much like a pistachio. It was more a mix of chocolate and nut flavors, but still wasn't bad.

And the winners are...

Best Boutique- Pierre Hermé. Even though Jean-Paul Hévin offered three macaroons, Pierre Hermé wowed us with their friendly staff, dynamic flavors, and very cool-looking macaroons. There was not one macaroon in the case that was plain. Each and every one of them was either speckled, shimmery, or something equally entrancing

Best  Macaroon- Mogador. The mix of tangy passionfruit and rich chocolate flavors was fantastic and the compote/cookie ratio was just-right. Bravo, Pierre Hermé. You've wowed us with both your shop and your confections and have definitely lived up to your reputation.

I am fully aware that I consumed 11 macaroons today and I don't regret it a bit. There is only one Jour du Macaron and macaroons don't have preservatives, so I had a perfectly legitimate excuse. Here are a few more pictures from throughout the day:

Enjoying the Mogador at Sainte Sulpice

So excited find that we could get three instead of one!

Ending the day at one of my favorite spots- the roof of Galleries Lafayette

Affectueusement,

Katie