I have never had the pleasure of eating a macaron. Never. And I’ve been craving some ever since I set my eyes on these marvelous looking macarons by Toronto’s Bobbette and Belle, who were featured in a recent article that discussed the growing popularity of macarons at weddings.
What is a macaron? According to Bobbette & Belle, the macaron had its origins in Italy centuries ago, but now is a Parisian speciality. The ingredients include finely ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites. The almond flavour and round shape are its distinctive features.
Bobbette & Belle writes:
When bitten into, its delicate but crunchy outer shell gives way to a soft almond meringue on the inside. For a heavenly experience, two macaron halves are stuck together and filled with a rich chocolate ganache, or flavoured butter cream.
Yum. And look how pretty they are!
New York’s Mark it with Gis another company specializing in macarons. (They spell it macaroons.) Flavors include mint, pistachio, coffee, lemon, raspberry, hazelnut, coconut, lavendar caramel, german chocolate and raspberry mousse.
As you can see, macarons make a beautiful alternative to a cupcake tower.
If you feel adventurous and you want to bake your own, check out this Raspberry Chocolate French Macaron recipe. Sounds divine.
Still, I refuse to believe the cupcake is dead. Little Miss Cupcake might not be as quite as sophisticated, but she’s still pretty darn delicious.
