tgoddess wrote:I've had great success with this recipe: http://dessertsmag.com/step-by-step-french-macaron.html

Went a little wild last xmas making these:

They look like you could have purchased them at a bakery; very professional looking.

Today I found a place with some really good French macaroons at a shop in north suburban Long Grove:

Sweet Whimsy
251 Robert Parker Coffin Road
Long Grove, IL 60047
847-821-2021
http://www.sweetwhimsypastry.com

This is a very small pastry shop with a limited selection of items. When I was there, they had three "vanilla buttercream macaroons" (and of course I bought all three of them!), so you may want to call ahead to make sure they have them. At 2 1/4" across and 1" thick, they're significantly bigger than the tiny ones many other shops sell (and well worth their $1.50 price). They also have a higher proportion of buttercream filling to almond layers than others. They were very fresh and excellent, with nicely almondy layers and rich vanilla buttercream filling!

It's somewhat hard to find, so here are some tips on finding it. It's on the north side of Robert Parker Coffin Road, just east of Old McHenry Road. Look for the sign on the street that says "Mill Pond" and it's in that cluster of shops, in the lowest level. They may have their own parking lot convenient to the shop; however, if you're visiting the shops of Long Grove across the street and parking over there (like I did), you'll need to walk downstairs from the street, past the Glunz wine tasting shop, to get there.

Saw that Trader Joe's has begun carrying macarons in the freezer case. Has anyone tried 'em?

Macarons and macaroons are two different animals, or confections. A macaron, no matter what someone said up-thread, is a meringue-like cookie (we're talking egg whites and sugar and flavoring) with what traditionally had an almond filling but has branched out considerably. A macaroon is a dense coconut mixture, almost closer to candy than a cookie.

here's a link to a wikip def:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaron

I was at Bennison's today and on the counter they had really lovely looking Macarons with a sign that said "Macaroons." It's confusing!

I agree with the freshness point, we ordered more than 100 macarons for my sister's 50th with a Parisian theme (in Boulder, CO) and they were amazing because the pastry chef made them the evening before. The significant thing about them that we hadn't anticipated is how insanely delicate they are. They can just shatter/smash on one end if treated to brusquely. (Just like meringues.) So be gentle with your macarons and if you beat them up then go buy some macaroons.

One bakery (already mentioned) that has both is Bittersweet on Belmont.

bjt

I recently had a heavenly macaron from the Italian Superior Bakery on Taylor and Western.

tgoddess, there are a number of bakeries you should be sharing your pictures with . . . beautiful and exactly the way they should look.

bjt wrote:A macaroon is a dense coconut mixture, almost closer to candy than a cookie.

That's only one of several types of macaroon. A macaroon can be made from either coconut or from almond paste, as noted in the Wikipedia entry on macaroons, which states, "Macaroons are sweet foods made either with coconut and egg white or with a coarse almond paste formed into a dense cookie or confection." The English word "macaroon" was derived from the French word "macaron", which itself comes from the Italian "maccarone", according to Webster, and the usage of the English word dates back to the early 17th Century. (Much of classical French cuisine was derived over the centuries from Italian cuisine, but that's another story entirely.)

The almond-based version, when made into a sandwich with a buttercream filling, is often called a "French macaroon" (as you'll find at Fox & Obel, available by special order, as well as in the recipe by Chicago's own Gale Gand and many other places), which is why the French word "macaron" is sometimes used for this version. Most Chicago bakeries also correctly refer to their almond-based version with the English word "macaroons", including Bennison's (which offers the filled/sandwich version) and nearby Tag's (whose almond-based macaroons are not filled; their two versions are plain or dipped in chocolate, and resemble the ones shown in the "Turkish" section of the Wikipedia entry on macaroons). The only Chicago place I know that refers to them using the French word "macarons" is Vanille, which labels many of its pastries with their French terms ("entremets", etc).

Most sources refer to almond paste based cookies (as well as coconut cookies) as macaroons. Wikipedia's distinction is a minority view in the food community.

I've just recently read on Wikipedia that there are Macarons and Macaroons. The entry for Macaron warns "not to be confused with Macaroon". The current entry states:

"The English word macaroon comes not from the French macaron, but from the word maccarone, regionally used in Italy to refer to maccherone (kind of pasta, with a hole and a larger diameter than bucatini) - because almond macaroon paste is the same colour as macaroni pasta."

This makes more sense to me. Why would anyone mix these two different cookies together? They have almost nothing in common. The French Macaron is the ancestor of the Oreo. The Macaroon is the English ancestor of the Mounds bar. The words themselves have little in common other than phonetic similarity due to their Italian ancestry, which explains the confusion. Apparently the Macaron, as in two cookies with cream between, was introduced to French chefs by none other than possibly the most famous foodie of all time: Catherine de Medici.

BR wrote:tgoddess, there are a number of bakeries you should be sharing your pictures with . . . beautiful and exactly the way they should look.

Wow. Thanks BR! Honestly, I've never actually had a bakery macaron before and the first time I made them, I wasn't sure what they were SUPPOSED to look and taste like, as all I had was the recipe description.

My first batch (chocolate) were a horrible disaster (way too puffy and no little "feet"). Took a couple tries (and a better recipe) to get them right and now I love them. Though they are a bit of a pain in the *ss to make (just time-consuming, really), I find them so delicious and light...and you can make so many different kinds (I've branched out and make some with pistachio and hazelnut flours as well, with success.

Check out this one (which I helped inspire):

http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/11/hamburger-macarons/

garcho wrote:The French Macaron is the ancestor of the Oreo. The Macaroon is the English ancestor of the Mounds bar.

French macaroons came to England in the early 17th Century (1611, per Webster), when the English word "macaroon" first started appearing. Macaroons made of coconut made their first appearance in Scotland in 1931. Both versions, almond and coconut, can be correctly called "macaroons" in English. It's not the only food term which can refer to more than one style of preparation.

Mike G wrote:Check out this one (which I helped inspire):

http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/11/hamburger-macarons/

Those are ADORABLE! Love it!

Macarons @ NoMI

Excerpt from the Logan Square Farmer's Market newsletter

Chicago Macarons, new to the market and offering a fine selection of French macarons. Different from macaroons! This week's flavors: caramel fleur de sel, cranberry orange, chocolate hazelnut, and gingerbread

The indoor winter market runs Sundays from 10am - 2pm in the lobby of the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Avenue.

I am seeing macarons/macaroons (the French meringue sandwich kind not the coconut drop cookie kind) all over the food world press-land. Just everywhere. Hmmmmm, I am hoping it can hip-check the cupcake craze a wee bit. Even if we can't agree on what to call them.

bjt

This is such a timely thread as I was at Superior Bakery yesterday (very nice folks but not always the best of goods) and asked for 4 Macarons. (Superior correctly labels them) I was so sad when I opened up my bag at my friend's house and I had coconut stack macaroons. I blamed myself since I didn't know whether I had mis-pronounced the name since at Laduree I've usually just said "10 please" and start pointing to flavors....

Macarons Are the new cupcake!

wendy wrote:Excerpt from the Logan Square Farmer's Market newsletter

Chicago Macarons, new to the market and offering a fine selection of French macarons. Different from macaroons! This week's flavors: caramel fleur de sel, cranberry orange, chocolate hazelnut, and gingerbread

The indoor winter market runs Sundays from 10am - 2pm in the lobby of the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Avenue.

Fantastic macarons. I nearly walked away after sampling the choocolate hazelnut, which had the texture of chewing gum. But the caramel and cranberry-orange versions were light-as-air and packed with intense, natural flavors. Really, really good stuff from a relative amateur who seems to have taken up macaron baking just a few weeks ago.

I tried the ones at the Park Hyatt yesterday at the bar area around the corner from NoMi - lime (described as pistachio, but I'm pretty sure I can tell the difference), passion fruit and raspberry-chocolate. The passion fruit was the only one I really liked, and I liked it a lot. The flavor and texture were both perfect. The lime tasted good, but the texture was really off - the cookie itself quite dried out. The raspberry-chocolate had a nice texture, but the flavor just didn't excite me. The serving was 3 pretty large macarons for $9 (although I thought the bar menu said $8 but I wasn't going to double check).

BR wrote:3 pretty large macarons for $9

Yikes!

Oak Mill Bakery in Arlington Heights has them. I don't know about the other locations.

Here's one more entry in the macaroon sweepstakes. Two entries, actually, but from the same place.

Gerhard's is a pastry shop in the downtown area of north suburban Lake Forest, right across the street from the Metra station and a door down from the town square.

They have French macaroons (the little sandwiches) that they import from France (shipped frozen, I'm guessing). They have the usual flavors: chocolate, pistachio, rose, etc. They're quite good, and surprisingly fresh.

But wait, there's more!

If you prefer the more traditional almond paste based macaroons, not the sandwiches but rather the ones that are dropped onto a sheet and baked, theirs are WONDERFUL. They have a very strong almond paste taste, and they dip them in quality dark chocolate so that half of them are covered. These are the best almond macaroons I have ever had. They don't always have them, so you can call ahead. They actually maintain a list of customers that they call when they make them, so you can know when to come in for them.

Gerhard's Elegant European Desserts
720 N. Western Ave.
Lake Forest, IL 60045
847-234-0023
www.gerhardsdesserts.com

Kennyz wrote:

wendy wrote:Excerpt from the Logan Square Farmer's Market newsletter

Chicago Macarons, new to the market and offering a fine selection of French macarons. Different from macaroons! This week's flavors: caramel fleur de sel, cranberry orange, chocolate hazelnut, and gingerbread

The indoor winter market runs Sundays from 10am - 2pm in the lobby of the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Avenue.

Fantastic macarons. I nearly walked away after sampling the choocolate hazelnut, which had the texture of chewing gum. But the caramel and cranberry-orange versions were light-as-air and packed with intense, natural flavors. Really, really good stuff from a relative amateur who seems to have taken up macaron baking just a few weeks ago.

A few weeks ago I finally made it back to the market for Beth's macarons. Wow. The apple cider macaron was my favorite - concentrated apple in a light ethereal cookie. IIRC, the other flavors in the mix were orange/chocolate, pecan, and honey. She changes recipes frequently, but I'll be back - begging for an encore of the apple cider.

BR wrote:
3 pretty large macarons for $9

Yikes!

To be fair, a packaged Twinkie served at the bar in the Park Hyatt would be $9.

NPR had a segment Friday night on how macarons have become the new trendy yuppie treat in major metro areas around the country, replacing cupcakes. They went to a class in Washington DC where a pastry chef teaches you to make them yourself. Feedback from the participants seemed to be generally that it was easier to buy them.

I was at Moto a couple of months ago, and they had "hamburger" macarons.
They ARE trendy.

[quote="rickster"]NPR had a segment Friday night on how macarons have become the new trendy yuppie treat in major metro areas around the country, replacing cupcakes. They went to a class in Washington DC where a pastry chef teaches you to make them yourself. Feedback from the participants seemed to be generally that it was easier to buy them.[/quote]

Isn't it generally easier to buy MOST stuff?

I think one of the nicest things about making macs (or most any baked goods) at home is that you can have them perfectly fresh.

spinynorman99 wrote:To be fair, a packaged Twinkie served at the bar in the Park Hyatt would be $9.

The Park Hyatt has Twinkies? I'm all over it!

Isn't it generally easier to buy MOST stuff?

I think one of the nicest things about making macs (or most any baked goods) at home is that you can have them perfectly fresh.

To be clearer, most of the people seemed to find them impossible to make. But they didn't sound like dedicated bakers.

To be clearer, most of the people seemed to find them impossible to make. But they didn't sound like dedicated bakers.

Not only am I not a dedicated baker, I'm not even an undedicated baker. It's a very easy recipe. May require mastery to go off-reservation, but I found the basic formula to be very simple.