#macaron monday

[xerxia31]

For macaron Monday - my own raspberry macarons

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Macaron Monday: Tout Sweet Patisserie

Tout Sweet Patisserie San Francisco, CA www.facebook.com/toutsweetsf

Flavors: Sebrem: Coffee-Praline Cream Handi: Meyer Lemon Cream (my fave) Ken: Milk Chocolate Ganache & Passion Fruit Lady Buttier: Vanilla Infused White Chocolate Ganache

Located on the 3rd floor of Macy's in downtown, Tout Sweet is one of the newest SF macaron shops, brought to us by Yigit Pura, winner of Top Chef: Just Desserts Season One. I spoke with the lovely host who informed me that this is the first location in SF, but that Yigrit is looking to eventually expand throughout the city and nationwide. The shop strictly uses local ingredients, so that will be something to address when the time comes.

I stayed strong and only bought 4 macarons to taste (Jen would be proud). I prefer macarons with a nice weight to them and with creamy fillings, and these were just perfect. The space is beautiful, modern, and clean, and offers a quiet respite to sit down over sweets and tea, with large glass windows that overlook the hustle and bustle of Union Square.

Of course, Tout Sweet offered many other tempting sweets that I had to reluctantly pass up (I was definitely stalking that maple bacon scone). While I was there, I also got to sample a marshmallow that was covered with toasted coconut that had a little bit of rum (yummy...). And they have teas! I chose a green tea that had a nice balance with rose, berries, green date, and orange blossom flavors.

Dare I say that this is my new favorite macaron spot? I would have to say so! Sitting down with a cup of tea, tasting delicious macarons, and jotting down notes in my book was one of the most relaxing, pleasant moments I've had in a long time. 

Toodles, Flora

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Macaron Monday: Pierre Herme

Pierre Herme Paris, France pierreherme.com

My friend, Jenn (another Jennifer!), took a trip to France a couple of weeks ago, and was so kind to bring me back authentic French macarons for me to try. Isn’t she the sweetest!?! Imagine my excitement as she hands over 2 boxes of macarons that just days ago were sitting in a Parisian shop (check out Jenn's pics of the Pierrre Herme shop!). Even though Paris may be a few years away for Tea Smitten, Jenn was thoughtful enough to bring Paris to me =)

This first review will be on Pierre Herme (next week’s posting will be on the 2nd batch). It's amazing how these macarons retained their softness and freshness even after 48 hours. The interesting combination flavors were a step up from what we have access to here, but I guess you can expect the fancy factor to shoot up when you’re dealing with real-deal French macarons. Luckily, Jenn included a menu so I was able to make out the flavors of each; and also thank goodness Pierre Herme had an English version because I know ZERO French.

Flavors: Mogador (Milk Chocolate & Passion Fruit)* Infiniment Chocolat Porcelana (Pure Origin Venezuela Porcelana Dark Chocolate) Infiniment Jasmin (Jasmine Flower & Jasmine Tea)* Metisse (Orange & Carrot with Ceylon Cinammon) Infiniment Rose (Rose & Rose Petal) Huile d’Olive a la Mandarine (Olive Oil with Mandarin Orange) Mosaic (Pistachio, Ceylon Cinnamon & Morello Cherries)

*my faves ;)

Toodles, Flora

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Sneak Peek for next week's Macaron Monday!!

[teasmitten-blog]

Happy Macaron Monday!!

For this week's feature, we present to you French macarons from La Boulange. These pretty gems in neat little rows sit in a shared display case with other tempting French treats such as croissants, danishes, and tarts. That probably explains why despite frequenting La Boulange for the last 5 years, I've never really associated them with macarons. Once there, I immediately get distracted and end up with an almond croissant. But for the sake of Macaron Mondays, I stayed focused on the task at hand.

La Boulange macarons have a good variety of flavors: coffee, vanilla, coconut, passion fruit, raspberry, lemon, caramel, just to name a few. Along with that, a nice spread of eye-pleasing colors. The texture here was on the softer, cake-ier side; and the chewiness was definitely lacking. The individual sizes are a bit smaller than what we're used to; but the slightly lower price reflected that. An order of 8 came in a cute lavender "Macarons De Paris" box, sturdy enough to re-use as a container for small, miscellaneous objects.

Our tasting experience with La Boulange macarons also revealed our differing preferences. Flora likes creamy, buttery fillings; while Jen likes fruity flavors with a slight jelly consistency. In contrast, Jen dislikes those that are too creamy and almost oily; while Flora dislikes the gelatinous texture of some fruit-flavored varieties. Though the balance of soft and chewiness is a must for us both.

La Boulange has a growing presence in the San Francisco Bay Area, especially more so with the recent purchase of the French cafe & bakery by Starbucks. La Boulange pastries have already begun appearing in display cases of the coffee mega-chain. I wonder if their French macarons will also be making an appearance... If that's the case, I foresee more afternoon breaks with tea and macarons in the near future!