Macarons de Pierre Hermé, première étape – First Stop, Pierre Hermé’s Macaroons
Here we are! I arrived in Paris after 3 hours on the train between Metz and Paris and as expected each time I come, there is so much to see, and so many friends to meet! And as always, so little time. Paris is always une course contre la montre (a race against the clock!)
But we are lucky! Every time! P. and I are able to enjoy the best of Paris staying in the empty apartment of our lovely friend M. on Boulevard St Germain, in the 6ème arrondissement. The last time I was here in December 2005, I had hardly started my blog and was surely not aware of the food world that prevails out here. Don’t get me wrong. Of course I know about good places to eat in Paris and already have favorites to come back to, but as to the macaroons….I had no idea that I would one day come across beautiful round-shaped colourful macaroons, that looked like mini hamburgers! I had grown up with the typical macaroons from Nancy that are nothing like these gorgeous looking Parisian macaroons. So my next step was to start tasting them and it happened today with a first stop on my Macaroon Quest: Pierre Hermé on rue Bonaparte.
I had heard about these macaroons for so long that my hopes were high and I was very excited to finally place my first macaroon order at Pierre Hermé’s.
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Vendeur : -Et vous en prendrez combien ?
Moi : -Euh, 7 s’il vous plait!
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Shop assistant: -And how many would you like?
Me: -Hmmm, 7 please!
Come on, before dinner, at 6pm, 7 is already not a very reasonable number for 2 people, don’t you think?
We decided to pick a box containing 7 of them with the following flavours :
- Arabesque: Apricot and Pistachio, that is a Pistachio Macaroon with an Apricot filling
- Mogador: Macaroon with a Passion Fruit ganache and Milk chocolate
- Americano Pamplemousse: Macaroon with a Campari and Grapefruit ganache
- Plénitude: Chocolate and Caramel, Chocolate Macaroon, with a Caramel Chocolate ganache with Fleur de sel
- Rose: Pink Macaroon with a Rose Petal ganache
Outcome? How did we eat them?
We quickly ran out of the store with our little box.
Found a bench.
A quick set of pictures as best and as fast as I could (And I do not want to know what people must have thought as they must have seen me squat down in front of the green bench where I had placed my treasured box full of macaroons, in the middle of a busy square at rush hour.)
Ate one each at first.
Savoured.
Looked at each other.
Yes.
Liked them.
First test passed.
Tomorrow is Ladurée’s macaroons amongst other things. I am lucky to discover those with a lovely Parisian food blogger. Cannot wait. I will tell you more about it soon!
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ooooo, the rose petal one intrigues me!! did they use rose water to make it?? those look divine. i love how smooth the tops are and how gnarly the “feet” are.
beautiful!
i’m so jealous!
Comment by Krysten — On May, 30th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
Bea,
The green benches in the square diagonally across the street? I did the same thing too!:) My boyfriend was nice enough to say I did not look crazy at all snapping pictures of macarons on a bench!
I only tried four of his flavors, can you believe it? I wanted to buy the whole shop!
Excited to hear more of your mac adventures:)
Comment by Anita — On May, 30th, 2006 at 8:16 pm
This is very exciting. I am going to live vicariously through you on this journey.
Comment by Gabriella True — On May, 30th, 2006 at 11:14 pm
Ah, a macarons taste test. I look forward to reading them all (before I go and do the same thing next month!).
Comment by Julia — On May, 31st, 2006 at 12:24 am
Avec moi il n’y aurait eu que la photo de la boite vide
Comment by texmex — On May, 31st, 2006 at 12:25 am
Béa, colour me jealous. I’m excited to hear you enjoyed the macarons at Pierre Hermé, and I can’t wait to read your impressions of Ladurée.
Bon appétit!
Comment by rob — On May, 31st, 2006 at 12:35 am
Ohh those are my favorites! Whenever anyone comes to visit from Paris, I require them to bring a dozen before allowing entry to our house!! Have a wonderful time!!
Comment by Riana — On May, 31st, 2006 at 2:32 am
Miam miam miam!!! Bea..
What a wonderful pic’s… and the taste?? Superbe??
Au revoir
Comment by Sandra — On May, 31st, 2006 at 6:00 am
Bienvenue a Paris Bea. Hope you enjoy your the remainder of your stay as much as you enjoyed those macarons. Je t’imagine bien en train de prendre les photos dans la rue, mais les parisiens sont tolerants avec les gourmands non?
Comment by Gracianne — On May, 31st, 2006 at 6:22 am
lovely, bea!!
Comment by Kat — On May, 31st, 2006 at 9:11 am
Oh, you’ve made me so eager to go back to Paris… Enjoy your time there (and your macarons)!
Comment by Melissa — On May, 31st, 2006 at 10:06 am
un grand plaisir cette journée, j’ai hâte de voir les photos.
Comment by AnneE — On May, 31st, 2006 at 10:39 am
J’attends avec impatience tes bonnes adresses
Comment by kitchenette — On May, 31st, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Bea,
You are making me SO jealous!!! Those look divine!!! My mouth is watering with all those flavors you described. Can’t wait to hear about your next stop!
Comment by Dianka — On May, 31st, 2006 at 1:54 pm
Enfin tu as pu aller chez Hermé déguster ses macarons, sais tu qu’il se plait à dire que la place St Sulpice est son plus grand salon de thé !
Comment by Fabienne — On May, 31st, 2006 at 1:54 pm
I’m putting Pierre Hermé on rue Bonaparte on my list of places to visit when we’re in Paris in September!! Oh goody!!
Comment by Tanna — On May, 31st, 2006 at 2:43 pm
Wow! What a fun way to spend some special time in Paris. I’m *so* jealous–please have an Ispahan for me!
Comment by Willa — On May, 31st, 2006 at 4:09 pm
I feel now that there is a whole world of food I am missing.
Comment by Natalie — On May, 31st, 2006 at 5:18 pm
soooooooooo pretty! and intriguing! i love the sound of the arabesque – i have never had a macaroon(secret’s out!), and am now compelled to change that!
i hope you are having a beautiful time, Bea. soak every sight and sound in for me!
Comment by iamchanelle — On June, 1st, 2006 at 12:29 am
You are lucky Bea, the weather gets better, last week was terrible…
Your macaroons looks so delicious comparing to what we have eaten last monday!
Comment by relly — On June, 1st, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Believe me or not, Bea, but I couldn’t find PH’s shop when I was there a fortnight ago – despite wandering on Rue Bonaparte:) I did try Laduree macarons though, and liked them (esp the lime & ginger and salt & caramel ones). Now I must go back and try PH ones, too:)
Comment by Pille — On June, 1st, 2006 at 3:34 pm
PH are the best macarons I have ever tasted. I, too, like them more than the ones from Laduree.
Comment by Gerald — On June, 3rd, 2006 at 12:29 am
tes photos sont trop belles
Comment by bonheursdesophie — On June, 5th, 2006 at 6:19 am
[...] The truth is that I fell for them too. It was simply impossible not to. After discovering Parisian-style macarons not even too long ago, after tasting the Pierre Hermé’s or Ladurée’s et j’en passe, after seeing so many blogs presenting delectable recipes on the how-to, or reading pastry cookbooks including recipes, I had to try to make macarons, the very macarons parisiens that look like mini-hamburgers. I am a victim of a fashion trend when I am not even known to be a meringue fan. But what could I do? When I discovered these colorful lines of beautifully arranged macarons in the shop windows every time I was on a visit in Paris, like many I had my mouth open in awe. They were just too pretty to eat! [...]
Pingback by La Tartine Gourmande » Blog Archive » Macarons or Victim of a Food fashion — Les macarons ou victime d’une mode culinaire — On December, 10th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
I actually went there in april of this year and tried the rose petal one.
I have to say, to this day, its still the best thing ive ever tasted in my entire life. lovedddd it!!
Comment by Christina — On July, 27th, 2007 at 10:22 am
I tried both Laduree’s and Pierre Hermes macaroons when I was in Paris last April. Hands down, I found Pierres Hermes to far out stand Laduree’s. I have tasted macaroons similar to Laduree’s in Japan and other places. Don’t get me wrong, they were good, however Pierre Hermes were outstanding! When I bit into a macaroon from Laduree’s or another place it had a nice filling with a beautiful taste. When I bit into the Pierre Hermes macaroon there was a beautiful filling and on top of that another filling inside of that! The flavorS just burst in your mouth. It was absolutely amazing!
Comment by Susan — On February, 21st, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Hi- I am in Paris now and just finished taking pictures at the apartment where I am staying. I am doling them out to my husband in small bits so that he doesn4t eat more than his share. They are delicous, so complicated but not contrived YUM
Comment by jo march — On July, 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
beautiful absolutely breath taking!
Comment by Lolita — On September, 29th, 2008 at 4:10 pm