Dear Food Diary:

Since March 20th is Macaron Day in Paris (and now in NY) I thought I’d dedicate my post to the one who started this sweet day: Pierre Herme.

A trip to Paris wouldn’t be complete without indulging in Pierre Herme macarons. Luxurious, artisanal production of the finest macarons in the world. This is a real treat (yes, better than Laduree). At over 2 Euros for a precious little sandwich, the price is completely worth it. The store doesn’t allow photos and the staff can get snooty, but I managed to snap a blurry one on my way out.

MOGADOR milk chocolate and passion fruit delivers the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The rich milk chocolate is sitting between layers of passion fruit “cookie”. The outer shell is ever so delicate, a thin outer crunch with a softer interior. Fragrant hints of the fruit danced in my mouth like perfume.

MARRON & THE VERT MATCHA is chestnut and matcha duo. The jewel like presentation with gold dust makes me smile. The earthy chestnut gets a bright lift from the green tea flavors. Subtle but irresistibly noticeable.

HUILE D’OLIVE & MANDARINE has olive oil and mandarin oranges. It’s like holding spring in my hands. Beautiful colors. The smooth center taste like sunshine. The citrus brings out the brightness of the olive oil.

What I love most is how the flavors are so distinctly recognizable. And how precious and versatile the mix and match of flavors can be. Creative little pieces of precious joy.I take macarons over other baked goods any day.

P.S. Chubby’s Rating:
www.pierreherme.com

Since there’s no plan of opening an NY location in the near future, you can always get his book MACARON: