A delectable Macaron Tour in Paris

Opinions differ regarding delicate cookies, but macarons are the most fragile for me. When made correctly, with dedication and love, they are the perfect sweet treat to transform your mood and lighten your day completely.

Since macarons are traditionally French cookies, a Macaron Tour is often offered on different travel websites and agencies. This article will discuss this delicate cookie, its history, and the top-rated tours in Paris, which you can check out online. Ultimately, I’ll share a foolproof recipe you can make and enjoy at home.

Let’s go!

What is a Macaron?

Present-day macarons are made using almond flour and sweet meringue. Their modern shape resembles a cookie sandwich, made using two macaron biscuits with jam or buttercream.

The perfect macaron is judged by the shine and smoothness of its surface. This means there must not be any bubbles of air appearing on the biscuit. The mixture wasn’t correctly incorporated if the little bubbles didn’t go away when the baking tray was tapped several times on the counter.

Since macaron is a sweet meringue, it is made using egg whites, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond flour, and edible food colouring. The typical flavour is vanilla, also known as a Parisian-style macaron. However, some unusual flavours, which are not likeable, have been introduced recently, such as foie gras and matcha.

In addition to smoothness and shine, the perfect macaron has to be delicate. This means that it melts in your mouth when you bite into it. The right meringue consistency and the absence of egg yoke residue in the egg white achieve this.

Macaron or Macaroon?

A macaron shouldn’t be confused with a macaroon. Even though the difference in spelling is one letter, it constitutes a massive difference between the two. A Macaron is similar to a cookie sandwich, mentioned earlier. A Macaroon is usually made with ground almonds, coconut or other nuts, sugar, cherry glaze, jam or chocolate and is generally coconut-flavoured.

The French spelling of Macaron is commonly adopted in North America today to signify the meringue-based cookie and distinguish between the two cookies. In the UK, the term “Macaroons” is still being used by many bakeries. A Linguistics Professor at Stanford, Daniel Jurafsky, states that the spelling of French words adopted in the English language is characterized by “-oon,” such as cartoon.

The History of Macarons

There are different sources regarding the history of the Macaron. At the same time, one source traces the biscuit to northern Africa, Tunisia in particular, and another traces it back to Arabia. Other sources trace the cookie back to the French monastery in Cormery. Other history sources state they were made in Venetian monasteries since the 8th century AD, and Catherine de Medici introduced them to the Royal Court.

Daniel Jurafsky, a Linguistics Professor, cites the first source: Arab troops introduced new pastry-making techniques from Ifriqya, now Tunisia, during their occupation of Sicily in 827. The new baking techniques included papermaking, using lemons, rice, pistachios, and other nuts, and many nut-based pastries, such as those once known as Faludhaj and Lausinaj.

These pastries were handed down among people in Persia, and the almond cake was made to celebrate Nouruz, the Zoroastrian New Year. The pastries were also handed down through Sicily and in Toledo in Spain and even developed into other almond-based desserts such as marzipan and caliscioni. The Italian term Maccheroni was derived from the Arabic word “Maccarruni”, from which the cookie name Macaron is derived.

It is said that Macarons were made in Venetian monasteries as early as the 8^th century AD, which would explain how Catherine de Medici’s Italian pastry chefs used to make them upon her orders when she came to France in 1533 and became Queen of France by marrying Henry II. Catherine had brought the Italian chefs with her when she came to France.

Another source tracing the origin of the Macaron to Arabia is an online Swiss encyclopedia on the history of baking. It cites that the almond-based biscuit dates to the 11^th century when it was known as Ghouryeba and was mainly served during Ramadan. Under the rule of Yusuf ibn Tashfin, Sultan and first King of the Almoravid Dynasty, the almond-based biscuits spread from Arabia to Sicily and Venice, where the word Macarone was used to describe delicate biscuits.

Larousse Gastronomique, a culinary encyclopedia, traces the making of Macarons to a monastery near Cormery in 1791. The following year, the delicious cookie began to gain fame, as two Carmelite nuns who sought asylum in Nancy during the French Revolution baked the cookies to sell them and be able to pay for their housing. The cookies were simple at the time, with no flavourings or fillings.  

The Macaron as a cookie sandwich was only introduced in the 1930s. Even the origin of the modern-day Macaron, originally called Gerbet or Paris Macaron, as a sweet meringue-based confection joined with jam, buttercream, or ganache, is disputed. Some say the credit for this technique goes to Pierre Desfontaines of the French pâtisserie Ladurée. However, another baker, Claude Gerbet, claims to have come up with it first.

The earliest known macaron recipe was found in an early 17th-century cookbook and appears inspired by a French version of the cookie. Several Italian cookbooks of the 16th century mention almond biscuits resembling macarons but with different names.

How are Macarons Made?

The two ways of making a macaron, the French and the Italian way, differ in making the meringue. In French, meringue is made by whisking egg whites until stiff peaks form. From there, ground almonds and powdered sugar are gently folded into the meringue to knock the air out of the egg whites.

The Italian method involves whisking the egg whites with hot sugar syrup to form the meringue. On the side, raw egg whites are mixed with sifted ground almonds and powdered sugar to form a paste. The meringue and the almond paste are combined to form the macaron mixture.

From there, in both the French and Italian ways, the mixture is piped on a baking tray, gently tapped on the counter for the cookies to set and form a shiny skin, and then baked. When they’re out of the oven, they are left to cool, and then each two cookies are joined together using buttercream, jam, or ganache.

What is the Macaron Tour Paris?

The Macaron Tour Paris is a visit to some of the most famous macaron boutiques in Paris, where you will learn about the history of Macarons and how they are made. You will take part in a fun macaron-tasting activity as part of your tour, and you will get to choose which macarons you’d like to sample.

The tour mainly takes place around the area of Saint-Germain of the 6^th arrondissement in Paris. You will visit five Macaron boutiques, where you’ll get to choose one macaron from each one. The tour typically ends at the Luxembourg Gardens, where the tasting event will occur. Sometimes, the tasting can be held in a café if the weather is cold or rainy.

Top Recommended Macaron Tour in Paris

One of the best Macaron Tours offered in Paris is by Le Bon Paris Tours. The gathering point is the Church of Saint-Germain, one of the oldest churches in Paris. Your tour guide will take you on a stroll through the streets of the Quarter of Saint-Germain, while telling you about the history of Macarons, when and where they were first made and how they affected life since then.

You will visit five gourmet macaron boutiques and choose one from each. It’s worth noting that the flavours change frequently. Then, your stroll will take you to a picnic in the Luxembourg Gardens, where you will all sample and judge the macarons you chose from the boutiques. You will participate in a discussion with the group on which was the best and why.

The tour usually takes about two and a half hours and costs 43 Euros for adults and 39 Euros for children. It is offered on both the Le Bon Paris Tours website and TripAdvisor.

You can make Macarons at home yourself (A foolproof recipe)

Baking seems intimidating for many people, but it is very relaxing. It’s all about the process and practice—lots and lots of practice! Here’s a simple macaron recipe if you’re craving this sweet delicacy and want to enjoy it at home. I know I do!

Ingredients:

1. To make the macarons:
   • 3 egg whites at room temperature.
   • 1 cup almond flour (finely ground and sifted)
   • 1 cup and ¾ powdered sugar.
   • 1 teaspoon salt, divided in two.
   • ¼ cup granulated sugar.
   • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.
   • 2 drops of whichever food colouring you choose if you’d like.
2. To make the buttercream:
   • 1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature.
   • 3 cups powdered sugar.
   • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
   • 3 tablespoons heavy cream.

Preparation:

1. To make the macarons:
   • Mix the almond flour, powdered sugar, and half the teaspoon of salt in the food processor. Then, sift them through and set them aside.
   • In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the second half of the salt until soft peaks start to form. Then, gradually add the granulated sugar and whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. You can tell this by flipping the bowl upside down without the mixture falling out.
   • Add the vanilla first and whisk until combined, then add your choice of food colouring.
   • Gently fold 1/3 of the sifted almond flour mixture into the egg whites, now meringue, using a spatula. Continue until you’ve incorporated the almond flour mixture entirely into the meringue.
   • Put the mixture into a piping bag and secure the baking sheet onto the baking tray by placing four small dots in each corner.
   • Start piping the macarons onto the baking sheet by making circles about 3 centimetres in diameter. Make sure the cookies are about 2 centimetres apart.
   • Gently tap the baking tray onto the table about five times to release any air bubbles. Then, let them sit for about 30 minutes until they form a soft crust.
   • In the meantime, preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
   • Bake the macarons for 17 minutes until they’ve risen and no longer stick to the baking sheet. After taking them out, let them cool until you make the buttercream.
2. To make the buttercream:
   • Add the butter to the mixing bowl and whisk until it’s light and fluffy.
   • Sift the powdered sugar and gradually add it to the butter until it’s completely incorporated.
   • Add the vanilla and whisk, then add each heavy cream spoon.
   • Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag.
3. Joining the macaron:
   • Add a small dollop of buttercream onto one macaron shell, then top it with another shell to form a sandwich. Repeat with all macaron shells.

E voila!