There are two types of people in the world. Ones who have experienced macarons, and ones who have not. Macarons are a sweet cookie, made with meringue. For most of us who are not pastry chefs, meringue is made from egg whites, sugar, and in the case with macarons, almond meal is also added.
Pastries require careful preparation and are often impacted by the humidity and temperature we experience here in South Florida. This is only one of the reasons pastries are something I enjoy but rarely attempt to make myself.
Macarons originated in Italy during the middle ages. It was brought to France by Catherine de’ Medici, the Queen of France and of the famed Renaissance family origin. It’s the french variety that has gotten famous over the years, and the Ladurée chain of bakeries have been spreading the luxury dessert across the world for the past 150 years.
It was at one of the Ladurée bakeries that Susan Mallow, owner of Bon Macarons Made with Love in Coral Springs, first experienced a Macaron with one of her daughters. Susan decided to attempt to bake these treats right here in Coral Springs, and it took a lot of trial and error before she felt it was perfect.
Biting into one of these locally made strawberry and cream macarons, you feel the cookie resist slightly then give way. It’s sweet, but not overly so, and the flavors from fresh strawberries come alive, and blend well with the Russian butter. There are a wide variety of flavors to choose from, including chocolate brownies, peanut butter and jelly (PBJ), ganache, mocha, espresso coffee, and vanilla bean.
Each macaron sells for $1-$3 depending on size and ingredients, and is a wonderful treat. If you want to try to make it yourself, Susan will be happy to share her recipe, but be prepared for some hard work whipping the egg whites, and some trial and error to adapt to your oven. She will also be offering virtual classes soon, for those who are interested.
Contact Susan via instagram @bonmacarons_
