My love of Paris, France, started when I was a little girl. I loved reading the Madeline series of books that I used to check out of the library. I read each book dozens of times. I forgot about Madeline until our oldest son Noah was small, and we watched the cartoon Madeline.
Noah wasn’t a fan of Madeline, but I remembered how much I loved those books as a young girl. Paris just seemed like a magical place; I wished I was one of those little girls who stood in two straight lines. I wanted to be friends with Madeline because she was a caring, fun, and adventurous little spitfire of a redhead.
Madeline is a 1939 book written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, the first in the book series of eleven books, which inspired the Madeline media franchise. It is considered one of the major classics of children’s literature through the age range of 3 to 8 years old.[1][2] Wikipedia
“In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines
Lived twelve little girls in two straight lines
In two straight lines they broke their bread
And brushed their teeth and went to bed.
They left the house at half past nine
In two straight lines in rain or shine-
The smallest one was Madeline.”
― Ludwig Bemelmans, Madeline
As an adult, I still love Paris and still think it may be one of the most magical places in the world. I haven’t been to Paris yet, but I will someday. It’s been on my bucket list of places to go for 30 years. I recently found a copy of a Gourmet Magazine that is decades old called Paris on a budget. I reread the magazine, and all the hotels and cafes that talk about are still not only in business but still for people looking for French excellence on a budget. 🙋🏻♀️
Last week when Marty and I took a ride to Amherst, MA, we stopped at a 7-11 on our way home. It was an emergency potty pitstop where the employee let me use their private bathroom since they had no public restrooms—what a nice guy who didn’t have to be. I believe when you treat someone nice, and with respect, you get results likewise.
After we both used the restroom, I looked around the store for a snack since we still had over an hour ride home. I was so pleasantly surprised by what I found. I found legit, real French macrons. I also found some other snacks that I have not seen before in other convenience stores.
When I opened my sexy package of macrons and tasted one, I was like, “Shut the fuck up!” OMG, they were the real Macoy! In 7-11, for Pete’s sake! On our ride home, I looked up these macrons and found an article about 7-11 and how they are striving to offer high-end gourmet snacks along with their own brand of snacks. They won an elegance award for their new product lines back in 2019.
Here’s the thing…they want to carry these types of gourmet snacks that cannot be found in any other convenience stores. They want their customers to remember these products and seek out a 7-11 for their specialty snacks. Guess what? I went looking for one in Albany in search of more macrons. I tried the vanilla & raspberry ones, but I want to try the chocolate & pistachio ones. Chocolate and pistachios are two of my favorite flavors!
So you may be thinking, why am I so excited over macrons? Well, because I love them, the flavors and colors they come in, plus they are not common, at least in this neck of the woods anyway.
A macaron (/ˌmækəˈrɒn/ mak-ə-RON;[1][2] French: [ma.ka.ʁɔ̃]) or French macaroon (/ˌmækəˈruːn/ mak-ə-ROON[3][4]) is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food colouring.
The macaron is traditionally held to have been introduced in France by the Italian chef of queen Catherine de Medici during the Renaissance. Since the 19th century, a typical Parisian-style macaron is presented with a ganache, buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two such cookies, akin to a sandwich cookie. The confection is characterized by a smooth squared top, a ruffled circumference—referred to as the “crown” or “foot” (or “pied”)—and a flat base. It is mildly moist and easily melts in the mouth. Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavours that range from traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to unusual (foie gras, matcha).Wikipedia
In Paris, the Ladurée chain of pastry shops has been known for its macarons for about 150 years.
The next question you may have is there a difference between French macarons and the heavy coconut macaroons Americans think of whenever they hear the word macron?
According to Masterclass, they say this about macaroon vs. macron, not to be confused with macaroni. LOL!
Macarons and macaroons differ in their main ingredient, which for macarons is almond meal, and macaroons is shredded coconut. … Coconut macaroons are made from shredded coconut held together by egg whites and granulated sugar. They have a craggy surface and chewy interior and are often dipped in chocolate.
I have never attempted to make French macarons because I know they are tricky to make. They are also gluten-free, like coconut macaroons. I watched a program on Tasty where one of the producers, Alex, tried to make French macarons, and she had an extremely hard time with them.
Tasty is a social media giant that shows people how to make unique and different recipes. I’ve never had the time or wanted to go to the extent they go to, like making a 100 layer lasagna or mirror cakes. Some of the recipes they show are easy and great ideas, but others are out of most people’s leagues. Now, if I was being paid as an employee of Tasty, you bet your sweet ass I’d make time to try to make those tricky recipes too.
After reading this, you may think I am even crazier than you first thought. As a food person, I think about food, what am I making, eating, buying 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and this, my friends, was a great food find! Until I can get to a French bakery in Paris or even a little closer in New York City, I’ll be stopping at every 7-11 I see and pick up packages of those sexy little macarons.
What a fun read – and great visuals! Thanks for posting-
I love macarons!!!