Paris | Food Nouveau

Macaron Week: Yuzu & Ginger Macarons

This recipe concludes my macaron week! I hope you enjoyed it and that my posts will inspire you to try to make these little wonders at home.

Yuzu & Ginger Macarons

This flavor combination was inspired by my recent trip to Japan, where I was able to indulge in my love for yuzu – its tart, grapefruit-like flavor with hints of mandarin is intriguing and unique. Because I can’t find that citrus at home and it was impossible to bring fresh yuzu back for duty reasons, I brought bottled juice and dehydrated zest back and made them central ingredients of this recipe. If you can’t find fresh yuzu, or yuzu juice and zest, you can simply substitute regular lemon for an equally delicious result.

Posted on December 22, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 0 Comments

Macaron Week: Chocolate & Chestnut Macarons

For the holidays, I give you a full week of delicious macaron recipes. Come back every day for a creative new flavor combination! I hope it inspires you to try to make these little wonders at home.

Chocolate & Chestnut Macarons

Chocolate is probably one of the most popular macaron flavors. I thought, why not change it up a bit and try combining it with the quintessentially seasonal chestnut? It is such a natural and delicious match that you’ll wonder why you don’t always pair the two together.

Posted on December 21, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 3 Comments

Macaron Week: Lime & Basil Macarons, inspired by Pierre Hermé

For the holidays, I give you a full week of delicious macaron recipes. Come back every day for a creative new flavor combination! I hope it inspires you to try to make these little wonders at home.

Lime & Basil Macarons

This fresh flavor combination is inspired by Pierre Hermé, who created a macaron based on a sorbet he served as a component of a cool summer dish. Don’t be afraid by the use of basil in this macaron: its sweet, herby flavor perfectly balances the bright, tart flavor of lime – and the resulting mixture is still perfectly suited for dessert.

Posted on December 20, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 1 Comment

Macaron Week: Clementine Macarons

For the holidays, I give you a full week of delicious macaron recipes. Come back every day for a creative new flavor combination! I hope it inspires you to try to make these little wonders at home.

Clementine Macarons

A little treat to enjoy the season’s favorite citrus fruit. The jelly offers such a pure, juicy flavor that it feels like you’re biting straight into a clementine section.

Makes about 36 macarons

Posted on December 19, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 4 Comments

A Macaron Troubleshooting Guide: Useful Tips and Advice to Master the French Delicacy

Almost two years after being published, my illustrated ‘How To Make Macarons’ post is still by far the most popular post on my blog. After answering to hundreds of readers posting all kinds of questions, from which equipment to use to why they can’t “get feet”, I thought writing a troubleshooting guide was in order. I gathered all this info through macaron making experience and by reading dozens of articles, blog posts and books on the subject (sources are cited below when I quote from them). I believe this post will answer most (if not all!) questions macaron novices might have. If after reading this page you think I forgot something, please send me a line or write a comment below and I will edit my post to always keep it up-to-date.

Posted on December 16, 2011 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, How-Tos, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 28 Comments

A Food Tour of Paris’ Montmartre – And a Book Giveaway

Montmartre, Paris’ 18th arrondissement, symbolizes a variety of things to different people: some love the artistic vibe, (none other than Dali, Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh, to name just the painters, lived in the neighborhood,) while others enjoy the tranquility, (the narrow and often pedestrian streets tend to make the neighborhood quieter than other areas of Paris. ) Some know Montmartre for its Pigalle “red light district,” others for the Sacré Coeur Basilica, which majestically watches over Paris from the very top of the hill. Still others have begun to dream of visiting Montmartre after having seen it in the popular movie “Amélie.”

To me, Montmartre rhymes with friendship. Our close friends in Paris all live in Montmartre or very near to it. We’ve had countless parties, lavish dinners, and drinks in the area, and we’ve come to know it through the eyes of our friends who would never trade their arrondissement for any other.

Posted on December 23, 2010 • Category: Europe, France, Paris, Shopping • 128 Comments

A Year Later: Guilo Guilo, Paris

It’s hard to realize that a year ago we were coming back from our five-month stay in Paris. A year, really, already? Time flies: it’s not just a clichéd expression, it’s a reality.

Throughout our stay in Paris, one of our gourmand friends kept on talking about the Guilo Guilo, a Japanese restaurant in Montmartre. Of course, he was praising it, and to hear him describe the meals he had had over there was mouthwatering. It was clear we didn’t have a choice but to go there at least once during our stay. Some time by the end of April, my friend tried to get a reservation. Turns out Guilo Guilo, not only being very popular but also rather small, is pretty hard to book. The only night we could catch the last table (at 9:30 PM, which is best because nobody else is waiting for it, allowing you to take your time enjoying the meal) was the day right before we left.

Posted on June 8, 2010 • Category: Europe, France, Paris, Restaurants • 2 Comments

In My Suitcase From… Paris

What’s in my suitcase when I come back from a trip? Edible things. When abroad, I love to visit grocery stores the way others do souvenir shops and I always end up with small jars or packages of things I want to experience with back home.

“In my suitcase from…” will be a recurring theme on FoodNouveau. I will post about my findings right when I come back from my trips and of course update you when I cook with it. If you have suggestions of what to do with anything I bring back, please comment because frankly, sometimes I barely know what it is! Traveling is about discoveries, no?

So a couple of days ago I came back from a trip to Paris during the course of which I visited my usual gourmet shops: G. Detou, Bovida, Dehillerin and Mora, all in the 2nd arrondissement, right by Les Halles (see the address book below).

Posted on May 4, 2010 • Category: Europe, France, Paris, Shopping • 1 Comment

Macarons, 3 Ways: Chocolate, Pistachio, Pecan and Maple

I’ve been on a bit of a macaron craze lately. I’ve been away from Paris for too long and I needed these little bits of sunshine to melt the winter away. Winter equals comfort though; fruity macarons would be made in the spring. I needed melt-in-your-mouth with a touch of home flavors. Chocolate was an easy first choice, and on my to-try list, there had long been the classic pistachio. Looking around for a third, and never-heard-of-before flavor, I found Mandy Mortimer’s mouth watering Maple & Pecan Macarons. Three is a charm! I was good to go.

Once you know how to master the basic macaron recipe, you can get adventurous and try these new flavors. My instructions are pretty straight forward; don’t hesitate to refer to my detailed step-by-step walkthrough close to fill you in on the details. Pay close attention to the cookie recipes because they incorporate additional ingredients compared to the classic recipe.

Posted on April 1, 2010 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 38 Comments

How to Make Macarons: A Detailed, Illustrated Step-by-Step Recipe

Macarons are a French delicacy I am completely crazy about. Since I can’t always be in Paris close to my favorite pastry-chef, Pierre Hermé, I have decided to make my own. It’s not an easy task, and it needs a lot of patience. I learned how to make them in Paris, but when I came back I searched around the internet for some recipes providing the perfect ratios. I learned the hard way that macarons are capricious little wonders: add a bit of this or that, and your delicate balance tips over; I’ve seen my share of overbaked, flat, cracked or overinflated numbers coming out of my oven. No recipe is universal, and the most important thing is to go slow. Try cautiously with your own instruments, ingredients and oven. You will have to try more than once before achieving perfection. If they were so easy to do, wouldn’t everyone make them?

Posted on March 29, 2010 • Category: Desserts, Europe, France, How-Tos, Macarons, Paris, Recipes • 347 Comments

Category Archives: Paris

Yuzu & Ginger Macarons

Chocolate & Chestnut Macarons

Lime & Basil Macarons

Clementine Macarons