Recap of Paris, Part Trois

After we finally said goodbye to the Museum of the Middle Ages, K. and I went back to Le Marais to explore the patisserie near our hotel. It was there I spied one of my culinary quests: MACARONS! I know, these look nothing like the macaroons I grew up with: dense, coconut cookies that (if they're made correctly) have a hint of moisture in the center. I love these cookies, especially when half of the cookie is dipped in bitter chocolate.

I had seen pictures of French macarons before, and don't they look heavenly? The colors! And they're sandwich cookies -- one of (w0)man kind's greatest inventions, I think. I pointed at a green one and told K. that instead of a pastry, I was getting a macaron.

I was not disappointed. I bought a 'macaron pistache' and ran up the three flights to our room to taste it. There were 4 distinct parts to the cookie: the sandwich portion was made from a very light dough on the inside, and the dough had cooked smooth on the outside. When you bit into it, little fault-lines appeared on the top of the cookie. The filling was made from a thin layer of creme as well as a layer of chopped pistachios. Even though it had so many layers, the cookie was still light to touch and not overly sweet on the tongue. All the textures were perfect together, and the pistachio was a perfect, nutty complement to the sweetness of the creme filling.

Everybody's favorite domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson has a recipe for Pistachio Macarons! Leslie! Jasmine! Kevin! I'm calling you out!