desperately seeking the best macaron in paris

as a follow-up to my dizzying day at "salon du chocolat", i decided to find the best macaron in paris. of course, this research is all for you, my dear readers. a completely selfless act on my part.

the french macaron, not to be confused with the american coconut macaroon, is a light, delicate creation of a flavored meringue sandwich cookie filled with a sweet flavored creamy ganache center. it doesn't matter where you buy these cookies -- whether the local corner bakery or someplace fancy -- they are always expensive (about one euro per cookie). i decided to do a head to head taste test with two of the best known macaron places in paris...pierre herme and laduree.

laduree has a very beautiful, almost girly, interior. it's very traditionally french in its decoration, all done in pastels. i decided to purchase three cookies and one pastry (the pastries are so pretty, it was hard to resist). pierre herme has a much more contemporary interior. it's done in dark hardwoods and porcelain tile. very american in style, in fact. here i decide to just purchase three cookies, even though the pastries and chocolates were also tempting (after all, i do have a limit). even though it was raining outside, both places had very long lines. i must not have been the only one with a hankering for macarons.

at home that evening, with rain pouring outside, i made myself a cup of vanilla tea and began my tasting. i looked at my purchases...six cookies and one pastry at a cost of just under 20 euros...and thought i'm definitely in the wrong business. although i didn't eat everything in one sitting i made my decision that evening. the cookies from laduree, supposedly the best, were smaller and had less ganache than the cookies from pierre herme. both are equally delicious and both companies have equally interesting flavors. it wasn't too difficult to decide. my recommendation: pierre herme all the way.

and the pastry? well, that was delicious too, but not part of the taste test. i ate it just for you.