When I couldn’t take my scheduled flight to Paris this week due to the volcanic ash issue, I did the next best thing – searched for French-style macarons in San Francisco.
A macaron (not to be confused with the wonderful coconut macaroon that I adore, as well) is a French sandwich cookie that has a flavored filling in the center. The cookie itself is made from ground almonds, egg whites and sugar. It is crispy on the very outside and light and chewy within. Fillings can range from silky chocolate or vanilla to tangy fruit ganaches.
After trying three different French-style bakeries in the city, I decided that my favorite macarons come from a shop that focuses specifically on macarons – Paulette on Hayes Street. The macarons from Paulette were just the right texture – lightly crisp and chewy. Some of the ones that I tried from other bakers were almost gummy. Paulette had 16 flavors and I am not embarrassed to say that I tried a number of them. The fillings were intense – you could really taste them. My favorite flavors were the passion fruit, caramel, toasted coconut, lemon and Jamaican chocolate. The passion fruit and the lemon fillings really had a nice “punch” to them. These macarons reminded me of the ones that I get at Laduree in Paris.
Paulette SF is located at 437 Hayes Street in San Francisco.