Paris, The Sweet!

Unsurprisingly, Paris has incredible sweets. I anticipated enjoying more of the cuisine and pastries of Paris than I actually did on this trip. It was exhausting...walking around the city, constantly overwhelmed by the beauty all around me. I often had to remind myself to stop and eat something periodically. And when I did...I was more than pleased. However, I have vowed that my next trip to Paris will require some kind of a food itinerary. I never did come across profiteroles and there were just so many other wonderful looking pastries and sweets that I didn't make time (or room in my stomach) for!

With that said, I eagerly devoured these beautiful meringues pictured, raspberry tartlettes, dark chocolate, and a café flavored macaron. All were beyond delicious. I was introduced to meringue cookies when my friend Vicki made some last year. It was funny because I bit into my first one and was surprised at how they dissolved in my mouth. I definitely didn't know what to expect but I was instantly hooked. The texture and sugary sweetness are beyond words.

Most meringue cookies are simply made from egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar, and flavoring. I am sure there are variations but they really are simple pieces of heaven! Interestingly, I found that most pâtisseries/confiseries I came across in Paris that had meringues only had the larger sized ones. I much rather prefer these adorable smaller meringues. And they are so colorful.

Macarons also blew my mind. I had heard of them before but never really knew what to expect as far as taste. I tried a café flavored one and it was so wonderful. The outer cookie is made from almond powder, sugar, and egg whites. The inside is a layer of cream. The history of the macaron is really interesting and a wonderful overview can be found on Louis la Vache's blog at Macarons de Paris.

The macaron in the photo is a pistachio flavored one that I nabbed from the internet. The photo of my café flavored macaron, also from Paul, did not come out very well. Pistachio macarons (and other pistachio flavored confections) seem quite popular in Paris. You really don't see any pistachio flavored sweets here in the States...at least not in my experience.

Truly, since returning, I've been increasingly motivated to find a French confectionery in which I can find more meringues and macarons. And I truly do vow to make a list of all the pastries that I have yet to try, so that upon returning to Paris, I can indulge my sweet tooth further!


*Pistachio macaron image nabbed from here.