I was floating on a sugar cloud as I continued to taste as many macarons as I possibly could. But I have to say the ultimate macaron experience and highlight of my time in Paris was a visit inside the kitchen of chocolatier and patissier, Gerard Mulot. I thought this behind-the-scenes opportunity would be hard to come by considering I’m not in the pastry business or a journalist, but through a fantastic company called Meeting the French, you can interact with the locals via cooking classes, dinners and in my case, tours to observe the everyday work of a business. For someone visiting on a budget, the tours cost 7 to 12 euros. A real bargain for an exclusive peek into life in Paris.
I saw it all… from creating delicate macaron shells…
piping them with luxuriously creamy fillings…
to most important… tasting! Above is my favorite caramel macaron.
When I walked in at 10am the kitchen was bustling. Chef Patrick Leclercq was overseeing the machine piping out the caramel macaron shells. After going into the oven, the shells are sprinkled with feuilletine, delicately thin and crispy wafer flakes, that add a nice texture to the macaron.
Onto an ultra yellow lemon macaron. I was a little surprised that the macarons were piped via a machine but it makes sense considering the volume they produce each week, about 10,000 for all three of Mulot’s shops. The bowl shown above is 2.5 kilos. By the end of the day they will have completed 70-80 kilos.
Now besides the piping, I was glad to find out the rest…
is done by hand. They do say hands are the best tools.
I hope the yellow doesn’t stain.
A macaron recipe typically consists of egg whites and sugar but Mulot uses a combination of fresh, pasteurized and dried egg whites. How complex! I asked our guide/translator to get an explanation and Chef Leclercq went into a lengthy discussion that I’m guessing got a bit technical so I was told that it has to do with stability.
Chef Leclercq mixes in extra yellow food coloring and then adds the batter into the machine.
Just like for the caramel, the machine pipes perfect little lemon macarons.
A taste of nougat with pistachio sprinkled on top. Underneath is a financier square which is used as a base for some of their cakes. Both very good. I noticed the macaron texture was a bit cakey. It must have been fresh from that day. Now I know why macarons tend to taste better the next day. It has time to harden so you get that slight crunch.
Now if I really wanted to indulge…this cône de macaron, if it is the 250-piece size, costs 450 euros.
I loved these little macaron ornaments hanging from the window
Though completely satisfied from my tour tasting, when I left I also received a chocolate box sampler!
So now back to the question of whose macarons are the best? I did a taste test by of salted caramel macarons from Laduree, Gerard Mulot, Pierre Herme (shown left to right)
Gerard Mulot’s caramel was my favorite. The filling had the most salt contrast which I loved. It also visually appears to have cooked longer to develop a deeper caramel flavor. I also like the feuilletine decoration on top.
But my overall favorite? Pierre Herme. His macarons have a generous amount of filling. Visually it looks so much better when there is a nice layer of filling that is enclosed by the shells. I know some people find it to be too much but I think he does a good job with the flavor so its not overpowering. Its also the creamiest that I’ve tasted.
Meeting the French
Meet the Parisians at Work tour schedule
Gerard Mulot– 13th arrondisement shop where the tours are
93, rue de la Glaciere
Paris
December 28, 2010
OMG….i wish I found your site earlier! Just came back from Paris and took courses on how to make les macarons. would have really loved to go on this tour. thx for the awesome photos and write up.
December 30, 2010
Thank you! Oh it must have a nice white winter trip! Where did you take courses? I researched a few myself but didn’t end up doing it for that trip.
January 23, 2011
Thank you for putting these pictures up and for writing such a detailed guide of your tour. This is the first time I’ve seen a machine pipe out macarons. I thought it was unheard of and that everything had to be done by hand to get feet. It definitely makes sense he lets a machine pipe out the shells if they are making 10,000 macs a week. Do you know if Piere Herme’s macs are also machine piped? Also, the bakery tour at meetthefrench.com is now 90 euro. Was the tour you went on just for macarons at 12 Euro? Thanks!!!!!
January 23, 2011
You’re welcome! I’m not sure about Pierre Herme sorry. I wish I could go on a tour and find out! The tours you want to look at are under the tab “Meet the Parisians at work.” There you will find the Gerard Mulot tour along with bakery Au Grand Richelieu, and boulangerie Au Pain d’Antan. I would have gone to all of them if they were available at the time. Hope that helped!