In spite of a dozen trips to France and summers spent there in graduate school, I had never heard of the French macaron! But then, a friend gave me a small clear bag full of colorful rounds of deliciousness made in her own kitchen. There in my hand was the macaron: that crunchy shell giving way to the delectable soft center and then a hint of rich filling. I ate them all before I got out of the parking lot and that little bag of rainbow flavors marked the beginning of my obsession with the macaron.

My lifelong passion for cooking began in my mother’s kitchen baking pies and cookies, but good recipes for the elusive macaron were hard to find and useful instructions even harder. They always tasted great, but they had to look just right: the shiny shell, the chewy center and the foot, that little ruffle at the base of each cookie that is the signature of a perfect macaron. Finally, after months of experimentation, the perfect macaron became a regular event. Looking at the boxes of colorful cookies always makes me smile. Hope you love them as much as I do.

Bon Appétit!

Barbara Shaw
owner/creator of Au Bon Macaron