All round cute, the macaron has established itself as the flagship of tea rooms and delicacies. This biscuit, which has been booming since the end of the 2000s thanks to Sofia Coppola's film Marie-Antoinette , appears in Europe in the Middle Ages.

The macaroon passes from Italy to France during the Renaissance in the luggage of Catherine de Medici. At that time, the macaroon was then a simple round cake derived from the meringue. Then it is in the nineteenth century that it takes its current form: two crispy shells joined by a heart of cream.

Made from almond powder , icing sugar, sugar and egg whites, a few pastry chefs give it a second wind. Thanks to their impetus, the macaroon becomes greedy and fashionable.

The big houses that have made the macaron a luxury product , can not be counted anymore ... Among them:
- the Jean-Paul Hévin house (4 shops in Paris, 15.20 euros the 10 macaroons),
- the Pierre Hermé house (14 shops in Paris, 27.50 euros the assortment of 12 macaroons),
- the Dalloyau house (9 shops in Paris, 27.60 euros the box of 12)
- and obviously the Ladurée house (11 shops in Paris, 28.20 euros the box of 12 macaroons).

This glamorous biscuit is nevertheless a small and affordable pleasure since it can also be bought individually.

The miniaturized macaroon is in turn flashy colors and original flavors: chocolate-pistachio, grapefruit-strawberry-vanilla, coffee-speculoos ... It also comes in all forms, from starter to dessert . "But the vanilla and chocolate classics are still among the most popular," says pastry chef Laurent Duchêne.

The salty versions of the little biscuit are constantly making emulators: with walnuts and roquefort, foie gras or Comté mousses, the pastry chefs are full of inventiveness to arouse the curiosity of gourmands.

A tip to succeed his macaroons? For Laurent Duchêne, the difficulty lies in the cooking time: "A macaroon not cooked enough is better than a macaroon overcooked! After making them, place your macaroons overnight in the fridge so that the interior lining gains moisture. "

Discover our selection of recipes cooking sweet macaroons.