Okay so I’ve been lagging on the last of the Paris posts, but here it is - my trip to the Pierre Herme store. I didn’t even know what a macaron was until last year or so, or even who Pierre Herme was. I’m not too much of a dessert or baking person nor someone who knows too many chef names and such. But after I kept seeing these beautiful macarons all over food blogs I started becoming intrigued.
I took a cheaper and quicker trip to Boule at first to try out their macarons and I fell in love immediately. They are truly beautiful cookies. There is just something so special about the way their fragile shell cracks between one’s teeth and the softer squidgy insides melt away along with whatever delicious flavor is piped between the two cookies.
As soon I knew I was going to Paris for holiday this winter I put Pierre Herme on my list of places-I-must-go-or-I’ll-die. Maybe not that dramatic, but when I got somewhere to go I really must go.
Pierre Herme was working with famous pastry chef Gaston Lenotre by age 14, became pastry chef of Fauchon at age 24, and then after eleven years went on to Lauduree in 1997. In 1998 he opened shop in a Tokyo hotel followed by openings in Paris.
When we first got to the store there was a huge line outside. We were continuously appeased by free chocolates and sweet treats as we waited to go in. I couldn’t eat anymore of those passion fruit dark chocolates after a few. But we finally made it in and the pastries were amazing!
The cakes were beautiful and the shelves lined with rows of beautifully packaged cookies and chocolates. I couldn’t get everything I wanted since it was pretty pricey, plus add exchage rate. I think that chocolate shell cake cost like 50 euros, so $75 bucks basically. I picked up some macarons of course along with some cookies.
My favorite was their Sables Breton. Sandy and buttery, these really blew my mind.
The Tuiles Pralines Noisette were crispy and so generously topped with those chunky bits of hazelnuts. How do the super thin cookies support the nuts? Of course this is a question for a pastry chef. It was so crispy, nutty and just so good. And so bad, because I kept popping these into my mouth.
And some leckerlis which I believe are swiss cookies flavored with honey, spices, and orange zest.
The macarons were amazing too. My favorite, once again, is the passion fruit flavored one (the one in the front). My mom and I are still in the process of tasting the chocolate box together. I said half a piece for each person which she thinks is ridiculous. She said “half?? that’s all your giving me??”. But I gotta taste each one you know!
I got a few extra boxes of macaron to share with friends and co-workers and they go fast I tell ya. And when you get yourself a box make sure you grab one of em passion fruit ones first.
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Pierre Herme
72 Rue Bonaparte
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The other Paris posts - click here
