Pierre Herme - The Master of Macarons

Paris is a magical city, and one of its master magicians is Pierre Herme. 

To say I am obsessed is an understatement. I am almost prepared to say that I love them as much as champagne.

After a half a dozen trips to Paris, I am a mini-connoisseur of macarons. Of all the patiserries, Pierre's is the ultimate indulgence. My first thought after eating them was I have truly lived, my life is complete and I can die happy. They were bliss, the mix of ingredients were exciting and they melted in my mouth.

I've tried Godiva chocolate, don't get me wrong, they taste nice, but it didn't shake my world. When I travel, on occasion I'll spoil myself and try the best restaurant in the city. I've been to Michelin star restaurants and they've all been enjoyable. But Pierre Herme must be a food technician because I imagine he does to macarons what Heston does to food.

Cost - The macarons were more expensive, but definitely larger, with a plump ganache. They were around 1.70 euros, compared to 1.00 euro at most other places, so close to the price of gold!.    

Flavours - I sampled the mint, caramel and salt butter (my favourite), strawberry, creme brulee, and chocolate & passionfruit.

Dieter's note - The nutritional information for Maison Blancs macarons by Raymond Blancs from Waitrose say that each macaron is 30 calories, 3.7g of sugar and 1.4g of fat (0.4 of which are saturated), so as far as treats go, this one is pretty good. I expect that Pierre's may be a bit naughtier, but they do say you gotta be bad to be good!

Locations -

• Paris: 72 Rue Bonaparte 75006 Paris, which is a 10 minute walk from St Germain metro. 
• London at: Selfridges Food Hall, 400 Oxford Street, W1A 1AB. The closest tube stop is Bond St. 
• There is also a store in Tokyo.

Other macarons - Lauduree in Harrods (London) have macarons. That's a lovely sit down affair. If you need a macaron fix near you - they are available individually at Belgique, you can buy large ones at Paul's or a box from Waitrose.

Gift idea - They make a lovely gift if you want to spoil someone, a special desert to take to a dinner party or just as a thoughtful thank you. 

If you love macarons, take a look at afternoon tea with cakes shaped like designer shoes and handbags:

• The Berkeley

Fancy designer window shopping in Paris? Read Paris - The Designer Fashion Capital of the World.
Check out the annual artist open studios - The Paris Belleville AAB Art Festival.

Or may be you want to take a look at How Do You Control Your Chocolate Cravings?

Also: 

• Check out the website - Pierre Herme
• Edd Kimber, winner of the BBC series “The Great British Bake Off" has come up with a recipe - Pierre's Salted Caramel Macarons  
• I also came across this on youtube, the music is cheesy so you might want to lose the sound, but it will give you a sense of what it's all about: