Macarons in Beijing? Mais Oui!
Paris may be thousands of miles from Beijing, but that doesn't mean delectable French pastries are out of reach. I immediately fell for these macarons when I saw them at Comptoirs de France, a bakery opened by Philippe Ancelet, formerly of the Kempinski Hotel.
Macarons, especially from Pierre Hermé or Ladurée, have a cult following, and the cult only grows as more fans blog about them. These tiny rounds of meringue sandwiching a thin layer of cream look almost too good to eat, especially since patissiers often line up 10 or 12 different kinds, from pinks to greens to yellows. As adults, we may be too old to salivate over cotton candy and lollie pops, but macarons still give us a chance to indulge in something bright and colorful.
Comptoirs de France also has canneles, tarts, and petit fours, but those are the subjects of another story. Not buying every flavor of macarons was an exercise in restraint. But I did try the Vanilla Bourbon, Caramel Fleur de Sel, Green Tea, and Chocolate Sichuan Pepper.
The Caramel was the best of the bunch; the Fleur de Sel somehow made the Caramel taste a bit like Dulce de Leche. Green Tea tasted much sweeter than other desserts made with matcha powder, but was good nonetheless. And the Chocolate Sichuan Pepper indeed had a kick, and a mouthnumbing aftertaste. Now I'm also inspired to experiment with Sichuan Pepper in chocolate desserts. Stay tuned!
Comptoirs de France
East Lake Villas, 35 Dongzhimen Waidajie
东直门外大街35号东湖别墅大堂
6461-1525
Rm. 102, 1/F, Bldg 15, China Central Place, 89 Jianguo Lu
建国路89号华贸中心15号楼1层102室
6530-5480
They are perfectly domed.
They are perfectly domed. I'm getting hungry looking at them ;)
There is something just
There is something just magical about those cookies. Just beautiful!!
I imagined the Szechuan
I imagined the Szechuan pepper gave the macarons a tingling sensation :-) I think instead of using Chilli with Chocolate like the Aztecs, the Szechuan peppercorn is subtle in this delicate pastry. You're lucky to have such choices..:-)
sorry, but....
I'm afraid I've been spoiled by Pierre Herme and Sadaharu Aoki too much. Back from studying abroad in Paris, these ones from Comptoirs are an admirable attempt, but I hate to say it, fall rather short of the ones in Paris... These macarons are dry and chewy and I miss the cloud-like delicate-ness of master PH's. Sorry, I hate to be the party pooper, but these are my sincere findings. In all honesty, even the macarons from La Patisserie of the Grand Hyatt are so-so when compared to Parisian ones (though they are better than Comptoir's). They cost 7 RMB each at the Grand Hyatt, approx 5 RMB each at Comptoir's. Grand Hyatt ones are bigger.
Post new comment