Les Petits Macarons: Colorful French Confections to Make at Home

by Kathryn Gordon, Anne E. McBride

Macarons, the stuff of bakers’ candy-coated dreams, have taken the world by storm and are demystified here for the home baker. With dozens of flavor combinations, recipes are structured with three basic shell methods—French, Swiss, and Italian—plus one never-before-seen Easiest French Macaron Method. Pick one that works for you, and go on to create French-inspired pastry magic with nothing more than a mixer, an oven, and a piping bag.  Try shells flavored with pistachio, blackberry, coconut, and red velvet, filled with the likes of sesame buttercream, strawberry guava, pâte de fruit, crunchy dark chocolate ganache, and lemon curd. Or go savory with shells like saffron, parsley, and ancho chile paired with fillings like hummus, foie gras with black currant, and duck confit with port and fig. The options for customization are endless, and the careful, detailed instruction is like a private baking class in your very own kitchen! All recipes have been tested by students and teachers alike and are guaranteed to bring the flavors of France right to your door.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction

270 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2011

Reviews

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It includes thee different base methods for meringues, along with all the tips, tricks, and troubleshooting techniques I've ever come across."

While I haven't tried any recipes from this book yet it has me feeling excited and slightly less intimated about making macarons.

While formatting of the cookbook is a little wonky on my Kindle and I wish there were more pictures to get an idea of each of the steps this is a great look at macarons. It's a pretty basic introduction and even though the author could have broken it down a little more for people like me who are pretty new to this kind of baking I think the book does a great job of covering the important pieces and having lots of tips. There's even an index to help you troubleshoot the problems you're having while you bake!

I will update my review when I've tried one of the recipes but I'm feeling optimistic with this book as a guide.

[Luke Gruber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Macaron or Macaroon? French, Swiss, or Italian meringue? Sweet or savory shell? Ganache, fruit, savory, or other filling? THIS book has all the answers to the many questions when making Macaron (yes, one “o”).

I appreciate the authors showing the 3 primary ways of building your meringue (French, Swiss, Italian). Other books and authors promote a single method, but this book compares and contrasts while giving you all the knowledge to find what will work best given your unique resources.

If Macaron mastery is your desire, this book needs to be on the shelf.

Also, I LOVE all the pictures in this book.

[Fawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was extremely detailed. It has a trouble shooting section and ideas of where to get your ingredients from that I found particularly helpful. There is a ton of recipes for every macaroon you can think of. Personally I like the vanilla and caramel recipes, but there is a bunch of savory macaron recipes in this book as well (I.e. Rosemary, sage, etc). The preparations for macarons is extensive and the author has pictures to show you every step of the way. I found this book very easy to understand and made macarons fun and enjoyable to make.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the early sections: A brief History, Skin and Feet, and The Four Main Ingredients. I didn't use any of the recipes included because none of them appealed to me.

I grabbed the book primarily for the "Troubleshooting guide". Gordon organizes the troubleshooting section by stage and then by error. I would have preferred focusing on the end result--then describing possible causes. But overall, the troubleshooting guide was helpful if only in ruling out most of the possible causes for my imperfect macarons.

[Aishwarya Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathryn Gordon's Les Petits Macarons is a delightful and comprehensive guide to mastering the art of making macarons. The book offers clear, detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips that make this delicate French pastry accessible to home bakers. With a wide variety of flavors and creative ideas, it’s a fantastic resource for both beginners and experienced bakers looking to perfect their macaron-making skills. The step-by-step approach ensures that even the most intricate techniques are easy to follow, making this book a must-have for anyone passionate about these elegant treats.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

Awesome book on macarons, from the explanations in the beginning to the pictures in the back of the book explaining what it looks like when something goes wrong. If you want a book on macaroons that covers all the bases in how to make great ones, this is the book you want!

[Sarah Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so interesting!! I learned a lot about why my macarons weren't turning out as expected and what I could do to fix it. After a lot of errors, this book helped me turn it around and make some of the best macarons I've ever tasted. I liked this book enough, I bought a second copy for a family member.

[Jodi Geever · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of macarons but I’m always nervous about attempting to make them because of the home cook’s lore that they are challenging and finicky.

But this book’s “easiest French macaron” recipe included for novices and kids gives me hope. All the elaborate options are here too. I’m impressed

[Dharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information on the process. Was a tad disappointed to see corn syrup as an ingredient in a few of ganache recipes. Curious about the addition (and risks of skipping) of dried egg whites "for more stability".

[Michelle Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious macaron recipes. Now to actually make them.

[Aasinathena · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book written about Macarons !

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathryn and Anne have put together a great collection of Parisian macarons, today's top must-have sweet indulgence.
Nick Malgieri

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Swiss macaron method never fails

[Marcie Brooks-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many good ideas for different flavours, including savory macrons.

[Julie Shuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very beautiful homewarming gift from a friend. Flavor combinations look amazing. The techniques look a bit challenging for me but at the very least a good coffee table book.

[sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

makes me want to attempt the feat of making macarons but i wont because rheyre hard to make

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely done. 3 methods for making too.

[Aglaea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers everything you need to know when first starting out. The parts on tools, techniques and troubleshooting are thorough; all meringue methods are covered with great photos. Tips and tricks are offered. I only wish there would have been a bit less focus on the savoury and novelty recipes, as I feel those are a bit too quirky in the grand scheme of things.

Personally I serve macarons in combination with other pastries (usually with coffee or tea after a three- to five-course dinner) and then it would be more suitable to have a larger variation on fruits and berries, rather than flavours such as bacon, popcorn, cakes, etc. The novelty macarons could have made up volume 2.

Regardless, if you have this book in your cookbook collection, you don't need other ones but can look up individual recipes online to broaden your range of flavours, and therefore I highly recommend it over other similar volumes. It reminds me of "Les meilleurs macarons" by Christophe Felder, but if you don't know French I'd go with this one.

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where the shit can I get most of the ingredients mentioned in this book if I’m just a scullery maid?

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

PRETTY!!!!! The pictures in this book just make you want to get your stand mixer out & go to town. I made macarons once with limited success but after reading this I think I know where I went wrong.

There are 3 basic recipes: French, Italian & Swiss. The rest of the book consists of variations on those 3 recipes. I had no idea you could make a macaron out of anything other than almond flour. Who knew? Also, had no clue you could make savory macarons. Inconceivable!

There's so many recipes for fillings & ganaches in this little trinket it'll make your head spin. There's also a number of jam, jelly & compote recipes all of which can be used as stand alones or in other recipes.

She even gives you a troubleshooting section in the back with pictures & gives you ideas for using less than perfect maracons. It's a good cookbook & these chefs are obviously extremely creative.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want to make macarons with no set recipe, this book is for you. If you are more like me and like to have a set recipe, than this is probably not your book. I didn't care for the sound of any of the recipes in the book and they would just not be for me. However, if you like unusual flavor combination with many different pairings, you will probably really like all the recipe options listed in this book.

[Ligaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ultimate comprehensive little book on baking macarons! Intriging flavor combinations and recipes for numerous macarons and even more fillings! The authors missed nothing - from information before you bake to troubleshooting what went wrong - it's all here! I only wished there were even more photos of the finished products!

[Cecily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great! It gives great instructions and lots of flavor combination. It also discusses French, Swiss, and Italian meringue options--basically 3 different ways to make the cookies. Such a great, great book. It's totally inspired me to make them!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautiful and has great ideas for recipes. Love that it discusses the different styles (Italian, Swiss, French) of merinque, and the history/techniques of each. Will definitely go on my most used cookbooks shelf.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is chock full of recipes for all kinds of fillings, including jams, creams, and more. I don't prefer cookbooks without pictures and found the text format to be less than easy to read (for a cookbook).

[Chloe Degner · Rating 5 out of 5]

good for learning different methods, flavors, and fillings for these delicious French treats. it takes lots of time to perfect, and this book helped me become more knowledgeable in making, if not more skilled in the actual making of them

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, informative, extensive, with a troubleshooting section. -1 star because come on, no one can really make these at home.

[Elizabeth Gilliam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all the varities of flavors for the shells and the fillings if it wasn't for the fact that almond flour is expensive I know I could make these.

[Meghan Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty pictures, easy to follow directions, delicious recipes.

[Veronique L · Rating 4 out of 5]

very impressed by the accuracy of this book, measurements in grams were there and an absolute necessity to get the perfect consistency, i liked the troubleshooting section too, very helpful