Parisian Treats

Can you guess what's in this box?

Yes, that's right, Les Macarons!

Last weekend when my mother took E to Paris to begin her life as an au pair, I sent her away with £10 and a list of streets on which she could find Laduree boutiques.

She came back with the most delightful stories of their three days in the capital and of a beautiful food market in Saint-Germain. My mouth was already practically dry from all the salavating over her tales, so you can imagine how I felt when she went to fetch her bag and withdrew a couple of gifts and this dainty little box.

It took me three very restrained days to finish them.

Pistachio, Raspberry, Dark Chocolate, Vanilla, Dulce de Leche, Violet-Cassis Macarons

Naturally, all of the flavours were incredible. The cassis came bursting out from within the macaroon as soon as I bit into it and was wonderfully intense.

My favourite, as boring as it seems, was the vanilla macaron. You can't really go wrong with vanilla in any type of dessert or pastry and this was no exception. I think I could also taste white chocolate in the ganache which made the macaron richer.

What's more, is all of this macaron tasting has inspired me to make some more macarons and try some more adventurous flavours. When I manage to make some, you'll be the first to know!