As you can tell from my posting spree this week, I have a little love affair with the macaron. So when I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita came up for presale on Amazon, I added it to my cart immediately. Here’s a funny thing about macarons – they’ve become really popular with Japanese chefs, who are taking this elegant little cookie to new heights.
Aesthetics
First, a bit about the book itself: it’s thin. This book is only 80 pages long. I guess I was hoping for a Tome de Hermé, but macarons are a fairly simple recipe that requires a lot of personal precision, so I guess it makes sense that you wouldn’t need to dedicate a few hundred pages to the process.
Second, I love the photos. I’m such a sucker for colorful photos, especially photos of macarons, and this book is full of them. Woot.
A Plethora of Macaron Recipes
The recipes themselves are inspired, such as pistachio with bitter ganache filling and purple yam with chestnut cream, and there are lots of photos of the macaron making process, which is undoubtedly helpful for beginners. Ogita also talks about two different ways of making macaron batter – the classic method, using a French meringue that results in a softer cookie, and a second Italian meringue method, which yields macarons with a crunchier surface.
These photos are not from the book!
When it comes to baking, Ogita’s directions are easy. Actually, almost too easy. Macarons are relatively simple to make, though there are countless pitfalls that beginners can fall into. Fortunately, she has included a section at the end of the first chapter that provides some basic troubleshooting techniques, though recommendations are only one or two lines and leave a lot for interpretation. And therein may be the problem – the book was originally translated from Japanese, so something may have been lost in translation.
If you have a Japanese copy of the book, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, though, I really liked this book. While it might not be appropriate for someone with no baking skills at all, if you know your way around a silpat, you’ll probably work through the recipes just fine. Ogita dedicates an entire chapter to making a variety of fillings, another on how to creatively wrap your sweet little gems (big plus in my book), and a final chapter on how to use the leftover egg yolks you will inevitably end up with after an afternoon of baking macarons.
If, like me, you love macarons, then you’ll enjoy I Love Macarons by Hisako Ogita. In fact, I’d say order it now, or give it as a gift to someone you know who is equally obsessed. Maybe wrap it up with a box of colorful macarons, straight from a local bakery. If anyone did that for me, I have to say I’d have a hard time controlling myself.
These photos are not from the book!
Win a copy of I Heart Macarons by Hisako Ogita!
I love this book, and you will too. And I’ve got a copy here to give away to one beloved Wasabimon reader. To win, leave comment on this post telling me why you love macarons (don’t forget to include your email address so I can reach you in you win!). For additional chances to win, you can subscribe to the email newsletter and post the following phrase on Twitter, verbatim: Hey! @sstiavetti is giving away a copy of Hisako Ogita’s “I Heart Macarons” book on @wasabimon: http://bit.ly/65imV8 – note: you need to leave a comment here in order to enter, even if you tweet.
I’ll pick a winner on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010. Sorry, but you have to live in the continental US to win, unless you want to pay for shipping. 
You know you want a copy of this book!
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I [heart] macarons because they are so French, makes me feel so chic! ooh-la-la
Check out Caroline´s last blog post: The Cake Slice: White Chocolate Layer Cake
Like them because my Mom used to make them when we were young. They were always a treat.
i love macarons…because , simply they can fit into any flavor profile. Sweet to savory. Vanilla, lemon , nuts, chocolates. and multiple fillings from jams to Ganache. You can create soo many tastes! and you need a great deal of skill to perfect them. Plus, the colours cant be beat!
Check out astheroshe´s last blog post: Tutti i sogni possono diventari realta il tuo dolci!!!!
I like the lightness of texture and taste that are found in macarons
I made some yesterday for #Mactweets challenge on Twitter…won’t say third time was quite a ‘charm’ but they’re improving with each experience!
Whole tray stuck to silicone baking sheet but easily came off parchment paper, so that was one more lesson learned certainly.
If you would like to see the result, you’re welcome to peek at http://vinolucistyle.com/2010/01/boysenberry-buttercream-macarons/ – first time in my life to make a purple food item too!
My boyfriend and I love macarons — we love their color, their history, and everything about them!
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like them because they are not your same old chocolate chip cookie
Light and tasty. Also, my family (strange people that they are) don’t care for them, so there are more for me! (evil laugh and grin)
I love macarons because they are so vibrant, colorful and adorable and most of all TASTY!
when they are made well, they are the perfect combination of crunch, light as air flavour, intensive deliciousness. they also remind me of Paris.
What’s not to love about the delectable macaron? Petite little tastes of colorful perfection! They evoke an image of my childhood wandering the isles of “Sunshine Station” for the first time (they sold all that Sanrio stuff and stickers)! Your eyes capture the colors with delight, your nose catches a glimpse of what’s to come, but your mouth is the ultimate victor as it gets the best (and maybe the soul if food has one) part as the little morsel is devoured!
Check out notblueatall´s last blog post: I suppose there just might be a bee in my bonnet!
I love macaroons! So soft and so crunchy and still so delicate. I did not know a macaroon to be anything but a soft ball of cooked coconut until about 2 years ago. I was lucky enough to go to my friend’s wedding in the south of France. She had a “wedding” cake made of many flavors of French macaroons and topped with sparklers! It was so thrilling to put that little cookie in my mouth and get just a burst of flavor!
Check out Kate´s last blog post: Almonds and Apples… Yum!
I’ve never had Macarons but am an avid baker. I’m always looking for new recipe books and would love to try making these cookies. They’re so colorful and would make a great additon to holiday cookie trays. Thanks.
I am just discovering macarons and I can’t wait to bake a successful batch
Tried for the first time on the weekend, and while they are tasty…they don’t look anything like what i’ve seen on line!
I’d have to say I love the look of a colorful box of macarons…so dainty and pretty! I also like that they are gf by default, so you don’t have to introduce them at a party as ‘gluten free cookies’ they can just be macarons
Because its delicious
I love macarons because they are without a doubt the cutest cookie i have ever seen. The colors can be soft and pastel-y or bold and vibrant. Even better than the array of color combinations are the crazy flavors you can make! I don’t know one other cookie that could possibly be as versatile as a macaron. I am such an amatuer when baking them but the first time I got the foot I was jumping around my kitchen singing. I love the challenge every time you try a new type and even better the satisfaction and how impressive they look. Macarons are unquestionably THE best cookie out there.. and thats why i love them!
What I love most about Macarons is actually a one time thing. I remember when my brother (he bakes, I cook) was first making them and I remember how terrified he was that they weren’t going to work properly. Then, a little bit later, I heard him say “They’re footing. Oh my god. They’re footing!”
So, that’s a little memory I will always hold close to my heart…
But other than that, they’re just such fun to eat. They’re also EXCELLENT for Passover because you don’t need to use flour.
Also, if you make them a lot of them and if you make them small enough (we’re talking smaller than a dime and smaller than a toothpaste cap) you just end up eating them like popcorn.
let me count the ways:
- i had my first macaron in japan.
- there are unassuming & classical, and being pushed into new innovating territory.
- perfect mouth size.
- gluten free dessert.
- the foot.
- confused w macaroons. both are gluten free.
- brilliant colours.
- require simple & technical skill
- combination of caramel and soft goo
what’s not to love?!
I love them because they are delicious and they sound like something Dr. Seues would eat!
jason(at)allworldautomotive(dot)com
Macarons are little bits of faerie dust wrapped up in moonbeams, stardust and the prettiest cherry blossoms you can imagine.
They are also full of Awesome & Win! You can create so many different flavours…sweet or savory…they are a nearly perfect cookie. I love them, and wonder why they aren’t more popular in the US, what with our obsession with sweet stuff. -Kat dragongirl at gmail dot com
I’ve never tried them-but they look good
I love macarons because, well, what is not to love? They’re sweet, crunchy, chewy, with a practically unlimited array of flavor combinations!
I love puttering and playing in the kitchen so macarons fit right in. A baked good that everyone loves to put their own stamp on. Now I just need a cookbook!
-Robin
Check out Hippo Flambe´s last blog post: French Crepes
I love macarons because as someone who is both gluten and dairy free they are the most “normal” treat I can have…with just a smear of dark chocolate to sandwich them together or perhaps a lovely jam… I like that they don’t require all sorts of crazy ingredients and blends of flours and that they are just so extraordinary (despite being “normal”!) They are also the one thing that I can sometimes get at a pastry shop… always a plus!
I feel in love with macarons the first time I went to Paris some 20 years ago. I love how light the shell of the macaron as well as the slight “crisp” when you bite into it and it just progresses to heaven with that slightly creamy and ever so flavorful filling. I have been on the look out for the best macarons, in the bay area and have yet to find them as good as in Paris. In the mean time I have been working on perfecting them at home and I have to say they are pretty darn good! I have had this book on back order for two months now, I would love to get my hands on it, so that I can continue the fine art of perfecting the ones I am making at home!
I love them because if you have enough will power to not eat them in one bite, you can see the gaps of your teeth in them.
I mad my first batch of macarons a few months ago! They have always been a favorite because they are so light, yet so rich, and naturallllllly gluten-free! Happiness
Check out Jenn/CinnamonQuill´s last blog post: Chocolate Chip Cookies (a new standard)
Aw, this isn’t available for Canadians? I’m sad :’(
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