more food

Ok, I lost count of pastries. But here we go, two more deliciousnesses:

First up, Le Royal. A delicious chocolate mousse on top of a light crispy praline layer.

Oh delicious! And pretty! And oh so wonderful! And despite its lovely rectangular configuration, its richness once again means that it could happily be shared and both parties would feel completely satisfied.

And next, the famous macarons. Not to be confused with the horrendous coconut creations, the French macaron is a delectable treat. Having only sampled ones that had made the long trek across the Atlantic, I bought some fresher ones from my favorite patisserie.


Oh, the intrigue! The textures! The sweetness! The outer merengue shells are so airy and crunchy, and then filled with jams or gels just brings them to a new height! As soon as I get back to Boston, I will try to whip some of these up in my new (and amazing) kitchen. The flavor assortment I tried included lemon, pistacio, strawberry, coffee, and chocolate. YUM! My favorites were the chocolate and the strawberry. Chocolate here is such an intense flavor. In the States you can have things that are chocolate-y, but here there is a depth to the flavor that I don't experience back home. Ah, European chocolate, how I love you so!