When I first traveled to France, I landed in Paris and walked for what felt like miles. I saw so many beautiful things: clothes, buildings, art, and people—some of whom were a bit weird! I also tried some fabulous food, cuisine, and cakes.

One day, I was walking around and stumbled upon a patisserie in the 6th arrondissement called Gérard Mulot. He had a lot of beautiful cakes and savory treats, and he also had a multitude of tiny macarons. Confused by the whole process, I attempted to order a small packet of macarons. The saleswoman behind the counter wouldn’t give them to me. Instead, she gave me a ticket with a weird receipt, upon which I tried to pay, but she refused to take my money.

Somehow, with my lack of French and her lack of English, she managed to get me, somewhat rudely, into a queue. This was before I knew much better French, and I guess it gave me a good grounding in just doing or following what you’re told to do. I figured out at this stage that I had to make my order, the saleswoman would put it together and give me a receipt with the price, and then I would go to another queue to pay for my goodies. Only then could I go back to the original counter to pick up my order.

I was very excited! Exiting out the door, and no more than a few steps away from the front door of Maison Mulot, I delved into the little box and pulled out an orange and cinnamon macaron. And pop it in my mouth, and it was like an orgasmic blast. It was incredible, and the same feeling continued with all the other macarons, though I obviously didn’t eat them all at once. Over the day, I forgot where the shop was and its name, and I never thought I would find it again.

The Quest for a Recipe

I was determined to find a recipe. This was in the early 2000s, and I found a bookstore specifically for food and cooking books and resources near Pont St. Michel. I went back to it and asked the lady for a recipe book with a macaron recipe. She only had two. I’ve mentioned this story many times; it was a great experience that I often recount. I think it was wonderful kismet.

Her two books included a brown one, which was written by a famous patissier chef whose name I can never remember. And a pink one with colorful little almond biscuits (macarons) on the front of it. Both books were in French, so that didn’t affect the outcome, and I basically chose based on the color and size. I also considered all the other recipes in each book as well.

Having chosen the colorful book that would be easily carried around, I took it up to the cashier and paid for my wonderful selection. The bookshop lady said this chef had a shop near where we were, and she noted the address down and gave me a rough idea of how

to get there. I left the bookshop and started wandering toward the address I was given. As I was getting close to my destination, I was thinking that the surrounding buildings and sights looked familiar. As I got closer, I wondered more and more if it was the same shop where I had previously bought my delicious macarons. When I got to the address, voilà, it was! How awesome this was, I thought. The patisserie shop was closed for the day. I have never been back there on my trips to Paris.

My First Attempt

Once I was back home in Yarraville, where I lived at the time. I embarked on getting the ingredients and figuring out the French instructions. One Saturday, I started on my first attempt at making macarons… it was a disaster! Fortunately, there are no photos, but they were flat and goopy. The fillings, however were delicious and while I was a little disappointed. I was still eager to share them with my family and friends. I took these little soft morsels to my mum and dad’s house. Of course, they said they were lovely but agreed they were hard to pick up and eat.

Fortunately, I’ve become much more experienced and skilled at making macarons. I’ve taken many classes since my first attempt and eventually became a patisserie chef, where we learned to perfect these delightful but frustrating biscuits.

I offer these almond morsels for sale on my website along with a macaron cake, which is a large macaron disc filled with pistachio or raspberry cream. I also offer macaron-making workshops at the Melton South Community Centre for people interested in developing their own skills.

You can click this link to see the our Mega Macaron Deal or contact us to discuss your requirements for a cake, including macarons.

Miss Sallie