Pierre Herme Macarons - I Have the Best Twinsy

Good evening everyone,

I was not planning on writing tonight, but I got inspired by some gifts that a dear friend gave me. Let's start at the beginning!

I was really really bummed on Sunday.

My girlfriends and I went all the way to Yountville aka Kellerville to have a little wine and nibble on some macarons...except the latter didn't happen. For some reason I trusted the store hours on Yelp and assumed they were going to be open after our wine tasting and lunch at Cornerstone Cellars. We got there at 2:30 and there was a sign on the door saying the temporary store hours were 7:00 am - 1:00 pm.

Nooooooooooooooo...

Must've been because of the fire that damaged the property last month or the month before. Yes, we were very disappointed to say the least. We were looking forward to those ginormous macarons. -smh- But we were in Napa. We weren't going to give up our trip there. How do you cure unhappiness in Napa?

Wine.

And lots of it.


We ended up going to Domain Chandon and that was a ftw trip, most definitely. BTW, our lunch at Cornerstone Cellars was provided by Michael Chiarello's kitchen. It was delish.


One of my favorite foodie people right now is my "Twinsy" aka @nom_nom_nom_nom on Twitter. Idk, we must have a psychic connection. She must have sensed my grief from Sunday's macaron excursion failure because she tweeted me Monday morning saying she had brought over some Pierre Herme macarons from PARIS!!!


She brought me four flavors: To the left is the Mogador - Milk Chocolate and Passion Fruit & to the right is Creme Brulee - Vanilla and Caramel Bits.


On the left is the Infiniment Chocolat Porcelana - Pure Origin Venezuela Porcelana Dark Chocolate & to the right is the Infiniment Caramel - Salted Butter Caramel.

Let's just say that these macs are PERFECTION! Okay, I know they are the 1st French macarons I have had in my life, which only makes me want to go to Paris myself and try more of them! If you haven't seen all the flavors from Pierre Herme, I suggest you do HERE.

Be prepared to drool.

Jokingly, I told Twinsy that all of them were my favorite flavor when she asked, but if I had to choose one, it would be the creme brulee. Not only did it excite my palate, but it was also very visually appealing with its specks on vanilla bean in the filling. A close 2nd is the salted caramel. Though those two macarons had caramel components to them, you can really taste it in the salted caramel - both buttery and a hint of burnt flavor.

The chocolate mac was very deep in chocolate flavor as there was quality Venezuelan chocolate in the biscuit and dark ganache. There were even pieces of Pure Origin Porcelana chocolate intensified with fleur de sel studding the sides of the macaron. The passion fruit was a treat. At first bite, you get the taste of the luscious chocolate filling initially, but as you start chewing you get the tart from the passion fruit. Amazing.

There was MORE!


Twinsy was TOO TOO sweet and also brought Keat and I an almond croissant which totally looks different from almond croissants here in the States. Why? Look:


Twinsy mentioned that they were for some reason on the flatter side. It was all good to me because what I really care for in a croissant is flakiness and butteriness. Keat and my sis said the same thing after their first bite, "Oh. My. God."

Come to think of it, I think that's what I said when I took my first bite of the creme brulee mac!

We warmed up the croissant a little bit in the oven before digging in. The flaky layers were there. The butter was definitely there. The almond filling in the middle was extraordinary. Idk what how they made it, but did I taste a little alky in there? Keat said he didn't care because it was incredible!

Merci beaucoup, Twinsy, for the French treats. You really didn't have to, but you did and I am grateful! You're the best! I hope you had a wonderful time on your birthday in Paris. And remember, So Cal treats are coming your way when we get back!

I don't feel too bad about the MIA macs in Kellerville now.

xoxo,
Jo