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French macarons in Albuquerque?

Has anyone found a place in Albuquerque that regularly makes French macarons? Any leads are greatly appreciated!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Greg Kaufman on June 7, 2010 at 10:04pm

Ive just started making them. hopefully i will have them perfected pretty soon

Permalink Reply by Alex on June 8, 2010 at 6:13am

Ask Sabine at La Quiche Parisienne and she will make some and they are very good...

Permalink Reply by ronnie on June 8, 2010 at 7:46am

Thanks! I'll probably have to order dozens of them to convince her to make them ;)

Permalink Reply by ronnie on June 8, 2010 at 7:45am

No, I just got back from Quebec City and you could find them in many shops and bakeries. They were so good! Unfortunately, they don't keep that well so I didn't lug boxes of them back.

Permalink Reply by Pati Nagle on June 8, 2010 at 7:52am

The St. James Tearoom will probably be making them soon. They just moved in April and they're still catching up from that. The chef likes making macarons, though. My favorite is the green tea macaron!

Permalink Reply by Jen on June 8, 2010 at 12:03pm

The Grove often offers them, and they are not bad.

Permalink Reply by Beeco on June 9, 2010 at 8:58am

The Grove offers them and I heard they spent over 3 months perfecting the recipe, and they're fantastic!

Permalink Reply by chantal on June 9, 2010 at 1:30pm

Ooh great to know! I've tried myself and have had zero luck dealing with the altitude. I'll have to go check out the Grove's creations.

Permalink Reply by chantal on June 18, 2010 at 6:47pm

So I checked out the Grove's macarons today -- thanks for the tip! The lemon cream cheese macaron I had was delicious but the texture was off. In fact, they seem to have the same problem mine have at home; the foot separates from the crust. Is that usual at the Grove or did I stumble across a mediocre batch?

Permalink Reply by ronnie on June 10, 2010 at 9:32am

Had one yesterday, and they are really good. Only two flavors though, not that I'm complaining...

Permalink Reply by Nobhill Resident on June 10, 2010 at 9:28am

If you make your own I suggest starting with a cookie recipe that has withstood the test of time. You can make you own filling, but the cookie part is time tested. The recipe is derived from a New England favorite developed by a Boston department store famous for these cookies, Gilcrest ( long gone ).

Cooks Country did an adapted recipe to improve on the original and there are a number of other recipes out there. Part of the success in making them ( and dry weather here is an advantage ) is proper and even oven temperature ( I have 8" plain quarry tiles stacked on an oven rack, whipping the egg whites to a state that compensates a bit for the altitude, using a heavy 1/2 sheet pan ( Walmart has a NordicWare aluminium 1/2 sheet for under $10 that works well ), and parchment paper. The quality of the almond paste is also a factor.

http://www.cookscountry.com/recipe.asp?recipeids=5332&bdc=63984

http://patti-cakes.blogspot.com/2008/03/gilchrists-almond-macaroons.html

I agree La Quiche Parisienne is a good place to ask. If there were a consistent demand for them I'm sure they would make up a batch on a regular basis. Bruno and Sabine are always accommodating but it has to make business sense. By the way it's Thursday and La Quiche Parisienne has a stand at the Nob Hill Growers Market!

Permalink Reply by chantal on June 10, 2010 at 12:42pm

What an interesting recipe -- with flour! I suppose that might provide a bit of structure to keep the whites from deflating inside... And the use of almond paste rather than ground almonds... I'll have to give it a shot. Thank you so much, Nob Hill Resident.