Maison Fleuret Baking School, Paris

I have written two other articles about macarons and the difficulty of making them. When I recently traveled to Paris for Christmas I knew I had to take a class. These are the macarons I made after returning home and they are almost perfect! I learned so much and the proof is in the cookie. Smooth, shiny, good feet and no cracks..

The Maison Fleuret Baking School was smaller and less touristy than other classes I had researched. Only six students per class meant I could ask all of my questions and get personalized help. In a cute little neighborhood surrounded by art galleries and antique shops, we entered through a private courtyard that was quiet and felt secluded from the bustling city.

The kitchen was prepped with all the things we would need..

The first thing we did was plan our cookies. There was a great selection of colors for the shells and delicious fillings. We chose pink, purple and yellow for the shells and raspberry, passion fruit and dark chocolate caramel for the fillings..

The first difference I noticed in class from my attempts at home was the use of Italian meringue. The teacher said that almost all macarons made in France use this method because there is no drying time for the shells before baking.. I was shocked because this had always been such a time consuming step at home! I had never made Italian meringue but I was excited at the shortcut method. The meringue is slowly folded into the batter..

After the meringue is carefully incorporated the batter is piped ..

And put straight into the oven..I was still amazed at this after seriously looking at buying a dehumidifier for my kitchen because I could never get the shells dry enough at home!! The things we do for a perfect dessert LOL! I would have never tried this method if it weren’t for this class..I am so happy to have learned a new way..

While the shells were baking we made our filling. Dark chocolate caramel..

The filling was put into piping bags and refrigerated for a bit to solidify. Passion fruit..

The shells were cooled and partnered up before filling..

We filled and boxed our macarons and left with days worth of desserts! The funny shaped ones in this box are the heart and flower shaped macarons we were taught..

The class was amazing, the teacher was so helpful and I am so thankful I got to learn to make the perfect macarons in Paris! On my next visit I will take another one of their classes.. Maybe choux dough or croissants!

Adventures in Food

View Group