Molly's Macaron Matchup

Before arriving in Paris, I had done considerable research with regards to finding the best macaron. The two main contenders were clear, so I committed to trying a half dozen at each patisserie (I had to give them a thorough assessment). Price was not factored into my evaluation because my purpose was to decide on the best, not the most economical. It was to be a battle between Pierre Herme and Laduree, two colossi of confections. May the best macaron win...

We swung by one of the Pierre Herme locations after lunch one day, which was conveniently located just behind the Conciergerie. Pierre used to be the pastry consultant at Laduree before leaving to open up his own shop. Therefore, much of what Laduree does now was under the advice of Pierre, which poses the question of whether the competition is even fair because it is technically Pierre versus his past self. The store itself was bright, colorful, and modern with the pastries and macarons on one side and a glass display case of chocolates on its opposite. It wasn't very busy so we took our time looking over the selection and talking with the person taking care of us, who was very friendly and eager to help. She packaged the macarons nicely and properly on their side in a bag that was sealed tightly and even after making our choices, she stepped to the side to chat with us about Pierre Herme and my macaron quest. 

The assortment at Pierre Herme

The only thing better than chocolate is pretty chocolate

Caramel, Jardin andalou, Raspberry, Banana, Mogador, & Arabesque

Our Pierre Herme selection:

- Caramel with fleur de sel

- Mandarin orange and red berries with olive oil "Jardin andalou" - August Flavor of the Month

- Milk chocolate and passion fruit "Mogador"

- Apricot and pistachio "Arabesque"

- Veloute banana

- Veloute raspberry

The consistency was alright - they were soft the whole way through and chewy but not sticky. The downside was that the shell had no crispness, so the texture was limited in that way. The flavors were fantastic - creative, strong, and complex. Joe's favorite of the bunch was the banana yogurt. It had a great flavor and the yogurt made it tart. My favorite was the Arabesque, which had a piece of pistachio praline in the center. I loved both the flavors and the pairing of them was really well done. Even better, the ganache is not thickened with cream but with dried apricots, making it all flavor and no fluff. The Mogador is their most popular flavor and while it was interesting, it wasn't my favorite combination. The Jardin andalou was tasty - it took a second to taste the olive oil but it changed the flavor entirely. The caramel was slightly burnt in the caramel macaron so it left a bad aftertaste.

Full disclosure: In order to ensure the integrity of this comparison, it must be noted that the pastry chefs at Pierre Herme were on vacation (along with half of Paris). I have no idea if this had any effect on the macarons, only that it was the reason they did not have bread in the store.

Il y a Tout Ce Que Vous Voulez Aux Champs-Elysees

After running through traffic at the Arc (we have been informed there are tunnels to walk through to address this issue), we wandered down the Champs-Elysee on our way to the Eiffel Tower. Sitting amongst the designer stores is Laduree, the oft-crowned winner of the best macaron in Paris challenge, including by Joe's friend who did a stint in Paris. Laduree has 27 stores across the globe where 15,000 macarons are sold every day. They even designed a makeup line based on the colors/flavors of their macarons.

The store is attached to their fancy restaurant and was over-the-top lavish with a lot of gold in the design. They might be the original decorations but it was also very poorly lit, adding to the feeling that it was cold and dated. The staff clearly dealt with a lot of people and could not care less about you or your order - they were only interested in getting you out of the store. The person helping us also tossed our macarons in a bag haphazardly so at least two were broken before we even got to the register. Lame.

The Laduree lineup

Everything gold

Our Laduree selection:

- Coffee

- Orange blossom

- Yuzu ginger

- Vanilla

- Chocolate coconut

- Strawberry candy

The macarons were not as neat as those at Pierre Herme and looked less appealing in general, but that could also be due to the store's dim lights or the unfriendly staff. The consistency was a bit better than Pierre Herme only because the macarons had a tiny bit of crunch in the shell. Otherwise, they were similarly soft throughout and chewy but not gummy. Joe's favorite flavor was the strawberry candy, which was covered in pink granulated sugar in addition to being extremely sweet. The orange blossom was good but was too heavy on the floral flavor, and the yuzu ginger had not as much ginger taste as it did a general spiciness. Not surprisingly, my favorite flavor of the group was the chocolate coconut and while it could have used a bit more of each flavor, it was the standout overall.

In the interest of research, we also tried a strawberry macaron from McDonald's and unfortunately, they probably had the best shell out of all three. However, it was a bit dry and the flavor was just average. Even without taking into account the staff and storefront appeal (although Pierre Herme blew Laduree out of the water so it's difficult to not factor it in), the flavors at Pierre were ultimately better - unique, delicious, and well-executed. All things considered, I would return to/recommend Pierre Herme over Laduree any day.