When one "o" is enough: Paulette Macarons

By Tom I love macarons, those little French cookies made of whipped egg whites and almond powder filled with buttercream. In my mind I know that while the cookies are low-fat, the filling ain't, and the whole thing is sugar central. I'm sure at any moment that someone will come up with incontrovertible evidence that the food coloring used with cause one to develop humps, or rabies or Dutch elm disease. Or just cavities. I don't care! They're so darned good! You walk into the perfect whiteness of the shop to the clean, rich smell of meringue and ganache; you'd never think there was a smell to them unless you've smelled them in a room where there was nothing else sold. Then there are the colors: bright jewel tones that telegraph neatly the flavors. I was taught in making food displays that odd numbers are better than even so I always order three: one is impossibly Calvinist, two is just mean. Three is just this side of decadent. Just this side. Finally there's the first bite; slightly resistant crust bursts into chewy goodness with the flavor of your choice shining through that then matches or contrasts to the rich buttercream filling depending upon the art of the chef. Trust me, it's art. I don't go here a lot. Well, I do but I try to keep it within reason. I figure that once or twice a month I can spend six bucks (no coffee or tea with these; like good scotch I take it straight) and the (please don't tell me the actual number) calorie count if I walk there and back. Researching this I've found that Paulette has opened mere blocks from work. That little bit of info is going to be really dangerous. I'll just keep telling myself "It's Atkins friendly, it's Atkins friendly". I might have to start walking to work. Or two laps of the continent.. What are your favorite sweet treats in your neighborhood? Image by Tom.