Dish · french
Macaron
A meringue-based almond cookie, two shells sandwiched around a filling of ganache, buttercream, or jam, with a smooth domed top and a ruffled foot at the base.
Where it comes from
Almond meringue cookies appeared in Italian and French monasteries by the Renaissance. The sandwiched, filled version most people mean by macaron today took shape in Parisian patisseries in the early twentieth century, an innovation more than one shop has claimed credit for.
What cooks argue about
Bakers argue over French meringue, raw egg whites whipped with sugar, versus Italian meringue, sugar cooked to syrup first, which is more stable but needs a candy thermometer and more practiced technique.
Versions
Nobody has published a macaron here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
almond flour
egg white