Panna Dolce: Our favorite macarons cover Neiman Marcus’ holiday catalog

Kat Greis became obsessed with French macaroons macarons while traveling through France and Italy with then-boyfriend Justin Greis — so much so that she spent years perfecting a recipe that could (and does) rival the famed delicacies at Ladurée. With help from culinarily-gifted friend Lauren Robin and Greis (who she now calls husband), Kat turned her hobby into a moneymaker, launching online-based macaron store Panna Dolce in 2009.

And this month, Panna Dolce has snagged the coveted cover of the Neiman Marcus Holiday Entertaining catalogue, whose $150 sage-rubbed turkeys come second only to the $6,000 ukeleles offered in this years Christmas Book.

We have been lucky enough to taste almost every classic flavor of macaron from the Panna Dolce lineup, and now Style Section L.A. readers can indulge at a 20 percent discount by entering “stylela20” at checkout on www.pannadolce.com.

— Caitlin Monaghan

Source: Style Section L.A.

Join us for the 2010 Meals on Wheels Celebrity Chef Ball on Friday, October 15, 2010 at Macy’s on State Street. Katharine and Lauren and 400 of their macaron friends will be there to shmooze and sample the best Chicago has to offer. So, purchase your tickets now and join us to celebrate a wonderful cause.

About Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels Chicago is committed to the belief that all individuals have the right to live independently with dignity in their own homes. Through monetary grants to our two City of Chicago agencies, it is our hope to reduce the number of home-bound seniors and individuals with disabilities in need. While the programs we help to support are vastly different, they share the same common goal; to give individuals the ability to remain in their own home.

The meal delivery program provides isolated and homebound seniors the opportunity to secure a more stable home environment, thus improving their quality of life. By reducing food insecurity and providing daily human contact, the Meals on Wheels program offers this vulnerable population the tools necessary to maintain self-sufficient and dignified lives in the comfort and familiarity of their own residence. It is our mission to ensure homebound senior citizens and disabled Chicagoans maintain dignified and independent lifestyles by providing them with warm nutritious meals and related services.

Meals on Wheels Mission

To ensure homebound senior citizens and disabled Chicagoans maintain dignified and independent lifestyles by providing them with warm nutritious meals and related services.

Katharine shows the world the secrets of making the perfect French Macaron! Check out the video from WGN Chicago TV’s LunchBreak.

Update: Check out the “teasers” posted on Vimeo: [Teaser 1] and [Teaser 2].

A Cookie Monster: Will the macaron dethrone the cupcake as dessert du jour?

By Rilee Chastain

It’s hard to go somewhere within the city of Chicago and not run into a shop that sells cupcakes. In the last couple of years these tasty treats have been popping up in specialized bakeries, coffee shops and markets all over the city with a local domination to rival the Asian carp invasion. But a new pastry in town just may have what it takes to steal the cupcake crown.

At the end of 2009, when foodies were pegging the next big trends in the culinary world, macarons were mentioned everywhere from New York magazine to the James Beard Foundation blog. These delicate little French confections are cookie-like pastries made up of almonds, egg whites and sugar with a center filling. While these treats are just now finding their way onto the bakery shelves in the States, they have been a staple in France since the 1500s.

Katharine Greis, the co-owner of Panna Dolce, an online pastry shop specializing in macarons, first discovered the delicate dessert while traveling abroad in Paris. She instantly fell in love with the confection at the popular French pastry shop Ladurée, or as she described it, the “homeland of macarons.” When she arrived back in Chicago, she started on a mad hunt for the European treats on the internet and throughout the city but there were no decent macarons to be found. “That’s where I got inspired,” she says. “I just made it my mission—I’m going to learn how to make these—and that was five or six years ago.”

Now Greis, like several other owners of macaron shops in Chicago, hopes to take these delicate French confections and popularize them among the same customers who spend their money on cupcakes. However, one slight speed bump that they’re running into is that many people do not know what a French macaron is.

Beth Jacob, the owner of Macaron Chicago, began selling her macarons at Logan Square Market last December and didn’t have many people approaching her in the beginning. “When it first started, people would walk by and go, ‘you spelled macaroon wrong,’” she says. Macaroon, with two o’s, is a soft coconut-flavored cookie popular in America that often gets confused with the French macaron with its single o. “I made it a point to ask [people] if they were familiar with French macarons,” Jacob says. “Ninety percent of the time they would say no.”

While education about macarons still needs to be done, a rise in local interest in the delicate dessert is noticeable. Elaine Heaney, co-owner of Fritz Pastry at 1408 W. Diversey, says that she has seen an increase in her store’s macaron sales. “I feel like there are people in Chicago who are catching on,” she says. “It’s so common that we now have these kids in Lakeview, anywhere from 3-years-old to high-school kids, coming in and ordering macarons. I mean, I don’t think that when I was that age I would walk into a bakery and be like, ‘I want a pistachio macaron.’”

Macarons also have the ability to be just as customizable as cupcakes. While many shops carry the classic flavors such as rose butter cream or caramel fleur de sel, customers can choose from many options, such as center filling or the color of the shells.

Some doubt the macaron could ever challenge the popularity of the cupcake, due to the complexity of the recipe. Don’t let the simple ingredients of a macaron mislead you; these temperamental little guys are difficult for even the most experienced pastry chefs to master. Greis, who spent nearly five years perfecting and playing with her recipe, says that there is a certain finesse to making a macaron and nearly anything can create a disaster.

“Let’s say you, by accident, are separating your egg whites and you get a touch of the yolk in there, they’re done,” she says. “Or, if you had just washed your hands and you dried them off but you got a few drops of water into your egg whites—done.”

Many would respond that it is precisely this delicate nature and long baking process that makes these desserts so luxurious and unique in the first place. “We offer high-quality products that are worth waiting for,” Greis says. “It’s not your typical pick-up of cookies. It’s a real special experience.”

Panna Dolce macarons can be ordered through their website, PannaDolce.com, or through all locations of The Goddess and Grocer. Macaron Chicago macarons can be ordered through their website, MacaronChicago.com, or at their booth at the Logan Square Farmers Market every Sunday. Fritz Pastry macarons can be ordered at their location on 1408 W. Diversey, or on their website, FritzPastry.com.

Click here to download a printable version of the article

Ahhh, le macaron. Une pâtisserie subtile et sensible qui fond dans votre bouche à chaque morsure, celle….oh, je suis désolé…achem, oh…I mean I’m sorry…I just finished a rendezvous with French Pastry Chef Frederic Barasse here at the Ritz Carlton Palm Beach. I couldn’t help but speak from the heart (BTW my heart speaks French) after this culinary immersion into la vie en macaron!

I was lucky enough to be granted the opportunity to meet with Pastry Chef Barasse thanks to the lovely and most gracious staff here at the hotel. Shout out to Guest Services (Ari) and the Club level team (Joe, Phillip and Diana)! What an amazing surprise for this Chicago girl! Chef Barasse was kind enough to break from his pastry duties to chat with me about his techniques in making French Macarons and other delights of his skilled hands.

Chef Barasse and I both had some similar qualms with the fragile little pastry…the humidity, the oven temperature, the colors, all can be problematic – it was as if we were sharing war stories. We looked through his trays of freshly made macarons; they were stunning. From the beautiful hazelnut passion fruit to the Valentine’s Day heart shaped masterpiece, it was clear that Chef Barasse has mastered the most finicky of classic french pastries. I take my toque off to Monsieur Barasse.

We concluded the macaron jam session with the customary photo shoot, that I’m sure all French Pastry Chefs adore…especially when they have huge events that evening! Macarons wait for no one, but Chef Barasse was kind enough to wait on me!

Merci Chef Barasse!

PS – Click the photo above to check out my visit with Chef Barasse.

Through the magic of digital photography we can pinpoint the exact date and time* we fell in love with French Macarons.

* It was May 11, 2003 @ 3:45 PM.

Check out the photos here. Here are a few highlights.

French Macaron Close-Up

Wedding Favor Table

Katharine and Lauren (the Beautiful Bride)

Are you looking for a unique gift with a personal twist for your next event? Whether you’re expecting 10 or 10,000, contact us here and let us know how we can make your event extra sweet.

Our kitchen space also doubles as an event space. Can’t you just picture your event here?

Check out the photos below:

Macarons in Progress

Our Kitchen/Event Space (at Kitchen Chicago)

Makin’ the Macs