Feeling some French charm? I get it! Sadly, Americans aren’t able to travel to France right now and not to mention even to our neighbor, Quebec, Canada. Fortunately, you can still have that charm here in Alpharetta with the opening of Le Macaron, as well as 64 other cities across the U.S., including Jacksonville, Savannah, Tampa, Houston, Milwaukee, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Le Macaron was founded and opened in 2009 by Rosalie and Audrey, a French mother and daughter.
Macarons are a delicate French pastry made with with egg whites and almond flour, so they are naturally gluten-free and only about 80 calories each. They are really soft and creamy the moment you take a bite. They’re sort of the French version of Oreos but fancier. Each macaron has a different flavor, and some of ones in the Avalon shop include Madagascar black vanilla, Belgian chocolate, Sicilian pistachio, red velvet, rose, bubble gum, salted caramel, lemon cream and Columbian coffee. My favorites are the basil white chocolate and raspberry.
The macarons goes back a long time, and there is a lot to dispute as to whether they are originally from France or Italy. Some say the macaron was created in 1791, but they became well-known during the French Revolution. It’s interesting to note that it wasn’t until the 1930s that macarons began to be served two-by-two with the addition of jams, liqueurs and spices.
There is already a shop in North Point Mall, and Lisa and Dave Amundsen opened Le Macaron in Alpharetta’s upscale mixed-use development, Avalon. All of the macarons are handmade with no artificial flavors or preservatives by French-born chef Didier Saba.
The Avalon shop also has other assorted pastries including eclairs, napoleons, lemon meringue and chocolate coconut tarts and full-sized cakes for special occasions. All of the gelatos and sorbets are also handmade, and Le Macaron Alpharetta rotates seven of the 16 flavors.
