I have to admit that it is kind of nice to walk a show floor and not see a cupcake anywhere. Don't get me wrong: I enjoy the occasional cupcake and have even been known to make a cupcake run during a particularly stressful day. But in the U.S., cupcakes are everywhere.
At Europain, the macaron is the ubiquitous treat. I don't know the history of the macaron in France, but I know it's been around for a long while (it most likely has a few years on the cupcake) and it is everywhere. Whether its universal presence is a new phenomenon or ancient history, the macaron is everywhere. And it seems to be taking cues from its American counterpart.
I was surprised to see the macaron had been supersized in several booths. Displayed alongside the traditional macaron that is about 1.5 ins. in diameter were versions that were easily double in size (about the size of an American cookie). I would assume this would cause production nightmares for such a delicate product, but the larger sized macarons looked just as delicious. It seems that even the French may also want bigger sweets.
I also noticed individual macarons packed in small, clear plastic eggs. Unique packaging seems to go hand in hand with macarons as almost every shop in Paris offers a cute box or distinctive bag for macarons as the perfect hostess gift. Although the single macaron egg was cute and showed the product to its best advantage, I have to admit that if I were to receive it as a hostess gift, I'm pretty sure I'd want more than one.
