Amateur Macaron Contest in Paris at Arnaud Larher

On Saturday 14 March, the 3rd edition of the amateur macaron competition was held in chef Arnaud Larher’s laboratory. A moment I had been looking forward to with enormous excitement. But let me go back a little…

Several months earlier, I had found out via the competition’s Facebook page that registration for the Paris edition would open on Tuesday 20 January at 7 p.m. I noted the date in my diary and waited patiently. Only about twenty spots available for a competition with a great deal of interest — this was going to take some elbow work. That Tuesday the 20th, my email was ready to go just before 7 p.m. At exactly 7 p.m. sharp, I hit send and prayed I’d make it into the first twenty. I received a reply fairly quickly asking me to return a signed form. I rushed and sent everything over. A second email arrived… my registration was confirmed and I was number 14! I cannot describe the euphoria of that moment!! I was going to take part in the amateur macaron competition in Paris. I was going to meet top pastry chefs. Those very same chefs who would be tasting MY macarons. Whoaaaa! You’ll notice I was 14th out of 20 — the first 13 were even faster than me ^^ That day, Paris registrations broke a small record: all spots were taken in 3 minutes :O

A few days before the competition, I received an email asking for the flavour of my macarons. I deliberated for a long time… looking at the flavours being entered in the competition, I could see the bar was high and that a plain chocolate or pistachio macaron simply wouldn’t do. I had seen many desserts online pairing mango with jasmine and was drawn to the idea. But I also went back and forth over lemon verbena macarons. I tested both but ultimately decided on the mango-jasmine macarons. I asked my colleagues for their verdict countless times (those poor guinea pigs!). Getting the balance of flavours right was key — the mango needed to come through clearly without being overpowered by the jasmine. No easy feat.

I also debated how to make my mango insert. Should I freeze it and cut small cubes to place in the centre of the jasmine ganache, or pipe the mango jelly directly into the ganache? The first method didn’t appeal to me, but the problem with the second was that the insert showed through when you closed the macaron. Argh.

And then the shells — let’s talk about the shells! Since January, I’d had in my kitchen THE stand mixer that changed my life, the ultimate dream for any home baker I imagine… the KitchenAid! Up to that point, I’d been making my macarons with French meringue and had always told myself that once I had a KitchenAid, I’d learn to make them with Italian meringue. Time was of the essence, to say the least. But taming this new method wasn’t easy. The first batches were a disaster. Even when the foot appeared, it only formed halfway. The macarons were “tilted” — and while that didn’t affect the taste, they were not presentable for a competition. I tried again and again until I finally achieved beautiful shells.

I wanted to make bicoloured shells (even though it wasn’t my original idea) but looking back, my macarons were too “washed out”, too pale. I should have gone with orange shells to echo the mango colour. But what mattered most to me was that they were beautiful and had a lovely foot.

In the email I received, I also discovered the jury. Chefs and journalists gathered for the occasion (as it turned out, Claire Damon wasn’t there in the end).

The big day arrived. I reached Arnaud Larher’s laboratory… alone. This was the only downside of the day: contestants couldn’t bring anyone along, as the lab was too small to accommodate everyone. Arriving at the lab entrance, I ran into 2 other contestants, including Abdelkarim from Le Meilleur Pâtissier. While the other contestant was dropping off her macarons, I had a quick chat with Abdelkarim, whom I had already crossed paths with at the Sugar Paris fair. We caught a glimpse of the inside of the lab, with entremets being glazed in progress. So very tempting!

It was 11 or 11:30 and contestants were invited to return from 4 p.m. I clearly had time to kill and was all on my own. I had planned to pop into G. Detou for a few purchases and above all do a tour of the pastry shops on the rue du Bac. But on the way out of the lab, I bumped into Abdelkarim again — we had a little chat and he very kindly offered to drive me home (he lives not far from me). The rue du Bac would have to wait for another time. In the car, we had time to talk, get to know each other and of course discuss our shared passion: pastry. We also talked about Le Meilleur Pâtissier. A really lovely moment.

We knew nothing about what was happening during the tasting. A few photos were posted on the competition’s Facebook page. The chefs were tasting, deliberating, taking notes… My macarons were number 14 🙂

It was nearly 4 p.m. and I was back in front of Arnaud Larher’s laboratory. This time, my husband was there with me, even though I knew he wouldn’t be able to go in. A quarter of an hour later, all the contestants had arrived and we were invited inside. I discovered an impressive gathering of chefs, journalists and photographers. The pressure hit all at once (yes, I had been fairly calm up to that point ^^).

Each contestant found a spot, then Arnaud Larher took the floor. He was disarmingly kind. There were ultimately 24 contestants to be judged, and the chef was going to call each one who hadn’t made the final three. The wait was long…

I was the 19th to be called — suffice to say I’d had time to keep my hopes up a little. I exchanged a cheek kiss with the chef, thanked him, and he handed me a small parcel containing a few treats and a book. The photographer immortalised the moment.

Then the top 3 macarons were announced. Here is the winning trio:

• N°1: Leïla ALBERT – Green apple / Blackcurrant macaron
• N°2: Magdalena PODRAZA – White chocolate heart Strawberry macaron
• N°3: Helene PAUL – Lime, Espelette pepper & Passion fruit macaron

What followed was a very enjoyable moment over drinks and a few treats: biscuits and chocolates made by Arnaud Larher, and the contestants’ macarons for everyone to taste. It was a slightly intimidating moment — apart from Arnaud Larher himself, the other chefs stayed among themselves and I found it hard to approach them spontaneously. I chatted with the other contestants and tasted a few macarons (including the winner’s — absolutely excellent, I must say). I went to see the chef to ask what he thought of my macarons. We exchanged a few tips and tricks, and I took the opportunity to ask for an autograph in the book we’d been given. I then did the same with Yann Brys (whom I had also met at the Sugar Paris fair). I had more questions, of course — there’s still plenty of work to do. It was nearly 6 p.m. and I imagined my husband, waiting patiently outside, was probably getting restless. There were still loads of macarons left — it would have been a shame to throw them away ^^ Together with some other contestants, we put together a little doggy bag (my husband hadn’t been waiting outside for nothing after all!).

I left the laboratory thanking chef Arnaud Larher for welcoming us so warmly. One last cheek kiss and I found my husband, looking slightly chilly outside.

I will treasure this day forever! A true moment of sharing! Thank you once more to the chef for welcoming us into his lair, to the other chefs and journalists for judging my macarons, and to the competition organisers. A few weeks later, I received an email from them. Each contestant was given a small feedback sheet with positive points and areas to improve. I haven’t made my last macaron 😀

Hopefully I’ll be just as quick with registrations next year… 😉 In the meantime, for those interested, here is the recipe for the mango-jasmine macarons.

Photo credit: Concours macaron amateur