In my footprints.....: It's a Parisian Thing

Sweet, smooth, domed top, melts in your mouth, delicate, egg-shell like crust, moist and airy like interior filled with buttercream, jam filling sandwiched between two cookies - I just can't say No to my favourite French pastry, The Macarons.

Two of my favourite places in Sydney where I go to to get my macarons sugar fix is at La Rennaisance and Baroque, both at The Rocks and both are sister restaurants.

La Renaissance is a family business established in 1974 and has established its reputation as one of Australia's finest patisseries by maintaining the highest standards in the production of cakes, pastries, savouries, chocolates and macarons.

Only the best and freshest ingredients are used and everything is handmade daily in their kitchen at The Rocks by their team of talented pastry cooks.

La Renaissance uses Valrhona chocolate exclusively in all its cakes and pastries.

At La Rennaisance, the Macaron shell is made from Italian Meringue and Almond Powder and then coloured according to the flavour of the filling. The fillings are created using the finest Valrhona chocolate, Boiron Fruit Purees and other quality ingredients. All their Macarons are handmade to follow the latest Parisian trends and flavours and their chefs regularly attend the Atelier Pierre Herme school of patisserie in Paris to discover the secrets to the perfect Macaron.

La Renaissance's colourful bite sized Macarons delicacy comes in a range of fillings;

* Dark chocolate ganache (Valrhona Guanaja 70%)
* Passionfruit milk chocolate ganache (Valrhona Jivara 40%)
* China jasmine green tea white chocolate ganache
* Rose scented butter cream
* Salty caramel (Fleur de Sel de Guerande)
* Blackcurrant ganache & blackcurrant pate de fruit (fruit jelly)
* Pistachio white chocolate ganache
* Madagascan vanilla white chocolate ganache
* Fresh raspberry compote
* Extra Virgin Olive Oil flavoured white chocolate ganache

My personal favourites are Passionfruit, Rose, Blackcurrant, Pistachio and the Raspberry.

If you are into cakes, be sure to check out some of their cake artistries and one of my personal favourite is the Monet.

Layers of vanilla sponge and bavaroise* with raspberries, wrapped in folds of white chocolate

*Bavaroise: crème anglaise mixed with whipped cream

At Baroque (the sister restaurant of Le Renaissance), they offer the full service of a French Bar, Bistro and Patisserie all under one roof. This is a small restaurant with a beautiful view of the Harbour Bridge just outside the windows and they dim the lights in the restaurant as the sun sets creating a warm atmosphere in the place, illuminated by random cocoon of lights on the ceilings as a rose tainted mirror at the end of the room reflect the glow incandescently throughout the interior.