Mary Lincoln Extra Credit Questions

[Anita]

(06-25-2016 05:45 PM)L Verge Wrote:  In the process of enjoying this thread, I learned that there are macarons and macaroons -- two separate treats. Macarons are actually two almond cookies held together (a la Oreos) by a sugary middle. Macaroons are a single almond (and usually coconut) cookie. Do we know whether Mrs. Lincoln's pyramid was made from macarons or macaroons? I would suspect macarons.

Thanks for the macaroon vs macaron post. It is a yummy topic!

Laurie, I searched but had no luck determining the type of macaroon used in Mary's pyramid. Confusing matters is that "The macaroon is often confused with the macaron; many have adopted the French spelling of macaron to distinguish the two items in the English language. However, this has caused confusion over the correct spelling. Some recipes exclude the use of macaroon to refer to this French confection while others think that they are synonymous.[3] In reality, the word macaroon is simply an Anglicization of the French word macaron (compare balloon, from French ballon), so both pronunciations are technically correct depending on personal preference and context. "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaron

I do know it wasn't a double because that didn't happen until the 1890s. "Evolution of the Macaron. ​First, a macaron was just single almond cookie, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. In the 1830s, macaron shelves were assembled two by two, topped with jam, spices or liquors. The brightly colored macarons we so often see today didn't look like that at all in the past. In the 1890's, Pierre Desfontaines, second cousin to Louis Ernest Laduree, began sandwiching the two cookies around butter crème, jam, compote or ganache." http://www.mrmacaron.com/history.html

Based on what I have learned (see below) Mary's cookie was a single almond macaron like the ones in Mrs. Leslie's recipe. No coconut. That would have been too heavy and wouldn't work well in a pyramid with caramelized spun sugar. I imagine the cookies were light brown. Go here to see the recipe for Mrs. Leslie's Almond Macaroons. There is no coconut in this recipe. It is a macaron.
https://archive.org/stream/misslesliesco...6/mode/2up

While the cookies weren't yet doubled with fillings, single ones appeared in colors in 1862. "La Maison Ladurée" ​A few years later, the colorful cookies became prominent as La Maison Ladurée began cranking out a variety of flavors and colors." http://www.mrmacaron.com/history.html
I wonder if Mary served these in pyramids in the White House. With all her travels to France after 1865 there is no doubt she sampled these "macarons".

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Oops! Didn't see Roger hadn't replied to #243, #244. I was in the middle of posting to Laurie's question early this AM when an all day power outage occurred. Just came back on line and my reply posted. Sorry.