Dream come true...

New York City has transformed me into such a foodie. Before coming here, I had no real interest in culinary or food exploration; I pretty much just ate whatever was given to me. By no means am I now a picky eater - I am just much more aware of the food that is available around me. NYC is the mecca of all things food, and now that I am here, there is no going back.

Diving into my new found interest, I began to discover a variety of different items that I wanted to try. At the top of this quickly growing list was the French macaron. I'd seen countless pictures of this cute little cookie before, but I had no idea what it really was. Was it like an oreo cookie? Frosting stuffed between two Nilla wafers? Little did I know that the dainty dessert is much more complex than I ever would have imagined. I found out that the shells were composed of egg whites, giving it a meringue-like texture, requiring much skill and patience to perfect. They come in a wide selection of flavors both exquisite and mundane, such as vanilla bean, pistachio, green tea, and even nutella (!). For half a year I was looking for an opportunity to try a real macaron. And last weekend, I finally did.

The scene of the incident was Dean & Deluca's in Soho. I was out Independence Day shopping with my roommate, and we stopped in for a bite to eat. I'd heard before that the place had macarons available, and so I obviously knew what I was going to get as I walked in the door.

Judge me all you want, but I could feel my heart beating faster when I approached the colorful display. At two dollars a cookie, these were definitely not cheap! After a few stressful moments of deliberation, I decided to get a lemon macaron.

If there was a cutest food award, I think that the macaron would definitely win. It actually almost looks like a very mini hamburger. 

I almost died after taking a bite. Seriously, it was one of the most delicious experiences I've ever had in my life! The shell was crackled delicately and revealed a soft center. The filling was a light, lemon ganache that was still chilled from the store. Though the textures of the outer shell and filling were were sharply contrasting, they paired together harmoniously in the lemony goodness of the flavor. I was afraid that the cookie would be overly sweet, but in actuality it leaned towards tangy, giving more of a fresher taste. 

Ridiculously good. Perhaps my satisfaction was due to the long period of anticipation of trying a macaron, but even if that were the case, it made the experience all the better so it's all worth it. I'd go back and pay two bucks for another one in a heartbeat! But I also would love to try to make these on my own...it makes me giddy just thinking about it. Gosh if I could make a successful macaron, I would be quite the happy camper. Summer project? I think yesss.