macarons

I love the idea of small wedding desserts instead of a traditional tiered cake. A table of homemade pies and cookies, a doughnut tower, pretty little cupcakes, or a candy bar are all crowd-pleasing delights. But I'm especially enamored with macarons making their wedding day debut.

Not only are they bite-sized and delicious, they are practically too pretty to eat! Stacked on cake pedestals, adorning a tower, or individually plated, these tiny treats come in a range of flavors and colors, perfectly matching a wedding or bridal shower's palette. For some major eye candy (or cookie), see my matrimonial macaron roundup below!

Photo by James Christianson via Source

French macarons are having a moment. YumSugar predicts that the candy-colored sandwich cookies will surpass cupcakes as the trendiest cute dessert of 2010. They're not only tasty but also lovely to look at — a design fiend's dream. Fittingly, famed Parisian macaron shop Ladurèe has partnered with Japanese brand Mark's to release a line of stationery that looks good enough to eat. The collection, now on sale in Colette's online store, features sweet stickers and sticky notes inspired by patisserie, plus notebooks, a key ring, and a rainbow of colorful decorative tapes. Deliciously cute, no?

Want to see some more cute stationery? Check out Jonathan Adler's new line.

• Pastry connoisseurs are worried about the macaron's mainstream success. — Wall Street Journal
• Why hasn't Filipino food assimilated into American cuisine? — Los Angeles Times
• Rose Gray, founder and chef at London's legendary River Café, has died. — New York Times
• What goes into the production of an underground dinner? — Boston Globe
• The world's liquor conglomerates have begun recognizing the impact of craft distillers. — Washington Post
• The Chronicle is expanding its web coverage of the local restaurant scene. — San Francisco Chronicle
• Could black garlic have staying power in the kitchen? — Chicago Tribune

In the spirit of the New Year, we've done plenty of reflecting on the headlines and highlights of 2009, including the biggest food trends at the end of the decade.

Now it's time to weigh in on the coming year. I've got more than enough predictions for what's going to blow up over the next 12 months. Among my guesses: Ramen will have its day, only to be pushed aside by pho; unctuous beef tendon will replace overdone pork belly; and macarons will upstage mini cupcakes. Other things that will go mainstream: sustainable seafood, chicharrones, castelvetranos, tamales, neo tiki culture, yakitori, and anything that ends in "wurst."

What are your predictions?

I mentioned before that 2010 will be the year when cupcakes take a backseat to the ethereal, candy-colored French macaron. The macaron — not to be confused with the dense, coconut-flavored macaroon — has spread far and wide beyond Ladurée, the Parisian pastry shop where it was first created nearly 80 years ago, to Japanese patisseries, American bakeshops, McCafés, and, now, Starbucks.

From Dec. 13 to 25, a limited edition 12-piece macaron set will be available in select Starbucks locations. Made in France by Château Blanc "exclusively for Starbucks," the $9.95 gift box includes two pieces of each of the following flavors: coffee, pistachio, raspberry, vanilla, chocolate, and lemon. Being the slight macaron snobs that we are, we didn't know what to expect. Read our thoughts after the break.