A funny thing happened on Marianna Hennig's trip to Paris last winter. After an exhausting day of sightseeing, Hennig stumbled upon a quaint little pastry shop with an abundance of colorful confections in the window. Intrigued, she found herself at the counter buying four flavors of the unusual, sweet treats that turned out to be French macarons. "After just one bite, I knew I had come across something very special." Hennig said.
About a year and a half ago, Hennig, a South Florida native, attended a cake decorating class at the invitation of a friend. Her plan was to go simply to be social. But after one class, Hennig was hooked and began baking cakes and cupcakes any chance she had, which provided her the creativity outlet that was lacking at work.
Within months, she went from cupcakes to baking her own four-tier Cherry Blossom wedding cake. So it was only natural that a chance visit to the French pastry shop gave Hennig a lot to think about on that long flight home from Paris; and those thoughts quickly turned to plans to recreate and perfect the French macaron. Which she has. You can find Marianna's Macarons exclusively at the West End Farmers Market. No passport required.
Susie Birchler, West End's Market Manager is delighted that Mariana chose this market to sell her macarons. "The bright colors and packaging of the macarons add to the lively nature of our market," Birchler said. "Marianna’s Macarons is sure to capture your eyes first and your taste buds second."
French macarons are unlike a traditional macaron normally consisting of flaked coconut. Hennig describes the French version as "a sweet confectionary consisting of two meringue cookies made from a blend of finely ground almond flour, sugar, and egg whites with a buttercream, jam, or ganache filling. They are light and crispy on the outside and smooth and creamy in the center." While the macaron is not particularly easy to make, Hennig loves the challenge anyway. " On any given batch, there are at least fifteen things that can go wrong!" Hennig points out. She is unfazed by this, however.
Tipping her beret to Pierre Herme, the celebrated French pastry chef known for his decadent creations, Hennig calls him "the most influential pastry chef when it comes to macarons." Inspired by Herme's unusual and endless flavor combinations, Hennig offers six different flavors each week at the market, has 35 flavors in rotation and is always experimenting with more. Marianna’s Macarons are sold in a baker’s dozen for $15, a multi-flavored six-pack for $7 and individually for $1.25. As much as she enjoys the farmers market, Hennig is hoping to attract business that would lead to catering special events such as bridal showers, weddings, corporate events and parties.
In the past several years, DC has developed a reputation as a 'foodie' town, and has embraced the trends with open arms, from cupcakes to burgers to food trucks. There is some chatter that macarons could become the next 'cupcake' and Hennig believes that to be true. “When it comes to sweets, cupcakes put us on the map and I have a feeling that there is room for the macaron to leave its mark," she says.
Paris has Pierre Herme, San Francisco has Miette, and lucky for us, we have Marianna’s Macarons. Visit the West End Farmers Market to get yours.
Comments