Your own French love affair…

Chef Eugenia Theodosopoulos of Essence Bakery Café makes the most amazing Parisian Macarons. Do not confuse these with their stateside coconut cousins. These beautiful cookies hark back to 18th Century French courts. They come in a pastel rainbow of colors and are filled inside with flavors like Caramel Cream, French Chocolate, Hazelnut, Espresso and Pumpkin Spice. My favorite is Raspberry-Rose. Sean favors Chocolate Mint, but we will devour them all equally. She uses McClendon’s Select grapefruits for the Pink Grapefruit macaron, which all of us love.

Eugenia makes each cookie by hand at her bakery in Tempe. She learned her art while studying and living in Paris, and it truly is an art. If you have never tried an authentic Parisian Macaron, you are missing out. These meringue sandwich-like cookies are decadent. They are elegant enough to be a centerpiece all on their own or would make for the perfect hostess gift. But be warned, they are hard to share, so make sure you get enough to keep some for yourself.