Paris Macarons Small-Group Baking Class with a Chef

Dear Aparna, Thank you, and Maggie will be very glad to read this. Teaching a room where nobody has piped a macaron before is the harder version of the job, and doing it with care rather than with speed is exactly what we ask of her. Leaving inspired to carry on baking is the best outcome we can hope for. The box is yours to enjoy over the next few days, but the habit is the part that actually goes home with you. Warmly, Matthieu

Dear Emma, Thank you for this. Julie will be delighted to read it, and a table of four is exactly the size we hope for, because it lets a chef stand beside each person rather than in front of a room. That you place the morning among the favourite moments of a trip to Paris, and that you shared it with your mother, is the nicest thing a baking school can be told. The recipe is yours now. Do make it again at home and tell us how the shells behave in your own oven. Warmly, Matthieu

Dear Stephanie, Thank you, and your title made me smile. Passion fruit divides a room more than any other flavour we make, and it is almost always the one people ask about again on the way out. Small and hands on is a choice rather than a limitation. A macaron gives everything away in the folding, and that has to be watched person by person, which is impossible in a large room. I am glad the directions were easy to follow. They get rewritten often, precisely so that they can be. Thank you for the recommendation, and for a lovely morning. Warmly, Matthieu

Dear Suzzane, Thank you for this. What you describe, a chef who stays with you the whole way through rather than demonstrating once and stepping back, is the part of the class we are most careful about. It is also the reason the groups stay small, and the reason a session costs us more to run than it might otherwise. I am delighted the macarons were worth it. They are unforgiving little things, and getting them right on a first attempt is a genuine achievement. Warmly, Matthieu

Dear Patty, Thank you, and thank you in particular for mentioning the non bakers in your group. That is the harder half of the job. Keeping an experienced pair of hands interested while making sure someone who has never piped anything in their life does not feel lost takes real attention, and I am glad your chef held both ends of that. Perfect macarons across a whole group is not a small result. Congratulations to all of you, and thank you for placing us so high among the classes you have taken. Warmly, Matthieu

Hello, and thank you for this. Macarons that look a little imperfect and taste very good are, honestly, the right result for a first morning. The shells are the last thing to come under control and the flavour is the part that actually matters, so a dozen of them on a first attempt is a fine haul. Your teacher will be delighted with the way you described her. Charm and precision rarely turn up in the same person, and when they do, a room notices immediately. Thank you for sharing the class with your daughter, and merci to you both. Warmly, Matthieu

Dear Jensen, What a pleasure to read this. Macarons are famously temperamental, and Julian has a real gift for making them feel achievable. I will pass your kind words on to him, they will make his day. Thank you for spending part of your time in Paris with us, and for trusting us with a pastry that even Parisians find intimidating. Do let us know how your first batch at home turns out. Warmly, Matthieu

Dear John, Thank you for taking the time to share this. Macarons reward patience more than talent, so it is always a joy when someone leaves with the tips that actually make the difference at home rather than just a pleasant memory. As for the dinner recommendation, our chefs are quietly proud of their addresses around the school, and they love nothing more than sending guests to the right table. We hope the meal lived up to the class. Warmly, Matthieu