macaron or macaroon?

macaroon
Originally uploaded by i_eat_ny.

Josh and I had a nice long walk in Central Park this weekend, along with the rest of New York. I've never seen Strawberry Fields, and I still haven't because Josh couldn't remember where it was. Luckily he could remember where Silver Moon Bakery was located (2740 Broadway bw 105&106th St.). We almost went to the Hungarian Pastry Shop but it was too crowded and we really wanted to spend more time outside and all their tables were occupied. So we headed down to Silver Moon. Now I've only had one thing there - their big French macaron. It's a bit pricey at $2.25, but I daresay it is my favorite cookie and their version is awesome. It looks like a mini hamburger, the "bun" is a crunchy almost meringue like air puff and the filling is a rich ganache. The crunch. The chew. The simultaneous richness of ganache and the lightness of the puff is a feat of engineering that shouldn't be missed. Of course, I like the macarons at the classic French bakery, Payard, on Lexington bw 73rd &74th. They are famous for their macarons, but it's a bit stuffy over there. I prefer my neighborhood, I adore Something Sweet's (corner of 11th & 1st Ave.) macarons (75cents). They sell almond, mocha, pink (strawberry?) macarons, and they are fabulous. But it's a beautiful thing to share a huge French macaroon on a bench in Riverside Park with a good friend. Try it, or some other dessert or baked good from Silver Moon. You won't be disappointed.