Macaron enthusiast and France transplant, Paulette Koumetz, opened ‘Lette Macrons in 2007 and currently has seven locations in southern California – the original and most popular being in Beverly Hills. Her kaleidoscope of French macarons boasts flavors like rose, salted caramel and earl grey tea – all too beautiful to eat.
Today Paulette is featured as our Hostess Embodied not only because of her enthusiasm for the little French pastry, but also for her attention to detail and desire to make everyone feel welcome. Bon appétit!
Darling Magazine: What makes an authentic macaron?
Paulette: With authentic macarons, taste is extremely important – if you close your eyes when taking a bite, you shouldn’t have to ask yourself what it is that you taste. Using natural ingredients to bring about those flavors is key. Brewing coffee into the ganache to make it taste authentically like coffee, and incorporating fresh fruit puree into the recipes, for instance, is how we ensure that our macarons are on-point with what an authentic macaron is and should be.
Equally important is texture. The macaron should be delicately crisp on the outside, with a center that is smooth and soft. The consistency of each flavor is different of course, because of the unique ingredients in each flavor, which makes them vary in “chewiness”. Ultimately though, achieving that balance of creaminess and density that compliments each individual taste is what is important.
DM: What made you fall in love with the little pastry?
Paulette: When I was a little girl, I would often run to a little patisserie shop near my home and my guilty pleasure of choice was always a macaron; I knew that this pastry had my heart because I never got tired of them. Now, my love for them has evolved, they are not only my livelihood and passion, but they are a nostalgic pastry that brings back happy memories of my childhood. Of course, there is also the fact that they are France’s specialty, and since I am French perhaps my love for them comes naturally.
DM: You mention that each macaron has its own personality – how so?
Paulette: Biting into one of our macarons for the first time is like feeling the first impression of meeting someone new, while enjoying your favorite flavors is like spending time with old friends. Coconut is soft and airy, almost a bit shy. Violet is exotic, unexpected, yet delicate; it’s eclectic. Raspberry is natural, wholesome and very familiar. You get the picture!
DM: Which flavor is the most popular at ‘Lette Macarons and why? Which is your favorite?
Paulette: Our top selling flavors are definitely the Salted Caramel and the Sweet Wedding Almond. I can’t say exactly why these flavors are the most popular. Perhaps our clients are drawn to the Salted Caramel flavor because the recipe is innovative – we use real caramel in the center as opposed to the traditional ganache. The Sweet Wedding Almond is very sweet with a taste that is reminiscent of marzipan, a taste that is usually very recognizable to those with a chronic sweet tooth. Our clients crave these flavors and always come back for more.
I don’t have a favorite flavor because I couldn’t possibly choose just one; to ask me to choose a favorite flavor would be like asking me to choose my favorite child (and I have four children) so I know it is impossible for me to love one more than another. I can share with you my top 5 flavors that I eat the most often – Caribbean Chocolate, Lemon, Coconut, Colombian Coffee and Madagascar Vanilla! Though I do love the Violet Cassis and the Rose as well. I taste every flavor as we develop the recipe, so you could really say that each flavor is my “favorite” since I have personally chosen each particular taste.
DM: You currently have seven locations – how do the others compare to the award winning Beverly Hills store?
Paulette: All of our macarons are made by hand in Beverly Hills and we deliver to each location daily, so all of our locations uphold the same standard of quality that is exemplified at our Beverly Hills store. We also ship nationwide and pride ourselves on our quality control. The quality of our product comes first and foremost for us, since the reputation of our brand rests on each and every macaron that we sell.
DM: What is your working relationship with Christophe Michalak like?
Paulette: It was honestly amazing to work with Christophe Michalak. He is extremely talented and truly understood our vision. Having him help us develop our signature recipe was a very precise and painstakingly detailed process because we wanted our exclusive recipe to truly reflect top quality authentic macarons, the kind found in Paris that made me fall in love with the pastry in the first place. Christophe has his own business, so his focus now is on that, but we are still friends. He paid us one of the biggest compliments the last time he visited our shop and tried a macaron, he said that the student has surpassed the master, this of course is so wonderful to hear coming from him.
DM: What makes a macaron the perfect party dessert?
Paulette: Macarons are truly the life of the party if you let them be. They are like paints that you use to compose the perfect soiree no matter the occasion. You can choose to serve them based on color or flavor, which many hosts find to be very versatile! They are unique and guests tend to find them intriguing. Since each flavor has its own personality, the combination of colors and flavors that you can choose to fit your theme, venue or guests is limitless! Plus, because of their vivid color, unique size/shape and strong flavor they are like the triple threat of desserts – a tasty treat, a party favor and a decoration all in one! Here’s a little secret: if you host a party, and your guests know that you will be serving macarons, I can almost guarantee that more of your guests will RSVP OUI!
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Check out previous Embodied posts here.
Images via Shant Kiraz and Tina Rupp.