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    author Jill Colonna in France

    Bonjour

    I’m Jill Colonna. Also known as Mad About Macarons.

    My mission: to share our healthy French lifestyle via fast, easy recipes, made from flavoursome fresh ingredients in order to avoid processed foods.

    Here I share what I’ve learned to date for the past 30 years just by living and eating like the French – with my French family in France – all via my favourite recipes and tips.

    Curious to know more? Then read on...

    P.S. FYI, many recipes are modified, as I'm tweaking the new site's design!

    Who is Jill?

    Food writer, photographer and recipe developer of MadAboutMacarons.com since October 2012.

    Published author of two patisserie recipe books, bestselling Mad About Macarons and Teatime in Paris (Waverley Books).

    Grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained as a classical musician but was always obsessed with good food and wines (wine diploma WSET and Masters degree research project). I still taste often so you’ll often see wine pairing suggestions on many savoury recipes. This blog – and now my videos – allow me to share these passions together.

    Proud to be both Scottish and French, we speak both French and English at home. That is, between Paris and Versailles with Corsican husband, Antoine (since 1992) and our 2 girls.

    Jill Colonna with meilleur ouvrier de France, Laurent Duchene and pastry chef wife, Kyoko

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    pile of fresh vegetables at the French market, mainly pumpkin and squash

    Philosophy Behind le Blog

    Recipes are easy and doable but they must taste good! To get the best flavours, I focus on fresh ingredients with seasonal and local whenever possible to keep family meals budget friendly.

    Make it fast yet with no packet mixes! My idea of fast food is seasonal vegetables tossed in pasta, made in 30mins. Sauces, cookies or crêpes are just as easy made from scratch with a few simple ingredients.

    The best French sweets are not too sweet as too much sugar masks natural flavours. My ultimate goal is to reduce sugar levels to a maximum without compromising on flavour.

    No AI or bots. Each recipe has been individually developed and written only by Jill, regularly made, tried and tested many times to guarantee the best results.

    Stories behind the recipes are fun – even with French expressions using fruits and vegetables! Previously as a food tour guide in Paris, here I continue to tell the history and anecdotes behind the food.

    We don't obsessively count calories. Since adopting the French way of life, I haven’t followed any fad diets in over 30 years, keeping a steady weight – yet still enjoy wine, cheese and pastries – avec modération! We stick to meal times and NEVER snack.

    Want what the French really eat with friends and family around the table? Get it here with a bonus ie the recipes' cultural background.

    View the recipes

    MY INSPIRATION

    French Desserts

    I’m thankful to have met and collaborated with such famous French pastry chefs, chocolatiers and bakers in France and learned from them.

    With our local baker in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, it has been a great joy to work together on the latest recipe videos, filming on their premises to share the real-deal French way of baking.
    Likewise, it has been a huge honour to be invited to judge pâtisserie twice by pastry chef, chocolatier and friend, Christophe Roussel (prestigious amateur pastry challenge in La Baule) plus continue to exchange ideas regularly with French pastry chefs – some of whom have the coveted Meilleur Ouvrier de France, the highest accolade for French crafts wo/men.

    Today my inspiration continues thanks to molecular food scientist, Raphaël Haumont. Together with starred chef, Thierry Marx they’ve created the French Centre for Culinary Innovation to work on the future of food. It’s an exciting time in France, finding new ways to encourage freshly made, healthy food at home to avoid processed foods.

    French Desserts
    Jill Colonna as part of a French pastry jury with famous French chefs
    Jill Colonna signing books at a Mad About Macarons book launch

    WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS?

    Why Mad about Macarons?

    While working for 10 years in Paris’s chic 16th, I tasted my first Parisian macaron. What was all the fuss about and why so expensive? It sure was a costly hobby tasting them, so I set about making my own.

    After initial macaron failures in my normal home kitchen, I finally developed my own step-by-step recipe. It worked and kept on working!
    So I wanted to share the fun and confidence it built, taking any initial fear out of anyone making their first macarons. As a result, I’m thrilled to have inspired now professional macaron bakers who started with this book!

    So, Mad About Macarons was launched: the macaron recipe book (at the BBC Good Food Show in Scotland) – and this blog where I also show that cooking French at home is easy. Everyday French cooking doesn’t have to be haute cuisine.

    Best Macarons in Paris

    FAQ

    Baking Questions and Tips

    Have any particular baking questions? They may already be answered on the FAQ page – including oven temperature conversions.

    As you can see from the recipes, I weigh out my ingredients so any reference to volume in cups is given purely as an approximate guide. For most recipes like soups and stews, it’s not a problem if it’s a few grams out but for French cakes and pastries, tarts and macarons, I encourage you to use precise grams like the French do. It’s much more consistent to achieve successful results each time. For more details, see why the French use digital scales in cooking and baking.

    For my American readers, I have a glossary of UK-US-French baking terms so that we are all speaking the same delicious language.

    Baking Tips and FAQ
    assembly of filling ganache in homemade macarons with Jill Colonna's recipe books
    Jill Colonna on a chocolate and pastry walking tour in Paris

    QUESTIONS?

    Work with Jill

    Any questions about my books or about this blog? Anything you’d like to see here or in my videos?

    Please leave a rated review if you make the recipes – I need your valued support to continue to give all of them away for free!

    I do not accept guest posts. However, I would love to hear from you if you need quality food or kitchen product reviews, French food/travel promotion or events that would be of interest to my francophile readers.

    Contact Jill

    Jill Colonna's Macaron Recipes

    Both published by Waverley Books. See reviews.

    blue recipe book cover for Mad About Macarons

    BESTSELLER

    Mad About Macarons

    Looking for Jill Colonna’s macaron recipes? They’re in this fun book which takes the fear out of making macarons - with 37 recipes including savoury macs. Get the step-by-step foolproof recipe with all the tips and troubleshooting. Since its publication in 2010, it has inspired many now professional macaron bakers (also in Dutch, Hungarian, Spanish.)

    Get the book
    pink cover of patisserie recipe book Teatime in Paris by Jill Colonna

    LOVE PARIS AND BAKING?

    Teatime in Paris

    Jill’s step-by-step pastry recipes with 10 chapters of the Parisians’ favourite goûter or teatime treats. From teacakes, ice cream to éclairs, choux buns, tartlets, mille-feuilles, with even more macarons – stopping by top Paris pâtisseries along the way. A great value gift for Francophiles and bakers that will keep on giving.

    Get the book

    Your Turn!

    By cooking from scratch, we can control our sugar intake but most importantly, enjoy the flavours of good, fresh ingredients that are mainly seasonal and local.

    I love to hear from you – from an encouraging comment or just to say hello.

    Have you made any of my recipes? Be generous, as I am with sharing my recipes here for free: please leave a rated review – that way I know which recipes you would like me to produce more of…

    View recipes
    drawing of Champagne glasses

    Primary Sidebar

    Jill Colonna standing in a French patisserie lab holding a giant whisk over an oversized mixer bowl
    BIENVENUE!

    Meet Jill Colonna

    Jill is both Scottish and French and author of the book and blog, Mad About Macarons since 2010. Here she shares over 30 years of experience of living the healthy food life with her French family in Paris - via easy recipes and local food guides in France.

    More about Jill
    moist banana bread with walnuts and freshly chopped figs

    SEASONAL

    Fall Recipes

    We're warming up for Autumn with easy fall recipes. From healthy family dinners, desserts with apples, to fall soup recipes, enjoy our best comfort foods from France.

    Autumn/Fall recipes

    Reader Favourites

    • high rise cheesy scones piled on top of each other, surrounded by rosemary and spring onions
      Fluffy Cheese Scones
    • fig jam with bread and cheese
      Corsican Fig Jam (Confiture de Figues)
    • oval dish with chicken in red wine and vegetables with a French baguette
      Coq au Vin (Chicken Casserole in Red Wine)
    • tray holding slices of toasted French toast or Pain Perdu in a boulangerie in France in front of baguettes
      Best French Toast Recipe (Pain Perdu)

    SPOTLIGHT

    Apples (Pommes)

    It's apple season! Get the fall of French apple recipes, the best varieties for baking/cooking, along with our fun French expressions using them.

    Apples

    Recent recipes

    • gluten free brownie squares topped with toasted almonds and hazelnuts on a French plate
      Gluten Free Brownies
    • moist banana nut bread made with ripe bananas, chestnut flour and walnuts
      Moist Banana Nut Bread
    • glazed round almond tart topped with toasted slivered almonds, a flower and French macarons
      French Almond Cake (Le Saint-Germain)
    • sweet pastry dough or pate sucree for a tart, pricking with a fork for even baking
      Pâte Sucrée - Sweet Pastry for Tarts
    pink restaurant in Paris Montmartre with fall leaves

    FOOD TRAVEL GUIDES

    Paris Food Guides

    Your sweet DIY online guide to Montmartre. With the best bakeries, pastries, chocolate and a little history.

    Sweet Montmartre
    pink cover of patisserie recipe book Teatime in Paris by Jill Colonna

    EASY FRENCH PASTRY RECIPES

    Teatime in Paris

    Get Jill's easy pastry recipes. From éclairs, tarts, macarons, to mille feuilles. Step-by-step baking techniques with many of the Parisians' best bakeries that make them.
    A must gift for all budding bakers and Paris-loving Francophiles.

    Get the book
    shiny little macaron cookies in a Paris store

    LOCAL GUIDES

    Best Macarons in Paris

    Want to try the best French macarons in Paris but mad at choosing?
    As a local for 30 years with 2 macaron recipe books, I’ve tasted a LOT to help you out!

    Top 20 Macarons
    blue recipe book cover for Mad About Macarons

    BESTSELLER

    Mad About Macarons

    Scared to make the first move to make macarons? Jill shares all the tips and step-by-step instructions in her bestselling recipe book (also in Dutch, Spanish and Hungarian). It has inspired many now-professional macaron bakers since 2010!

    Get the book
    Paris map Mad About Macarons

    BIENVENUE

    Newsletter

    Love good French food and the healthy lifestyle? Stay connected with the free newsletter from Paris.

    Sign Me Up

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