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The varieties of macaroons have been expanded to everything, including rose macaroons and mint macaroons.

Seeing a dozen people or so line up inside the Laduree outlet in Hong Kong's Harbour City mall is now a common sight.

"We're here for the macaroons," Stella Yang says. She and her friends from Shanghai are in Hong Kong for the weekend. "And we don't care how long we have to wait to get them. We've promised friends back home we'll bring them some and we plan to get plenty for ourselves as well."

Such passion has followed the macaroon as it has spread its charms across the globe over the past decade.

The tasty little treat once reserved for those in France only or for those lucky enough to know friends or family passing through that country, has become increasingly available as the likes of Laudree expands its reach to meet growing demand around the world.

And China has not been left out of the craze.

The 151-year-old Laduree bakery brand made its first foray into the country with the opening of the Hong Kong shop in December, and in May saw the opening of the first Macarons & Chocolats boutique here to bear the name of the man who has become known as the "Picasso of Pastry" Pierre Herme.

Herme, whose own family traces its baking history back to the 1870s, was himself part of the Laduree team before establishing his own brand in 1998. Since then his brand has expanded to such a degree, that the company recently announced plans to triple its production by 2017.

There are also chocolates and desserts that are now available under the Pierre Herme name, and an exclusive arrangement with the luxurious Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris that sees Herme providing exclusive breakfasts, along with this famous pastry, to guests, as well as the desserts presented at the hotel's two Michelin-starred restaurants, La Cuisine and Il Capaccio.

But for many, it will always be about the macaroons and Herme says he is excited to see how customers react to his Hong Kong boutique, situated in the IFC Mall, and that he is eager to learn more about the specific tastes of the people his outlet will serve.

"We started the company because we wanted to do things that are new and to find new challenges and that has led us to Hong Kong," Herme says.

A visit to the chef's Paris workshop in April sees the 51-year-old busying himself before his Hong Kong debut. When an assistant brings in a tray of macaroons, Herme looks down toward the collection lovingly and begins to explain what each one is about before graciously offering them around the room.

"For this one," he says, picking up a Jardin Japonais, "I have been working on a flavor of the cherry blossom. In Japan they use cherry blossom preserved in salt to season rice. It has a very specific flavor so I copied this flavor with cherry puree, tonka bean and lemon zest. This one is chocolate from Peru and from one specific group of growers in Peru."

When the blackcurrant macaroon comes, Herme explains he uses three tiny pieces of the fruit in each to add a shot of acidity to the experience.

Herme says he first began working with macaroons as an apprentice with the acclaimed Paris-based pastry chef Gaston Lenotre in the 1970s. What he found at the time, he says, is that the macaroon was being restricted by a set selection of traditional flavors namely chocolate, vanilla, coffee and raspberry.

And so Herme set about making a change. These days the varieties on offer can tempt you with everything from a mixture of caramel and rose (the Jardin Sucre) to apricot and pistachio (Arabesque). Herme believes it is such attention to details - to specific and very different flavors - that has made his macaroons so popular.

"What we want to do with each macaroon is make each one specific," says Herme. "It is very time consuming, it is labor consuming, but the taste and the texture is different - and it is special."

The attraction to the macaroon is universal, Herme believes, being so small and so delicate that it provides the perfect snack, or an accompaniment that won't spoil your appetite for the main courses.

"The macaroon is a small little piece. You can eat it and have different sensations of texture and taste," he says. "You can give it as a gift, like chocolate, and when you come with macaroons to someone's house for dinner, you don't really compete with the dessert that goes with the dinner. It's colorful, it's flavorful. Some people say that it is a trend, I don't think it is a trend. The macaroon is part of the French tradition."

sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn

Macaroons are sold at Raffles Paris. Photos Provided to China Daily

Pierre Herme has become known as the "Picasso of Pastry".

(China Daily 06/02/2013 page14)