An Eiffel Tower Made from Macarons: The Peninsula New York Welcomes a Sister Hotel in Paris
For those who keep track of these things, there are 36 replicas of the Eiffel Tower scattered throughout the world. This summer the number jumps to 37.
Number 37 is spectacular but, alas, temporary, as creations tend to be when they are made from macarons. And unlike Tokyo Tower, the Paris, Texas Eiffel and other towering homages to the 1889 Paris Exposition’s instant icon, the French cookie tower is indoors – in the upper lobby of the Peninsula New York hotel, to be precise.
It is also, of course, edible, though you wouldn’t dare.
The Peninsula’s macron tower
The hotel’s ten-foot tower arrived just in time for Bastille Day on July 14 but was built to herald a different celebration. The Peninsula Paris opens on August 1 in the gracious Haussmanian building, a near- contemporary of the Eiffel Tower within eyeshot of the Arc de Triomphe.
Like Rome, the macaron Eiffel Tower wasn’t built in a day. It took a five chefs, led by executive pastry chef Deden Putra, three days and more than 15 pounds of almond paste, 15 pounds of sugar and 14 quarts of egg whites. “It’s a team effort,” says Putra, a maestro of monumental confectionery art.
The Peninsula’s macaron tower and its creator, Executive Pastry Chef Deden Putra
The hotel engineering department built the base and illuminated the finished product. The original, after all, is known for its lights.
How many macarons in Peninsula green and brown dress up the New York Eiffel? Stop by and guess. The correct number wins dinner for four at Clement, the hotel’s stylish restaurant. Paris-on-Fifth-Avenue is on view until the end of August.
The Peninsula New York, 700 Fifth Avenue at 54th Street; 212 956-2888.
I think 760 macarons
Very neat — the cookie-clad tower. And at a glance, I’d go a bit fewer 580.
We’re not going to claim the prize. Given our location. But we’d hazard a guess at 613.
Well I’d love to stop by and place my bet, if only!
How delicious! 🙂
Oooh la la – we love macarons!