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    Master Creme Caramel by mad about macarons in Paris
    French Gluten-Free Desserts from Paris

    Take Your Desserts to the Next Level!

    Get the E-Book

    The Lighter Side of French Cooking

    Welcome to Mad about Macarons - your go-to for easy French recipes with a lighter, healthier twist. From macarons and market-fresh meals to French food guides, expect simple dishes that make your taste buds do the can-can - with less sugar, more flavour and a touch of Parisian joie de vivre.

    Popular Recipes

    • jar of bright pink pickled radishes with bay leaves
      Pickled Radishes Without Sugar
    • cheese and ham hot sandwich, sliced in half to see the soft insides and toasted texture on top
      Easy Croque Monsieur Recipe -The Hot French Ham and Cheese Sandwich
    • shallow bowl of white poached vanilla peaches topped with homemade raspberry puree and vanilla ice cream with some fresh lemon verbena leaves
      Peach Melba - Discover Escoffier's Easy Recipe
    • plate with eiffel tower and circle of caramel sauce around a shiny creme caramel
      French Crème Caramel (flan aux oeufs au caramel)
    Browse ALL Recipes

    Picnic Recipes

    • Traditional French citronnade lemon drink made with lemons, water and sugar
      Citronnade - French Homemade Lemonade Recipe
    • roasted sliced tomatoes with mozzarella stacked together
      Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Mozzarella
    • sliced potatoes tossed in white wine, vinaigrette and fresh chopped herbs
      Authentic French Potato Salad - Recipe Without Mayonnaise (à la Parisienne)
    • sliced banana coffee cake, showing a beautifully moist crumb and topped with walnuts
      Banana Coffee Cake (Low Sugar)
    Picnic recipes

    Summer Recipes

    Enjoy the latest seasonal French summer recipes.

    • roasted fresh figs in a baking dish with honey and port
      Roasted Figs with Honey and Port
    • French baking dish of sliced roasted summer vegetables
      French Tian de Légumes - Provençal Roasted Vegetable Bake
    • tossed green salad with seasonal fresh vegetables such as arugula, avocado and other greens with toasted nuts and seeds
      Simple Green Salad - The Best All-Rounder, Seasonal Side
    • 2 scoops of rhubarb sorbet topped with a dried rhubarb chip
      Rhubarb Sorbet Recipe with Rose
    More Summer recipes

    Famous French Dishes

    Famous French dishes from savoury to dessert - many have a story behind them.

    • Champagne glass with a lemon cocktail at Harry's Bar Paris
      French 75 Cocktail - the Classic Recipe from Paris
    • pasta bowl of egg noodles tossed in olive oil, butter, garlic, herbs and garlic
      Fresh Alsatian Egg Noodles (Pâtes d'Alsace)
    • slice of glossy dark gingerbread topped with candied ginger
      Pain d'épices (French Gingerbread)
    • glass dish of chocolate mousse with cherries
      French Dark Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat)
    Classic French Dishes

    Salads and Side Dishes

    • Moroccan handpainted bowl filled with a raw carrot salad topped with fresh mint, toasted nuts and seeds next to oranges and a Moroccan teapot
      Raw Carrot Salad Moroccan Style
    • side dish of fragrant long grain rice with a hint of cloves
      How to Cook Basmati Rice Indian Style on the Stove
    • cooking pot with vibrant red cabbage cooked in vinegar, apple, onion and spices
      German Red Cabbage Recipe (Chou rouge à la Flamande)
    • slice of cheesy cornbread topped with corn, bell pepper and red onion roasted on top
      Easy Cheesy Cornbread with Corn (No Sugar)
    More Salads & Sides

    Ice Creams and Sorbets

    • individual ice cream with candied fruits on plate with lavender, apricot sauce and a macaron
      No Churn Ice Cream with Candied Fruit (Glace Plombières)
    • Whisky glass filled with soft scoop creamy ice cream next to almond cookies, heather and Whisky liqueur
      No Churn Ice Cream with Whisky Liqueur, Drambuie
    • scoops of dark grey ice cream topped with black sesame seeds and redcurrants, served with a sesame tuile cookie
      Black Sesame Ice Cream
    • mini cup of creamy ice cream with a sprig of lemon verbena leaves
      Lemon Verbena Ice Cream (Glace à la verveine)
    Ice creams & Sorbets

    Fish & Seafood

    • plates of herb crusted salmon with potatoes, asparagus and a butter sauce
      Parmesan Herb Crusted Salmon (Saumon à la Viennoise)
    • black pot with bubbling tomato and fish stew topped with chopped parsley
      French Monkfish Stew (Lotte à L'Américaine)
    • plate composed of a classic French salad Nicoise with many ingredients next to a basil plant and French baguette
      Classic Niçoise Salad - With the Authentic Ingredients
    • baked sea bass fish on one baking sheet with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, lemon and herbs
      Whole Baked Sea Bass Recipe - Dinner on a Tray
    More Fish Dishes
    round crepe pancake perfectly cooked in a pan

    Breakfast

    Kir Royal cocktail in front of a French chateau

    Drinks

    spoonful of dark chocolate mousse next to a macaron

    Desserts

    thin brown pancake folded into a square with egg in centre, ham and cheese and side salad

    Lunches

    black pot with bubbling tomato and fish stew topped with chopped parsley

    Mains

    slice of cherry custard clafoutis dessert

    Picnics

    large choux bun filled with smoked salmon and runny cream with apple and dill

    Starters

    close up of caramel macarons with a thick filling

    Teatime

    Gluten-Free Recipes

    • mushroom macaron
      Mushroom Macarons
    • glass bowls of rice puddings topped with golden sultana raisins
      French Rice Pudding (Riz au lait)
    • cracking in to a milk chocolate crème brûlée showing a delicious set custard topped with a thin caramelised crust - served with halved passionfruits
      Milk Chocolate Crème Brûlée Recipe
    • fig jam with bread and cheese
      Corsican Fig Jam (Confiture de Figues)
    Gluten-Free Recipes

    Chocolate Desserts

    Chocolate recipes with feel-good endorphins and lower in sugar!

    • pouring dark chocolate sauce over crepes
      Chocolate Sauce Recipe - with Chocolate
    • white chocolate mousse in a bowl with rose petals and love heart macaron
      White Chocolate Mousse - With 2 Secret Ingredients
    • deep pink raspberry macarons
      Easy Raspberry Macaron Filling - White Chocolate Ganache Recipe
    • slices of chocolate marble cake for teatime
      Chocolate Marble Cake with Banana
    Chocolate Desserts

    Mediterranean Food

    • mint omelette
      Corsican Mint Omelette (Omelette à la Menthe)
    • saute pan of fried green beans in garlic and breadcrumbs
      Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic
    • glass pots with coconut chia pudding topped with mango sauce, mango chunks and dates
      Coconut Chia Pudding with Mango
    • stuffed courgettes with cheese
      Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini (Courgettes farcies)
    Mediterranean dishes
    BONJOUR & WELCOME

    Meet Jill

    Jill Colonna’s Paris based food blog shares a healthy French lifestyle via easy recipes and local food guides.
    A Scottish-French home cook and author, Jill shares 33 years' culinary experience in Paris, cooking lighter meals with less sugar, more flavour.

    Created in 2010 with her 1st cookbook, Mad About Macarons has inspired both home cooks and professional bakers. Using local, seasonal ingredients, she proves that French cooking isn't all butter and cream!

    More About Jill
    Jill Colonna French cook and food writer in Paris

    Food Travel in France from Paris

    • holding a salty bretzel in Strasbourg in front of the river with flowers and timbered buildings in the background
      Strasbourg - From Restaurants to Alsace's Famous Food
    • bustling café in Aix-en-Provence in the sunshine with people drinking coffee outside next to a plane tree
      What to Do in Aix-en-Provence: Food Guide to the French Capital of Calissons
    • Monet's house and gardens with roses and green shutters
      Giverny - Where to Eat on a Visit to Monet's House and Gardens
    • harbour with boats and blue sky
      10 Reasons to Visit Honfleur Normandy
    More French Travel

    French Market Guide

    What's in season this month? Choose from fresh fruits and vegetables from the French farmers' market guide. Discover fun facts, recipes - even popular French expressions using them!

    Market Guide
    • baskets of different fresh lemon varieties in a French market
      Lemons & Limes (Citrons/Citrons vert)
    • piles of chopped fresh figs in front of whole figs on leaves
      Figs (Figues)
    • French breakfast radishes, long cylindrical pink radishes with white tips and root
      French Radishes (Radis)

    Best of Paris

    • boxes of various different French macarons from Paris to taste for the ultimate guide
      Best Macarons in Paris
    • Renoir garden and famous swing he painted in Montmartre
      Escape the Crowds at the Café Renoir Montmartre
    • biting into a lemon macaron at afternoon tea
      Guide to the Best Tea Rooms in Paris
    • central fountain in the Tuileries garden in Paris
      Tuileries Garden - Guide to Food and Drink
    • 4 tarts in a pastry box
      Pâtisseries for Diabetics in Paris
    • cafe with red tables and chairs outside with view on eiffel tower
      Best Bakeries Rue Saint-Dominique (Near the Eiffel Tower)
    More Paris Addresses

    Watch the recipes

    Some of your favourite recipes are on video! From her Corsican Mother-in-law’s mint omelette, join Jill to make healthy and easy French recipes. Come behind the scenes in our local bakery in Saint Germain-en-Laye to discover the best French Toast and coconut macaroons.

    All recipe videos
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    YouTube player
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    Primary Sidebar

    Portrait of Jill Colonna, French cookbook author in Paris
    Welcome

    Bonjour - I'm Jill

    Author and home cook in Paris. Scottish and French, I've spent 30+ years in Paris sharing lighter, flavour-forward recipes with less sugar and no fuss. No fancy techniques - just real food we eat at home. You'll also find my travel tips to help you taste France like a local.

    Meet Jill
    Master Crème Caramel by Jill Colonna is the new interactive e-book for French custards

    Popular Recipes This Week

    • jar of bright pink pickled radishes with bay leaves
      Pickled Radishes Without Sugar
    • baked sea bass fish on one baking sheet with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, lemon and herbs
      Whole Baked Sea Bass Recipe - Dinner on a Tray
    • shallow bowl of white poached vanilla peaches topped with homemade raspberry puree and vanilla ice cream with some fresh lemon verbena leaves
      Peach Melba - Discover Escoffier's Easy Recipe
    • mango cream dessert made with fresh mangos, whipped cream, coconut milk, vanilla and lime
      Mango Cream Recipe - Like a Mousse without Eggs or Sugar

    Summer recipes

    • blueberry clafoutis dessert with lemon and yellow edible pansies
      Blueberry Lemon Clafoutis
    • slice of cherry custard clafoutis dessert
      Cherry Clafoutis - the Classic French Custard Dessert
    boxes of various different French macarons from Paris to taste for the ultimate guide

    LOCAL DIY GUIDES

    Best Macarons in Paris

    My insider, updated free guide. Avoid the tourist traps and discover my top 20!

    Top 20 Macarons

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