MACAROON
A small round cookie with a crisp crust and a soft interior. The original version was made in Italy from almonds and was evolved by French pastry chefs into an almond-flavored meringue sandwich cookie that today is made in many flavors and colors. A coconut macaroon was developed and is popular in the U.S. See the history of macaroons.

MARJOLAINE
A long and rectangular form of the dacquoise: almond and hazelnut meringue layers with chocolate buttercream. Dacquoise is a dessert cake made with layers of almond and hazelnut meringue and whipped cream or buttercream. It takes its name from the feminine form of the French word dacquois, meaning “of Dax”; Dax is a town in southwestern France. It is usually served chilled and accompanied by fruit.

MEAT PIE
A meat pie is a savory pie that can be filled with beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and even fish, plus vegetables and herbs. There are many kinds of meat pies, varying in size and pastry types. They can be made in a pie plate or a square or rectangular baking pan. A pot pie is an example of a meat pie, as is a steak and kidney pie, and a shepherd’s pie, which is minced or ground beef or lamb with a top “crust” of mashed potatoes. Individual meat pies, which are sealed on all sides, include, among others, empanadas, pasties, Scotch pies, and turnovers. Meat pies date back to ancient times; they were a way to pull scraps together for a frugal dinner, while cooks in wealthier households prepared elaborate pastries filled with costly cuts.

MERINGUE
Meringue is a versatile substance made from beaten egg whites, to which sugar has been added to form stiff but airy peaks. The meringue can then (1) be folded in to lighten cake, mousse, and pastry cream, (2) used as a topping for pies (e.g., lemon meringue pie) and other desserts (e.g. Baked Alaska), (3) baked in a very low oven into cookies or cake layers, (4) baked into shells (vacherin) which are filled with custard, fruit, mousse or ice cream (see dacquoise).

MERVEILLEUX
Pronounced mair-vay-YUH, the word means “marvelous” in French. This pastry appeared in northern France after the Revolution, at the end of the 18th century. Meringues were topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. The modern French pâtissier Frédéric Vaucamps is credited with bringing back largely forgotten pastry in 1985. He reworked the recipe to make it lighter and created a variety of flavors. He named his business Aux Merveilleux de Fred.

MILLE-FEUILLE or MILLEFOGLIE
Pronounced meal-FWEE in French and MEE-lay FOAL-yay in Italian, meaning “a thousand leaves,” this pastry is made as three rectangular sheets of puff pastry spread with Bavarian cream, pastry cream, whipped cream, custard, jam, or fruit purée, often dusted with confectioner’s sugar, and cut into individual rectangular portions. When filled with custard and iced with chocolate, the pastry is called a Napoleon (see photo below). Savory versions are filled with cheese and served as appetizers. See also phyllo.

 

MINCE PIE or MINCEMEAT PIE
Mince pie dates back to Medieval times, when the recipe included venison, along with dried fruits, sugar, and spices. It was then known as mincemeat pie. In the mid-nineteenth century, the meat began disappearing from the recipe, which evolved into the sweet and spicy mince pie we know today, served during the Christmas season, filled with candied and fresh fruits, nuts, sugar, spices, wine, and suet. (Suet is raw beef fat [or mutton fat], particularly the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys. Vegetarian suet is made from palm oil and rice flour.)

MISSISSIPPI MUD PIE or MUD PIE
An open pie consisting of a cooked chocolate filling in a crust made of chocolate or vanilla cookies or graham crackers. It is often topped with whipped cream and an optional garnish of chopped pecans. Some versions are made with coffee mousse or other coffee filling and a chocolate fudge sauce for the “mud.”

MOCK APPLE PIE
Mock pies developed as far back as the Civil War when war limited access to fresh fruit. The earliest recipe we have is from the Confederate Receipt Book of 1863. To ”mock the apples, soda crackers were soaked in water and mixed with sugar, lemon juice, and zest. This filling was baked in a pie shell. In 1935, Nabisco printed it on the box of Ritz Crackers, and the revival was an immediate hit.

NAPOLEON
The Napoleon pastry was not named after France’s famous general and emperor. The name is believed to be a corruption of the word “napolitain,” referring to a pastry made in the tradition of Naples, Italy (napolitano). This pastry was a millefoglie, or mille-feuille, most likely a descendant of phyllo. It is believed that the Napoleon, and mille-feuille pastry, were developed by the great chef Antoine Carême. See mille-feuille. Three layers of puff pastry (pâte feuilletée) are filled with pastry cream and iced with fondant.

• An “American Napoleon” has a heavily marbleized chocolate and vanilla fondant top, looking more like Jackson Pollack than the neat French style shown at the top of the page.

As a pie, Nesselrode was popularized by Hortense Spier, who had a brownstone restaurant in New York City on 94th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West in the 1930s and 1940s. The restaurant closed before World War II; thereafter, Mrs. Spier baked pies for other restaurants (Nesselrode pie as well as banana cream pie, coconut custard pie, and lemon meringue pie). These pies became standards at New York restaurants.

A product called “Nesselro,” made by G.B. Raffetto, was used by home bakers through the 1970s but was discontinued when the pie went out of style. Containing candied chestnuts and fruits, it’s not difficult to recreate.
 

This is plain pastry where 1/2 cup of finely ground nuts is substituted for 1/2 cup of flour. Ideal with cream pies.  Here’s a recipe courtesy of the American Egg Board. Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (2 ounces) ground pecans or other nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (cold), 1 egg yolk, 3 to 4 tablespoon ice water, (divided), 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice.  Preparation: (1) Mix flour, nuts, and salt in a large bowl. (2) Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until pieces are the size of small peas. (3) Mix in egg yolk, 3 tablespoons of ice water, and the lemon juice in a small bowl.