Macaron madness!
Heh so I went kinda batshit at Macaron Cafe this past week (on 59th near Madison, there's also another one near Penn Station but I haven't been to that one) first because of an allergist appointment...it was near the office and I had to get some after the doctor fucking tells me that apparently the allergen test turned up dust, mold, and CAT HAIR.
How the fuck could I be allergic to cats? I don't have any but want one and since I'm finally moving out of this goddamn rathole, figured I would get one after tax season ended. But I'm around my friends' and sister's cats ALL THE FREAKIN TIME. I don't feel sick or bothered when the kitties headbutt me or give me nose kisses or boobie kneadings. I probably have just as much cat hair on my clothes and purses as one who does live with a cat...do NOT feel sick from it at all.
Dust and mold however, I can attest to because I've been clearing out a *LOT* of dust in this hellpit while packing shit up to get moved, tossed, or donated and my nose and nasal passages have been itching nonstop. Like painfully so. And sneezing a lot. Mold I get too, I lived in several moldy hellholes throughout my life and would break out into rashes often.
But cats? seriously? And she recommended not getting a cat until I'm either on allergy meds, or have undergone about 6 months to 1 year of allergy shots...which I don't know if I'll be able to afford once the year's up and I no longer have insurance. My dad's plan has me covered so long as I'm a full-time student, even though it's grad school, until I'm 30. But when I'm done with grad school I don't know what the fuck's next, if I get a cushy government job, great, the shots won't be an issue, if not, the kind of plan I currently have would easily be $1200/month. Fuck that.
But yeah, no kitties until I'm on some useless allergy drugs (yes, they are useless to me, I had bad experience with them and do not want to take any because Big Pharma does not deserve my cash) or have shots well underway. She said it isn't totally HOPELESS, just that she's had a lot of patients who like me, got upset at being told they have a slight dog/cat allergy and get one anyway but develop serious problems later on.
So that to me merited a comfort macaron or three.
Then yesterday I got some macarons that were in better tidings...I just passed Part 3 of the EA exam on the first try. I also passed Part 1 on the first try back in September, let's hope I have the same luck for Part 2!
So for those unfamiliar with Macaron Cafe, I'll tell you that it's the closest you'll get in NYC to genuine Parisian macarons. (I may be one of the most brutal hardcore matriarchs that ever existed...but I know my French pastries dammit! Ha every time I walk in there I get reminded of that Metalocalypse episode when the guys are in that pastry shop in Toki's hometown and Nathan says "Yeah man! This is a REALLY BRUTAL place!" Hehe.) And they have their mainstay flavors like raspberry, vanilla, pistachio, honey- lavender, violette flower, dark chocolate, and some that come and go like Nutella, white chocolate, and coconut, but then they have seasonal and limited-time flavors. And ones I'm dying to try but haven't had yet.
And for the uninitiated, a macaron?
Is not the same thing as a macarOON, those icky corn syrup-nut-marshmellow messes I remember getting on the boardwalk when I was a kid.
Macarons are delicate little sandwich cookie like pastries with French and Italian origins, the cookie parts are made of incredibly finely ground up almonds and confectioners' sugar with whipped egg whites and have to piped and baked just right. The filling is usually a creamy or buttery frosting type of type filling but fruit macarons usually have jam fillings. Almost anything creamy and/or spreadable can be used as a filling, you're only limited by your imagination!
(This is definitely something not to make at home unless you're a trained pastry chef because of all the time, money, and mess!)
The classic macaron flavors are vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, and raspberry and Macaron Cafe has those (they're all nummy!) but they make several of their own flavors. Other pastry chefs will make macarons in their own styles and flavors too.
They also sometimes have sanding sugar on top and/or sides or things like finely chopped nuts. Pastry chefs make them with care in all kinds of bright colors, and I and other macaron enthusiasts will happily tell you that macarons are just as delicious as they are pleasing to look at.
So because this is my long-overdue relaxing weekend in...here's my reviews of the macarons! (in no particular order.)
Vanilla- ZOMG fucking delicious, it's like an inverted vanilla cupcake with the cake on the outside and frosting on the inside.
Dark Chocolate- Also pretty delicious but hardcore chocolate lovers might want to get their chocolate fix in a different format, the filling is more chocolate-y than the cookie part. I like the look of gold the shell has, it's either that gold confectioners' sugar or something like Goldwasser!
Peanut Butter- Meh. It looks cool since the cookie part is green, but I was expecting a sweeter filling. The peanut butter reminded me of those ghetto Lance cracker sandwiches with the cheese crackers and questionable but tasty peanut butter in the middle.
Rose- Delicious if you like a Middle Eastern flair, the filling is very creamy and potent with a strong rose flavor-- I imagine a good rosewater was used to make them.
White Chocolate- Meh. I didn't really taste the white chocolate, it was more like weak vanilla. Looks cool though, one cookie is white and the other cookie is green so it doesn't get confused with the vanilla.
Rose-Lychee- Blech. The lychee was overpowering, it had more of a soapy taste.
Matcha- ZOMG if you like green tea/matcha flavor. That's real matcha powder and they don't kid around! But it's nice and sweet. Has a cool little black stripe painted on top. By and far one of my favorites! Matcha is used a lot of Japanese confections since they are green tea freaks and they love those little macarons too.
Orange Blossom- Like how rosewater was used to make the rose macarons, orange blossom water was probably used in these and I liked them even better than the rose-- nice creamy filling, it was like a fancy upscale Creamsicle cookie!
Pumpkin-Cinnamon- I'm a pumpkin freak, I loooove pumpkin, these were tasty and had a light, crisp pastry-like texture with a cream filling but the pumpkin wasn't very prominent. Still would recommend when they have them around Halloween.
Pumpkin- I liked this one better than pumpkin-cinnamon, they're a darker orange and had a softer cookie-like texture-- the filling was more like pumpkin pie! These are by and far one of my favorite flavors and I hope to see it often! (Ironically I didn't see it until New Year's.)
Wedding Almond- closest I'd seen to a classic Parisian macaron, it's nothing but almondy deliciousness! There's little finely chopped blanched almonds on the tops and sides with a creamy almondine filling.
Violette Flower- Okay, this is hard to describe. It's one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten, but I don't know how to describe the flavor: it's...what PURPLE tastes like. Remember that Simpsons episode when Lisa asks Homer at Take Your Daughter To Work Day, she asks if there's any fruit around and he replies, "This donut is purple! Purple is a fruit!" Yep.
Honey-Lavender- Classic French flavor, it's smooth, creamy, and chock full of lavender goodness! If you hate lavender though or really potent floral flavors, you won't like this one.
Raspberry- A classic macaron flavor, these have a jam filling instead of cream filling. Macaron Cafe's are quite delish! The cookie wasn't as crunchy, I rather enjoyed it.
Strawberry- Like the raspberry one, these have a jam filling too and I like it better than the raspberry.
Creme Brulee- ZOMG IT'S ALMOST BETTER THAN GETTING EATEN OUT. I prefer it over actual creme brulee. You haven't had dessert awesomeness until you've had the creme brulee macaron.
Fleur de Sel Caramel- imagine a delicious caramel flavor macaron with kosher salt sprinkled on top, sounds weird right? Actually vanilla-salt and salt-caramel are popular Japanese confection flavors. The Japanese love macarons too so it's no surprise this flavor is made. I love it, it's crispy, gooey, and yummy!
Dulce de Leche- You'll like this one more if salt-caramel isn't your thing, the filling was similar to the fleur de sel caramel. I think both use La Paila dulce de leche syrup as a filling. (I could eat that stuff right out of the bottle.)
Nutella- Yep, it has Nutella filling and chocolate cookies. I like Nutella and this was tasty but I like the other flavors better.
Rhubarb- Meh. Maybe it's because I inherently don't care for rhubarb, the cookie part was good but I didn't care for the filling. If you like a tarter flavor and/or like rhubarb you'll probably like this one.
Rose-Cassis- It was tasty and very creamy, I preferred the rose flavor in it over cassis which was sort of like a muted rum-raisin.
Cassis-Violette- it was purple all around! Liked it better than rose-cassis.
Chestnut- Blech. I guess it's because I don't like chestnuts but I wanted to try it anyhow when I bought a box to share with my sister...she loves this flavor, I hated it.
Coconut- to me it was so-so, I liked the texture more than the taste. It takes an amazing dessert to get me to like anything other than a coconut margarita when it comes to coconut. I guess I was expecting a Mounds type texture but it was nice and creamy. If you like coconut, you'll probably love it.
Coconut-Chocolate- liked it WAY more than the regular coconut! THIS was more like a fancy Mounds. ;) Would definitely get it again.
Flavors they've made that I'm dying to try:
-Pineapple, I imagine it's like an upscale cookie version of pineapple gummy bears.
-Tahini-sesame...I love almost anything with tahini!
-Cheesecake...need I say any more?!
-4th of July special...though I think it's just vanilla with red, white, and blue star sprinkles!
-Milk chocolate...in the gallery but I've never seen it in the shop. Must be tasty!
-Jasmin, I love exotic flavors!
-Mirabelle...I have no clue what it is but it sounds pretty and the picture was gorgeous.
-Gingerbread
Flavors I'm open to trying but are meh about:
-Mango
-Cassis
-Passionfruit
-Chocolate-Passionfruit
-Lemon
-Praline, it's listed on the menu but I've never seen it in the shop.
-Raisin-rum, looks pretty though I don't go batshit over raisin-rum.
Flavors I wouldn't try:
-Matcha-chestnut, I love matcha but hated the chestnut.
-Espresso, not a big fan of anything coffee-flavored.
-Mocha, see above. Would probably like it more than espresso though.
-Apricot, unless someone else got it and said it was tasty and I got a bite. The only apricot thing I really like is that apricot beer I got at Trash over the summer and drunkenly demanded "more apricot goodness!" throughout the night.
-Grapefruit...sounds icky!
How the fuck could I be allergic to cats? I don't have any but want one and since I'm finally moving out of this goddamn rathole, figured I would get one after tax season ended. But I'm around my friends' and sister's cats ALL THE FREAKIN TIME. I don't feel sick or bothered when the kitties headbutt me or give me nose kisses or boobie kneadings. I probably have just as much cat hair on my clothes and purses as one who does live with a cat...do NOT feel sick from it at all.
Dust and mold however, I can attest to because I've been clearing out a *LOT* of dust in this hellpit while packing shit up to get moved, tossed, or donated and my nose and nasal passages have been itching nonstop. Like painfully so. And sneezing a lot. Mold I get too, I lived in several moldy hellholes throughout my life and would break out into rashes often.
But cats? seriously? And she recommended not getting a cat until I'm either on allergy meds, or have undergone about 6 months to 1 year of allergy shots...which I don't know if I'll be able to afford once the year's up and I no longer have insurance. My dad's plan has me covered so long as I'm a full-time student, even though it's grad school, until I'm 30. But when I'm done with grad school I don't know what the fuck's next, if I get a cushy government job, great, the shots won't be an issue, if not, the kind of plan I currently have would easily be $1200/month. Fuck that.
But yeah, no kitties until I'm on some useless allergy drugs (yes, they are useless to me, I had bad experience with them and do not want to take any because Big Pharma does not deserve my cash) or have shots well underway. She said it isn't totally HOPELESS, just that she's had a lot of patients who like me, got upset at being told they have a slight dog/cat allergy and get one anyway but develop serious problems later on.
So that to me merited a comfort macaron or three.
Then yesterday I got some macarons that were in better tidings...I just passed Part 3 of the EA exam on the first try. I also passed Part 1 on the first try back in September, let's hope I have the same luck for Part 2!
So for those unfamiliar with Macaron Cafe, I'll tell you that it's the closest you'll get in NYC to genuine Parisian macarons. (I may be one of the most brutal hardcore matriarchs that ever existed...but I know my French pastries dammit! Ha every time I walk in there I get reminded of that Metalocalypse episode when the guys are in that pastry shop in Toki's hometown and Nathan says "Yeah man! This is a REALLY BRUTAL place!" Hehe.) And they have their mainstay flavors like raspberry, vanilla, pistachio, honey- lavender, violette flower, dark chocolate, and some that come and go like Nutella, white chocolate, and coconut, but then they have seasonal and limited-time flavors. And ones I'm dying to try but haven't had yet.
And for the uninitiated, a macaron?
Is not the same thing as a macarOON, those icky corn syrup-nut-marshmellow messes I remember getting on the boardwalk when I was a kid.
Macarons are delicate little sandwich cookie like pastries with French and Italian origins, the cookie parts are made of incredibly finely ground up almonds and confectioners' sugar with whipped egg whites and have to piped and baked just right. The filling is usually a creamy or buttery frosting type of type filling but fruit macarons usually have jam fillings. Almost anything creamy and/or spreadable can be used as a filling, you're only limited by your imagination!
(This is definitely something not to make at home unless you're a trained pastry chef because of all the time, money, and mess!)
The classic macaron flavors are vanilla, chocolate, pistachio, and raspberry and Macaron Cafe has those (they're all nummy!) but they make several of their own flavors. Other pastry chefs will make macarons in their own styles and flavors too.
They also sometimes have sanding sugar on top and/or sides or things like finely chopped nuts. Pastry chefs make them with care in all kinds of bright colors, and I and other macaron enthusiasts will happily tell you that macarons are just as delicious as they are pleasing to look at.
So because this is my long-overdue relaxing weekend in...here's my reviews of the macarons! (in no particular order.)
Vanilla- ZOMG fucking delicious, it's like an inverted vanilla cupcake with the cake on the outside and frosting on the inside.
Dark Chocolate- Also pretty delicious but hardcore chocolate lovers might want to get their chocolate fix in a different format, the filling is more chocolate-y than the cookie part. I like the look of gold the shell has, it's either that gold confectioners' sugar or something like Goldwasser!
Peanut Butter- Meh. It looks cool since the cookie part is green, but I was expecting a sweeter filling. The peanut butter reminded me of those ghetto Lance cracker sandwiches with the cheese crackers and questionable but tasty peanut butter in the middle.
Rose- Delicious if you like a Middle Eastern flair, the filling is very creamy and potent with a strong rose flavor-- I imagine a good rosewater was used to make them.
White Chocolate- Meh. I didn't really taste the white chocolate, it was more like weak vanilla. Looks cool though, one cookie is white and the other cookie is green so it doesn't get confused with the vanilla.
Rose-Lychee- Blech. The lychee was overpowering, it had more of a soapy taste.
Matcha- ZOMG if you like green tea/matcha flavor. That's real matcha powder and they don't kid around! But it's nice and sweet. Has a cool little black stripe painted on top. By and far one of my favorites! Matcha is used a lot of Japanese confections since they are green tea freaks and they love those little macarons too.
Orange Blossom- Like how rosewater was used to make the rose macarons, orange blossom water was probably used in these and I liked them even better than the rose-- nice creamy filling, it was like a fancy upscale Creamsicle cookie!
Pumpkin-Cinnamon- I'm a pumpkin freak, I loooove pumpkin, these were tasty and had a light, crisp pastry-like texture with a cream filling but the pumpkin wasn't very prominent. Still would recommend when they have them around Halloween.
Pumpkin- I liked this one better than pumpkin-cinnamon, they're a darker orange and had a softer cookie-like texture-- the filling was more like pumpkin pie! These are by and far one of my favorite flavors and I hope to see it often! (Ironically I didn't see it until New Year's.)
Wedding Almond- closest I'd seen to a classic Parisian macaron, it's nothing but almondy deliciousness! There's little finely chopped blanched almonds on the tops and sides with a creamy almondine filling.
Violette Flower- Okay, this is hard to describe. It's one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten, but I don't know how to describe the flavor: it's...what PURPLE tastes like. Remember that Simpsons episode when Lisa asks Homer at Take Your Daughter To Work Day, she asks if there's any fruit around and he replies, "This donut is purple! Purple is a fruit!" Yep.
Honey-Lavender- Classic French flavor, it's smooth, creamy, and chock full of lavender goodness! If you hate lavender though or really potent floral flavors, you won't like this one.
Raspberry- A classic macaron flavor, these have a jam filling instead of cream filling. Macaron Cafe's are quite delish! The cookie wasn't as crunchy, I rather enjoyed it.
Strawberry- Like the raspberry one, these have a jam filling too and I like it better than the raspberry.
Creme Brulee- ZOMG IT'S ALMOST BETTER THAN GETTING EATEN OUT. I prefer it over actual creme brulee. You haven't had dessert awesomeness until you've had the creme brulee macaron.
Fleur de Sel Caramel- imagine a delicious caramel flavor macaron with kosher salt sprinkled on top, sounds weird right? Actually vanilla-salt and salt-caramel are popular Japanese confection flavors. The Japanese love macarons too so it's no surprise this flavor is made. I love it, it's crispy, gooey, and yummy!
Dulce de Leche- You'll like this one more if salt-caramel isn't your thing, the filling was similar to the fleur de sel caramel. I think both use La Paila dulce de leche syrup as a filling. (I could eat that stuff right out of the bottle.)
Nutella- Yep, it has Nutella filling and chocolate cookies. I like Nutella and this was tasty but I like the other flavors better.
Rhubarb- Meh. Maybe it's because I inherently don't care for rhubarb, the cookie part was good but I didn't care for the filling. If you like a tarter flavor and/or like rhubarb you'll probably like this one.
Rose-Cassis- It was tasty and very creamy, I preferred the rose flavor in it over cassis which was sort of like a muted rum-raisin.
Cassis-Violette- it was purple all around! Liked it better than rose-cassis.
Chestnut- Blech. I guess it's because I don't like chestnuts but I wanted to try it anyhow when I bought a box to share with my sister...she loves this flavor, I hated it.
Coconut- to me it was so-so, I liked the texture more than the taste. It takes an amazing dessert to get me to like anything other than a coconut margarita when it comes to coconut. I guess I was expecting a Mounds type texture but it was nice and creamy. If you like coconut, you'll probably love it.
Coconut-Chocolate- liked it WAY more than the regular coconut! THIS was more like a fancy Mounds. ;) Would definitely get it again.
Flavors they've made that I'm dying to try:
-Pineapple, I imagine it's like an upscale cookie version of pineapple gummy bears.
-Tahini-sesame...I love almost anything with tahini!
-Cheesecake...need I say any more?!
-4th of July special...though I think it's just vanilla with red, white, and blue star sprinkles!
-Milk chocolate...in the gallery but I've never seen it in the shop. Must be tasty!
-Jasmin, I love exotic flavors!
-Mirabelle...I have no clue what it is but it sounds pretty and the picture was gorgeous.
-Gingerbread
Flavors I'm open to trying but are meh about:
-Mango
-Cassis
-Passionfruit
-Chocolate-Passionfruit
-Lemon
-Praline, it's listed on the menu but I've never seen it in the shop.
-Raisin-rum, looks pretty though I don't go batshit over raisin-rum.
Flavors I wouldn't try:
-Matcha-chestnut, I love matcha but hated the chestnut.
-Espresso, not a big fan of anything coffee-flavored.
-Mocha, see above. Would probably like it more than espresso though.
-Apricot, unless someone else got it and said it was tasty and I got a bite. The only apricot thing I really like is that apricot beer I got at Trash over the summer and drunkenly demanded "more apricot goodness!" throughout the night.
-Grapefruit...sounds icky!