15 November 2012

Fortnum & Mason - Pink Macaron (by @NLi10)

I didn't go to Fortnum & Mason, but fortunately my partner did and brought back two spare pink Macaron!


Oh noe! The mice have eated them all!!

Well - actually I didn't think to take a picture before us humans nommed them but below is a picture of what the contents would have looked like.



The pink one at the bottom was what we both had.  Picture blatantly stolen from fellow food blog The Hungry Girl Chronicles who has also tried these.

I'm not sure whether a macaron (and that is the spelling they use!) is a cake or a biscuit really, but as it starts off soft I'm guessing it's a mini cake.  They are convenient and pretty little things though and as a quick google suggests there are many variations on the basic theme.

I wasn't expecting that much from such a small thing, and as my tastes are gravitating away from sweet things as I age I didn't know what to expect.  This was pleasantly surprising.  The mint of the creme was hinted at by my partner as she ate hers first, but still came as a shock.  Balanced with the softness of the outer and the coconut that lingered afterwards it all worked quite well.  I think a couple of these with a posh cup of tea would be 'delightful'.

At £1.25 each they are a little expensive, and the shelf life suggested to eat on day of purchase, but they were actually a nice little indulgence.  I'd have to at least try a few more of the colours to see if they tasted differently anyway.

3 comments:

bob said...

Macaron is the name that's used in Spanish for pasta and a Macaroon is a sweet biscuit made with coconut.
F&M's confection bears no resemblance to either one, I'm afraid.
They do look rather nice, though.
Hopefully, your partner brought back some of the tea they blend for the Queen and a jar of Sir Nigel's Marmalade. (It makes Tawny suddenly taste like Hartley's after a quick smear on toast!)

Jules said...

Macaron's are French, they're made with almond and egg white and sugar. they come in hundreds of flavours from the traditional (chocolate, hazelnut, pistachio, vanilla, raspberry, etc) to the truly inventive (sea salted caramel, lychee and raspberry, violet and anise)

they're closer to a meringue than a cake or a biscuit.

boulangerie Paul (which as far as I'm aware are only in London. there's one in Euston and Victoria definitely) make very nice ones, but probably nothing to compare to the ones you can buy in france. Laduree and Piere Herme are particularly famous.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaron

Anonymous said...

They have a Laduree in the royal arcade in London, and also in Harrods. Piere Herme macaroons are sold in selfridges. Anything else is not really worth the price.

Also, Paul bakery is an international chain.