Macarons: The Final Chapter . . .

There, there, don’t cry!  It’s not really goodbye after all – of course I will continue to seek out macarons wherever I go!  Perhaps I will find some on my upcoming travels to Auckland & San Francisco – heck, macarons can even be found in Buffalo these days!  And of course I’ll be baking up a storm once I get home, so get ready! 😀

In the meantime, here’s a final look at the macarons I’ve enjoyed from Adriano Zumbo.  Many of these I actually had quite some time ago, I guess I just never got around to writing up this last post (sniff, sniff!).

Blackcurrant; Rice Pudding

Blackcurrant

This one was a bit too tart for my taste on the first bite, but I guess my palate adjusted because I wrote in my notes that the flavor grew on me.

Rice Pudding

The first thing to hit is the nutmeg, then the texture of the rice (very nice!).  The flavor reminded me a bit of Christmas cookies – maybe Mexican wedding cakes?  I guess it had that taste of icing sugar, but not too overpowering – sweet in a good way.

*For some reason I saved both of these macarons for the next day & unfortunately there was a noticeable loss of crispness to the shells.  This was especially true with the rice pudding.  Perhaps it was because I neglected to put them in an airtight container overnight.  Live & learn!

Licorice - Crispy-crunchy shell, gooey melt-in-your mouth cream filling - it's what I love best about these heavenly treats!

Licorice

After taking my first bite, I had to scrunch up my nose a bit at this one . . . it tasted exactly as it should have, but I guess I had forgotten I’m not really a fan of black licorice to begin with – hahaha! 😉  It did grow on me (a *bit*) with the second bite.

"Chocoron" - The orange shell with yellow filling was not exactly what I was expecting to find inside!

“Chocoron”

All I knew about this macaron when I bought it was that it was coated in chocolate.  I decided to be adventurous & try to solve the mystery, setting aside the fact that Zumbo macarons are a bit like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (As Dumbledore says to Harry Potter . . . “I should be safe with a nice toffee one . . . Alas!  Earwax!”)

Hoping to find a relatively “safe” flavor inside (please no earwax!), I discovered what I believe was mandarin.  While I like oranges, mandarins in particular have always seemed slightly bitter in flavor to me & this was no exception.  The combination with the dark chocolate didn’t help in my opinion.  Oh well, so much for adventure!

Pear & Vanilla; Dark Chocolate

Pear & Vanilla

Tastes mostly of pear initially, then the vanilla (vanilla bean?) comes through & lingers on the palate.

Dark Chocolate

This one caught my attention because it said “Limited Time Only!”  I was also curious about the orange shell, but it turned out that there were no surprises here – which is sometimes a good thing! 😉  Nice dark chocolate flavor.

Caramelised Pumpkin Seed; Coconut, Green chili & Lavender

Caramelized Pumpkin Seed

I was so excited when I saw this macaron! . . . But unfortunately, it ended up being a bit of a disappointment, probably because I was expecting more pumpkin flavor, not really thinking about the fact that this was a pumpkin *seed* macaron.  It had heaps of silky cream filling, but the main flavor I picked up on was simply vanilla.  The pumpkin seeds gave this macaron a nice crunch, but without them & without knowing the name of this macaron, I wouldn’t have been able to guess what it was.

Coconut, Green Chili & Lavender

I specifically bought this macaron because of the strange combination of flavors. 😉  I could smell the green chili right away!  The filling, which I tried first, had a mild taste but a lingering “heat” to it.  I couldn’t really taste the lavender or coconut, I just sensed the heat of the chili on the back of my throat.  Perhaps the coconut was there more as a way to mellow out the chili.  Surprisingly, not a bad macaron!

So, there you have it!  And I can only imagine what zany new flavors Zumbo is conjuring up as we speak . . . Oh, what the heck – I suppose it couldn’t hurt to pop in one last time before I have to say farewell to Sydney & my Aussie adventure . . .