The popularity of macarons in Australia comes from the rise of Adriano Zumbo and his zumbarons. The first time I saw them I really wanted to try them but it wasn't until a week or so ago that I managed to get my hands on some.
So I made the trip down to Albury after I discovered Geoffrey Michael Patissier. It was worth the drive, I got these home and after looking at them for a while I decided to try one.
It's hard to express how I felt when I first bit into one. I didn't know what to expect from these colourful biscuits, I knew they were made from almond flour but nothing prepared me for the texture I experienced. The biscuit component itself has a type of crisp shell on it that gives way to a light and fluffy interior that almost seems to melt in your mouth but then it becomes delightfully chewy and has a satisfying mouth feel. They are unlike any biscuit I have ever eaten, such a paradox of textures.
The flavours were another thing again. The flavour of the biscuit is sweet but it's in the filling where the true flavour kicks in. Ranging from ganache to cream, the flavours are so delicious that I had a moment of wonderment when trying each of these flavours. The flavours were apricot, salted caramel, lavender berry, vanilla bean, choc hazelnut and strawberries and cream. It's hard to say which flavour I enjoyed the most, the lavender berry was an interesting one, never had lavender before, it was really nice. The salted caramel one was very distinctive, this flavour is something that's very popular right now and I enjoyed it. They were all amazing and I have trouble remembering each one in detail because I was in a state of bliss while I was eating them.
I am slightly ashamed to say that I ate every one you can see in the photo in one sitting. I meant to just try one of each but I couldn't stop and they were so light and cute I just munched them all. They're not cheap either so I felt a little guilty although it was such an awesome moment I can't regret it. Macarons rule!
