Article: Passion for Gastronomic Delicacies

To eat a good macaron is to dive in to the southern European sweetness of gastronomic history. Macaron dates back to the 1500 century from Venice, Italy. Later it was discovered in the French royal family. Thanks to some very talented pastry chefs in the 1930s the macaron of today was born.
 
Macarong is a Swedish company with strong French influences that has its strength from the famous pastry chef Sébastien Boudet. The associate Sales & Marketing Director Jean-Francois told me that the reason the name Macarong came to reality is because Sébastien wanted a company name that had connection with both France and Sweden. Sébastien also wanted to create high quality pastry to the Swedish market with superb ingredients that is both enjoyed by the Scandinavian palate but also understood by its consumers. All macarons are made with 100% primary and real products. The raspberry macaron is for instance baked with real raspberries and coloured with only raspberry and not extra added colourings. This makes the macarons from Macarong fresh, pure and amazingly good to eat.
 
Sébastien has been such a famous pastry chef in Sweden that Macarong has now become the supplier for the Swedish Royal Court and served for the guests of the Nobel Prize.
 
Western Taste has had the opportunity to taste and experience most of the macarons that Macarong has in its selection. We will only comment the selection that stands out and judge on 3 categories; the crust, the cream and the taste. A panel of 11 people tried the gastronomic and enjoyable macarons and gave the following verdict.

 

Raspberry

A favourite among many however the male gave their verdict that it could have had more flavour and depth. Some said that it was sweeter than its origin of taste, which is raspberry. The female palate judged it as amazing and perfect.

 

Men: 4 out of 5

Women: 5 out of 5

 

Pistachio

A macaron that pairs well to champagne flavoured black tea (available in Nordiska Kompaniet Stockholm) and is a favourite and equally loved by both sides.

 

Men: 4 out of 5

Women: 4 out of 5

 

Caramel

A tasty macaron that is surprisingly more enjoyed by the male judges and less by the women. The women said that the crust was not crispy enough and that the cream was a bit too sweet. The men judged it as a buttery and sweet macaron that gave a magical mix on the palate.

 

Men: 5 out of 5

Women: 4 out of 5

 

Chocolate

This is an interesting macaron since the two sides judged it totally different. The male side loved it because it was rich and powerful in its flavour. However the female side did not enjoy it enough because it was to rich, too much flavour and way too heavy.

 

Men: 4 out of 5

Women: 2 out of 5

 

Wild Strawberry & Elderly Flower

This macaron was a big favourite and loved by many. It was also the macaron that was made for the Swedish Royal Princess Estelle and her baptism. The macaron gave us a pleasant gastronomic experience in the palate and a true success. It is by far a favourite and loved by all.

 

Comment: Estelle is the inspiration of a new generation and this macaron is the first step towards a new generation of French and Swedish gastronomic pastry.

 

Men: 5 out of 5

Women: 5 out of 5

 

Liquorish

Loved and adored by everyone. It is a truly favourite and can be paired to many occasions.

 

Men: 5 out of 5

Women: 5 out of 5

 

Fruits of the forest

Men: 4 out of 5

Women 4 out of 5

 

Noisette (hazelnut)

Finally our beloved Noisette, this macaron is something that could be enjoyed with other gastronomic complementary. We actually tried it with a nice Cuban cigar and espresso and it was a superb pairing. Thank you Macarong for this because I think you have found your gate in winning the guy’s heart.

 

Comment: The Noisette is a clear 5 with a perfect texture, it is like Nutella died and went to heaven.

 

Men: 5 out of 5

Women: 4 out of 5

 

We at Western Taste would like to extend our thanks to Macarong for a superb tasting and we recommend all to try this amazing pastry.

For more information about Macarong, please go to www.macarong.se

 

Written by Alexander Yü, Kristian Kull & Sofie Yü

 

 

 

 

 

Wine of the Month: Saint Clair Family Estate Vicar's Choice Sauvignon Blanc

I absolutely love crisp, flowery and super dry Sauvignon Blancs. If they come from Marlborough in New Zeeland I’m in heaven!

This especially applies in the summer and such a wine is an excellent tool if you wish to prolong the summer. At the moment you can find an archetypical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc at Systembolaget in Saint Clair Family Estate Vicar's Choice Sauvignon Blanc Bright Light.

The Marlborough wine region represents 62% of total vineyard area in New Zeeland. The number one varietal there is Sauvignon Blanc. It is closely followed by Pinot noir and Chardonnay.

The strong contrast between the hot sunny days and the cool nights help vintners extend the ripening period of their vines like nowhere else. This results in unique expressions of their grapes. For example, Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough offer unique aromas and flavours which earns them much praise from wine lovers around the world.

The Saint Clair name originates from the vineyard property, first settled by the Sinclair family. Today Saint Clair Family Estate is owned by Neal and Judy Ibbotson, viticulture pioneers in Marlborough since 1978. Grapes were originally supplied to local wine companies; however a desire to extend the quality achieved in the vineyard through to the finished wine led to the establishment of Saint Clair Family Estate in 1994 winery.

The grapes in this wine were harvested from selected vineyard sites capable of reaching optimum flavour intensity before the sugar levels became too high. This allowed the production of this beautiful wine with only 9,5 % alcohol but rich in flavour. The grapes were machine harvested at cool temperatures and processed at once to minimize skin contact. The juice was fermented at cool temperatures in stainless steel to hang on to varietal character and freshness. Fermentation was then stopped while just a little sugar remained, in order to give the wine palate weight.

The colour of the wine is pale straw green with hints of yellow.

The bouquet has beautiful aromas of capsicum, fennel bulb, nettles and blackcurrant leaf with an elegant minerality. Some citrus aroma can also be detected.

This wine has a higlhy refreshing and mouth watering palate delivering flavours of blackcurrant, passion fruit and gooseberry with an underlying green herbaceous thread. There are also some very nice lime flavours present. This wine is lighter in alcohol but no compromise has been made when it comes to flavour intensity and complexity.

Simply stated this wine is summer in a bottle.

Nr Systembolaget: 6004

Cost in Sweden: 89 SEK

Cost in China: apprx 150 RMB

Cost in US: apprx 9 USD