A Happy Valentines Indeed

This is what I got..

My first box of Pierre Herme macarons..

I'm going to describe these macarons left to right now so if food antics aren't your thing, then I suggest you keep scrolling and just look at the pictures :)

PISTACHE - pistachio macaron & cream

I usually find that pistachio macarons taste more almond-y than pistachio-y because of the shell and this one was no different. Still good though.

MEDELICE - macaron biscuit, lemon cream, crispy hazelnut praline

Lemon macarons are my benchmark macaron, kind of like a caesar salad or bruschetta. The hazelnut component confused everything and I cannot use it as a comparison. Again, still yum.

COING & ROSE - macaron biscuit, quince & rose cream

Sweet but not overwhelming rose with a tang of what I assume was the quince. A very quaint macaron in a beautiful autumn hue. Loved it and looking forward to having it again next time.

ROSE - rose macaron & cream

Rose without being too rose-y and sweet. Elegantly done.

MOGADOR - macaron biscuit, milk chocolate & passionfruit ganache

Passionfruit ganache was full of bite which I love. Must try this again as I remembered dark chocolate, not milk? Mustn't have been concentrating!

MAGNIFIQUE - macaron biscuit, wasabi cream, strawberry compote

Wasabi?! I've been excited about exotic savoury flavours in macarons before. The kind of flavours where you silently exclaim "how on earth is that going to work?!" - and then bitter disappointment.. no, shame sets in. Shame for not liking it. Zumbo's blue cheese macaron comes to mind at this point. Adriano, I mean you no disrespect as I deeply heart your lemon and passionfruit macarons and you are the most generous person in the world when it comes to filling. But, I have a confession to make.. I didn't finish your blue cheese creation.

So it was with much trepidation that I bit into Magnifique.. fear melted into soft wasabi kisses. Magic. It was a playful fusion with the strawberry and as a wasabi lover I could have done with a bit more than just a caress. PH knows what he's doing though, the subtleness of flavour leaves you with a feeling akin to waking from a dream and struggling to remember it. It's what keeps you coming back for another bite.. until it's all gone.. and you wake up.

FRAGOLA - macaron biscuit, balsamic vinegar cream, strawberry compote

When it comes to avant guarde macaron flavours, Fragola has thus far topped my list. This little baby was an explosive surprise - the sourness of the balsamic was in perfect balance with the sweetness of the shell with the strawberry compote rounding off the flavour of the vinegar in such a union that brings a tear to my taste buds. (Or is that just me still drooling?)

Here they are again because I just can't get enough of them.

Adam actually handpicked each flavour himself. After looking at the menu selection, I was throughly impressed to find that he picked the exact 7 out of 12 that I would have done myself had I been there. He just earned himself some major brownies.

If perfect macarons weren't enough, I got cupcakes from Lola too! They were so sparkly and pretty that I almost felt bad eating them.. almost. Yet another heroic display of wisdom from Adam choosing pink champagne, lemon, red velvet and peanut butter flavours.

*sigh* my champion..