MACARONS VS MACAROONS?

What are Macarons/Macaroons? Most Americans are familiar with the coconut macaroon. I found the Macaron (with one o) in Paris all over the city. I would compare the popularity to the chocolate chip cookie of the USA. Both delicious, but very different. What is your experience with the discovery of the French Macaron?

MACARONS


Dating back to the 18th century, the macaron is a traditional French pastry, made of egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar. This sweet pastry came out of the French courts' baker's oven as round meringue-like domes with a flat base. Macarons, also anglicized "macaroons", are not to be confused with a similar pastry also called macaroons. Macarons are sandwich-like pastries made with two thin cookies and a cream or ganache between the cookies. Macaroons, on the other hand, are dense cookies made either with coconut or with a coarse almond paste. Macarons come in a wide variety of flavors varying by store and season; ranging from traditional to exotic. At the Versailles Court in Paris, members of the Dalloyau family, whose descendants later founded the gastronomy house of the same name, served macarons to royalty in the then ruling House of Bourbon. In the 1830s macarons were served two-by-two with the addition of jams, liqueurs, and spices. The macaron known today is the "Gerbet" macaron, born in the 1880s in the Beleville neighbourhood of Paris. The double-decker macaron filled with cream that is popular today was invented by the French pâtisserie Ladurée.




MACAROONS


Macaroons are sweet foods made either with coconut and egg white or with a coarse almond paste formed into a dense cookie or confection. They are often confused (due to the very similar spelling) with the French Macarons which are entirely different in appearance. The English word macaroon comes not from the French macaron, but from the word maccarone, regionally used in Italy to refer to maccherone (kind of pasta, with a hole and a larger diameter than bucatini) - because almond macaroon paste is the same colour as macaroni pasta. Macaroon cookie biscuits often use egg whites (usually whipped to stiff peaks), with ground or powdered nuts, most commonly coconut but sometimes almond. Almost all recipes call for sugar, which caramelizes and provides body and a smooth, moist texture to the macaroon. If the coconut or other fabric used is very sweet, however, the sugar may be omitted. Macaroons are commonly baked on edible rice paper placed on a baking tray. A coconut macaroon is a type of macaroon most commonly found in the United States, although invented in Govan, Glasgow, Scotland. It is a conventional macaroon with a distinct coconut flavor and containing shredded dried coconut. They tend to be closer to a soft cookie than their meringue cousins, and about as sweet. Increasingly, coconut macaroons are dipped in chocolate, typically milk chocolate. Versions dipped in dark chocolate or white chocolate are also becoming more commonly available. Nuts are often added to coconut macaroons, typically almond slivers, but occasionally pecans, cashews or other nuts. In Australia, a blob of raspberry jam is often concealed in the centre of the macaroon prior to cooking.

PROMOTION!!!!

PROMOTION!!!

January 20th-23rd 25% off entire order!

Use promo code: BLOG11

~Thank you for all of your support~

WEE SHARE MACARON REVIEW

2010 Holiday Gift Guide Review: Karolina French Macarons


2:50 PM Posted by Carolina Girl Mommy

In this family, we love dessert time. In fact, we find it quite fun to enjoy a tasty treat before a meal as opposed to afterward. I know, I know... that isn't necessarily healthy. So, we don't do it too often. But, sometimes that sweet tooth gets the best of us and we indulge.

I am almost always up for trying new tasty sweets. After all, there just might be something out there I would absolutely love, but have never tried before. So, when I heard about the French Macarons from Karolina, I was thrilled to taste them.



Karolina has been creating their whimsical confections since 2008. The chefs behind these treats use authentic techniques and only the finest quality ingredients. They have had the opportunity to work with some of the finest pastry chefs in the world as the perfected the creations. They also seek to tread as lightly as possible on our environment. All chocolate is acquired through Fair Trade and is grown naturally in Venezuela.

We were able to try out each of French Macaron flavors offered at Karolina. We were sent the Macaron Petit, which contains 2 each of the 6 flavors of macarons.

Chocolate

Raspberry

Pistachio

Pecan Caramel

Cinnamon

Coffee

The French Macarons from Karolina are made from only a handful of ingredients: egg whites, sugar, natural almond flour, milk, cream, and butter. They ate completely gluten-free as well. All ingredients used to prepare the macarons are natural. Karolina macarons are prepared in the traditional Parisian style, sandwiching two light cookies together with a flavored cream or marmalade.

The box that the macarons arrived in was stunning. It was the perfect regal setting for such an elegant selection of sweets. Due to all the different flavors in our box, it was quite colorful. I had a hard time choosing which flavor to try first.

Ultimately, I went with Chocolate. The adorable little treats were almost too sweet to bite into... almost being the key! I bit in. I noted that the flavor was light, but you could definitely taste it. The outer cookie of the macaron provided a crunch, while the inner filling added some chewy goodness.

This holiday season, whether you are looking for a special touch for a holiday party or just want to surprise someone with a superb tasty gift, I urge you to check out Karolina. To ensure freshness, they are shipped quickly. So, you should have no trouble getting a tasty treat in time for the holidays!

Stay in touch with Karolina so you don't miss any exciting news!
Visit the Karolina blog
Stop by the Karolina website

No monetary compensation was received for this post. A sample of macarons was provided to me for review. All opinions expressed above are my own.

OAXACAN MOLE IS COMING TO TOWN.....

KAROLINA TO CARRY THE BEST OAXACAN MOLE AVAILABLE.

 WHAT IS MOLE?  (pronounced MOH-lay)

Chiles must be roasted, seeds toasted. The ingredients must be carefully blended and meticulously strained to ensure a smooth and creamy sauce.

"It's a slightly athletic sauce to make, and requires a bit of blind faith that all these different ingredients work together," said Smedstad, who travels with his wife, Azucena, throughout her native Mexico tasting mole and gathering recipes.

There is no definitive mole, but rather endless versions that differ from family to family, from region to region.

Every home cook seems to throw in his or her own secret ingredient. But make no mistake, when you encounter the real thing, the taste is beyond words," said Sandoval, a Mexico native who mixes animal cookies into his mole just like his grandmother did.

Mole, which comes from the Aztec word molli, meaning concoction or stew, is believed to have been created in the late 1600s by a nun in a convent in Puebla de los Angeles, outside Mexico City, to honor the archbishop for building a nearby convent. According to food historians, she spared no expense, using the best and most expensive ingredients to create the dark, savory sauce that grew to tantalize a nation.

CHICKEN MOLE

MOLE SAUCES

Today, Oaxaca has the reputation as Mexico's best state for mole, followed by Puebla and Veracruz. The famous "seven moles of Oaxaca" compose a rainbow of earthy colors such as black, brown, brick red, yellow and green. The region's most famous variety, mole negro, uses six kinds of chile, almonds, raisins, pumpkin seeds, tomato, garlic, onions, plantains, chocolate, spices, chile seeds, lard and more.

This is the hardest to make because you have to bring all the ingredients to the edge of burned, without burning. It's a fine line and one that cannot be crossed," Smedstad said.
Karolina will carry a Mole Paste. The paste is a intense sauce reduced into a paste. The paste is a simple way to create the sauce with stock to create the flavorful mole dish you remember.

Going through the markets in Oaxaca, you will pass piles of seasoning pastes in various earthy colors and flavors. Instead of having to spend days in your kitchen, you can reconstitute Mole Paste and make this ceremonial dish in less than an hour. Serve a generous portion of chicken, turkey, pork or a combination of the three with plenty of this sauce. Although some stalls sell many different kinds of pastes,
The most popular are Mole Negro, Mole Coloradito and Mole Rojo.


YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE MOLE DISHES AT HOME IN MINUTES IN PLACE OF HOURS!

MOLE PASTE

NEGRO         COLORADITO             ROJO





HOLIDAY FLASH SALE ONE DAY ONLY

OUR FIRST FLASH SALE WENT SO FAST WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER!

Karolina would like to say Happy Holidays with a special offer.

The first 10 orders of our French Macaron Gift Box

on December 6th will receive 50% off all products!!!

50% Off Everything - One Day Only
PROMO CODE: MAC

Offer valid ONLINE ONLY. Discount automatically taken at checkout. 50% Off

is applied to merchandise total, tax and shipping excluded.

Discounts taken on merchandise total, tax and shipping excluded.

Promotional offers cannot be combined with any other discounts or applied to past orders.

No substitutions, exchanges or price adjustments.

Offers are non-transferable and have no cash value. Mass distribution of these offers is prohibited.    

Karolina reserves the right to end these offers and may be subject to change at any time without notice.

MACARONS VS MACAROONS

What are Macarons/Macaroons? Most Americans are familiar with the coconut macaroon. I found the Macaron (with one o) in Paris all over the city. I would compare the popularity to the chocolate chip cookie of the USA. Both delicious, but very different. What is your experience with the discovery of the French Macaron?




MACARONS



Dating back to the 18th century, the macaron is a traditional French pastry, made of egg whites, almond powder, icing sugar and sugar. This sweet pastry came out of the French courts' baker's oven as round meringue-like domes with a flat base. Macarons, also anglicized "macaroons", are not to be confused with a similar pastry also called macaroons. Macarons are sandwich-like pastries made with two thin cookies and a cream or ganache between the cookies. Macaroons, on the other hand, are dense cookies made either with coconut or with a coarse almond paste. Macarons come in a wide variety of flavors varying by store and season; ranging from traditional to exotic. At the Versailles Court in Paris, members of the Dalloyau family, whose descendants later founded the gastronomy house of the same name, served macarons to royalty in the then ruling House of Bourbon. In the 1830s macarons were served two-by-two with the addition of jams, liqueurs, and spices. The macaron known today is the "Gerbet" macaron, born in the 1880s in the Beleville neighbourhood of Paris. The double-decker macaron filled with cream that is popular today was invented by the French pâtisserie Ladurée.



MACAROONS



Macaroons are sweet foods made either with coconut and egg white or with a coarse almond paste formed into a dense cookie or confection. They are often confused (due to the very similar spelling) with the French Macarons which are entirely different in appearance. The English word macaroon comes not from the French macaron, but from the word maccarone, regionally used in Italy to refer to maccherone (kind of pasta, with a hole and a larger diameter than bucatini) - because almond macaroon paste is the same colour as macaroni pasta. Macaroon cookie biscuits often use egg whites (usually whipped to stiff peaks), with ground or powdered nuts, most commonly coconut but sometimes almond. Almost all recipes call for sugar, which caramelizes and provides body and a smooth, moist texture to the macaroon. If the coconut or other fabric used is very sweet, however, the sugar may be omitted. Macaroons are commonly baked on edible rice paper placed on a baking tray. A coconut macaroon is a type of macaroon most commonly found in the United States, although invented in Govan, Glasgow, Scotland. It is a conventional macaroon with a distinct coconut flavor and containing shredded dried coconut. They tend to be closer to a soft cookie than their meringue cousins, and about as sweet. Increasingly, coconut macaroons are dipped in chocolate, typically milk chocolate. Versions dipped in dark chocolate or white chocolate are also becoming more commonly available. Nuts are often added to coconut macaroons, typically almond slivers, but occasionally pecans, cashews or other nuts. In Australia, a blob of raspberry jam is often concealed in the centre of the macaroon prior to cooking.