Yummy #3: Macarons In Calgary

Hello Everybody:
Today I am going to introduce you all to a new dessert pastry that has recently emerged in Calgary. It is called a Macaron. Please do not confuse it with Macaroon, which are coconut rolled in egg white and sugar. Macarons are fairly popular in Paris, France. They are little cookie sandwiches made with meringue and almond flavor and filled with a fruity or praline filling. The place that I went to try out these cookies is called Yann Haute Patisserie. It is a small yellow house on 23rd Avenue SW (in Mission), located diagonally across from Mercato's and directly behind the Bank of Montreal.

Yann Haute Patisserie Exterior

When I first entered, it was sort of confusing with two white doors. Apparently the owners live upstairs using the door on the right. Customers have to use the door on the left to enter the main floor, which sold their pastries and bread. The moment I entered their bakery, I was immediately attracted to the colorful macarons that they have in their display. The lady who introduced me to the macarons and described each flavor that they have was extremely polite. Little did I know that she was the female owner of the place. Her husband was the baker behind these culinary cuties. Therefore, I bought 6 macarons just to try out the flavors. The flavors that I bought include Rose Lychee, Peanut Butter Jelly (PBJ), Pistachio, Hazelnut, Caramel Fleur-de-Sel, and Pineapple Coconut.

Macaron Display in the Shop

In terms of flavor, I really enjoyed the Caramel Fleur-de-Sel, Hazelnut and Peanut Butter Jelly. I will begin reviewing the Rose Lychee. It was fragrant with a light hint of rose extract on the red cookie part. The white cream in the center was mildly sweet with a small piece of lychee in the center. The green one throughout was the Pistachio. It tasted more or less the same as the pistachio ice cream you find within Spumone ice cream, not very catchy. The Pineapple Coconut was a little better. The beige cookie had coconut shavings and the center had yellow jelly rich in pineapple flavor. The tan color Hazelnut one was very tasty, it tasted like Ferrero Rocher, with the hazelnut cookie exterior and the hazelnut cream/nutella center. The purple Peanut Butter Jelly had a crunchy outer shell, where the real deal was the filling. It was creamy and lightly salted peanut butter and when you approach ther center, you would find blackcurrent jelly. I saved the best for last. It was the Caramel Fleur-de-Sel. It was tasty, with the filling that tasted like chocolate butter fudge. The yellow and brown cookies had a hint of caramel flavor.

The Six Macarons That I Bought

Overall, it was a great experience to taste a bit of Paris in Calgary. However, these cookies are the size of Oreo cookies or the center part of a toilet paper roll. They are priced at $1.80 (CDN) each, which makes them an extravagant delicacy. They should be consumed not so often except on special occasions. My box of six cost me a grand total of $10.80. Although this may seem cheaper than 1.50 Euros each from Paris, it is still quite expensive for such a small serving size.

Yann Haute Patisserie Address: 329 23rd Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta

Telephone Number: (403) 244-8091