The Kunafa Macaron at Pink Camel
(by Marriam Mossali for Oasis Magazine - Published in issue 18)
After Magnolia Bakery in NYC and Hummingbird Bakery in London infected their respective cities, the cupcake craze inevitably reached the Middle East. Starting in 2007, with Saudi Aramco school alum, Fadi Jaber, who opened Sugar Daddy’s in Amman, Jordan, to the trendy Munch Bakery of Saudi Arabia. The cupcake is rapidly sweetening the Kingdom at an alarming diabetes-inducing speed; we find our dessert options at dinner parties dominated by the American dessert. These sugar pushers are constantly popping up—from Kitsch Cupcakes in Beirut and Dubai, to Yummy Tummy in Riyadh; cupcakeries have become the Middle Eastern equivalent of a lemonade stand.
The Cheesecake Macaron
That is why the new French patisserie, Pink Camel, is so refreshing. A new alternative to our sugar addiction, Pink Camel caters to our inner dessert snob through its delicious assortment of melt-in-your-mouth French macarons.
The Marron Glace Macaron
While Pink Camel’s owner & pastry chef, Mayada Badr, is anything but a snob, her delicate desserts are quintessentially elitist. The macarons offer a refined satisfaction that is decadently indulgent and doesn’t leave you with binger’s remorse. The French confection, made with egg whites, icing sugar, ground almonds and food coloring, and filled with ganache, butter cream or jam, is not only très chic, but also gluten free!
Gingerbread Macarons with a candied Ginger center
It was only upon returning from Paris, where she earned her Grand Diplome from the renowned Cordon Bleu and interned at the leading macaron pastry boutique, Laduree, that Mayada decided she had had enough red velvets. She also realized there was a pronounced void in the Saudi dessert market when it came to high-quality French patisseries. It was then she decided to introduce her version of the high-end French patisserie to the Saudi market; and thus, Pink Camel was born.
Rose Macarons
Why the macaron you may ask, and not a crème brûlée or mille-feuille? “It all started with a macaron,” revealed Mayada. “The flavor was salted caramel, the texture was perfect, and after the first bite, I was hooked,” she continued, as if describing her first love. Yet her mom may tell you she knew all along her daughter would end up with a sugar fiend as she only craved chocolate while pregnant with Mayada.
"A rose before it blooms"...The rose macarons
“I have such a sweet tooth,” confessed Mayada; so much so, she usually orders dessert first. Even when her eccentric cravings cannot be accommodated, she plans her other courses around her dessert choice to make sure she’ll have room by the end of the meal. “At Pink Camel, we strongly believe in eating dessert first,” she reasserted.
Date and Cardamon Macaron
Mayada also decided to include a zero-calorie menu. Unfortunately not as sweet on your taste buds, these items are still concoctions saturated in indulgence. Handpicked from all over Europe, Asia and the United States, Pink Camel offers unique “gourmet” home décor collections, from pillows and handmade jewelry, to cake stands and even gourmet-scented soap.
The Peanut butter & jelly Macarons
“I like to indulge,” confessed Mayada. But not a reckless decadent, Mayada asserts that if she’s going to indulge in some serious caloric action, it better be worth it! “If I’m going to indulge, I’m going to really indulge and I don’t want to regret or feel guilty about it because the dessert wasn’t good!” It is for this reason that our perfectionist pâtissière is driven even further to elevate her macacrons beyond their count in calories.
Halawa Tahini Macarons
“Everyone’s tongue is different, just like a fingerprint; therefore, you need to always adjust recipes to suit people’s palettes,” stated Mayada, hinting to Saudi’s natural inclination to consume elevated levels of sugar. Thankfully, she has a fellow sweet-toothed soul mate to help her with that. “Thank God, I married a man with a good metabolism,” she lovingly jested, “Because I make my husband try all my desserts! It’s great because he’s an honest critic and I need that.” It’s no surprise then that it is often with the help of her friends and family that Mayada creates her unique flavors.
The Oreo Macaron
Aside from the usual chocolate and vanilla, eccentric flavors such as the tiramisu, Oreo, and cotton candy are star attractions at Pink Camel. “The peanut butter & jam macaron just reminds me of my childhood,” mused Mayada.
Pink Camel’s macaron cakes are not your average cookie cake. With signature options, such as Chocoron, a delicious confection composed of a chocolate macaron with a nutella and raspberry chocolate filling, Ispahan, a rose macaron cake with lychee and raspberry, and Le Pistach, a pistachio macaron and filling with Raspberries; Pink Camel offers some serious sweetness!
And not to worry, you don’t have to feel guilty for turning your back on our traditional Arab sweets; Mayada’s original Halawa Tahinia and Kunafa macarons have garnered general consensus as both being one of Pink Camel’s top five flavors! “I wanted flavors associated with the Arab culture and palette,” she revealed. Her Ramadan exclusives, Date and Coffee Cardamom, are further testaments to her seamless ability to fuse together innovative concepts to create a delicious end product. And with a scrapbook currently filled over 50 flavor ideas and suggestions, we can’t wait to see what’s next!
Visit www.pink-camel.com for more info.
Sweetly Snobbish: The Pink Camel in Oasis Magazine's 18th issue - Winter 2012
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