My mother just left Paris and a week's worth of visiting every inch
of every museum in that beautiful metropolis (she's German and truly,
German women visiting museums never tire!). When she asked me: "what
can I bring back for you?" -- the only thing that came to mind was a box
of the world-famous macarons from the most exquisite patisserie in the
world (in my humble opinion!) -- called Laduree.
Laduree was founded in 1862, and now there are several branches of
this beautiful shop around Paris (and there are now Laduree outposts in
Geneva, Monaco and London, but alas! - not yet NYC!). The main
specialty of Laduree are its macarons -- and they are not the coconut
confections that Americans are familiar with. No, they are crispy yet
moist almond confections that are basically an exquisitely
sophisticated sandwich cookie -- two sides, the insides moist with a
crispy exterior -- and with an interior of flavored ganache. They have
an array of incredible flavors and my favorite is cassis-violet. In addition, the
packaging is truly exquisite -- I would purchase the boxes alone!
The pastries there are also incredible -- I had one called the "Rue
St. Honore" and it was fluffy pastry with a heart of custard and an
inside slash of raspberry puree. The chantilly (whipped cream) atop
the pastry was flavored with rose, and the entire thing was topped with
a rose petal. Wow! Check out the website which will entrance you by clicking here!
I encourage you, if you are in any city in which Laduree has a
presence -- to have any meal there with, of course, a conclusion of
coffee and macarons or another pastry that suits your fancy. Then
pack your bags full of little boxes of macarons to return to the States
and keep your fingers crossed that Laduree will come to the US one
day!
