Laduree and me..

I have visited Paris 4 times now I think and have been in love each and every time. The beautiful architecture, the people, the parks, the museums, the "tower" (as my daughter calls it) and then there are the sweets.... oh the sweets! My heart truly loves the sweets!! When I am there I cannot get enough of the croissants de chocolat and tea. But most of all I love Laduree! It is my dream....

Their little bits of heaven are just what I need and I cannot wait to get to one of their shops each and every time! I usually will visit more than one shop during my stay. I always plan on bringing these fantastic macaroons home in their beautiful little boxes to my loved ones, but sometimes they disappear and I have to run back just one more time before we leave for the airport. My favorites are the caramel, chocolate, raspberry and the lemon..Yumm!

If you have not heard of Laduree it is amazing (did I already say that?). They have multiple shops around Paris and each is outfitted in beautiful shades of pale pink, lavender and mint green. There are stripes and gold accents all over. On my last visit I had the pleasure of having Tea with my cousin in the Laduree Bonaparte in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés - we had tea and an assortment of macaroons. Just lovely- next time I will come hungry though their food looked wonderful!

This is the story of the Macaroon according to Laduree....

These small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle, are the most famous creation of Ladurée.

The story of the Ladurée macaroon starts with Pierre Desfontaines, second cousin of Louis Ernest Ladurée, who at the beginning of the 20th century first thought of taking two macaroon shells and joining them with a delicious ganache filling.
The way of making them has never changed since that time.
These small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle,
are made every morning in Ladurée’s “laboratory”. The pastry chefs measure out very precisely the required amounts of almonds, eggs and sugar, before adding one final ingredient, a pinch of unique “know-how”, essential to the making of such a delicacy. Once cooked and filled, the macaroons are put to one side for 2 days before going on sale, the time it takes to achieve a perfect balance between texture and flavour.

With each new season, Ladurée pays tribute to its most famous creation by creating a new flavour.
The existing range of macaroons is always the starting point when a new one is created, as the variety of colours is as important as the range of flavours and a vital part of their appeal.

Unfortunately my love affair with them will only have to be on when I travel to Paris or London as they have not graced us with a store in the states! You can find out more about them on their website here.

I suppose I always have See's here in California to help fill the void until I visit Paris again!

My Sparrow

all photos from Laduree as well as the story of the Macaroon