Before we left for London I told my mother that I wanted to be sure to visit Harrods. I'm sure she was taken aback: we never go to Harrods. But I had discovered that Harrods was home to a London branch of the Parisian pastry-shop Laduree. I wanted macarons.
As it turned out, on our first full day in London, we walked by a second Ladurée shop-- this one much closer to our hotel-- in Covent Garden. Ladurée created the double-decker macaron. Macarons are delectable. Unlike the American conception of a coconut-y hard cookie, French macarons are two slightly crunchy cookie shells with a layer of flavorful ganache in the middle.
I think I first had macarons at Alex in Las Vegas. The hostess handed Emily and me some pastry-cookies in a package on our way the door, but we were too stuffed to take much notice. I opened mine later, at the Vegas airport, and was suddenly wafted away to food heaven. Since then, I've longed for a good macaron. I've tried a few here and there, but they've never been quite the same. So I figured, why not go to the creator of the macaron? So, Ladurée. Now, had I known, there was a Ladurée in New York City I could've visited, but I didn't know. Thus, London!
Shall I describe the taste of a vanilla macaron or a rose petal macaron? Each is incredibly delicate-- the vanilla is soft and sweet, like the best Italian gelato you've ever tasted with a slight crunchy texture. The rose petal tastes just like England-- despite the fact that it's a French dessert. It tastes like afternoon tea and delicate floral china. The orange blossom, too, and the violet each have their charms. By the end of the trip, even my mother couldn't get enough of macarons.
So if you ever come across a Ladurée, or a small French pastry shop that you know does amazing food (because macarons are very hard to make well), I suggest you try one, just a bite. You might never want a pie or cupcake again.
(This is not a sponsored post. Ladurée doesn't know me and I paid for all my macarons. Photo found here.)
Must find a french pastry shop asap. Those look so amazing! (And beautiful.) Hope you've had time to rest/read in between all of your exciting traveling!
ReplyDeleteOHMYGOODLORD. I had never heard of French Macarons before this summer, but I finally tried one like two weeks ago and I wholeheartedly agree with this post.
ReplyDeleterose ginger is my favorite! But actually, isn't Laduree owned by a British firm now? All the more appropriate to snag them in London. =) I got a silpat sheet for baking macarons in Giverny that I've been meaning to try out (my friend Katie and I were making them together the last two years). Let's see - when are you back again? =)
ReplyDeleteMy breakfast suddenly seems very sad in comparison... =)
ReplyDelete