Laduree, Paris

While I was in Paris, the only place I really wanted to check out was Pierre Herme. The moment I checked into my hotel, I went straight to concierge for directions on how to get to the shop.

I started explaining to concierge about how I was excited to try a Pierre Herme macaron, and her eye brow instantly raised. "Oh, you want macarons? You know, if you really want the best traditional macarons and cakes, Ladurée is where you want to go. If you want to try modern macarons, then go to Pierre Herme." After a bit more discussion, she finally convinced me to go to Ladurée first. I figured I could check out Pierre Herme afterwards.

If you're a food enthusiast, I'm sure you've read countless articles and posts about Ladurée. Laduree is most famous for their macarons. According to David Lebovits, the four shops in Paris sell 12,000 macarons a day. That's ALOT of macarons!

It turns out, macarons didn't always have that creamy ganache filling that you see today. They actually had no filling. The two macaron shells were joined together while still warm, allowing the shells to fuse together as they cooled. It was Pierre Desfontaines (second cousin to Louis Ernest Ladurée) that suggested adding a filling to this almond delight.

Today, once baked and filled, Ladurée macarons are set aside for 2 days before hitting the store front. This is apparently the perfect length of time to achieve the perfect texture and taste. It's all a science.

There was a huge line up outside the store when I arrived. After waiting patiently for 20 minutes, I ordered my macarons.

I had 6 different flavors: licorice, black current violet, orange blossom, caramel with salted butter, rose, and cherry.

Macarons

As you can imagine, the texture and flavors were perfect. Of all the flavors I tried, my favorite, surprisingly, was by far black licorice. The sweetness of the almonds and sugar, combined with the subtle anise flavor was a winning combination. The rose and caramel flavors were also high on my list.

Ladurée is very anal about taking photos in the shop. So many people got yelled at for taking out their cameras. I wanted to buy one of their cakes just so I could get a photo, but decided that was just crazy.

I may not be a cake fan, but I do love candy:

Candy from Ladurée

Candy from Ladurée

In the end, I didn't go to Pierre Herme. Like Ladurée, the line up was long. I was running late for my date - a boat tour along the Seine - and just didn't have the time to wait.

La prochaine fois, next time!

Ladurée
21 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris, France
Telephone: 01 44 07 64 87

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Paulette Macarons, Los Angeles

I have to confess, my breakfasts weren't exactly the healthiest on this trip. While I tried to feel bad about it, I just didn't care. How can you when there are so many amazing bakeries available? This past weekend, I ditched the whole wholesome breakfast idea, and packed my body with sugar and sweet goodies instead.

My breakfast Saturday morning was at Paulette Macarons.
My first experience with a macaron was awful. The cafe I was at sold me stale macarons that had possibly been sitting on the shelf for weeks. There was hardly any flavor, and the meringue part was hard as a rock. I had nothing to compare it to, so based on that experience, I hated macarons. Perplexed as to why people always raved about them, I decided these cute little desserts deserved a second chance.

Boy, am I ever glad I tried them again! The moment I bit into a Paulette Macaron, I instantly and fully understood why people are in love with these wonderful, little Parisian treats. Once you break into the hard meringue shell, you get this delightful sandwich of creamy goodness wedged in between a soft, chewy meringue.

I purchased a bag of 6, and wished I had gotten more. They are about $19/dozen, and trust me, it is worth the money!

This store was like a beautifully painted canvas, where the macarons served as the artist's paint. It was a colorful macaron wonderland in there. I wanted to slowly absorb everything the store had to offer before diving into my order.

Starting with the purple macaron and moving clockwise, here are the flavors I had: violet cassis, sweet wedding almond, coconut, Sicilian pistachio, Jasmine tea, and Colombian coffee.

Every macaron tasted exactly like what they were supposed to, and were bursting with flavor.

Below is my short personal rating. Since everyone has their own tastes, you'll have to discover these for yourselves.

Violet cassis: 4/5, a nice floral taste.
Sweet wedding almond: 5/5, I love almonds, so this rocked!
Coconut: 3/5, A strong coconut taste, almost a little too strong.
Sicilian pistachio: 3/5, nice flavor. It was very green.
Jasmine tea: 4/5, nice subtle flavors with a hint of floral taste.
Colombian coffee: 2/5, I love coffee but I just didn't feel the vibes.

If you can't make it L.A. but are in the Bay area, Paulette Macarons also has a store in San Francisco on Hayes Street.

Paulette Macarons
9466 Charleville Boulevard at Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, California, USA
Telephone: 310-275-0023

Macaron Flavors

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