Laduree were founded in 1862 by Ernest Laduree and very quickly became famous for its superb luxury tearooms, these were some of the only places where ladies in Paris could enjoy a cup of tea and pastries whilst being out in public. The pastries of Laduree were among some of the very best in the world, while Laduree made several different types of pastry it was their luxury macaroons which were the most popular among Parisians. Their superb macaroons were known as the "Louis Vuitton" of pastries and Laduree went on to own boutiques in London's Harrods and the Burlington arcade in the UK and in Geneva. Today Laduree are world famous for their luxury macaroons, the small round cakes are very crisp on the outer whilst being smooth and soft in the middle, some of the very best and one of the most famous creations to come from Laduree.
The macaroons of Laduree came about after Pierre Desfontaines; the second cousin of Louis Laduree had an idea during the 20th century of taking two shells made of macaroon and welding them together with a filling of delicious ganache. Today the small luxury cakes are made fresh every morning in the "laboratory" of Laduree. Some of the very best pastry chefs carefully measure out precise amounts of the finest almonds, eggs and sugar before adding one of the main ingredients "the know-how" that is essential to Laduree's recipe. Once they have been mixed and baked the luxury macaroons are then kept for two days before they are put on sale as this according to Laduree is the only way to achieve the balance between the textures that that the company is famous for. At the start of each new season a brand new flavor of macaroon is created, with the starting point being the existing range as one of the most important things about the macaroons is the variety of colors.
The Macaroons from Laduree come in colors such as purple, mint green, lemon, brown, biscuit and pink. In 2008 the flavor for autumn was "Jasmine mango" and in the spring of 2009 it was "Bergamot", new flavors are "cherry" and "apple", these are just a few of the delicious and superb macaroons on sale. Others flavors include vanilla, rose pistachio, blackcurrant violet, caramel with salted butter and liquorice lemon.
Laduree are also famous for their seasonal flavors such as "fig and date" and "chestnuts". If you love macaroons then Laduree’s is the place to be, it is an Aladdin’s cave full off warm rich smells of chocolate and sugar, each bite leaves you wanting more and more, they are simply a superb luxury.
More info
© Passion4Luxury 2012
