Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Good news for my East Coast readers!

A taste of Paris is now in your backyard!

Ladurée, the originator of the divinely delicious macaron, is now in business in New York!

For those of you who don't know, the macaron is not to be confused with the Passover-approved American coconut macaroon (which, I do also love, year-round).

No, the French macaron is more refined...someone once called them "man's greatest confectionary achievement." (Okay, that person was me...) They have an exquisite texture - lightly crisp, chewy, and creamy all at once.

I first experienced macarons two years ago when I was interning in Normandy at L'Association Culture et Patrimoine du Pays d'Auge. I took the train to Paris where I met my freshman year roommate E., who flew in from Berlin (where she was interning) to meet me. At the advice of her sister, we somehow found our way to Pierre Hermé, Ladurée's main competitor in Paris.

We were so enthralled with Pierre Hermé's macarons after the first bite that we resolved to try Ladurée's as well!

[Here's Emmie with Pierre Hermé's Ispahan - the "cookie" part is rose-flavored, the cream filling is rose and litchi flavored, and it's garnished with whole fresh raspberries and a real rose petal on top!]

After our Pierre Hermé-Ladurée taste comparison, we decided that we liked the slightly-pricier Pierre Hermé offerings better. But Emmie and I are unabashed foodies, and we loved Pierre Hermé's more exotic flavors, like jasmine, olive oil, and rose petal. I have lots of friends who swear by the original Ladurée.

So go check out their New York store on the Upper East side and see for yourself!


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