Yesterday I visited Laduree on Madison Ave (& 71st) before going to my Empire Guild meeting in NYC. It was fairly busy, being the day before Mother's Day, but it was actually fun standing in line as everyone chose their flavors. And what a beautiful store this is. I was a little disappointed that there were no tables where you could enjoy some tea and macarons but I brought mine to Rockefeller Center and sat outside near the skating rink.
As you know, I'm learning how to make French macarons. It was good to experience the "ultimate" macaron so I know what I'm aiming for. They have one called Rose. It actually tastes just like a tea rose smells. It was more amazing than delicious. But amazing is good too. One is called Lily of the Valley. I've never seen that offered as a flavor. Same with Lime Basil.
It seems that all the flavor is in the filling. The shells are colored and they have a wonderful light and chewy texture, but they don't contribute to the individual flavors. The Vanilla is light and heavenly. And the Lemon (Citron) is awesome too. They have 30 flavors, but at any one time there are about 12 available. That keeps customers coming back to see what's new.
There's a Laduree in Dublin, Ireland too. I plan to visit in June.
Here's my latest batch: Hazelnut (Nutella filling). The batter was a beautiful bright pink at first, but it turned very pale with baking. Maybe I need a different kind of food coloring.
I hope you have a very sweet Mother's Day.
Oh my goodness I just went to Paris and ate some of these (caramel ones were my fav) and I just found out they have a branch here in London. Yay!!
ReplyDeleteOh my looks like you got a good batch this time...very lovely on the china
ReplyDeleteplate. Are yours as good or better than the bakery cookies?
Happy Mother's Day :0)
Lovely and yummy looking, mmm.
ReplyDeleteI'm growing a Lemon Basil herb plant this year, and it really does taste like lemon and basil. It smells like it too. So far I've only used it in salads, but it is really good. When the plant gets big and has more leaves, I'll make some Lemon Basil pesto sauce.
ReplyDeleteThere is also a basil called Chocolate Basil. I've never had a chance to try it, and I'm not sure I want to!