2.05.2009

Ladurée - Geneva, Switzerland

7, Cours de Rive
1204 Geneva
http://www.laduree.fr/

My very first macarons that I've ever tried were from Ladurée (brought over from Paris thanks to my cousin), and ever since, I've been on the quest for ones in the US similar to these heavenly Parisian round cakes. And finally! I got to experience these delicacies once again (and once again, they were brought over from France! Geez, I should really go to Paris myself and enjoy these macarons while strolling down the Seine).

Anyway, my dad just returned from shooting a wedding in Geneva, Switzerland, and I had given him Ladurée's address and a list of flavors. It was quite thrilling opening up the light green box again after so many years.
These round cakes are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside with a smooth and soft filling. Bakers at Ladurée's "laboratory" make the macarons every morning, but set them aside for 2 days before selling them to achieve the perfect balance between texture and flavor.

Ingredients include the precise amounts of almonds, eggs, and sugar. There are permanent popular flavors available (ie. chocolate and salted butter caramel), as well as seasonal flavors and temporary creations (ie. ice mint, apricot ginger, white amber).
The caramel au buerre salé (salted butter caramel) was a delight! When I took a bite, I just closed my eyes while I tried to savor every taste. The filling was so buttery and just melted in my mouth. This macaron has just the perfect balance of the salt, butter and caramel. My most memorable yet!

The pistache (pistachio) macaron was equally good in having the perfect taste and texture.
The cacao amer (dark chocolate) is light and bittersweet. The ganache filling was so smooth and not too sweet. As for the framboise (raspberry) and fruits rouges, I could tell they used real fruit that was fresh and not too overly sweet. I was even chewing on the fruit seeds. Not as impressive as the caramel macaron, but nonetheless, very delicious.
My dad bought these a day before his flight so that means it was probably about 3-4 days since these macarons were made. What I like about these macarons, is that they are crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. I'm not sure if the extra day made a difference in the crispiness. But nevertheless, the macarons still tasted perfect and I enjoyed every single bite!

2 comments:

Food, she thought. said...

This post has captured my interest in macarons so thoroughly, I am now planning on making macarons for the guests at my dinner party next weekend. I would like to borrow two of your photos, providing credits and links, if you don't mind. If you do, please let me know and I will take them down immediately.

TNT Adventures said...

Food, she thought - Please feel free to take any pictures that you would like from our site. I just took a look at your blog and noticed that those aren't our pictures. I wish I could take credit for those. Great post by the way. Good luck on baking those macarons. I would like to order a dozen from you. just kidding.