Ladurée

Paris, France (The Joy of Food) — I was introduced to Ladurée, and dare I say the finer things in life, on trips to Paris in my youth, when I was led hand-in-hand down the grand boulevards by my mother and given bites of the cloud-like little pillows of pistachio-flavored delights. 

I whined that I wanted McDonald’s instead, fresh and newly arrived to Paris and ready to invade the city with its evil yet novel burgers and milkshakes. The Americanization of Europe continued.

Many years later, Ladurée still reigns supreme, looking just as opulent as ever and manufacturing macarons that likely look and taste the same today as they did in 1862 when they first opened their doors. The Champs-Elysées store is now the largest and most visited, but the very first location of the brand was at 16 Rue Royal. It’s still there, not far from the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries. 

The macarons

Ladureé sets the standard for macarons in a city where eating well is a way of life. Two smooth, air-light shells envelop a layer of delicious ganache between, delicate with a slight crunch and chew on first bite that doesn’t crack or disintegrate. 

Pistachio remains my favorite, with a hint of nutty sweetness, bolstered by a rich filling of creamy ganache. The Marie Antoinette is also nice, a unique combination of black tea filling with hints of rose petals, citrus, and honey. It has earthiness like Earl Grey tea and sweetness like rose. Seasonal flavors like cherry and strawberry, though simple, taste like air rather than a piece of candy.

The pastries

Ladurée, operating as a full-scale tea room, bakery, and restaurant, offers lots more than macarons. If you queue up for to-go items, you’ll be shepherded briskly yet kindly through the line. Your eyes will feast on miniature cakes, croissants, and other glorious pastries, all fresh and all costing a million dollars. And while the presentation of anything at Ladurée can only be described as flawless and too pretty to eat, somehow I seem to make the sacrifice.

A pastry of pistachio mousse (Macaron Pistachio Mousse) might catch your eye, a glistening cake of pistachio mousseline cream, almond-pistachio feuilletine, roasted pistachios around the perimeter, and a pistachio macaron biscuit garnish. 

The passionfruit raspberry tart (Tarte Passion Framboise) may call your name, a modern twist on the French classic. The passionfruit adds a hint of sweetness where there would typically be lemony tartness.

If you dine-in, you’ll have the full table-service experience in luxurious rooms that look like something out of Versailles, each serving as a lovely backdrop for lunch, dinner, or high tea. Ladurée hosts tourists from around the world; its employees can usually accommodate speakers of other languages, including English.

Even the foyer, with its shiny checkered floors, marble tables, and artfully painted ceilings, should be a hint that they’re not selling gummy bears out of plastic bins. Discount buyers beware; this place, a self-described boutique and salon, is the Louis Vuitton of the sweets world and does not come cheaply.

The brand

Ladurée is a pastry shop, but it is also a luxury brand, and the pristine downright matchy-matchy aesthetic of everything produced here is no accident. No matter where you are in the world, the macarons look and taste the same. 

A little-known fact is that Ladurée’s macarons are not made fresh in-store. They’re actually produced in a factory in Switzerland, then put into a “hibernation state” and flown to their 100+ locations across the world. Producing them centrally is how they can ensure quality-control and ingredient consistency, making it so every macaron in every store tastes and looks the same whether you’re enjoying them in Paris, Tokyo, New York City, or Vancouver.

Whether or not these details ruin the mystique and tarnish the halo of Ladurée is a personal decision. “Hibernation state” is code for “frozen,” although none of Ladurée’s public relations people would ever utter the f-word. Ladurée may be synonymous with tradition, but the business model behind their enterprise is less artisanal and more industrial than one would guess. 

Even with so many outposts of Ladurée throughout the world, the Parisian stores always hold a special allure. After all, it’s here that I learned from a young age that a bite-size cloud of air is just as much a thing of art as it is a thing to eat.

Written by Joy

Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.

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