Laudree Macaroons

I don't know if you can order them online, but be aware that they don't keep for very long. That may be why they don't sell them online.

They sell them on line but only throughout France and Corsica, I think.

Laduree.

Galleries Lafayette in Berlin sells Laduree macaroons.

Thin

Williams-Sonoma sells their own on internet and catalogue; very pricey but I imagine they are very good.

They taste so much better when they're fresh and when you eat them in Paris.

My girlfriend & I brought Tupperware & bubble wrap (always pack that) to take them home a few years back. They froze quite well, and we were enjoying them months later! Of course nothing is as good as enjoying them fresh in house, but this was the next best thing! They were still mighty scrumptious.

P.S. To get them home as fresh as possible we waited until the end of our last (full) day to purchase them.

I thought I read very recently that they were going to be producing them in the US soon..

Meanwhile, you can try these mail-order macaroons:

http://tinyurl.com/9vtqbe

Slo - I love that! The tupperware is a great idea.

Last year the day before I left Paris I went to the local bakery and asked him to make and set aside a dozen pain au chocolate for me to pick up at 7 a.m. My teenaged son was VERY happy with his present.

..I just remembered: Laduree is supposed to be opening a shop at the Plaza in NYC. Not sure if it will come to pass or not.

Hi, I said it before, actually they are so easy to make.
The macaroons I mean. I understand time is an issue
but it is so simple, if you like ask for recipe...
THis is a recipe that was created by French nuns during the French Revolution in the XVIII because they needed money and I guess had no flour... This is a recipe also easy to do with children that wish to do bake something..

You can get them in London, in Harrod's and also a shop in Burlington Arcade I think.

I would have to put them in a chastity belt with lock and key in order to get them home without eating...

Okay, Graziella5b, I'm asking!

Recipe for macaroons, please.

And thank you!

I LOVE the Tupperware idea!!! On our last trip we thought we would find some at the airport to bring home. We were out of luck on that, so this time I am planning ahead. The tupperware makes so much sense!

Forget the Tupperware and buy yourself from Lock & Lock boxes, which are the absolute best for keeping air They come in all shapes in sizes, too. I bought my first several at Target, but the easiest way is to order them on line.

MacarOOns are actually coconut; what you want are macarOns, quite a different cookie.

Underhill - yes, it's the coconut macarOOn recipe I'd love to have. Last year in Chamonix, the bakery near our apartment had them.

My favorite coconut concoction is the pyramid. I've got a recipe for that, and it's terrific, too.

Underhill--Thanks I had not heard of those before so looked them up. Saw there is an "air" one. How does the mechanism work to keep the air out?

I brought some back for my husband and doubled bag them tightly in Plastic and they were fine when I arrived home. He loved them. I also bought two different jars of yogurt. Because the plane was cool they were ok.

Ok, here goes the recipe, it is very simple, fool proof, the only thing you need is aprox 3 hours to let them dry at room temperature...

ALMOND MACAROONS

1 3/4 ground almonds. ( get sliced almonds and ground them in a food processor or similar)

1 1/3 cup sugar

3 whites ( organic eggs)

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon almond extract.

Powdered sugar as needed


1.Combine ground almonds with half the sugar.

2. In a different bowl add pinch of salt to the egg whites.Then gradually sprinkle in remaining sugar
while beating continuously, with egg beater. Continue
beating until the mixture becomes firm and gleams.

Add almond extract. Spoon in the almond sugar mixture (1) . Slowly and gently mix well.

That is for the first part.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, With the help of two teaspoon put walnut-size balls of the final mixture on the
baking sheets. Be sure to leave sufficient space between each one. Dust generously with powdered sugar ( use a wire colander or similar for dusting).
Once done let them dry at room temperature for aprox 3 hours.

After that, place immediately on middle rack of an oven preheated
275 degrees for 30' allowing them to dry more than bake. They should become BEIGE . Remove immediately from baking sheet. Dust again with powdered sugar and allow to cool. That is all.
Sounds more that it is, does it not>?

Good luck.

Ok, here goes the recipe, it is very simple, fool proof, the only thing you need is aprox 3 hours to let them dry at room temperature...

ALMOND MACAROONS

1 3/4 ground almonds. ( get sliced almonds and ground them in a food processor or similar)

1 1/3 cup sugar

3 whites ( organic eggs)

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon almond extract.

Powdered sugar as needed


1.Combine ground almonds with half the sugar.

2. In a different bowl add pinch of salt to the egg whites.Then gradually sprinkle in remaining sugar
while beating continuously, with egg beater. Continue
beating until the mixture becomes firm and gleams.

Add almond extract. Spoon in the almond sugar mixture (1) . Slowly and gently mix well.

That is for the first part.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, With the help of two teaspoon put walnut-size balls of the final mixture on the
baking sheets. Be sure to leave sufficient space between each one. Dust generously with powdered sugar ( use a wire colander or similar for dusting).
Once done let them dry at room temperature for aprox 3 hours.

After that, place immediately on middle rack of an oven preheated
275 degrees for 30' , allowing them to dry more than bake. They should become BEIGE/LIGHT BROWN . Remove immediately from baking sheet. Dust again with powdered sugar and allow to cool. That is all.


Good luck.

mms,

The Lock & Lock boxes have clamps on all 4 sides, with a seal that runs underneath the lid. Once the clamps are...well, clamped, there's a very tight seal. I have a large box that keeps romaine lettuce fresh and crisp for over a week, and others for mushrooms and such. Some are sandwich-size, others just right for leftovers.

Underhill--Thanks

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but the posted recipe does not include coconut....I thought the Laduree macaroons everyone raves about were COCONUT macaroons?

Coconut??? Laduree has many flavours of macaroons--vanilla, chocolate, rose, cherry, pistachio, etc.

Are you thinking of those coconut macaroon cookies that are sold at the supermarket??? Laduree macaroons are NOTHING like that. NOTHING!!

Thin

Just quoting:

Underhill - yes, it's the coconut macarOOn recipe I'd love to have. Last year in Chamonix, the bakery near our apartment had them.

And:

iMacarOOns are actually coconut; what you want are macarOns, quite a different cookie.


So are Laduree Macroons, macaroons or macarons?

http://www.laduree.fr/public_en/historique/histoire_macaron.htm.plus.htm

http://www.laduree.fr/public_fr/historique/histoire_macaron.htm.plus.htm

Ladurée's website uses Macaron in the French webpage, but Macaroon in the English webpage.

Macaroon is just the English word taken from the French word macaron, that's all. I think both came from an Italian word.

Now in the US, there is a custom to have a different recipe, but the words themselves don't define things.

YK, thank you! I was definitely thinking of these:

http://tinyurl.com/2gewvn

Rather than these:

http://tinyurl.com/68wkjh

I happen to love the former, so I can't wait to try the latter!!

I can still remember the moment I first bit into a Laduree macaron. The explosion of delicate flavor on my tongue was just incredible.

There is a pastry/chocolate shop in Boston's South End that sells French macarons, but those were far inferior to Laduree's.

I have NO DESIRE to eat American macaroons (the coconut ones). It's like comparing button mushrooms to black truffles.

Well, I like button mushrooms too!

sf7307- so do I. I didn't write that to insult you or anyone, rather as an anology that the American coconut macaroons are very, very different from the French macarons, even though they have the same "name".

I could eat a dozen chocolate macarons right now.

The correct spelling in English is "macaroon."

See NY Times article:



http://tinyurl.com/6dc9no

If you use the French spelling, you need to italicize, as yk has done.

In any language, they are great!

BTW, does anyone know if there are places in Manhattan that makes a decent French macaron, as good as Laduree? All this talk is making me crave for some... I will be in NYC in mid-March, and would like to get some if they're worth the $.

I was wondering the same thing about San Francisco?

yes, the closest I have found to the quality of Laduree macarons in the states is at Macaron Cafe in midtown:

Macaron Cafe
161 W 36th St
New York, NY 10018
(646) 573-5048
www.macaroncafe.com (not a very helpful site...)

They have them in an incredible array of flavors: deep chocolate, pistachio, violet, berry w/ vanilla ganache, saffron, caramel, etc.

They are really good. In fact, now that I'm thinking of them, I may have to stop and get some on the way home...

The extremely expensive Maison du Chocolat in NYC offers Laudree quality macarons.

I

The Laduree or Laduree-type macarons are little sandwich cookies; the recipe given by Graziela is not for that type.

A few years ago Gourmet magazine had an article with recipes, but I can't find it on Epicurious. Someone may still have the issue.

Dorie Greenspan in her Paris Sweets book says," If, when you hear the French word macarons, you think of all-American macaroons, the hefty mounds of sweet, chewy coconut that are sold more often in boxes off supermarket shelves than piece by piece in fine bakeries, then you might have a problem understanding why Parisians are almost cultish about these cookies."

We now have a Laduree in Lausanne too

I can't help you with San Francisco, but there's a bakery in Sacramento that does macarons. I'll have to hunt up the name.

As Grazielle said, they are VERY easy to make. This is the recipe that I sort of follow:

http://www.grouprecipes.com/63201/laduree-style-macaroons.html

Here is a recipe from David Lebovitz's blog. It's very good.

Johanna

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2005/10/french_chocolat.html

Hello, I do not wish to iniciate a discussion about Macarons, but it happens that in return for a gift of macarons a friend sent me :" Un amour de macaron by Stephane Glacier", and also I have eaten a few macarons in Paris.
I guess we are all correct in way because although we all know that usually in Laduree macarons are like small sandwiches of different flavors, it is ok to call those that are ( one piece) not like a sandwich a macaron. Of course because I make them with two spoons in a very amateurish way they do not come out perfectly shaped like in Laduree or other commercial shops. Actually what I like the most of my macarons is the amateurish shape. If you do not believe me you can google for "Un amour de Macaron" the book I mentioned and you will see that in the cover there is a picture of 5 macarons , four are the sandwich type in different colors and the other one looks like the home made type.
Certainly I did not give swisshiker the recipe for coconut cookies...please...
Having said this BON Apppétit.yk thank you for saying there is a confusion with the name depending if one uses English or French.

Graziella and Grazie, both of those recipes call for parchment paper on the cookie sheets. Do you know if that's just to keep them from sticking (in which case, can I use Silpat sheets instead) or do they help with the "drying"?

My favourite kind (it's not in the recipes I've listed) is caramel with fleur de sel. So decadent!

sf7307, you know, I am a totally amateur cook. I do not even know what Silpat is...I buy the parchment paper in the super market .
.Sorry.

I hope you are like me
doing something with my hands for a change gives me a great pleasure.The no-sandwich macarons or macaroons
are delicious and a lovely gift, I only wished to share the recipe with others. I am glad it seems you are going to give it a try. Good luck.

Travel 2live2,

I also love fleur de sel, but I am sure everybody will be relieved ... I have no clue how to make it.

Yes - you can certainly use Silpat. I have used both Silpat and parchment paper. I used to use brown paper bags when I made them as a kid!

Graziella, thank you for the recipe. I think I'll try them out this weekend.

Interesting thread about macarons vs. macaroons.

I still like coconut macaroons, tho. No, they're not the sandwich variety, but nonetheless they're quite delicious.

YK:

In NYC, try Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center, or Madeline French bakery on West 23rd Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues. Not as good as Laduree,but very good just the same.

http://tinyurl.com/bgfonv

Graziella, I'm a totally amateur (and amateur-ish, too) cook also, but I found and love these for baking cookies - no cleanup required:

http://www.silpat.com/

I actually don't use this brand -- Mine are Matfer Exopat and i got them on Amazon.

Sorry for the diversion elcon, but since you CAN'T get them in the US, I figure we should all try to MAKE them!!

Escrunchy-

We sampled the madelines and other things at Madeline Bakery and it was fully disappointing.

you don't make fleur de sel, you buy it

My favorite caremals with fleur de sel are by Jaques Genin. He sold out of his home but several months ago opened a shop in Paris.

A: I agree that Madeline is not nearly as good as Laduree.
But that, along with Bouchon which I liked much better, appears to be the place that people here recommend. Madeleine has lots of fans on Chowhound. I did not try the one mentioned by the editor above, Macaron Cafe--have you tried that one, in the West 30s?

I just read in Vanity Fair that the plan to open Laduree at the Plaza broke down..

No I have not tried the Macaron Cafe but next time I am in the area I will do so.

The other disappointing bake shop is the one on the northwest corner of Union Square, I think it is called Tisserie. While everything looks appetizing, the pastries and breads are a shade above mediocre.

cigale chanta, Is your posting an innocent remark regarding fleur de sel, or a tiny lecture?.... in any case I thought it was obvious I was making refernce to fleur de sel caramels which are universally known and
obviously they are MADE and can be made at home too.
Fleur de sel is included among the ingredients....they are indeed delicious.

here is another one -- And you do not have to have tons of time!!!

The recipe:

Makes 12

1⅓ cup of blanched almonds, toasted
⅞ cup of superfine sugar
2 egg whites
½ tbs almond or vanilla extract
confectioner’s sugar, for dusting – optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Reserve 12 almonds for decorating. In a food processor fitted with metal blade, process the rest of the almonds and sugar until finely ground.
2. With the machine running, slowly pour in enough of the egg whites to form a soft dough. Add almond or vanilla extract and pulse to mix.
3. With moistened hands, shape the mixture into walnut-size balls and arrange on the baking sheet.
4. Press one of the reserved almonds onto each ball, flattening them slightly, and dust lightly with confectioner’s sugar. (I did not do this last time and the cookies still came out great)
5. Bake the macaroons for about 10-12 minutes until the tops are golden and feel slightly firm. Transfer to a wire rack. Cool slightly, then peel the cookies off the paper and leave to cool completely.

To toast the almonds: Spread them on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until golden. Cool before grinding.

Who ever interested, here is recent picture of our homemade macaroons
http://burlaki.com/blog/2009/01/12/almond-macaroons/

I think, I'll go and make it now!

On a recent episode of The Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten made fleur-de-sel caramels; you can get the recipe at her web site.

I have some free time tomorrow, and it's going to be raining, so macarons for sure and maybe caramels, here I come!!!

matroskin, do you still have some macaroons left?
the look toooooo yummy.

Has anyone taken a cooking or baking class in Paris? I came across this through a RS posting.

http://tinyurl.com/btvslw

Class description:
Macaroons class NEW!

You will prepare from scratch 3 kinds of macaroons, using seasonal and fresh ingredients only.

Pino will guide you through the recipes and will show you some of the great tips he learned along is 10 years of experience as Pastry chef in France, Italy and USA.

You might prepare that day a chocolate Macaroons, a Raspberry macaroons and lime and rosemary (for example)

All the macaroons you do (around 3 dozens) will be to taken home with you.

OMG, that macaroon class sounds so good!!! It is on Tuesday mornings, which is the day we arrive. I am going to see if I can make it work for DD and myself

Personally I would not spend any money for something that is really simple, even if you try the chocolate macarons or other different ones, for the chocolate I believe that they are similarly prepared. Taking for instance the recipe several of us have listed here the only thing you have to do is mix 4 tables spoons of flour
into the almond-sugar mixture. Melt 1 1/2 ounces of good chocolate over low heat, then allow to cool until lukewarm. Continue as in the basic recipe and fold the chocolate at the end.
I am sure the recipes for other flavor are no big deal.

Of course cooking classes are fun the only thing I meant is that macarons are so easy to make that I do not justify a class for only macarons. But of course I am sure he can teach great Secrets that might make the class fun and useful.

I have a Laudree box from my trip to Paris last March. I swear, I can still smell the macaroons. I even kept the tissue paper they wrap them up in.

Sacramento, CA sources for macarons (the sandwich kind, not the coconut):

Le Petit Paris, 1221-19th Street; Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, 1801 L St., Suite 60; and Hawks, 5530 Douglas Blvd., Granite Bay.

The recipes listed are not the same type that you find at Laduree. The Macaroon class does make those kind however, and that is what I think would be a lot of fun I have been in contact with them and they can do a class that works with our dates. DD thought it sounded like a lot of fun too, so I will let them know we are a go for it!

Well, I made the recipe listed. Either I let them "dry out" too long, or they were just too dry for my taste by design (also too sweet, for what it's worth). Aren't they supposed to be "dry" on the outside, but "chewy" on the inside?

sf7307 - the outside should be dry but not bone dry. the inside should be soft.

That's what I thought yk, and they definitely were not - - they were bone dry throughout, so I'll have to try again. Thanks.

Look wht I found - it's about a year and a half old, so probably not entirely "current", but I'm sure it's a good start:

http://tinyurl.com/bbrveq

The March/April 2008 issue of Teatime Magazine had the following recipe. (I haven't tried it. If anyone does, I'd appreciate a report.)

STRAWBERRY MACARONS
(Makes 40 to 54 cookies, 20 to 27 sandwiches)

1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1-1/4 cups almond flour*
3 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 4 drops red food coloring
Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl. Blend in almond flour.
3. In a large bowl, and using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat egg whites until foamy; add salt. Slowly add granulated sugar; blend until soft peaks form. Add vanilla extract and food coloring, being careful not to overmix.
4. Gently fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
5. Gently fill pastry bag with mixture. (No tip is necessary.) Pipe batter into 1- to 1-1/2" rounds on prepared baking sheets.
6. Bake until bottoms of cookies are just set and tops are only slightly firm, about 20 minutes. Do not overbake.
7. Remove parchment sheets from baking sheets immediately after removing from the oven. Allow cookies to cool completely on parchment sheets.
8. When completely cool, spread a thick layer of Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling on the flat bottom of a cookie. Sandwich with a second cookie; repeat with remaining cookies. Reserve any remaining filling for another use, if desired.

*Almond flour is available at specialty culinary stores or online at Amazon.com.

Note: If possible, prepare cookies one day before serving to allow Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling to set fully.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FILLING
(Makes about 1-1/2 cups)

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup strained strawberry preserves

In a large bowl and using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Sift confectioners' sugar into mixture. Add vanilla extract and preserves; blend until smooth.

Do not overbake.

I think this is the part I missed

There is a bakery in Santana Row, in San Jose, that sells great macaroons (the French ones). I believe it is called Fleur de Coco.

My <<francaise>> French teacher thinks the macaroons from this bakery are almost as good as the ones in France.

I cannot compare as I have eaten almost everything in France except a macaroon. Maybe in March...

Well, I just had my first ever macaron, from Miette in the Ferry Bldg. in SF. They only had pistachio, which I happen to love, so that was fine. Let's just say these are a far cry from the ones I made over the weekend -- not even in the same universe!! It was delicious, a little "crispy", but still soft on the outside (meaning if you pressed it with your fingers, it was pliant) and soft/chewy on the inside. I am hooked -- and since I have absolutely nothing to compare this to, I just have to assume (given the universal adoration here) that the Laduree version are even that much better!! Can't wait to try them.

sf7307 - this is all YOUR fault. I got this huge macaron crave after reading this thread for the last few days, so today I went to buy some from LA Burdick in Harvard Sq. People on chowhound praised it as having authentic French macarons.

Ughh! I wasted $9 on a dozen of them. The filling, IMO, was too chewy and stuck to my teeth! Perhaps I remembered wrong (those with fresh Laudree memories please correct me), but I thought the Laduree macarons fillings were lighter and more like cream instead of a chewy paste.

Waiting to see my doc today and in the waiting room picked up Jan. issue of Martha Stewart's Living; there was an article and recipe for French macarons, although she called them macaroons. They were the sandwich type, though.

yk, I only bought ONE COOKIE (for $1.50 though). (OT - do you live and/or work in Cambridge?)

I probably should have gotten 6 instead of 12. At least they were only $0.75 each, but they are on the small side. I don't get to Havard Sq too often, so that's why I decided to get too many than too few.

I should have known when the shop assistant told me that the macarons were made at their sister store (in Walpole, MA), then delivered frozen to the Cambridge store twice a week. The Cambridge store thaws them according to demand. My guess is that the freezing process destroys the texture of the filling.

No, i don't live or work in Cambridge... we are a bit farther West of the city. There's no easy public transportation for me to get from my home to Harvard Sq, and parking is always a major headache there, so I don't go to H Sq as often as I would like.

although she called them macaroons. They were the sandwich type, though.

Those are the French macarons.

Yes, Auduchamp, that was the point of my post; perhaps I did not word it in a manner that came across that way.

I wish to point out that in 1792 when two Carmelites nuns sold macarons in France to suport themselves, they become the "macaron Sisters".Macarons where to enter in Paris history.
The macarons they made were a simple combination of ground almond, egg whites and sugar. NO SPECIAL FLAVORS. NO FILLING. JUST 100% cookie.
It was not until the 1900 that Pierre Desfontaines of Parisian pastry shop and cafe Laduree decided to take two coockies and fill them with ganache. So in a way those saying the vero French macaron is a sandwich are right after the XX century and indeed they are the Laduree Macarons kind but those saying it is a simple cookie are also right refering to macarons before they were "changed "by Laduree.
Is this important>? Guess not but it can teach all of us a lesson that things are not always black and white.It is not easy to be in posecion of the total truth.
May be because I an old enough to have tried the macarons in Laduree in rue Royale and also the simpler version ages ago with my father. He used to love them and we used to buy them I think it was in a pastry shop located in Rue Montorgueil when the Halles was still in existance.

The word in English is macaroon! If you want to discuss the "other" type of macaroon, you can refer to "coconut macaroons!"

Nora gorged herself on macaroons in Ibsen's "Dollhouse." I just remembered that.

Thin

I haven't had macaroons from Laudree in Paris, but there is a small French bakery in San Francisco that has some that I think are wonderful. From the descriptions here they sound very similar. They make them in a variety of flavors, chocolate, rose, raspberry, pistachio, cassis, etc. Its Patisserie Philippe, 655 Townsend, right near the train station. I highly recommend them!

san francisco chronicle had this article in last weeks paper.
sorry that i do not know how to do the small url.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/10/FD1I17CUG2.DTL&hw=macaroons&sn=001&sc=1000

dd and i think a macaron tasting is warranted this summer.

I thought you'd all enjoy this article that appeared this morning in the San Jose Mercury News.

http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine-headlines/ci_14240313?nclick_check=1

Since my first attempt at macarons was so pathetic, I'm thinking of going to the class!

Macarons and Macaroons are NOT the same thing.

The recipe provided above is not a recipe for classic double-sided French macarons.

Macarons may have a simple recipe (egg whites, sugar, almond powder), but are in fact very tricky to make successfully.

Check out this site for instructions and illustrations:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2005/10/french_chocolat.html

If it took chef David Lebovitz close to 8 tries to get them just right, they can't be that easy to make!

Although I was adamant earlier in this thread about French macarons all being the Laduree sandwich type, my trip to Alsace in the fall proved this to be not altogether correct. In that part of France I only saw the type of cookie that we refer to as macaroons here in USA, made with either coconut or almonds. And these are infinitely easier to make than the Laduree type, which I have never attempted but their reputation as being tricky to make precedes them. But they are indeed, IMO, the best!

grandmère, there are indeed different types of macarons made in France. Macarons made in Normandy, for example, are not double-sided like the well-known "Parisian-style" macarons invented by Ladurée in the 1930s. But unlike macaroons known in North America, they are all generally made with almond powder, not shredded coconut.


http://www.chocoparis.com/laduree/

The coconut ones were sold in all the little shops lining the main street of Riquewihr. I was surprised to see this.

I have seen the coconut variety called "rochers" since that is kind of what they resemble.

And yes, I think the caramel/fleur de sel La Durée flavor is my favorite.

Didn't have time to read through the entire thread, but FYI you can now buy frozen macarons at Trader Joe's, in vanilla and chocolate flavors. They are absolutely yummy.

Our local bakery, Provence, in Nashville but I haven't tasted them yet. Saving that flavor for when I go to Paris on March 14th!!!

Anyone who's in Paris this week will be happy to know that free macarons will be on offer chez Pierre Hermé and others on Macaron Day - March 20th (next Saturday).

http://www.chocoparis.com/2010/03/jour-du-macaron-macaron-day/

A Laduree has recently opened in Zurich. Just off Bahnhofstrasse:

Ladurée
Kuttelgasse 17
8001 Zürich
Switzerland

gruezi

Looks like Keith and I will have a place for a snack when we are in Zurich this August. Will also try Sprungli.

Thin

Not clear whether Laduree stores will be participating in this Macaron Day event or not. Does anyone know?

bette33, the website lists Pierre Hermé, Jean-Paul Hévin, Sadaharu Aoki, Laurent Duchêne, Arnaud Larher as participating shops in Paris.

I have had these cookies at Bouchon, in the Time Warner bulding, and find them an excellent substitute for the Laduree ones. Everyone in my family has different favorites, from chocolate, to pistashio, almond, and we were excited when we 'found' them in Columbus Circle. I've seen the Laduree ones in the airport in Brussels, and several places in London. They are not at all like what we call macaroons, but are a light, sandwich cookie. Enjoy!

François Chocolate Bar (François Payard) at Mauboussin Jewelry - 714 Madison Ave. 4th floor New York, is also listed as a participant in the U.S.

Thin,

Sadly, the Laduree is not a sit down cafe like in Paris - just a shop...This was a big disappointment to my girls and I as we eagerly waited for the grand opening But do walk down the nearby Augustinergasse. One of my favorite little streets in Zurich - at Christmas it is total charm - sure it is lovely in summer too.

Spruengli is a real institution. Worth a self guided tour of the chocolate shop downstairs and then the pastries upstairs (warning Swiss pastries always look better than they taste). Filled with old Swiss couples... very busy. You want the one on Paradeplatz not one of the small shops around town...I have heard the little bar downstairs is a place for rich older women to get picked up. Isn't that a hoot? In summer you can sit outside for coffee or an ice and watch the crowds go by...

If you want the best Latte Macchiatto (sp?) however, head down the road two blocks away from BHstrasse to the Nespresso.... And for the best Bellini even inside of Italy go to the Baur Au Lac (Rive Gauche restaurant/bar in bad weather - the terrace in good).


gruezi

Guezi, we are staying at the Baur au Lac, so it is great to know that I must order a Bellini whilst sitting outside and eyeballing the shoe choices of the other guests.

Thank you for you help. You are very nice.

Thin

The Washington Post had a few macaron recipes today in its Food Section. This could save us thousands of dollars in airfare.

There's an official website for the NYC version of Macaron Day (Saturday, March 20) with a list of all the participating pastry shops:

http://macarondaynyc.com/participants.html