864 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(646) 558-3157
Look at the rain on the window! Still soaked, we walked eight minutes south from Lady M Confections to Ladurée. Howard hates wet and squishy socks, but he kept us on course (he loves me so). I was almost ready to give up. I just really wanted a hot shower and to change into dry clothes.
But, as it was our last day in New York, we weren't going home without visiting the newly opened and first Ladurée location in North America. We were going to get our Upper East Side on and try their famous macarons.
There was a bit of a line up there, but Ladurée had lots of helpful staff behind the counter. There were macaron towers on display around the entire shop. The famous Ladurée boxes - in pink and green. And do you spot the wall of ribbons?
We decided to get half a dozen of macarons. My colour of choice? The distinguishable green. I was absurdly pleased to finally be owning the box.
Howard said I should keep it as a jewelry box - yes... if I had jewelry (hint hint Howard).
It felt so dainty and precious to open the box and unveil the macarons!
From left to right: vanilla, raspberry, coffee, coconut, lemon, and morello and almond.
Other flavours we wanted, but were sold out that day: pistachio, chocolate, and salted caramel.
If you look at the photo above, you can see that the macarons don't look perfect. For some, the pied (feet) of the macarons were broken. Then, some had more fillings than others, this is also visible in the photograph.
I will admit, not getting to try the flavours we intended to and seeing the less than perfect macarons was a disappointment. I mean, this is the place for macarons, they are famous worldwide, and it just felt like there wasn't enough of an effort put into these dainty treats.
How about the taste? Ladurée recommends that you consume the macarons within three days after purchase and that they should be stored in the lower part of your refrigerator. We didn't eat them at the store (there is no seating there) and had to commute by subway back. We did our best to keep the little box of macarons safe in our bag, away from the rain. However, I think the humidity in the subway might have still gotten to it.
When we ate them that night, a few of the macarons felt soft, but we'll never know what the original texture was. We can say that the flavours were scrumptious. The vanilla and coconut ones pleasantly surprised us!
Wait, I'm not done yet! I picked up another treat at the store:
That's right. Ladurée's Sucré: The Recipes. This book was on my wish list last year, but I never found it in bookstores and was uncomfortable ordering it online. There is a French version, so make sure you get the English one if you can't read French.
Just like the macarons, the book is wrapped and nested inside a box.
With bated breath!
The cover of the book is wrapped in fabric! I would have never guessed that, it just makes it one of those books you want to touch.
The edges? Gold of course.
The Ladurée macaron recipe? Check!
The desserts still keep their French names, but don't worry, the instructions are in English.
Just adorable!
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