After our afternoon at Fortnums & Masons’ Day Spa, Lulu and I went to Laduree across the road.
The gold leaf interior reminds me of Gustav Klimpt and adds to the hedonism of macaroon heaven!
These are the flavours we chose: Lulu chose 2 Pistachio Macaroons; for Pat, 1 Chestnut & 1 Pistachio,
I chose 1 Licorice and 1 Red Berries; for Benedict, 1 Chocolate & 1 Coffee.
What is the appeal about Macaroons? The answer I believe is the sensuous texture - a gentle bite leading to a melting inner core, in combination with a flavour which is a clear reminder of a particular food, resulting in, for example a Pistachio, originally small hard crunchy nobbly, which has been TRANSFORMED into a rampantly smooth, creamy Macaroon OR a Licorice Macaroon which has progressed from a chewy stick into something delightful with a delicate texture.
The metamorphosis is similar to perfume, the essence of an original substance transformed into a diaphanous liquid.
There is a Laduree tea house in Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, and here’s a photograph of what I chose on their tea menu recently:
MMMMM! Say hello to my “Framboisier Pistache”, the English translation in the Laduree menu describes it as an “Almond sponge cake soaked in Kirsch syrup, pistachio cream, fresh raspberries, caramelized meringue and raspberry jam”…
