Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Laduree, A Paris Icon

Paris is graced with many mammoth iconic monuments. The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Louvre stand as symbols of the grand history of Paris. They echo the past and at the same time breath new life into the city of lights. These grand structures, however, are not the only gifts of culture to Paris. There is an even more splendid example of this city's bygone era. It is non other than the salon du the (tea salon). A salon du the to Paris was the acceptable place for fine women to go alone in the mid 19th century.
Laduree is one such place. The shop is named after Louis-Earnest Laduree, who in 1862 opened a pastry shop on the rue Royale. It was Louis-Earnest's wife, Jeanne who thought of combining the pastry shop with a cafe, thus making Laduree one of the first tea rooms in Paris. In the 1930's a second cousin of Louis-Earnest, Pierre Desfontaines invented the double sided macaroon that Laduree is so famous for. These little fluffy almond flour cookies filled with a cream middle is a delight that all should experience. Laduree has many shops in and out of Paris today. They still make their macaroons, but you can buy Jordan almonds, jam and tea as well.

1 comment:

Gotham Girls said...

stop making me miss Parissss.