And my adorable friend, Alice Vasseur, wrote to say that I had to rush over to Laduree to see their new boxes
and the new pastries that inspired them. Laduree’s symbol is the religieuse, a sweet made from two cream puffs filled with pastry cream, glazed with fondant and decorated with the kinds of frills that would adorn a cardinal’s collar. Once only found in shades of chocolate and coffee, Laduree seems to be working its way through the Pantone color book. Also new chez Laduree is a line of almond-based beauty creams, some of which are packed in containers shaped like macarons. (I’m not sure if the cosmetics are available at Laduree’s boutiques, but they can be found at Le Bon Marche, the wonderful Left Bank department store.)
And, of course, I’ll be heading to Pierre Herme’s new boutique, Macarons et Chocolats Pierre Herme, on the rue Cambon (number 4), just steps from the Tuileries. The boutique’s official opening was September 20, but the shop was open in August when Joshua, our son, and I braved a rare Parisian thunder storm to buy up a rainbow of macarons.
The shop is small and, in terms of design, a mix of the handsome dark wood boutique on the rue Bonaparte and the shop-of-many-colors on the rue Vaugirard. I’m sure no one doubts that the lines on rue Cambon will be as long as they are at the other boutiques. I’ll let you know.
I’ll also let you know about Pierre’s new book, MACARON, the instant I get my hands on a copy.
Talk about a cover that looks good enough to eat …