Ladurée Macaroons

When Louis Ernest Ladurée opened his bakery on 16 rue Royale in Paris in 1862, the great fashion of the Second Empire was increasingly numerous and luxurious cafés. The Ladurée brand didn’t quite get tongues wagging yet, but the La Madeleine neighborhood where it set up shop was rapidly growing as a number of French luxury artisans flocked there. In 1871, a fire ravaged the bakery. But instead of getting discouraged, Louis Ladurée rebuilt his boutique and transformed it into a pastry shop. Painter Jules Chéret was put in charge of the decoration. By taking inspiration from the techniques used for the paintings on the ceiling of the Paris Opera House, he brought relief and depth to the walls. Known for his light style, inspired by Watteau, he adorned the pastry shop with plump cherubs, notably the “Pastry Angel” that would later leave its mark on Ladurée’s entire graphic presentation. At the turn of the century, cafés were still the place to be and location of the most prestigious rendezvous. It was in this era that Jeanne Souchard, Ernest Ladurée’s wife, had the idea to turn her husband’s pastry shop into a fashionable address by creating what would be one of Paris’ first tea salons. Never before seen, it also had the advantage of being able to host women in complete freedom. Louis Ernest Ladurée’s grandson Pierre Desfontaines would open a salon on the boutique’s 2nd story in 1930.

But Ladurée is known throughout the world first and foremost for its macaroons. Originally round and flat, these tiny cakes saw themselves transformed into a gourmet treat whipped up by Pierre Desfontaines, who brought them together two-by-two and topped them off with cream. Recognizable thanks to their pastel colors, they became the brand’s cornerstone product, an emblem even, so much so that they even made an appearance at tea time in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. Soft and sweet, the universe of Ladurée is available in every shape and size for  each and every taste. Powdered with purple rice, in a line for the body with almond odors and scented candles, the brand is cultivating a romantic, almost juvenile, femininity. Ladurée is not lacking in imagination however and continues to reinterpret itself through new collaborations. They’ve been able to cozy up just as well with Chantal Thomas as with Alber Elbaz or Christian Louboutin to unite the pleasure of the taste buds with that of the eyes. In 2012 for the Queen of England’s Diamond Jubilee, the brand ditched its pastel colors in favor of the Union Jack adorned with a crown to make for a special box imagined just for the occasion. A success that’s lasted since its it creation, Ladurée is an exquisitely greedy little pleasure that you can’t help but succumb to.