Look at what I've just been handed by Mother Humble, fresh from her flight across the Atlantic. A gorgeous box of Ladurée Macarons.
What do you think... chill and slice up some of the world's best macarons? Give the macaron fanatic bakers out there a good visual idea of how these are done when they're done just right.
Who is interested? :)
Or, I could just eat them. Immediately.
Photos are ready! Cut them all up and not a gap to be found. Perfectly executed (didn't expect anything less). This is actually my first batch of professional macarons where I could not find even one gap or hollow when subjected to the Global knife test.
I'm going to post a few of the photos in full-res, that way any obsessive baker types can click them and get a better idea of the texture of matured macs (though a couple of these were a hair on the dry side for my own tastes). There are relatively few photos of actual matured macarons on the blog. I usually photograph them the same day I bake them, so this should be helpful.
Top left: Vanilla, Top right: Raspberry, Middle Right: Salted Caramel, Bottom Right: Rose
Salted Caramel & Rose
Raspberry & Vanilla
Pretty darn perfect, don't you think?
Enjoy the photos, I'm going to go enjoy the cookies now.
I'd say dissect at least ONE, but eat the rest asap!
ReplyDeleteYou're so lucky!
JEALOUS! I would very much appreciate a close up of one of those lovely macarons, but don't sacrifice them all for the sake of drooling onlookers. Enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteCutting them up now (and nibbling on them as they come to room temp).
ReplyDeleteNice thing about this, they're rendered no less delicious by my cutting and photographing.
Lovely interiors, I'll update the post with some photos shortly.
All I can say is JEALOUS. I'm suprised you managed to even take a photo and make a post, I would have devoured half the box already... Enjoy!!
ReplyDeleteI went to see the Ladurée shop in London after my boyfriend bought me some for Christmas. I could spend hours peering through that window at all the gorgeous pastel coloured macarons. They're just so pretty
ReplyDeleteOh, golly. These perfect things look so far and high to be achieved by a novice "macaron-er"! Is there hope?
ReplyDeleteThose look delicious. I love the box though, too. I think I would keep it and put something inside it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous of you now - I'm dying for a taste for those perfect macarons!
ReplyDeleteI hade got some from Tokyo...But was a total disappointment. Dry, dry, dry... My box is pale purple, cute,cute, cute.
ReplyDeletehttp://piszke.blogspot.com/2010/11/ajandek-macaronnak_16.html
If you like the Laudree macarons the Swiss Sprungli macarons I think are better! I love when relatives come to visit and bring me a box from Zurich :) I did the same thing as soon as they were given to me. I took photos and put them on my blog! The recipe is pretty secret so I can't tell by what method they're made with.
ReplyDeleteDear Cupcake Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI might have to agree with you on the Sprungli macarons. They are really yummy. Sprungli and Lauderee are the macaron standards for sure.
The one thing I have noticed about Sprungli is that they must be eaten soon after purchase because they go soft fast. BUT the need for rapid consumption is not necessarily a bad thing!
I once ate about $20 worth of Sprungli macarons while sitting at the airport in Zurich. It was a serious public pig-out. But felt immune from public ridicule because as a foreigner I decided I was invisible. :)
I think Sprungli filling is based on fresh cream and Lauderee uses more buttercream. My theory is that the higher moister in the Sprungli makes them more moist but also causes a quicker breakdown of the macaron itself.
Ms. Humble was nice enough to share these from Lauderee with me yesterday. The best one in Ms. Humble's Lauderee box - in my Humble opinion - was the rose. Mmmmmm. I should have bought a lot more. I could have pigged-out in the privacy of my own home without fear of public ridicule or international incident.
I wish I could reach through my computer monitor and eat one of these! And I don't even know if I like macarons as I've never had one before. Pathetic, I know.
ReplyDeleteSo gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThey survived through the travel across the Atlantic? Good to hear. Did MotherHumble keep it in the fridge on the plane? I thought of bringing some of my own macs to my friend on the west coast with me on my next visit, but the 5+ hour plane ride worries me. Maybe there's hope?
ReplyDeleteThey held up very well on a 13 hour trip in her purse. The fillings were stable though and this helped a lot. I wouldnt truck around macarons with soft/moist/runny-when-warm type filings on long trips.
ReplyDeleteOther macaron smuggling runs have not gone as well for Mother Humble. She once tried to transport macarons from Switzerland to London. Due to the moist cream based filling, the cookies were mush before she arrived home. Very sad.
Currently in Paris. I tried some Pierre Herme macarons (for SCIENCE!) and they were NIGHT AND DAY compared to the only one place that sells them in my hometown and to what I make. PH is soft, light and fluffy, it disintegrates as it enters my mouth. The ones I make are considerably dry. Laduree is next on my list! It's good to know that they can withstand a 13 hour flight.
ReplyDeleteSome of the best macarons I have found stateside are not far at all from you. The next trip you make south to Portland must include a stop at Pix (http://www.pixpatisserie.com/collections/macaron)
ReplyDeleteOne of my most missed places to pig out, in public or at home, as nothing comparable is available in Austin.
I brought back a similar box of Ladurée macarons for my daughters when I came home from Paris last summer. It was the biggest hit of everything I brought back with me. Even down to the box, which they kept and now use to store their dress-up jewelery.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Yes, yes, lovely pictures. But what I have to just laugh at is how much you and Mother Humble sound alike in your writing voice. Goodness. Love it. :)
ReplyDeletei have to agree i just returned from paris, and they were the best macaroons ive ever had, daughter and i stood outside the shop and gobbled them all up!
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These look so perfect. I must have made macarons more than a few hundred times and they always come out hollow regardless of whichever method I use. sigh.
ReplyDeleteO, these one are delicious, but I've made my own and I can also enjoy eating them ;-)
ReplyDeletehttp://culinaryjourneybyme.blogspot.com/2011/03/french-macaroons-izziv-vsakega-pravega.html
After reading your post i had to take a picture too .. :D tho i didnt cut them .. does biting into them count ? My filling is on the thin side .. need to be more generous the next time i fill them ..
ReplyDeletehttp://dolce-cakes.blogspot.com/2011/05/macarons-revisited.html
Ms Humble,
ReplyDeleteI know you do a lot with fruit in your macaron fillings. Do you know in what form I should use passion fruit or lychee, please? I've looked online but haven't found any good info and I have no experience with either one. Would I use fresh, freeze dried? I've been told canned lychee are too sweet.
Thanks,
Kathleen