the taste of unfamiliar places

When I met up with my friend, little did I know that he had brought back an edible surprise for me. Laduree macarons!



Miraculously, they survived the trip from New York to Toronto...and then some. (How was I to know they were hiding in the giftbag as I rather carelessly tossed them around while shopping downtown?)

Left row (top to bottom): orange blossom, chestnut, lemon, raspberry
Right row (top to bottom): rose, chocolate, caramel, pistachio

I'm not a macaron connoisseur by any means (as I've admitted before) but I'd always heard people rave about Laduree macarons.  And, they lived up to their reputation. All of them were lovely - prominent and distinct flavours with excellent textures. However, the rose macaron was amazing and hands-down my favourite.

Just look at this beauty with its delicate outer crust, chewy texture and generous amount of filling! Mmmm...

Surprisingly, I wasn't too impressed by the caramel but I thought the chocolate was the perfect balance of sweetness. (The pistachio was also a standout...but I forgot to take a picture. That may or may not be interpreted as me shoving it into my mouth before said picture could be taken....)


Honestly, these were such a sweet gesture in every possible way from my friend. Perhaps the best part was that I'd never even mentioned macarons to him before! It's funny how your friends just end up getting you exactly what you want :)