During my summer 2010 Parisian pastry binge, I think I visited Ladurée just about every day for 3 months. They opened earlier than everyone else, and I loved to get my morning kouglof and pain aux raisins cannelle. They made the perfect appetizer, because I’d usually also pick up a pastry or two – you know, just for good measure. From their Fraisier Pistache to their lemon tartes and various religieuses, there was always something to keep me well-entertained.

Now the big highlights for most people at Ladurée are the macarons. Much as I loved the larger elaborate pastries in the main case, I adored those macs, too. The fleur d’oranger was a regular addition to my boxed assortment. I couldn’t get enough of the réglisse either; I love licorice. The cassis was also rarely left out of the lineup. And the other must-have tended to be the focus of today’s review, the Macaron Pétale de Rose. What’s the experience of enjoying one? Well . . .

Much as with every Ladurée macaron, the shell is quite delicate, crumbling readily on the first bite. And while in some Ladurée macs the filling is subtle enough to allow you to pick out some of the almond tones of the shell, that is so not the case here. But that’s a good thing. You’re almost immediately hit by a creamy wave of honey-toned sugar that gives way to eminently robust rose notes. Even as you chew, those honey-like elements never seem to quite slip away. There’s just this spry dance of sweet and floral – the latter never becoming too perfumy or overpowering. It’s also perhaps too easy to eat a sleeve of these little ladies, given the fairly light texture of the crème within. They are a delight.

You might have noticed that there’s something a little peculiar about the feet on these. Those hooves are separating from the outer part of the shell. This is not only pretty common among Ladurée’s macs but also among many in the city. I should just do a blog entry on macaron feet/shells one day so that you can all see how imperfect most of the shops’ work is. Only Café Pouchkine tends to make theirs exactly like you imagine. Pierre Hermé and Sadaharu Aoki are also quite adept. Hugo & Victor, too, achieves pretty fair consistency. The rest . . . not so much. And I only say that to make you feel better if you try making them at home and they don’t turn out quite right. Even the greatest pastry shops in Paris can’t manage picture perfect macs, delicious though they’ll still be.

So, yes, the Ladurée Macaron Pétale de Rose is an excellent addition to your next assortment. I’ll stop short of giving my highest macaron praise, which is to recommend purchasing a box purely of one parfum, but I will give these the ½ box recommendation. You definitely don’t want to buy just one and then be inconsolably depressed there are no more to enjoy. Snagging at least 4 should do the trick.

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