In 2011, Ladurée published two volumes. There is, naturally, Sweet: The Recipes. And this Savory: The Recipes. I’ll post about Sweet in a couple of weeks. Today, it is savory. Proper eating order must be maintained!
I’ve been in Ladurée in Paris many times. And I never ate savory there. Not once. If you have been in Paris, you surely have walked by a Ladurée, famed for the windows filled with piles of elegantly stacked macaroons in a rainbow of colors appropriate for the season. I can’t escape having two or three with espresso. But I’ve been missing out, for Ladurée offers fabulous savory dishes as well.
This book features everything from little bites to meals befitting a royal feast. If you ever wonder why the French are famous for their food, then a journey through this book can easily explain it all to you. There is the clever combinations of ingredients, the shear wonder of the food ideas. And then the presentation. Here’s an example, a savory Napoleon made of goat cheese with green vegetables. How perfectly elegant:
The conversion of dessert to dinner continues with other recipes in this volume. Ever had Floating Islands? It’s a classic dessert with grand meringues sitting in a lake of Creme Anglaise. You begin to eat and you lose your ability to speak. It’s that good. Well, now imagine different islands and lake. The meringue islands are now cut open and filled with crab. The Creme Anglaise is replaced by red gazpacho. Yes, it’s now Floating Island with Crab and Gazpacho. I suppose, with that as an entree, you could follow with some appropriate dessert. Oh, Floating Islands? Too much? No, it’s fine. Just order champagne.
Here’s a sample of other most tempting recipes from Ladurée Savory: The Recipes:
Pearl Tapioca with Garden Fresh Mixed Herbs
Blini with Alder-Smoked Salmon
Casanova Salad with crab and matzo
Asparagus Salad with Parmesan and Hazelnuts
Chicken with Candied Almonds, Saffron Celery Root and Rhubarb Compote
Chicken with Rose Petal Jam and Sautéed Potatoes
Pan Fried Marline with Roasted Almond and Tomato-Basil Jam
Caramelized White Tuna with Soy Noodles and Fruit with Cilantro
Red Onion and Cherry Tomato Chutney with Goat Cheese Croquettes and Rosemary
Every recipe is accompanied by a lovely picture to give you just the image and inspiration you need for guidance. The ingredient lists are short, and most recipes have just one short page of instructions in four or five steps. You see that food beauty and just the few steps that will transport you into the third dimension with the flavors filling your mouth.
If you love quality food, with recipes that are intriguingly different, then you should buy yourself a little present, Ladurée Savory: The Recipes. The book itself has a soft purple felt cover and comes in that delicate pink box you see in the opening picture. It seems like a present. It is.