French Teas Series - LADUREE

The first time I experienced LADUREE was on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. I went in for the pastries that had rose petals on the outside and rose essence on the inside! I soon discovered another floral glory there when looking at the list of teas. They offered a Violet tea that was a mix of black tea and Violet flowers and essence. This was a heavenly combination with the rose pastries. They also make a Rose tea for your floral enjoyment. In conjunction with the release of the movie Marie Antoinette directed by Sofia Coppola in 2006 they started offering a special tea blend by the same name which includes extracts of rose, jasmine, dried fruits (such as lime and orange) and a touch of honey with black china tea. One other floral treat I discovered was a Rose Petal Jam that is sheer bliss and not to be missed. The tea salon in the shop is covered in Belle Epoch styled velvet furniture and chandeliers that evokes a more elegant era and the beautifully designed packages let you take some of that feeling home with you.

At the writing of this blog ordering from LADUREE directly from France to the US was not an option but some US vendors and independent entrepreneurs on eBay have made these items available.

I'm not going to quote any prices here since the range will be too wide depending on timing and source.

The Perfect Cup

There is a company in the UK that makes the perfect drinking cup for your morning cuppa. Dunoon.

I love a real french Limoges porcelain tea cup to drink out of - don't get me wrong - but when it comes to pouring something really hot into it you must be very careful or it will crack. Our grandmothers knew you had to take a small amount of hot water and swirl it rapidly in the cup or pot before filling it to prevent this. It can be really really tricky.

So on the days you don't feel up to this challenge or you just can't go for the price of expensive porcelain thats when you turn to these guys. Dunoon uses porcelain that is double and sometimes triple fired porcelain so you can add boiling water straight into the cup without danger. The reason you want porcelain is because there is something about it that makes the drink seem brighter and crisper than with other materials. The thinner the porcelain the more pronouced this experience is.

Dunoon can be found here in the US by vendors that specialize in imported teas or tea cups and coffee mugs. I got hooked on them for their artistry when I was vacationing in the UK and fell in love with their wonderful selections. They do beautiful floral designs as well as historical and furry themed motifs. They run about 10 pounds UK each, which is about $16 US dollars at the time of this writing. They will last you forever, are beautiful and light to the touch!

A Loaf of Bread ...

Sometimes something so simple as a beautifully made loaf of artisan bread can fill your heart with a sense of well being. When you add some European style butter to it, it becomes a short journey into Ecstasy! They cost about $4.50 each but can last long enough to make that a good value.

After seeing the movie The Julie/Julia Project and then reading both Julie Powell's book and the Julia Child's book My Life in France where there is an unbelievable amount of talk about butter I had to go in search of the perfect butter and the bread to go with it. I chose a locally made Seeded Rye bread that was still warm from the ovens and picked up the french butter President to spread on it. And while the french butter was delicious I feel that the Irish butter Kerry Gold has a lighter whip to it and can be better for breads and pastries.