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*** This post is picture heavy ***Big thanks to Nuffnang Philippines, I was invited to attend this event. I always get excited whenever I am invited to attend a food event at the Enderun Colleges (even if it's located way too far from our place) because I am not really used to eating French food, and each event at the Enderun Colleges allows me to discover more about the rich world of French Cuisine. I have already learned the art of cooking Bouillabaisse in one of their Discover Cuisine events, and today I am about to learn L'art de la Patisserie - the Art of Pastry.
Of all the cooking methods, this was something I know nothing about, except to eat it. Sure, when I was a kid my late father would try to bake a cake for my birthday using the pre-made cake mix one can buy at the supermarket, and that in high school group mates tried baking a chocolate cake which ended looking like a bread pudding, but now that I am a big foodie, I have never really tried making a pastry, simply because I still don't know if there's a pastry artist in me.
Yes, pastry is an art. The pastry artist doesn't just bake, he creates masterpieces. Come to think of it, pastry artists (well not everyone is a pastry chef, but there are a lot of people who creates pastry masterpieces, so altogether I call them artists) are a mix of different characteristics:
- Artist - who combines the vivid colors and different textures
- Architect - who balances different components
- Long Distance Athlete - who can withstand hours and hours of meticulous work
Today's class was headed by Chef Franck Geuyffroy (read: Gee-Fwah). He started his career with Christophe Felder at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris (after eight years of education in a French Culinary School), then honed his skills in pastries and desserts in various restaurants. In 1998, he won the tasting prize and became the Vice Champion for plated desserts in the Championnat de France du Dessert. In 2004, he became head pastry chef of Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris, then in 2010, he joined the Alain Ducasse Formation et Conseil as training chef and consultant, working on many projects in France and abroad.
Chef Geuffroy still can't speak fluent English, so for today's class, he didn't really demonstrate how each of the pastries and sweets were made based on the recipe, rather, he taught us more about the the technicalities in making a dessert.
He first showed us how he can make gorgeous masterpieces from a candy base. It started just like a pastry dough, and little by little he was able to mold pieces of warm candy base and turn it into flower petals and other embellishments. He also made a simple candy (kinda like the candy canes or lollies we are fond to eat during Christmastime), which we all sampled... but seeing how tedious the work was made me appreciate that candy. It looked simple, alright, but truth is, it is not that simple.
Finishing the candy masterpiece, he then showed us the pastries he created with the Philippines as his inspiration. The base pastry were French inspired, but his discovery of our Kalamansi and Coco Jam made him create different pastries - making him a true artist that he is.
After the presentations and our lunch at Restaurant 101, they gave us a quick tour around their pastry kitchen and one other kitchen - just to give us a glimpse of how students are preparing each of the dishes prepared.
We weren't served dessert while eating lunch, because there was a Dessert Buffet waiting for us in one of the rooms. They presented the pastries for pictures, then at the end of the table there were one of each of the pastries, sliced up, so we can just line up and ask whatever dessert we want to eat.
Presenting the desserts at the buffet:
Raspberry and Geranuim (left); Pineapple Peppercorn (right). I wasn't able to taste the Raspberry and Geranium, but the Pineapple Peppercorn I got to taste during the class. It tasted a bit like the "Belekoy," (if you're the same age bracket as I am, you'll know what a Belekoy is) - it had a good mix of tartness and sweetness.
Gâteau Basque. A traditional dessert from Basque country in the Southwest of France. It somehow gave me the feel of a bread pudding (just the consistency of the pastry, and tasting this, I instantly craved for a cup of hot coffee.
Intense Raspberry Chocolate Brownie. A rich concoction of chocolate brownie and raspberry marmalade. As the name suggested, it was intense. It had the pure taste of raspberries, and sadly, I am not a fan of raspberries so this I didn't really like, but Veronica, my seatmate at the class and also a blogger said it was her favorite. If you like raspberries, this is a good treat for you.
Paris-Manila. This is one of Chef Geuffroy's creation - combining French with Filipino. The base pastry called Paris-Brest is a ring of golden brown pâte à choux pastry that sandwiches praline cream and sliced almonds. This pastry however, had a filling made from coco jam and kalamansi zest. The coco jam gave it the nutty flavor and the kalamansi zest made it more interesting.
Citrus Entremet. A confection of coconut mousse, citrus crème, white chocolate brownie and grapefruit. This is a Chef Geuffroy's invention, for people who want to travel through eating a piece of cake. Of all the desserts served, this was my most favorite; eating a lot of sweet desserts then tasting something like this was a great change.
Tropézienne. A pastry from Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera, is a rich orange blossom water scented brioche that oozes buttercream. Both the brioche and the buttercream were lightly sweetened, so it was a joy to eat, and again, I was craving for coffee. Hahaha.
Caramel Candies. These were the Salted Butter Caramel and Coconut Candies, silky, rich with butter, the bittersweet edge of deep caramel tempered with a hint of salt and the tropical sweetness of coconut. There were two caramel candies served... this, and the Passion Fruit and Mango Caramel Candy, and both I liked as even if they were similar, they were different, too. A proof that with imagination, something as simple as caramel candy can produce a lot of different variations.
St. Honore. Has a base of puff pastry topped with a ring of small, caramel drenched cream puffs, and the center filled with clouds of whipped cream. This pastry was a slice of heaven! I loved it!
Citrus Marshmallows. Simple marshmallows with a hint of citrus, another great change from the usual sweet marshmallows we are used of eating.
Kouglof. A brioche-like coffee cake from Alsace-lightly sweet and studded with raisins. This, to me, tasted a bit like a bread than a cake, not only was it light in sweetness, it was also light to eat.
Enderun Entremet. A playful dessert of buttery shortbread, sour kalamansi, intense chocolate biscuit, ginger milk chocolate, and crunchy peanut praline. This dessert is what makes a pastry artist more of an architect. Carefully balancing all the elements to make one delicious dessert. There's a lot going on with this cake, but it was one heck of a dessert - in a very great way. This to me, tasted (and looked) a bit like the Louis XV cake, though this one had more components.
Fruit Salad. Obviously not a pastry, but this was served to point out that one must understand the basic of things before one explores and innovates. I wasn't able to taste this one, though, because my plate was already full of little cake slices.
The dessert buffet also had the Louis XV, which you can read more from the previous post.
Coffee and water were served, but I only went for water (even if I was craving for coffee), because I didn't want to eat that much (I am watching my food intake), and I felt drinking coffee might make me eat more than what I should. My top three favorites? Citrus Entremet, St. Honore, and Paris-Manila.
L'art de la Patisserie (the Art of Pastry) launches Enderun Colleges' 3-months Pastry Arts Certificate. The classes will start in November this year, and whether if you're a pastry artist who only whips up masterpieces for family and friend, or an artist who is already earning from it... if you still want to learn more about pastry, this class would be perfect for you. Students will be given hands-on instruction in basic and advanced techniques for mastering French and international pastries, confectioneries, and breads. Students will also be given opportunity to take further studies at Ecole National Supèrieure de la Pâtisserie, the pastry arts training center of Alain Ducasse Formation.
For more information about Enderun Colleges' Pastry Arts Certificate, and other courses, you can visit their campus at 1100 Campus Avenue - Mc Kinley Hill (Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City) or call Eveth Ella at 856-5000 loc 505, or visit their website.
My biggest gratitude to Enderun Colleges and Nuffnang Philippines for letting me travel to France through its wonderful pastries.
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