By Sandra Reynolds and Kiren Thandi
Blame Adriano Zumbo and THAT cooking show, but 2009 has seen the rise and rise of the pastry chef. And thank goodness for that, I say.
If a head chef is the conductor of the kitchen orchestra, then a good pastry chef is a true alchemist. Heating sugar to boiling point, measuring carefully all ingredients to precise amounts, understanding the tempering properties of chocolate, knowing how to emulsify and whisk egg whites to perfection and, crucially, understanding the chemical reactions that form when one food is added to another, underpins not just an art form but a technical mastery that leaves many culinary professionals wilting under the pressure.
All Eaten Up has been been keeping an eye on Pastry in Europe 09, a cookbook published by Culibooks in Belgium and co-edited by chef Joost van Roosmalen, who told All Eaten Up that Culibooks has been reporting on emerging trends in pâtissière in Europe for 15 years. Culibooks' passion for its craft sees a number of chefs collaborate in its own culinary centre, and staff travel Europe on a daily basis to report on the goings on in the culinary field. This has led to the production of a series of beautiful cookbooks and magazines such as Culinaire Sausonnier for industry professionals and consumer alike.
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And they certainly know what they're doing in Europe - "Most techniques you find throughout the world are originally from Europe," van Roosmalen told us.
"For centuries pastry has already been a part of the French, Spanish, Belgian, British and eastern-European cooking... Europe is the base for modern pâtissière all over the world."
Available through the company’s website for US$59, PIE09 is 256 pages of gorgeous, sexy and technically complex desserts, featuring the very best European pastry chefs and their art. These pages feature information about the chefs, their stories, their passions, their recipes and their art, supported by stylish food photography. The message is clear – be prepared to be challenged by what you know about desserts and to think outside the square. The depth and breadth of the recipes presented runs from one end of Europe to the other and features recipes packed with technical skill and gastronomic gadgetry. Forget bruleé torches – anyone seeking to adapt a recipe for use in a domestic kitchen needs to be able to interpret industry references and be able to adapt equipment to suit molecular gastronomy. Liquid nitrogen and thermoblenders may be required. Fear is not an option.
After drooling over the luscious photographs, I went in search of some of the recipes and came across a dazzling mango ‘yolk’ by chef Roger van Damme. Originally presented as part of an assiette on the theme of yellow, this features the deceptively simple ingredients of mango puree, algin, water and calcic.
Algin? Calcic? One creates perfectly spherical shapes – the other solution sets it, provided you have the pH factor just so. It’s seductive, this science business.
Alchemy indeed.
For those wanting the challenge, or even a very sexy coffee table book, this is well worth adding to your collection. It points the way to emerging trends from the undisputed leaders in the field – particularly those in Spain - and inspires imagination. The 2010 issue is released in January. I can’t wait.
Further Information go to
www.pastryineurope.com