A Lousy Necronomicon

It’s never pleasant belabouring a point. Yeah, I know I sound like a broken record…or perhaps a badly made remix, just to nudge that saying genty into the 21st century. I say that, and yet I can’t help but flog the proverbial dead horse that yes, I am a shitty person when it comes to recounting travel and food experiences. It’s not that I don’t have things to say. There are quite a number of uncompleted entries under my drafts, but they are not so much unpolished gems as half-resurrected undead zombie blogposts, undead minions which will never torment the cyberworld because I can’t seem to revive those memories. Yeah, I’m a crappy necronomicon. Heck, maybe that means they were never all that memorable in the first place, eh?

Among my other feeble excuses is the one where I am messing around in the kitchen. Now, the whole instagram thing seems to have passed me by, and I never got the habit of taking pictures of what I made. But in lieu of my posts that are yet-to-come, I thought hey, why not, eh? After all, I’ve been trying out some new things for a while, and this is as good a time as any to share em.

I’m a big fan of the show Qui sera le prochain grand pâtissier? Yes, this comes from a guy whose knowledge of French is limited to terms like mille-feuille, gougère, and boeuf bourguignon. Whatever. Google Translate is my sensei, and I am his humble student. Unfortunately, I should practice my piping skills a little better, because I definitely made Yann Menguy’s Brownie Chocolat turn out like, well, kind of like shit. It still tasted damn good, though.

 

Frankly, though, I’m not sure how this dessert was supposed to work. The soft mousse hides a chocolate-covered ice cream centre, kind of like a Magnum or those chocolate covered soft served cones they serve in McDonald’s. I mean, it sounds cool in theory but is really quite silly. There’s no elegant way to eat it, and it ended up being seriously messy. Then again, it might simply be a case of me screwing up the recipe.

Here’s Amaury Guichon’s Finger Praline, cheekily made with the brownie remnants of the above dessert. Yes, it was a shrewd, calculated deliberation to try making two desserts which utilise the same base component.

There must be something wrong with me, because I took a look at the original and went what is THAT piped on top of the thing?! Either I have strange artistic interpretations of food, or the French seem to think stuff in swirls that bear a striking resemblance to, erm, bodily waste is classy. Frou-frou name aside, this is really just a classed up brownie dressed with a praline ganache and a simple milk chocolate mousse. Very french, I suppose. Très chic.

The anglaise core of the first dessert and the brownie components left a lot of whites, and I wanted to do something simple and stand-alone, instead of macarons which will just invite further work to make the ganache. Enter chocolate crinkles.

And just to have something to balance the chocolate, here was a rather sorry attempt at mimicking Mori Yoshida’s Beige tart, one of the best non-classic pastries I’ve had on my trip and something which I vow to share about. I don’t get why this guy isn’t more popular. I mean, I get the fuss about Sadaharu Aoki but really, there’s more than one name in Japanese-French patisserie doing good work. This guy is a genius, and his flavours are phenomenal. Hell, come to think of it, it’s quite an insult to say that what I did resembles his in any way or form. Interestingly enough, inexpertly applied yellow glacage looks like melty cheese. There will come a time where I would want to achieve the same effect, and I will fail spectacularly.

My housemate came up to me the other day while the chocolate crinkles were in the oven. He took one whiff, then looked at me and groaned. You are killing me. I’d find it hilarious, if he did not have a sore throat and ate everything regardless. Sometimes, I think I am…

Idle Hands

It’s been a long time, and offering any kind of excuse would be somewhat pathetic. What can I say? Spending hours twiddling my thumbs gets in the way of productivity. Before long, inertia sets in and I pretty much start loafing around like a proper sloth. Yes, it’s the holidays again! And I’ve certainly been luxuriating in one of the last few times I can, well, wake up and stress over the long day I have ahead with absolutely nothing to do.

 

Ahh, the woes of being a full time student.

That said, school holidays for me also mean low-budget gallivanting around Europe, and I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to visit Switzerland. And what a trip! It’s no coincidence that I planned my trip to coincide with the annual Salon du Chocolat in Zurich. I even managed to snag VIP tickets to the opening ceremony, which meant front row seats to the mind boggling chocolate fashion show…

Seeing chocolatiers do their thing…

And, oh, some chocolate, of course, plus some pastries…

Fine, a lot of sweets. Aheh

It’s been fun.

Brussels Patisseries – Nicolas Arnaud

But gosh, that was a long hiatus.

I would put the blame squarely on Chinese New Year and other festivities, but everyone knows that’s long come and gone. I guess it can only be a good thing that I’ve been too caught up with activities that a notification from WordPress to my email could jolt me back to this little journal of mine. Fact is, much has happened and I can’t quite make up my mind whether my path ahead looks promising or depressing. But that’s for another day.

Today, I talk about cake.

Yes, despite this excursion having passed quite some time ago, I’ll be damned if I can’t even finish what I was determined to achieve before I set out on my patisserie crawl in Brussels! It’s a good thing that I jot down much of what I feel regarding the goods as I devour them; yes, it attracts some seriously strange stares every now and then, but I like to think it makes for a more meaningful gastronomical experience. Besides, it comes in handy in times like these when I only bother to write ages after the visit.

On rare occasions, though, there are places memorable enough that it leaves vivid memories. Patisserie Nicolas Arnaud is definitely one of them – anyone can tell that this exquisite little patisserie in Ixelles isn’t your run-of-the-mill bakery or pastry shop. I mean, look at it! The place is absolutely gorgeous, and the shelves are chock-full of goodies from jams and sweets to delicate speculoos biscuits, sables and meringues. Chef Nicolas earned his chops studying and working in France and England as well as in another Belgian patisserie, Fabrice Collignon, before setting up his own place. Having been to both of them, I must say I much prefer Chef Nicolas’ work, which just seems more polished and refined. To be fair, though, it was festive season, and I must imagine everyone in Brussels must have been scrambling to get their bûches, which would probably fluster even the most competent chef.

While the sweets and treats were a pleasure to look at, I honed in on their assortment of petit gâteaux as per my modus. Their selection was divided into a few main categories, with the bûches, festive as well as other usual entremets and a few puff pastry galettes. Oh, and the macarons de rigeur of any pastry shop, naturally. The flavours here were also among the most interesting compared to the other shops – the cakes weren’t just another carbon copy of, oh, half a dozen other versions of, say, a raspberry chocolate framboise, a hazelnut chocolate noisette or even a mango-passionfruit L‘exotique. Yeah, I kind of made those names up, but there’s no denying that these flavour profiles are ridiculously common in Europe. Instead, Nicolas Arnaud’s work seems more sophisticated, with pieces like Le Mr. Smith featuring green apple and cassis (kind of funny, I know) and Miss Tea featuring raspberries and tea accented chocolates, all of which makes for far more interesting flavours.

So why did I not kidnap the whole gang of Mr. Smiths, Miss Teas and friends (okay, those were the only two anthropomorphized cakes) to torture in my own time? How did I only end up trying a mere three entremets out of the whole selection? Yes, I had committed my usual silly mistake of scouting out the other places before realising that all the shops were closing and there was nothing left. Checking the opening times, of course, had no help because it was the frigging festive season. Quel dommage!

Still, I did have the foresight of reserving two out of the three pieces I eventually had, which was one heck of a masterstroke because they did end up selling out by the time I returned. I picked the intriguing sounding bûche ‘La Papou’ with a strange sounding ‘mousse au lait de Papouasie’ which the well-meaning staff, bless their souls, couldn’t explain. I later realised it was simply chocolate from Papua New Guinea, which constituted the body of the bûche. It also had a green tea cremeux and some kind of  mango pate de fruit as inserts, and a flourless chocolate base. This was a really delightful piece, and provided further proof that yes, milk chocolate can be nuanced despite being slightly sweeter than the darker chocolates. I won’t pretend to know much about distinguishing chocolate terroir, but it did make for a more interesting taste. The sweet yet tart mango, together with the mild creaminess of green tea, gave it a very good balance.

I went for the delicate Miss Tea next, which was tempting me all the while with that seductive red velvet dress. I am always in awe when I come across pieces having immaculate finishes, and this was masterly execution. Good presentation isn’t merely about the chef; everyone right down to the staff transporting and yes, lifting the piece out of the showcase and packing it must be exceptionally careful. Let’s just say I know how easy it is to smudge a glacage or brush off bits of chocolate spray, and so this was a clear and unbiased reflection of care and quality in any establishment. The entremet, while very well made, didn’t impress me as much as the previous piece. I guess the violet tea didn’t come off as strongly as I would have liked, and it came off much like another framboise – that is, a really well executed version.

The last piece, the Douceurs d’automne, was the dark horse – in the first place, the chef completed it literally seconds as I was about to leave the place. Its components of a biscuit sponge, orange confit and honey cremeux was also not the flavour profile that I would normally be drawn to, but I’m glad I went with it. For some reason, up til now I was under a misguided impression that honey didn’t really have a unique and strong flavour. Even shameless samplings of artisan honeys at farmers’ markets didn’t correct this impression, and so I never felt the inclination to have a honey-centric dessert. This piece worked wonderfully, with the sponge being amazingly moist and the orange and honey complementing each other very well.

What can I say? Nicolas Arnaud is definitely a stellar example of fine patisserie in Brussels. I find it simply astounding how tourists can splurge so much on mediocre chocolates and miss out on these pastry gems. I, for one, know that I’m definitely going to try their other selections should I get the opportunity to come back again.

Patisserie Nicolas Arnaud
Rue Américaine 93
1050 Bruxelles
http://www.nicolas-arnaud.be

Brussels Patisseries – Yasushi Sasaki

The Japanese, as anyone who has had any contact with Japanese culture would say, are quite something. Sure, there are the hypermodern shinkansen trains, the strict customs and formalities and the hardworking and polite community. Then there’s the giant mecha robots, the maid cafes, anthropomorphic poop cartoons and marriages to cartoon characters. It’s a society that seems to have taken every caricature or stereotype thrown at it and, in some bizarre, wonderful twist, embraced it for themselves. It’s like the Japanese trekked right up to the thin line separating genius from lunacy, stretched out their legs, and settled themselves in. Yes, they are an amazing bunch of people.

And they have also had the most incredible influence on the world of haute patisserie! While matcha and yuzu might have become so commonplace that it’s no longer really associated with Japan anymore, there are still the desserts themselves – Japanese style cheesecake, for instance, or the ethereal strawberry cake which I grew up knowing as strawberry shortcake – or even the chiffon cakes that are supposedly quite the hot item now in Paris.  It’s really not all that surprising that despite having a decidedly different legacy of wagashi sweets, the Japanese has become such a force to be reckoned with in pastry. Their adaptability and sheer precision are great assets in conceiving new ideas or improving old ones, and their formalities and attention to detail go naturally with the posh settings of gourmet cuisine. Yes, these are the folks who package supermarket groceries in a manner that would make designers weep.

Whether it is Sadaharu Aoki in France or Hidemi Sugemo in Tokyo, Japanese patisseries are all quite acclaimed for pristine, elegant cakes that can pass off as works of art as much as food. Naturally, I was pretty excited when I learnt that there was a Japanese patisserie in Brussels – Yasushi Sasaki. And the little shop definitely lived up to expectations – it was absolutely packed with all manner of fragrant breads, gleaming chocolates and decadent pastries. Unlike more Asian style soft buns, these were true European batards, baguettes and other seeded loaves. Despite arriving early, there was already a line of housewives in front of me all eagerly waiting to lay their hands on the breads, definitely a testament to the quality.

Still, what interested me more were the sweets. True to form, it had some of the more intriguing chocolates and pastries I have seen in Brussels.

Unlike in France, patisseries in Brussels have their own regular stable of sweet treats – instead of Religeuses, Gateaux St. Honore or Baba au Rhum, one usually finds some sort of mousse dome, an Opera or two and of course, the famous Merveilleux. Yasushi Sasaki certainly had impressive iterations of the classics, but they also had several petit gateaux of a decidedly more Japanese slant such as the Mont Blanc or Crème Fraîche aux Fraises. Due to the festive season, though, their main attractions were clearly the Buches available. Most of them were based around ganache fillings. And that, of course,  naturally meant that I spent much time inside the shop paralysed with an odd cocktail of bliss and indecision.

Boy, those were painful moments, but through an immense display of willpower, I persevered. I decided to forgo the usual chocolate-hazelnut/raspberry/cassis combinations and went instead for the relatively more exotic Alice Tonka Buche, comprising essentially an orange cremeux insert sitting on an almond biscuit, all held in a snug embrace by a passionate tonka chocolate mousse. It looked positively perfect, though that polished veneer was unfortunately no match for a short duration in my backpack.

And it was definitely a great decision. I admit, my palate is just about enough to discern the flavour of tonka as something intriguing and different from regular ‘ol chocolate, but this was awesomely intriguing and different! The fragrance of tonka lent a depth and flavour to the chocolate mousse that most chocolate mousses didn’t have, and gave it a great character. The chocolate notes also paired with the orange wonderfully, and it was an excellent dessert.

In fact the only darn downside I can say of Yasushi Sasaki was its location – it is a little out of the way and not really near anything particularly noteworthy (for tourists, at least), which meant that despite how tempted I was to make a return visit, I decided not to make the trek down again. Even for people taking the public transport, it’s still a little distance away from the nearest underground or tram stop. And that’s a darn shame, too, the shop definitely lives up to the reputation of the patissier, who has many accolades from his participation in the Coupe du Monde Patisserie and World Chocolate Masters. It’s definitely a must visit for patisserie fans in Brussels!

Yasushi Sasaki
10 Avenue des Franciscains
1150 Bruxelles
http://www.patisserie-sasaki.be/

Brussels Patisseries – Pierre Marcolini

From an inquirer’s perspective, I find chocolates and macarons amazing. They are virtually miraculous phenomenon, one being a fascinating crystal and raw material while the other a stroke of engineering genius. Both are scientific marvels in their own right. As a consumer, though, they don’t interest me too much. For starters, they can be ludicrously expensive, and that’s in the crazy world of gourmet foods that carry ridiculous price tags. Sure, size might not be everything, but it still hurts when something so petite can pack such a punch to one’s reserves. It’s also outrageous how much macarons can fetch considering their manufacturing costs. I’m certainly open to splurging occasionally, but shelling out such money for sweets is an affair I’d leave to business tycoons and mafia druglords.

Also, as I mentioned before, most places in Europe (France aside) that do a roaring trade in such confections usually have the same tried and true combinations – nuts and liquors for chocolates and nut ganaches for macarons. At the risk of sounding terribly ignorant, I just find it a pity that these sweet treats aren’t living up to their full potential. I mean, these things are like satisfaction delivering trucks filled with sugar and joy. And hey, the English have marmite chocolate and the Americans, being American, stuff bacon into their chocolate. Heck, the French and Japanese stuff macarons into dorayakis and chocolate. For a continent believed to revere chocolate, France seems like the only one here who’s really pushing the envelope. Yes, you have the occasional deviant like Zaabär who adds curry to chocolate every now and then but most chocolates and macarons in Europe are just boring.

Which was why, when I stopped over at Pierre Marcolini for my hot chocolate, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they have these pretty bûche de noels available. I didn’t realise they had patisserie beyond packaged sweets and treats! Honestly though, I was quite bemused. I know that the whole Yule Log deal has been taken for a modern spin with moulds, mousses and whatnot, but lovely as they are, calling these individual entremets ‘bûches’ were a bit of a long shot. Being square shaped, they bear as much resemblance to a Christmas stocking as much as a log! And all gripes about prices notwithstanding, the patisserie were some of the more bizarrely priced products available – each individual bûche costs 5.90€, while I swooped up the stunning Delvaux cake below for a mere 4.70€. Seriously, something just doesn’t seem right here. I get that everyone tends to splurge during the end of the year, but even so?

And this lovely number is in no way inferior to those pompous and snooty buches. In fact, I would say that it looks even better, what with the pristine quenelle perched daintily atop the amazing glacage. I’ve always been fussy about the appearance of my cakes, particularly at more upscale places where I’m paying through my nose for the stuff, and this is honestly pastry craftmanship at its best. Despite being dairy dominated, the cream and chocolate works well here with every component executed well. The mousse components are smooth and rich, the cake is light with a tender crumb, and the cream lends enough sweetness and lightness to balance the chocolate. The whole piece marries together perfectly without being overbearing. It’s certainly not going to excite any tastebuds out there, but sometimes classics do work.

Speaking of classics, another quintessential French dessert is the creme brulee. With two components and arguably only one variable component (I guess one can, technically, crystallise different flavoured syrups and torch them…), it’s deceptively simple. Its ease of construction and relative renown has also made it practically ubiquitous from bistros to fast food restaurants and even off the shelves of supermarkets! Honestly, they don’t normally appeal to me – its uniform texture and flavour profile means large portions tend to bore the palate, and hardly anyone makes affordable creme brulees in individual portions anyway. But when I saw that the chocolate creme brulee was actually being sold at a reasonable price, I had to go for it. I didn’t regret it – despite being left to sit, the brulee-ed layer was still nice, crisp and most importantly, even. It shattered beautifully to reveal that smooth, unctuous chocolate custard which, in classic Marcolini style, was sugared with a light hand. It left a bitter note which worked marvellously to show off the deep chocolate.

Lastly, I decided to end with just a single buche, out of as much consideration for my burgeoning girth as for my wallet. Such restraint, eh? While I didn’t get the name of this one, it was another safe combination, featuring caramel and chocolate. The caramel was a lovely bitter salted caramel, quite unlike the sacharrine ones that are featured in most places which I felt gave it more depth. Still, while I might sound like a broken record, I’m still miffed about the price hike. I mean, I am no PR boffin or marketing genius, but surely a brand as upscale as Marcolini can do better than dressing up an item and slapping a bigger price tag on it! I know it’s Christmas but come on, surely that’s beneath them! Its similarly petite portion to the Delvaux really made me feel like I got the raw end of the deal here.

Still, the craftsmanship at Pierre Marcolini is undeniable. Their touch of restraint on sugar as well as the quality of ingredients couverture chocolate used really made everything sing. There’s also the sheer attention to detail, which really shows through and makes for incredibly stunning works. With their chocolate tablettes going for a whopping 13€ each, it’s safe to say that I’m probably never going to get my hands on their confiseries or other similarly priced treats. But considering how awesome their entremets and hot chocolate is, that’s perfectly fine by me. From their website and Facebook page, it also seems as though they have far more interesting patisserie which I probably missed due to poor timing during the festive season. But hey, more stuff left to try, right?

Pierre Marcolini
http://www.marcolini.be/
Sablon, Rue de la Régence
1000 Brussels, Belgium