Groundbreaking pastry chef says its all about creating sweet sensations
Print Edition
FRENCH celebrity pastry chef Philippe Conticini believes the highest achievement in cooking is in creating sensations not flavors.
“Every single dish creates different sensations and emotions, like playing seven notes of a diatonic scale,” said the founder of La Patisserie des Reves, one of the best patisseries in the world with branches across Paris, London and Kyoto.
His signature dessert grand cru vanilla is an ideal example. It starts with an intense vanilla aroma clearly promising flavor to come. The first bite has the subtlety of craquounet, a French culinary term describing a texture between crunchy and crispy. Then there’s the ethereal mousse, creamy pure vanilla inset and the fine grains of hand harvested sea salt.
Conticini’s caramel cake features layers with different densities — moist, dense nuts and biscuit at the bottom, strong caramel ganache in the middle, crunchy caramel mixed with sea salt and a crumble like pan-fried black wheat. The cake is served with subtle, yet airy caramel foam.
When describing these sensations, he speaks melodiously, sometimes in a quick tempo and at other times rather slow.
His voice rises and falls accordingly.
“These sensations are what I use to touch people,” said Conticini, who was in Shanghai as part of a gala dinner at Park Hyatt Shanghai. “I also never decorate my cakes because all of the beauty comes from the inside.”
He understands how food generates powerful feelings in people and recalls how he knew he was destined to become a pastry chef from the age of 11.
After reading a gastronomy book, he recalls asking his mother, a nouvelle cuisine chef, whether he could bake a cake because he liked sweet things.
“I never saw my parents,” the 51-year-old said. “They were always busy cooking at their restaurants. Sugar was my comfort and brought me love.”
His mom agreed and young Conticini mixed biscuits, cream, hazelnuts and sugar together. The cake turned out to be a success.
“Everyone in my family said, ‘Philippe it’s very good.’ Before that I was rarely praised and recognized because of my weight. I was touched,” said the chef from Choisy-le-Roi in the suburbs of Paris.
“After that I baked a cake every Sunday to hear ‘you’re very good’ from them.”
Conticini says that and a Buddhist woman he met four years later have proven to have the biggest influence on his career. The Buddhist, he recalls, told him that every single person is formed by diverse influences from their parents to a country’s landscape.
“From the desserts and other food I create, I have discovered that I may not know myself as well as I think I do,” he said.
Artful verrines
Conticini’s fame comes from his 1994 invention of verrines, an appetizer or dessert comprising a number of artfully layered components in a small glass. Such creations are visually pleasing and allow diners to better control the flavor.
He has also revolutionized the pastry world by incorporating techniques previously only used in savory cooking. This includes the reduction of sauces, deglazing and adding seasonings.
“This idea was inspired by my brother,” he said. “When tasting his savory cooking I felt sensations. But these sensations didn’t exist in my pastries.”
His ability to innovate has led to some amazing desserts including name here, which includes a splash of Coca-Cola.
“I have to admit this one was made by accident,” he said. “I tried to make a coconut jelly by mixing grapefruit, coconut and vanilla. But it seemed like something was missing from the final taste. My staff gave me a can of Coca-Cola when I said I needed something sweet and bubbly.”
Chefs need to be bold and determined to succeed in France, where cuisine is treasured as an intangible heritage.
Although his pioneering desserts had already been praised and recognized by media and the public worldwide, it wasn’t until 2003 when he led the French team to win the World Cup Pastry championship that he was “understood” by French culinary professionals.
“I waited for that recognition for more than 20 years,” Conticini said.
Now he’s on a mission to make his art-like desserts affordable, but admits he’s not sure how or when he will achieve it.
Like a good dessert and life, it’s a tricky balancing act.
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