Written By Guest Writer Edibles / How to Cook Dec 7, 2011 Michel Roux at The London Chef SHARE VIA: Facebook Twitter PinterestLeft: Michel Roux making croquembouche. Middle: Desserts Right: Dan Hays and Michel Roux. Photos by Micayla HaysIf you were lucky enough to have seen culinary icon, Michel Roux, at The London Chef on Sunday, you would have witnessed The Godfather of Pastry in action.Michel Who? If you’re not in the culinary industry (or from Europe) you might not know that this Michelin-starred French chef is a legend not only in pastry circles, but he is also considered one of the most influential chefs in the world!The famous chef was in town promoting his latest cookbook, Desserts, thanks to the collaboration of Barbara-Jo McIntosh (Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks, Vancouver), David Feys (Feys & Hobbs, Victoria), and Dan and Micayla Hays, who hosted the festive event with a dessert and champagne book signing at The London Chef.Chef Roux rose to fame, along with his brother Albert, with their restaurant La Gavroche, (the first restaurant in Britain to achieve three Michelin stars), and later, The Waterside Inn, which has maintained three Michelin stars for over 25 consecutive years.At age 70, chef Roux nonchalantly assembled an impressive croquembouche (a multi-level, cone-shaped dessert, made of numerous cream-filled profiteroles bound with caramel), while charming the audience with tales of his celebrated career. With endearing French accent, Roux shared a story of a pastry apprenticeship that began at 14 and involved running through the streets of Paris delivering towering croqembouches to customers in five-story apartment buildings without benefit of elevators or appreciative tips.Despite his impressive career, Roux is unpretentious, quick to laugh and exceedingly gracious. He insisted, for example, on introducing and publicly acknowledging behind-the-scenes pastry chef, Brigitte Balogh, for her work preparing the perfect choux pastry, crème pâtissière and hot caramel for the delectable croquembouche.The appreciative audience (many of whom are local chefs) enjoyed listening to Roux’s kitchen philosophy, which is grounded in discipline, hard work and the mastery of both cuisine and pastry skills ~ all of which, he pointed out, has nothing to do with money or fame. He criticized celebrity chefs for taking shortcuts with ghost-written cookbooks and — mon dieu! — autobiographies published at 35 years of age. Roux has no patience for those who lose their cool at work, saying anger has no place in the kitchen (never mind that hot-head celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsey, apprenticed under Roux at La Gavroche).Guests enjoyed a tantalizing sampling of treats featured in his book Desserts, including delectable citron tarts, banana souffle crêpes drizzled with chocolate, warm chocolate fondants (worth every calorie!) and, of course, the glorious croquembouche.For fans of Roux you could say, Christmas came early this year.Signed copies of Desserts are available at The London Chef and Feys+Hobbs Catered Arts boutique store.– By Denise Marchessault Cooking ClassesdessertsFrenchPastry SHARE VIA: Facebook Twitter Pinterest Written By: Guest Writer We get many people writing guest articles for us, as well as past contributors. This is the Guest ... Read More You may also like Food / Recipes October 25, 2021 Sopa Paella Try the iconic Valencian dish as a hearty fall soup brimming with seafood and chorizo. We were going through a heat wave in Victoria when I ... Read More Food / Recipes October 25, 2021 It’s a Pancake Day! That crisp edge in the fall air stirs up a craving for comfort that sometimes only a stack of hot pancakes can deliver. So get your cast-iron pan ... Read More Breads / Food / How to Cook / Recipes July 13, 2021 Rosemary and Feta Potato Loaf A delicious homemade bread is always a welcome treat that can really set the mood for a good day. This is an approachable recipe to bring to holiday ... Read More EAT Magazine News / Food News January 28, 2021 CITY EATS February | March 2021 If you haven’t yet taken advantage of Victoria’s free local delivery program, Downtown Delivers, you have until February 15 to try it ... Read More Food News / Pantry / Review January 28, 2021 Some Like It Hot — A Hot Sauce Tasting Party A Hot Sauce Tasting Party Gillie Easdon gathered 15 local, house-made hot sauces and four brave souls to taste-test them. It was a mid-October, late ... Read More EAT Magazine News / Food News December 7, 2020 EAT’s 2020 Gift Guide EAT’s 2020 Gift Guide. Not just for the holidays! Bolen Books Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi ($45.00) Cat’s Meow Trivet ($6.95) Book Seat ... Read More Comments are closed.
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