[Love & Peace ]

silently

I have met many world-class French desserts,

Make cakes,

Just like the couple I know who are obsessed with French sweetness,

I have been netizens with them for three years,

Never say hello to dessert,

The reason is that

It seems that even if you hit me, you won't respond to me.

This time, I quietly walked out from under the noisy Longxiang Bridge deck and walked into Kerry Center. In the faint yellow leaves, I saw Petit Yanran's caramel shop move. Sit down, ah, it feels like taking peace in the chaos.

Yanran is a straight-talking girl, simple and cute. You don't have to guess her, because she can't hide. Sitting in her dessert shop and looking at the light shining in from the French window, it was also clear.

This is exactly the same as her family's cake: "Cutting is simple and delicious. The simpler it is, the more effort it takes."

She has also experienced all the difficulties of starting a business. The first time I ate their cake, the takeout address came from Yanran Studio on Shuimen South Road. I borrowed 70,000 yuan from my mother to open it. In 2014, Yanran, who was addicted to making desserts, ignored her family's opposition and relied on WeChat and Taobao to make a living. When she met Mengmeng, Yanran actually had a boyfriend. She was studying in Japan. Her parents were both professors, but the other party only wanted a nine-to-five partner. "It's impossible for me. I just want to make cakes. The other party's family doesn't understand." Yanran and Mengmeng fell in a long-distance relationship. Mengmeng has been in Guangzhou and then went to work in Dubai. Two years later, global French chocolate champion Meng Meng gave up overseas opportunities and returned to Yanran, and they got married. With a dowry of 200,000 yuan from his father, the young couple moved the store to a design park with a better environment.

I only have eyes for cake

And you, you are integrated with cake.

Yanran said with distress,"Mengmeng has given up many paths that ordinary people want to seek, such as Pierre Hermé 's Aoyama store in Japan and Atlantis's six-star hotel in Dubai, which he rejected. Just go to the store, and the two of us make cakes and sell takeout together. It's hard to imagine!"

I am as surprised as ordinary people. "I didn't think so much, I really just cared about making cakes every day. Then I really hated coming to eat cake and just cared about taking pictures." As soon as I finished speaking, I was so scared that I quickly put down the camera and poked it with a fork and stuffed it into my mouth.

It sounds like the story of a bad-tempered little fairy. Wait, let me swallow the sweetness in my mouth and speak slowly.

Hangzhou has always been a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons are hidden. Yanran first fell in love with Mengmeng on the intercontinental continent, when it was the encounter of two cake enthusiasts. Mengmeng is one of the team brought by the chef and is mainly responsible for chocolate on Intercontinental. In 2011, Intercontinental masters took them to play in China Bailetian's Chocolate Masters Competition, and at that time they won the first place in China. "It's a real thing, without moisture, you can repay as much as you work hard. Mengmeng can't extricate herself from being addicted to this matter." Yanran fell into her misty eyes that blushed whenever she spoke and became excited whenever she said cake, deeply.

Guangzhou Mandarin Oriental has always been the highest benchmark for desserts in the Pearl River Delta. When Meng Meng worked as a desserter there before, her boss, Curry, was from Singapore. He was the kind of person who made desserts regardless of cost. He once led a Singapore team to France to participate in the Desserts World Cup. Working tirelessly every day, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., the chef managed to get a nosebleed into the pool without even knowing it.

The continuation of this spirit runs through every day in Yanran and Mengmeng stores, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It sounds like a very inspirational story, but let me take a closer look at how it is a dog abuse story...

Yanran came over and added with gentleness,"I enjoy being with him very much. In the past, there were only two people in our store. From morning to midnight, as long as the two of us worked hard together."

At this time, I replenished the desserts on the table and comforted myself that "it will melt if I don't eat them anymore."

The ultimate of simplicity

Opened a small shop in Hangzhou.

"Fill the mold, freeze it, and spray it again" to actually produce desserts. Today, when mold-style French desserts are popular, there are still people who use the touch to create every delicate level like Yanran. This is even uncommon in French sweet shops in China.

I have eaten too many "ritual" desserts, such as the common smoke-filled fairy plates made of "dry ice", and the destructive and spicy hand destruction of rose petals after "liquid nitrogen" quickly freezing. Unfortunately, the taste of desserts can only be described as ordinary.

"French desserts have temperament." Yanran said, my understanding is that there are delicate levels in the master's desserts, whether they are from Pierre Herme, the "Picasso of the dessert world", from William Curley, from the dessert business group Philippe Conticini, or from the Michelin dessert chef god Michel Roux Jr. Their classic things can withstand chewing with your eyes closed.

Sometimes, delicious food is not necessarily visible.

The recipe for Yanran's cake comes from Mengmeng's unique understanding of the master's recipe when making cakes. She gave an example,"The protein mousse was invented by the French. In fact, there are many ways to make mousse, including egg yolk and egg white, Bavarian, and pure fruit mashed with light cream. What to use, how to use it, and understanding sometimes requires deep thinking."

Meng Meng and Yanran felt that the mold could not fully express the level of detail they wanted. I closed my eyes and was pleasantly surprised to eat the little set in front of me. In fact, each of them was a "powerful one."

My favorite thing in set is matcha pomelo. Mengmeng has a peculiar habit in making desserts, that is, she can use natural ingredients and try not to use raw materials for the product. For example, if there is grapefruit, she will never use canned grapefruit sauce that is the next best choice. I flew to Japan this year and ate no less than ten Michelin restaurants. I often encounter Japanese pomelo desserts. The original taste is fresh, sour and sweet, which makes the tip of my tongue quickly fall. That's the love of high-end restaurants. But Chinese pomelo is different from this ugly, small, expensive and oddly fragrant variety. There is no way to import Japanese pomelo. It was not until Meng Meng discovered that a supplier around her was growing Japanese pomelo in Fujian that she was moved.

Everything is actually for the fresh feeling. Mengmeng made mamali jam, which contains peel. European gluttons usually choose this jam. Even the grapefruit peel is boiled in sugar water at low temperature for a long time and soaked and wiped overnight. This way, the flavor is very obvious, and the low temperature will not destroy the aroma, because the bitter white veins have been removed.

"After buying it, Mengmeng began to think comprehensively about how to make this thing. She even peeled off the skin and placed it in the cake embryo. The flavor would be brighter than that of other stores. Originally, we had Earl tea in it, so no matter what, the flavor would be superior to the grapefruit. Because Japanese grapefruit is very sour, you cannot use ordinary mousse to make it, you must use heavier protein mousse. The disadvantage is that the texture is too light, so you must use another formula to suppress it. But the chocolate was too heavy, so that day Mengmeng tried a matcha custard similar to Shengqiao. In fact, I tried it countless times. The first thing was that the mousse would be too soft and the matcha custard inside would be too hard. After trying the product about 5-6 times, I finally felt that the ratio was very ok for the last two times. The inside won't be hard and smooth, and the outside won't be too soft. We just got close enough to make this Japanese matcha pomelo. We like it very much." When Yanran Ran said this, Mengmeng nodded obsessively from the side.

Meringue actually means meringue, and the more common one is macaron. Regarding the ratio of Meringue to whipped cream, the young couple adjusted it countless times. If the grapefruit is too sour, if there is too much cream, the sweetness will be too thick and there will be no sense of air. "My original concept of making this was to make a combination. The feeling of raw and clever is not like that of ordinary matcha. I want to melt it directly." Meng Meng said.

There is also the truffle part, which is directly translated into "truffle" in Chinese. In fact, chocolate desserts are made by hand. They are wrapped in chocolate powder and look like truffles. They are called this name.

"So although it only cuts the green part and the white part, it takes no less attention than any cake. This is the key point. In fact, many people think that simple things have no technical content. In fact, the most difficult thing is that the hardness of the two sandwich combinations is just right, making it comfortable to eat in the mouth. Otherwise, if the mousse layer is too Q, it may be delayed. If it is too soft, it will be affected inside and damage the overall organization. The hardest thing is that everything is just right and everything is contained in it."

Wheel puffs have a history of 109 years, and wheel puffs Paris-Brest in Brest in Paris is a compound word. The name of this dessert literally translates to Paris-Brest, the name of two French cities. It was first established to commemorate the birth of the Tour de France.

The original Paris-Brest is shaped like a crown and is made of puffs embedded in a fine cream mixed with sugar almond chips and sprinkled with shredded almonds. The earliest version was in the shape of a wheel. I like the more solid hazelnut flavor in Yanran's version. Through the thick and light textures of lemon and passion fruit, I can find the core delicious balance of the two wheels when I take one bite. point.

When Mengmeng said this, she subconsciously looked into Yanran's eyes and became more courageous. "Mousse embodies the fresh fruit part. The pear is my original intention. It melts immediately in the mouth. What we use is fruit paste, Williams pear, which is also a Western pear. The French call it beer pear, and the Japanese call it pear. Pears and chestnuts are made very pure. The chestnuts are made very light, but they are too heavy, and the pears are just neutral. Combine it." Outside are moist pears, which are clear and delicious. Mousse is on the outside, but inside is traditional gel. Yanran and Mengmeng have changed the role of the traditional taste inside and outside. This kind of small idea will surprise old customers when eating it.

Meng Meng said that in fact, Pierre Hermé made a Montblanc model with pears inside. "My taste is based on the master's classic practices. In fact, we don't make cakes recklessly. The delicious food must be experienced or inspired by the French master chef." I said that he danced in shackles. In fact, this is true for any dessert master. Only through inheritance can there be experience. The higher the Vietnam War. Mengmeng's shape and stuffing method are all self-created. He said that even if it is fruit (desserts), he should make his own fruit.

I also can't put down this pistachio raspberry tart. There are three layers of happy jam, and the two layers are different in color. The happy jam on the top is imported from Japan and is green to emerald. "To be honest, I can't make this green tune. I was still thinking about pistachios the day before it went on sale."

The pistachio cake below is actually powder-free, and Mengmeng also used two different pistachio cakes to make it. The inspiration came from his early cake embryo made with hazelnut butter, which also had no flour. I said, Oh, it smells good just thinking about it. He said, of course, either almond powder or pistachio powder, and then egg white to make the fluffy hair of the cake body.

The raspberries in the middle have no eggs. They are made pure and have a pure taste. That beautiful natural fruit acid is proof.

Mengmeng insisted on making praline (praline) herself, which was clearly available for purchase. He said that it was too sweet, which broke the balance of taste that he created the entire cake.

Yanran finally said emotionally: "In fact, it's just a combination of thoughts."

Although the classic flavor of raspberry and pistachio first came from France and Japan, Mengmeng has a deeper understanding. "Master nut desserts will be served with sour things. In fact, they also made the same for pistachios and plums two years ago. My inspiration comes from Japan. They have the same efforts of Orientals in Dharma. After two or three generations of hard work, masters such as Miki Kaneko also use local raw materials, just like us."

Five years ago, I went to Miaki Kaneko's dessert shop Paris S'eveille in Freedom Hill, Japan. The store's signature Monsieur Arnaud, the clever combination of orange aroma and chocolate, made me unforgettable. The mixture of fruit acid and chocolate really captures the taste buds of Asians.

But Mengmeng used roasted pineapple. I thought I was brave enough, but he said, no, I also added chili.

My mother-in-law I previously wrote an article recommended by Swedish Akesson's pink pepper in 100 chocolates. The spicy taste makes the charming fruit acid jump in surprise.

Meng Meng said that he used the pepper in the hot pot to restore the Chinese flavor. I feel that all the saliva flowing down at this time is cross-border.

This formula is blended with two types of chocolates, milk chocolate and dark chocolate, one 40% and the other 70%. Because simple 70% is too bitter, the milk will be neutralized. "Gentle it, suppress the bitter taste. Other considerations are to relieve boredom. Fresh pineapples are baked in the oven for 1 hour, so it tastes like melted pineapple meat. I actually think a lot, and my hair seems to turn white."

It is sweet. We always think of Pierre Hermé. On the basis of respecting tradition, Yan Ran and them understood and improved. "Every dessert has a source, which will make your path right."

In fact, I saw that their cakes had many traces of craftsmanship, which also came from the tradition of French sweetness. For example, for Napoleon, the long cuts and the layered cakes inside are all made by hand. The outer crust is also caramelized to perfectly balance the sweetness in the crispy, which improves the aroma.

Meng Meng said that they are unwilling to build assembly lines. Only by stacking them layer by layer can they have their own characteristics. The mold presentation method is very limited and stereotyped, and the creation cannot be reflected. "If I make molds, it will be very simple. The outside is simple and the inside is large. I prefer traditional cakes. Just like Chinese chefs, they are similar to Buddha jumps over the wall and braised pork. Changing them to your own characteristics can be rejuvenated."

The cakes we eat abroad are all eaten with food. Yesterday, I explained to a friend that I ordered a cup of Kenya. Kenyan beans have strong nutty and chocolate flavors. Then I ordered the cinnamon apple pie. It was sweet, but the aroma went from the sweetness on the tip of the tongue to the base of the tongue. It was complex and wonderful. Most Chinese people do not have this habit. Chinese desserts must be eaten alone because of the improvements made by respecting culture.

I think this is very difficult. In fact, it has to go from a sweet balance to a light balance. All original recipes need to be changed. This is the sweet and difficult part of doing it in China.

Yanran said,"You can eat very sweet food, but you are one of the 500 people. I have never thought about making it popular. We have to do it in line with our habits." For example, the hotel used to use hazelnut paste, but now we use hazelnut paste to make it ourselves. The hazelnut comes from the kind imported by a Turkish supplier. It is made by a machine, and the aroma will be low in sweetness." They make Christmas cakes with whole almonds.

I had the honor to come to their kitchen, but I became an outsider. I saw them making cakes and continued to show love inside.

Yanran and his wife are addicted to what others cannot see. This can be seen from the way the kitchen and the others exchanged glances. The natural happiness cannot be pretended.

The goddess asked

What sweets do you like to eat?

"There are five branches of art:

Painting, sculpture, poetry, music and architecture,

And the main tributary of the building is the dessert."

--Napoleon Royal Chef Marie-Antoine Carême

Food Bless You!

Consultant for China International Food Expo

Producer of "God's Table"