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76 SPRING 2016 | MONTAGE

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Craftsman and Wolves’ The Rebel Within features asiago, sausage, green onion and a soft cooked egg.

French pastries seem to have taken America by storm as an increasing number of din-ers gravitate toward the delicate desserts.

Specialty creations like croquembouche have become part of the everyday lexicon, and the pastry chefs that create them—like Pierre Hermé, famous for his macarons, and Dominique Ansel of his eponymous New York City bakery—are becoming household names.

The concept of the dessert course itself very much hails from France. Michael Krondl, author of “Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert,” says that from the start of the 18th century, French was the “it” cuisine of the wealthy in Europe and its colonies, with French confectionery shops making their way to places like Philadelphia by the early 1800s. Stateside, famous Francophile foodies like former First Lady Jackie Kennedy and chefs such as Julia Child helped increase their popularity.

“The beautiful presentation, design, small size and, of course, taste, texture, refinement and the fact it’s not too sweet, have made French pastries a part of ‘joie de vivre,’ the art of living, for cen-turies,” says Patrice Martineau, the French-born executive chef at Montage Beverly Hills.

Re-inventing TraditionOver the years, classic French desserts like maca-rons and creme brulee have become beloved sta-ples across the country. At Montage Beverly Hills, Martineau offers afternoon tea with mini French pastries like choux a la creme (cream puffs), macarons, chocolate eclairs, lemon meringue pies, vanilla mille-feuille (sliced puff pastry with cream) and pistachio financier, to name a few. He notes that Executive Pastry Chef Julie Jangali’s hot French chocolate souffle, offered as a special for a week every few months at Parq Bar restau-rant, is also not to be missed.

Across the country, expert pastry chefs are also adding their own flair to French classics. “Even decidedly French pastry cooks like Dominique Ansel make a name for themselves by tweaking American classics,” Krondl says. “Witness the

haute pastriesCulinary attention turns toward a sweet French finish at the end of the meal.

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Mini French pastries served at Montage Beverly HillsDominique Ansel’s Cronut

Craftsman and Wolves’ cube cakes

Cronut.” The one-of-a-kind pastry is Ansel’s signature creation: A cross between a croissant and a doughnut, the proprietary recipe features fried laminated dough coated in sugar, filled with cream and topped with glaze.

In San Francisco, Craftsman and Wolves is a contemporary patisserie and cafe with two popular locations, where head chef and partner William Werner puts his own spin on French favorites. The James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Baker in 2015 says he sought to create a chef-driven, seasonal pastry shop with the concept, which was not widely offered in the Bay Area at the time.

“I envisioned something similar to ones you find in Europe, particularly France,” Werner says. “Craftsman and Wolves has always given a nod to classic French technique, though we heav-ily emphasize seasonal change in all of our pas-tries, cakes, confections, confitures and desserts.”

Take the Whipped Coffee-Yuzu-Coconut cake, for example. It’s a twist on a traditional French bombe (mousse cake) that features different textures and Japanese ingredients. After infusing cream with Highwire Coffee Roasters beans, it is then emulsified with white chocolate and whipped. Afterward, a soft center of yuzu curd is piped into the mousse, and

served on top of a moist coconut cake featuring a gianduia (hazelnut chocolate) base.

“We draw a lot of inspiration from multiple farmers markets in San Francisco,” says Werner, who will open a petite version of the patisserie called The Den in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood this spring. “Using the available products we find, my team and I determine where and how these ingredients should land on the menu—in what form and using what tex-tures.” He also notes that his passion for archi-tecture and good design also influences some of the menu, particularly the shape and size of the end product.

“The beautiful presentation,

design, small size and,

of course, taste, texture,

refinement and the fact it’s not

too sweet, have made French

pastries a part of ‘joie de vivre,’

the art of living, for centuries.”

—Patrice martineau

78 SPRING 2016 | MONTAGE

Modern AmericanIt’s not just bakeries and patisseries falling in line with the trend; restaurants across the country, too, are offering these delectables to cap off a meal. At New York’s iconic American restaurant Gramercy Tavern, pastry chef Miro Uskokovic says he consistently keeps French-inspired des-serts in his offerings. “We always have a puff pas-try somewhere on the dessert menus,” he says, “Right now we have it in the form of a cookie, as caramelized puff pastry sticks that we use for our ice cream and some sorbet samplers.”

Uskokovic, who was born in Serbia and was one of Dessert Professional Magazine’s top 10 pastry chefs in America last year, says he’s drawn to the more rustic French desserts that double as comfort foods, like creme brulee, tarte tatin (upside down fruit pastry) and clafoutis. But he also emphasizes that his desserts are designed to stay true to Gramercy Tavern’s identity as a modern American restaurant serving up contem-porary food. “We incorporate French techniques and preparations but make it fit in with [the] modern American restaurant,” he says.

For example, clafoutis is typically made by covering black cherries in a flan-like batter before baking. At Gramercy Tavern, Uskokovic made it with sour cherries, poppy seeds and a local ver-mouth from Channing Daughters Winery in Long Island, and served it with house-made ricotta cheese and cherry sorbet. His home country of Serbia inspired him, as he wanted to bring in fla-vors of the Eastern European nation through the

ALMOND-RASPBERRY MACARONS

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar• 3/4 cup almond flour or finely

ground almonds• 2 large egg whites, room

temperature• Pinch of cream of tartar• 1/4 cup superfine sugar• 1 tablespoon fresh raspberry puree,

strained• 3 to 4 drops gel-paste food coloring,

in dusty rose• 3/4 cup homemade or store-bought

berry jam Preheat oven to 375 F. Pulse confectioners’ sugar and flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times. Whisk egg whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar; whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low; add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high; whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over egg whites; fold until smooth and shiny. Fold in puree and food coloring. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip; pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging tip to sides rather than forming peaks. Tap sheets on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 F. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven to 375 F, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 F. Let cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. (If sticking, spray water between parchment and hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.) Sandwich 2 macarons with 1 teaspoon jam, and serve. (Recipe from Montage Beverly Hills chef Patrice Martineau)

poppy seed, cheese and cherries.“In New York and America, more gener-

ally, people are so open-minded and willing to try new things, and there are so many differ-ent cultures here and ingredients [so] you can really explore different cuisines,” Uskokovic says. “One of the most exciting things is when chefs fuse different ingredients together to make unique flavors and dishes.”

This is where Uskokovic believes the future of desserts in America lies. “America has so much to offer in terms of local ingredients and a variety of chefs,” he explains. “In the ’80s and ’90s, the majority of pastry chefs in America came from France. But that’s changing and people from dif-ferent places can be found all over the country and are bringing their own unique approaches with them.” M

“In New York and America,

more generally, people are

so open-minded and willing

to try new things, and there

are so many different

cultures here and ingredients

[so] you can really explore

different cuisines.”

—Miro Uskokovic

Montage Beverly Hills’ macarons are a beloved and quintessential French dessert.