SATISFYING SWEETS
Four pastry chefs worth experiencing
If you bought a cake in one of Montreal’s chain bakeries over the past few decades, chances are it came out of a freezer. Not that there’s anything wrong with that — the vast majority of cakes freeze exceptionally well. But the reason that cake was frozen is that it was one of hundreds produced in a pastry shop that day, placed in a box and frozen to be sold in the weeks to come.
As for the flavours, chances are we’re talking classic mocha, chocolate and vanilla, and for varieties, I’m thinking shortcake, black forest cake, birthday cake. Though less popular than in their ’90s heyday, mousse cakes received the same treatment: produced by the hundreds, frozen and sold days, weeks or months after they were made. In the case of bûches de Noël, that time frame could extend to — get this — three months. Same scenario for many of those pastries in the display case.
At Griffintown’s Patrice Pâtissier, co-owner and head pastry chef Patrice Demers sometimes makes only one variety of cake or tart a day, and they are never frozen. As for what he makes, forget the onedimensional flavours. Instead of a classic raspberry tart, there’s a raspberry tart with muscovado-sugar almond cream, raspberry compote and white chocolate Chantilly. These pastries follow a modern approach: they’re produced with quality ingredients — often local — and sold the day they are made.
Demers is not alone. The first to open a Montreal pastry boutique in this style was Stéphanie Labelle, whose Pâtisserie Rhubarbe has been renowned for its exquisite cakes and pastries since it launched in 2010. One bite of her Paris-Brest with lime, strawberry and tarragon, her chocolate/ raspberry dacquoise or her perfect lemon tart topped with peaks of Italian meringue, and you’re sure to notice these cakes are lighter, less sweet and based on more creative flavour combinations than the usual fare.
Closer in philosophy to upscale restaurant kitchens where plates are made to order, this new wave of café/boutiques is fronted by pastry chefs who spent a lot of time in restaurants. They’ve more or less shelved the bakery/pastry-shop idea of producing standard cakes and pies by the hundreds, placing the emphasis instead on freshness and flavour. And their shops aren’t strictly pâtisseries, but restaurants as well, where you can enjoy the éclair of the day, an elaborate plated dessert or even a savoury dish.
Two other chefs to open this style of café/boutique recently are Bertrand Bazin of Café Bazin and Nick Kemball of Libertine Bakehouse. Their desserts are also fresher, lighter, less sweet and often made with local and seasonal ingredients. At Libertine, you can try a St-Honoré cake made with raspberry, lime and tonka bean, and at Café Bazin don’t miss an unusual dessert featuring tomato sorbet, tomato granité, vanilla pannacotta and cherry tomatoes.
But it’s not all out-there cakes and flavours. In true pastry-chef style, these four are skilled at viennoiseries as well. Bazin makes a wicked croissant, Kemball’s danish are amazing, Demers is famous for his kouign-amann, and Labelle’s brioche feuilletée with lemon cream is a thing of beauty. The brownies made by these skilled chefs takes the American classic into a whole new realm of deliciousness.
What’s also enticing about their desserts is the artistic element. Not only are the flavours swoonworthy, the look is gasp-inducing. In this world of Instagram food obsession, pastry has never been so beautiful, and these four make desserts that are as sophisticated as the world’s best, be it from Paris, Spain, Russia or the U.S.
As great as it is to admire their work in photos, it’s better to have a taste on site, where you can even marvel at some of them working on their creations in the open kitchens. Here’s what to look forward to.
STÉPHANIE LABELLE Pâtisserie Rhubarbe
Pâtisserie Rhubarbe recently moved to larger premises on Laurier Ave. Labelle has turned her old space at 5091 de Lanaudière St. into Comptoir Rhubarbe, which features prepared meals to go, lunch, brunch and catering operations. The new Rhubarbe is sleek and pretty, with a counter for purchasing pastries to go and tables for enjoying a pastry, coffee or more on site.
Experience: Labelle, 34, is a graduate of the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec who started her career working at Area, Première Moisson and Les Chocolats de Chloé, where she was the first employee. She also staged in France for chef Patrick Chevallot in the Val d’Isère and famous Parisian pastry chef/guru Pierre Hermé. After a stint at Decca77, Labelle went on to work at Le 357C for two and a half years under Bertrand Bazin, whom she calls her mentor, followed by La Salle à Manger for another year before opening her shop.
Philosophy: From the beginning, Labelle’s mission in her business has been to make all her cakes and pastries daily. “It’s not the most efficient way to work, and it’s labour intensive,” she says, “but to keep the products fresh, it’s the best way to go. People are aware that if they come here at the end of the day on a Saturday, they might not be able to get a lemon tart, so they know to order ahead.”
As for flavours: “I’m all about cream and fruits this time of year. Recently, we’re making a St-Honoré with apricots, and an apricot tart with pistachio cream and puff pastry.”
Labelle also favours old-school pastry, but can’t resist changing the flavour profile. “I want to avoid the usual chocolate, coffee and vanilla,” she says. “I like tonka beans or sweet clover — flavours not usually seen in a pastry case. When the pastry shop opened, we sold choux pastries filled with apple and caramel and people were surprised. They wanted the usual vanilla. I like an éclair filled with pastry cream when it’s properly done, but I wanted to experiment. People are more knowledgeable now, so they’re eager to try new things.” Influences: French pastry chefs Guillaume Mabilleau, Gilles Marchal, Sébastien Gaudard, Toqué! pastry chef Daniel Mongraw. Bestsellers: Lemon tart, caramel millefeuille. 1479 Laurier Ave. E.; 514-316-2935; patisserierhubarbe.com. Instagram: @rhubarbe_mtl