Desserts ‘too pretty to eat’
A Parisian patisserie putting a French spin on classic sweet treats will celebrate Waitangi Day with desserts inspired by pounamu stone and manuka honey.
A cabinet to celebrate the many festivals and events in the city joined the main stand at Christchurch’s Sweet Soul Patisserie, run by sisters Rea and Taina Scur, this week.
For February 6, classic Kiwi flavours such as pavlova, manuka honey and treats inspired by pounamu stone would fill the cabinet. Specialty creations for Pride Week, Valentine’s Day and Easter were all on the cards, but customers shouldn’t expect the ‘‘same old’’ cliches, Taina said.
‘‘For Valentine’s Day, we won’t just do the pink and red hearts like you see around. We try and do things that are a bit different, more creative.’’
Elaborate desserts with flavours such as cherry crumble, pecan sponge, pina colada, cinnamon mousse and caramelised apple confit are glazed, dusted with metallic powders, decorated with intricate flowers and torched with meringue toppings by traditionally trained French pastry chef Rea in a nearby kitchen.
Using only natural and authentic flavours – read no artificial syrups – the festival stand included a sweet bao bun and mango macarons, inspired by the Chinese New Year.
Chef Tim Su said traditional Chinese flavours were considered when designing the desserts, and it was important to get sweetness infused from fruits and natural sources, as was traditional.
‘‘[In China] we only have a little bit of sweetness in our desserts and around the New Year it means to us that we will have a sweet year ahead and everything will go smoothly.’’
A staple on the menu, the Hagley Cherry Blossom dessert inspired by the pink flowers around the park in spring, included a black cherry sponge, creamy cherry insert, cherry crumble and white chocolate mousse. Each dessert was crafted over several hours, with the chefs starting at 4am.
Since Sweet Soul Patisserie, in the Guthrie Centre, opened in November. Items had been selling well and Christchurch had responded better than expected, Taina said.
Christchurch was chosen for the store because it had ‘‘nothing else like it’’.
‘‘People come in and they say [the store] reminds them of a European holiday they once took, or a flavour they had.
‘‘Many people come in and buy a dessert, but they do not want to cut it open because it is too pretty to eat,’’ Taina said.