FAMILIAR FLAVOURS

Germaine Li (pictured left) and Joy Chiam, the founders of homegrown French dessert store Pâtisserie Clé, came up with the signature Orh Blanc Tart in 2017. Chiam shares, “We were attending the pastry school Ferrandi Paris and the Singapore Embassy in France invited us to create a Singapore-inspired dessert for an event.” Both being of Teochew descent, they derived inspiration from the traditional sweet yam paste, and combined it with the French Mont Blanc dessert. The baked tart shell is made from scratch and filled with a smooth and luscious yam paste blended with coconut and sugar to achieve a creamy consistency. It’s also worth noting that unlike the traditional orh nee, no lard is used in order to maintain its clean taste. For textural contrast, candied ginkgo nuts are sprinkled on the tart before another layer of fresh whipped cream and yam paste is added. Chiam enthuses that the dessert remains popular with customers who like “the freshness of the yam and coconut milk without being too sweet”.