The worlds of pastry and fragrance team on holiday creations
Pastry chefs and perfumers have much in common in concocting sensory delights that are subtle and evocative, and in Paris they're combining their areas of expertise for some highly refined gustatory treats. For this year's Christmas festivities, Parisian tea salon Angelina has created a yule log that reinterprets the scents and aromas of l'Eau d'Hadrien, a renowned fragrance from Annick Goutal.
Since a number of fragrances use gourmand notes to conjure up edible, delectable scents, pastry chefs have decided to take up the challenge of transforming renowned perfumes into sweet pastry creations that would essentially be the comestible partner of certain fragrances. And this year, during the holidays, Parisian fans of both worlds will be able to test these creations via the yule log created by Angelina. Pastry chef Christophe Appert has assembled every ingredient that comes to mind when one smells Eau d'Hadrien a signature scent from high-end perfumery of Annick Goutal.
The collaboration between the two French brands focuses on the association of Sicilian lemon and woody cypress notes. Shortbread biscuit was used as the base of the pastry, paired with lemon, lime and a combination of yuzu and basil. The acidity is tempered by vanilla mousse from Madagascar and a dash of orange blossom. The resemblance goes beyond the tasting experience and is apparent in the visual design of the dessert that is covered by a chocolate shell in the shape of butterflies, the emblem of the Annick Goutal label. Available in limited edition, only 100 yule logs will be created. The pastry will be available to order starting November 30 for 70 euros (for 6 to 8 people).
And it's not this year's only pairing of pastry and scent. Arnaud Larher, who has been named a top craftsman of France, has partnered with legendary fragrance brand l'Artisan Parfumeur. Exuding notes of coffee, maple syrup, glazed chestnuts and orange blossom, the label's latest fragrance, Noir Exquis, has also inspired an enchanting dessert. The pastry chef has transformed the aromatic creation into a vanilla shortcrust tartelette topped with orange marmalade and a maple syrup biscuit with a heart of pure Arabica Indian coffee ganache, the star of this delicacy. The pastry will be available starting October 7 for 6.50 euros.
Pierre Hermé, the pastry perfumer
Meanwhile the Picasso of the pastry world already has extensive experience transforming perfumes into sweet delicacies. The pastry guru has worked closely with master perfumers of big-name fashion houses for many years. In the early 2000s, Hermé reinterpreted Shalimar, Guerlain's iconic fragrance, in his medium. He had also taken an interest in the fragrant notes of l'Eau Sensuelle by Rochas. More recently, Rochas's Femme fragrance has been transformed into a peach tart with rose and cumin.
In 2014, Paris's high-end food purveyor Fauchon celebrated the summer edition of Thierry Mugler's legendary Angel fragrance with an éclair filled with thick marbled cream. The dessert was styled with a sky-blue coating adorned with stars to recall the Angel bottle.
