The art of pastry

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Renowned French pastry chef Sebastien Serveau arrives in the Seychelles later in October to take part in a number of special events and workshops at Constance Ephélia.

Together with Chef Nicolas Baube and Constance Ephélia’s own pastry chef Thierry Lerallu, and with the support and participation of bee keeper Christian Ritter, Chef Serveau will be presenting a day-long workshop on 23 October to showcase the team’s skills alongside professors from Seychelles Tourism and our own apprentices. Sebastien, who is currently director and co-founder of the Patisserie Salon de Thé Nougat Tea’n in Vilamoura, Portugal, has also worked in a number of prestigious French culinary institutions, including the Ritz in Paris where he was the executive chef of the patisserie and boulangerie, supported by a team of 20.

The workshop will be followed by a special fairground-themed Chef’s buffet at Corossol restaurant, where Sebastien and Thierry will entertain guests with a live cooking demonstration, promoting interaction between the audience and the chefs. Culinary arts will include sugar blowing and multicoloured sugar ribbons, along with sugar casting, producing sugar flowers and building sugar structures.

Live cooking

Chocolate fans are in for an extra treat, as a second live cooking demonstration takes the theme of exotic Seychellois fruits as inspiration for exquisite chocolate sculptures, while a third will demonstrate some foolproof ways to create the perfect waffle, pancake and other fairground delights. Look out for candied apples, confectionary and the chance to taste homemade humbugs and candies too.

During this time, the patisserie will be transformed into a sweet jar candy shop. Our team of highly skilled pastry chefs will be debuting 12 varieties of mini vérines and snacks, as well as a special creation for Ephélia by Chef Sebastien based on a combination of macarons, chocolate and Madagascan honey.

What’s more, our regular buffet set up will comprise another 12 desserts, from whole cakes and tarts to individual desserts, some of which will be revisited especially for the occasion by Chef Sebastien. Look out for an explosion of flavours and fruits from the Indian Ocean, delivered via such delicious concoctions as Baba Rhum, chocolate coconut, caramel and raspberry tart, and some housemade raspberry fruit pastilles and vanilla marshmallows.

Special blends

The following morning, a special breakfast buffet offers the opportunity to sample some of the more unusual honeys of the world with Christian Ritter, featuring blends such as Eucalyptus, Palissandre (Rosewood), Jujube, Niaouli and Baobab – all unique to the beautiful islands of Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles.

Even if you won’t be in the Seychelles during this particular week, you can still indulge in the art of pastry on your Constance holiday. Whether you’re just interested in the art form itself or need something made for a special occasion, the team at Constance will impress you with their skill and creativity.

Look out for classic French pastries such as mille-feuille (literally: ‘a thousand leaves’) made up of puff pastry layers, créme patisserie, and glazed with fondant, or Paris-Brest, made of choux pastry filled with praline flavoured cream.

Other favourites include the ever-popular pastel coloured macarons and the famous St. Honoré cake named for the French patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs. This decadent creation is comprised of a puff pastry base topped with a ring of paté a choux, above which sit small cream puffs dipped in caramelised sugar filled with créme chiboust and whipped cream. Tempted? We say carry on and indulge. It’s all too good to pass up, and you are on holiday after all.

Read more

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• Cookery holidays in Mauritius and the Maldives.