Posted on 04/27/2005 4:58:06 AM PDT by BigWaveBetty
Hail to the chef: Former White House pastry guru shares his sweet secrets
Imagine spending almost 25 years in the White House pastry kitchen as the executive pastry chef for five presidents and first families, doing your work surrounded by pounds of butter, chocolate, cream, fresh fruits and sugar. While the job may sound like a dessert lover's dream, it's not always as sweet as it seems.
Just ask French-born patissier Roland R. Mesnier, who retired last July. Lately he's been traveling throughout the country promoting his first cookbook, "Dessert University" (Simon & Schuster; $40), which took four years to write with help from Lauren Chattman. The 545 pages are filled with all kinds of show-stopping desserts, many from his White House years.
During his time in the White House (1980-2004) he designed and created some 3,000 different desserts with the help of one full-time assistant.
"It was a great challenge. I didn't have much of a personal life for 25 years," Mesnier says.
He was in charge of ordering all the pastry ingredients and arranging for pickup. "There was no delivery at the White House - and all vendors were checked by the Secret Service."
Starting with Nancy Reagan, Mesnier presented dessert tastings to the first ladies for approval, prior to state dinners. After a lot of research, he always tried to include something in his desserts that reflected the invited leader's country. For instance, blown-sugar giraffes for Kenya, flower leis made of sugar for the Philippines, tiny chocolate replicas of Big Ben for England, and a white tiger out of white chocolate and a lotus flower out of sorbets for India.
"Mesnier never repeated the same dessert in all the state dinners," notes Francois Dionot, owner/founder/president of the culinary school L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, Md., who has known the pastry guru for 30 years. "To me, he is the king of sugar work - spun sugar, poured sugar, rock sugar, pulled sugar. Very few people know how to do this anymore. He makes roses that look real."
Mesnier was known for making cakes just so he could put them under a sugar piece. "He's very talented in everything in desserts," says Dionot.
Every first lady put her stamp on the White House - and Mesnier says he's enjoyed them all.
"Mrs. (Rosalynn) Carter spent less time worrying about what was served at a dinner party, but she loved desserts," he says. During Nancy Reagan's time, "the White House became a showcase of grand cuisine. She was determined to have new desserts for every dinner, and she was very demanding."
Mesnier recalled the time, two days before the arrival of the queen of the Netherlands for a state dinner for 150 people, that Nancy Reagan rejected four different desserts. She told him to make 14 sugar baskets decorated with half a dozen sugar tulips and filled with assorted sorbets and fresh fruit. She then said, " 'Don't forget you have two days and two nights,' " Mesnier remembers. The chef pulled it off without any help: "Mrs. Reagan made me a better pastry chef," he says.
With the witty and smart Barbara Bush, "the house took on a different dimension - with children laughing, dogs barking, etc. She didn't make waves with what was served.
"The Clintons, very charismatic people, were very casual - and the only family that ate in the kitchen. Mrs. (Hillary) Clinton was very political - it was like having a second president in the White House." During their eight years, the number of people invited to the White House increased dramatically, as did Mesnier's work load. Mrs. Clinton favored leaner cuisine and plated service for desserts.
"First lady Laura Bush is meticulous - and the house is sparkling," he says. "She has a great knowledge of food and how it should be prepared and (how it should) taste."
Over the years, Mesnier has focused on reducing calories in desserts but without sacrificing flavor. His strategies include reducing sugar, butter, cream and eggs, using low-fat or regular milk instead of cream and sometimes cornstarch to make a thicker base.
"There are at least 50 recipes (out of 300) in the book that would qualify as low-calorie desserts."
His penchant for desserts dates back to the summer fruit tarts of every color and flavor he enjoyed during his childhood. "My mother was a wonderful chef - an unbelievable home cook."
His five golden rules for making great desserts: "Learn the basics and then practice, practice, practice; respect the classics; value economy and simplicity; focus on flavor; and be an artist, develop your talent."
CHEF PROFILE ...
ROLAND R. MESNIER
Age: 60.
Profession: Pastry chef.
Hometown: Bonnay, France.
Food background: Mesnier began a three-year apprenticeship in a pastry shop near his home at age 14. He went on to stints as a pastry cook/assistant in pastry shops and hotels in Paris, Germany (Hannover and Hamburg) and London. Eventually, he became head pastry chef at the Princess Hotel in Bermuda.
After a stint at The Homestead, a resort in Hot Springs, Va., he landed the ultimate pastry job: In December 1979, Rosalynn Carter hired him to be the White House pastry chef - and for almost 25 years his desserts were on view to the world - until he retired in July 2004. Kitchen secret: Work with all of your ingredients at room temperature (including eggs).
Three favorite foods: A good steak, a good apple pie a la mode, honey ice cream.
Favorite junk foods: A good hamburger and a good doughnut.
Foods he hates: Cilantro, dill, onions.
Secret food passion: A good pate.
Favorite kitchen gadget: A homemade cherry pitter (made with a wine cork and a ladies' hairpin).
Pet peeve: Mediocrity in the hotel and pastry industry. Ideal vacation: Alaska.
Favorite restaurant: Jean Marc Raynud in Tain L'Hermitage (near Lyon), France.
Pastimes: Fishing, gardening, cultivating roses, working on recipes for upcoming cookbooks (a cake volume is in the works).
Family: Wife, Martha, and a 35-year-old son, George. If he couldn't be a pastry chef, what would he be?: An actor.
Worst White House kitchen disaster: The time the eggs for the hot raspberry souffles for a state dinner wouldn't whip (guests were in the dining room). "I was sweating bullets (and could visualize this as my last day at the White House)." But fortunately, he started with new egg whites, adding sugar to them instead of an Italian meringue, to gain time, and the souffles came out beautifully. Worst part of being the White House pastry chef: "The inside politicking among the White House staff."
Inspired by the success of her 2004 tour, her first in more than a decade, veteran singer/songwriter Carole King plans to return to the road this summer for six weeks of appearances across North America. King, shown at the Democratic National Convention July 29, 2004, will begin with a July 3-4 stand in Rama, Ontario and continue through Aug. 14 in Santa Rosa, Calif. Photo by Gary Hershorn/Reuters
PARIS (AFP) - Miss France 2004, Laetitia Bleger, was barred from wearing her crown and sash for six months after posing half-naked for Playboy, the committee that runs the beauty pageant announced.
"Laetitia Bleger broke the rule forbidding Miss France winners from posing for licentious photos that are either partially or totally revealing," the committee said in a statement signed by its president, Genevieve de Fontenay.
Fontenay told AFP on Monday that she was "dismayed and appalled" by the half-naked photos of Bleger in the adult magazine.
Bleger could have been stripped of her title and forced to return any gifts she received as Miss France.
"I expected anything but this from Laetitia Bleger. We can't let this go. The Miss France winners have a status to uphold and they know it," Fontenay said.
For all official Miss France gatherings for the next six months, Bleger will be replaced by 2004 runner-up Lucie Degletagne.
Isabelle Turpeaut, Miss France 1983, lost her title after suggestively posing for Paris Match magazine.
"First lady Laura Bush is meticulous - and the house is sparkling," he says.
Well, duh, after the Clintons anyone's normal housekeeping would look "sparkling" me thinks (although I have read that Laura is an excellent housekeeper; in one interview with the twins, they said that if their Mom could take one item to a deserted island, she would take her vacuum cleaner and her Dad would take Barney or a photo of Barney if animals weren't allowed...lol)
Have either of you guys encountered this restaurant on your travels?
Brad is such an idiot. Doesn't he know that Jolie just uses men and spits them out like garbage?
In the clinton portion:
Mrs. (Hillary) Clinton was very political - it was like having a second president in the White House." During their eight years, the number of people invited to the White House increased dramatically, as did Mesnier's work load.
I'm thinking this is a stealthy slap at the clintons. Mesnier had to essentially do campaign work for a government salary. And I'm betting Hillary didn't bother to thank him appropriately.
I haven't been the Lyon area to visit that restaurant (YET, she said hopefully).
A polite way of saying they were slobs.
Clintoon was known to offer dinner "service" in the Oval Office.
Blubba and Chelz, maybe, but I just can't picture the Hildebeaste eating in the vicinity of the hired help.
I'll have to admit, I've never seen a film featuring Pitt or Jolie, but still it's hard to imagine the grand attraction. From what I've read, she's nuts and he stinks.
Before Christmas I ordered one of his cakes from Collin Stret Bakery in Corsicana Texas. I don't know if they are still available, here is their website.
It's a great bakery, we stopped there about a month ago while driving though. I'm not a fruitcake fan but they have other great things.
http://inet3.collinstreetbakery.com/multi/catalog.nsf/display2!openagent&img=1&promo=A2799259B4FA703086256F0E0013534F&session=&acct=&kref=&d=csb3&kcode=411128&t=corsicana&engine=adwords!1869&keyword=corsicana&match_type=&engine=adwords!1869&keyword=%2Acorsicana%2A&match_type=
But Melanie Griffith didn't take any chances on one of Antonio's films, flying to the set to keep a watchful eye.
Speaking of eating desserts, I went to the mall last weekend for some much needed wardrobe retrofitting. I was very very happy to find the styles at Ann Taylor Loft have gone to the classic, feminine tailored look. If you are looking for Spring and Summer dresses - you will be happy.
Good job, T, and proof that they read The Guild, of course.
Augggh, it is apparent that there is no intelligent life at FR beyond the Guild. I'm so tired of correcting the faulty logic, bad grammar and irrational concepts of other posters at this website!
No, haven't been to Lyon. But it's said to be the gastronomic capital of France.
M--let's meet there next time. It sounds so much better than the one I chose before.
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