Two tickets to paradise...
I just spent two evenings with Chef Roland Mesnier!
Wow, what an honor he is absolutely amazing & quite the entertainer! Born & raised in the tiny French town of Bonnay, he graduated second in his class after completing his apprenticeship at Maison Maurivard in 1961. Positions he has held include Assistant Pastry Chef at the Regency Hotel in Paris, The Opera Pastry Shop in Hanover Germany & the Savoy Hotel in London. In 1967 Chef Mesnier became the Pastry Chef at the Princess Hotel & Governor's Palace in Bermuda. He then was lured away to the prestigious Homestead Resort in Hot Springs Virginia where his culinary reputation grew. Chef Mesnier was courted by First Lady Rosalyn Carter & became the sole pastry Chef at the White House in 1979 where he moled the pastry kitchen into his own with only one assistant, & launched the first professional pastry course at the L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, Maryland.
After 25 years in service at the White House he retired in July 2004.
Chef Mesnier has been the recipient of numerous awards including a Doctorate of Culinary Arts from Johnson & Whales University, The Gold Medal from President Reagan's Inauguration, multiple gold, silver & bronze medals at culinary exhibitions around the world & is a former President of the international selection committee for the World Cup of Pastry Making.
Chef Mesnier can be seen in the film "inside the White House" produced by
National Geographic Video.
I was mesmerized for over 3 1/2 hours each evening as we watched him do his magic. The first night was all about cupcakes. It was amazing to watch him turn simple cupcakes into works of art. On the menu were fresh carrot cupcakes with pineapple, apricot, carrot & ginger topping (yummy); banana crunch cupcakes with strawberry whipped cream frosting(delicious); chocolate ganache covered yellow cupcakes; Boston cream cupcakes; coconut cupcakes (my favorite) & chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache!
After 25 years in service at the White House he retired in July 2004.
Chef Mesnier has been the recipient of numerous awards including a Doctorate of Culinary Arts from Johnson & Whales University, The Gold Medal from President Reagan's Inauguration, multiple gold, silver & bronze medals at culinary exhibitions around the world & is a former President of the international selection committee for the World Cup of Pastry Making.
Chef Mesnier can be seen in the film "inside the White House" produced by
National Geographic Video.
I was mesmerized for over 3 1/2 hours each evening as we watched him do his magic. The first night was all about cupcakes. It was amazing to watch him turn simple cupcakes into works of art. On the menu were fresh carrot cupcakes with pineapple, apricot, carrot & ginger topping (yummy); banana crunch cupcakes with strawberry whipped cream frosting(delicious); chocolate ganache covered yellow cupcakes; Boston cream cupcakes; coconut cupcakes (my favorite) & chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache!
Coconut Cupcake!
The second evening Chef Mesnier prepared for us Lemon crepes (which he fashioned into a Christmas tree); Plum pudding with lemon sauce & brandy butter & orange sabayon cake with chocolate mousse!
My favorite without a doubt were the crepes filled with lemon cream!!! My, oh my! The crepes were "thin enough to read a newspaper through" & the lemon cream was , bar none, the best I have ever tasted....the combination of the two together was sheer bliss!
It's not a secret that I love crepes & just the tips Chef Mesnier gave on making them
was worth the price of admission!!!
These classes were exciting & full of great techniques & tips that I will carry over into my own baking & will share with you along with some of the recipes (especially the crepes).
Thank you Chef Mesnier it was awesome!!!
The second evening Chef Mesnier prepared for us Lemon crepes (which he fashioned into a Christmas tree); Plum pudding with lemon sauce & brandy butter & orange sabayon cake with chocolate mousse!
My favorite without a doubt were the crepes filled with lemon cream!!! My, oh my! The crepes were "thin enough to read a newspaper through" & the lemon cream was , bar none, the best I have ever tasted....the combination of the two together was sheer bliss!It's not a secret that I love crepes & just the tips Chef Mesnier gave on making them
was worth the price of admission!!!
These classes were exciting & full of great techniques & tips that I will carry over into my own baking & will share with you along with some of the recipes (especially the crepes).Thank you Chef Mesnier it was awesome!!!
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