Nina Métayer in 5 pastries

The name Nina Métayer may be familiar to you, but you may not have had the chance to taste the creations of the woman who won the title of World's Best Pastry Chef in 2023. From the beginnings of her media career, when she was working at the Raphaël Hotel, to the opening of her own Délicatisserie, Nina Métayer takes a look back at five desserts that have marked her career and development. Here are five pastries that will plunge you straight into the world of the pastry chef.

The exotic floating island

"This wasthe first dessert to attract attention. At the time, I had just landed my first job as pastry chef at Le Raphaël with Amandine Chaignot. I was working day and night to create and learn to manage the team... It was a new challenge for me. I have a great fondness for this dessert, because it brought together the technique I'd acquired and the tastes I'd discovered on my various travels, as well as those my husband and friends loved. This floating island is fresh, well-balanced and has received a fair amount of press coverage. It helped me grow up!" recalls Nina Métayer.

Mathieu Salomé

The autumn leaf

Despite the dessert's name, Nina Métayer's Autumn Leaf has nothing to do with the traditional recipe. "That year, I lost in the final of France 2's 'Qui sera le prochain grand pâtissier?', precisely on an autumn leaf challenge. When I took up my post as head pastry chef at Jean-François Piège's Grand Restaurant, I wanted to make a nod to this event by proposing a dessert based around chocolate, buckwheat and peated whisky ice cream. There was also shortbread, meringue and a chocolate tuile... These are elements that I still use to add crunch to my recipes. This dessert says a lot about my career. It's also where I was named Pastry Chef of the Year 2017 by Gault&Millau", relates the pastry chef.

The matryoshka

"I created this dessert when I arrived at Café Pouchkine. I have Russian-Polish family on my mother's side and often played with my grandmother's matryoshkas, so this new adventure made sense to me. I proposed this dessert when I was shortlisted for the job, and it's a great memory. I created the mold at home, with silicone, to make the different sizes of Russian dolls, before testing the recipe with my husband in our little apartment, my little kitchen with my little oven... The first matryoshka was with vanilla and pecans, then I varied the flavors with the seasons. It became the signature dessert of Café Pouchkine", recalls Nina Métayer.

Mathieu Salomé

The Renaissance galette

"The Renaissance galette is very important to me, as it marks the opening of my online boutique, La Délicatisserie. The galette features a drawing of a large chestnut tree by illustrator Alexia Lepelletier. In fact, it's the two-hundred-year-old tree we had in the garden of our house in Normandy. It was incredible, yielding thousands of hazelnuts, but was rotten inside and threatening to collapse on our roof. We had to have it cut down and it was pretty sad, so this galette is a bit of a tribute," says the pastry chef.

Mathieu Salomé

Mango-passion pavlova

The last creation selected by Nina Métayer is her mango-passion pavlova, one of her favorite desserts. "I think it's an incredible dessert to make as a pastry chef. It's perfect for passing on, because it requires a bit of technique, to make a good meringue and a beautiful chantilly, two elements that look simple, but are actually complicated to make perfectly. I also love pavlova because it's sweet to eat, easy to share, comforting and fruity... And best of all, you can make it without any special utensils. Allyou need is a whisk, an oven and a few ingredients, so I often make it when I'm invited to friends' houses or when I'm away on vacation", smiles Nina Métayer.

Mathieu Salomé