When pastry chefs go savory

It's one of the latest recipes shared on social networks by Christophe Michalak: a pizza with lemon confit, capers and rosemary. One might have expected a new sweet creation from the famous cathodic chef, with a name beginning with a k, like his many iconic desserts... Except that, since opening his Parisian neighborhood bakery, Kopain, the pastry chef has varied his pleasures. He has found a balance between sweet and savory recipes, perfect for lunches. On the menu, for example, a pan bagnat or a Lebanese foccacia.

This is just one of many examples of how the boundaries between sweet and savory have become blurred, in the wake of Sébastien Vauxion's daring compositions. In Courchevel, the chef of the Sarkara, who was named Pâtissier de l'Année 2023 by us, has removed the straitjacket of a celery that should inevitably be served as a starter and strawberries inevitably as a dessert.
These are the pastry chefs who give their creations another dimension by no longer concentrating solely on the sweet palette.

Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton in Paris

Just one year after opening his doors, the pastry chef at Cheval Blanc is breaking codes in the LV Dream cultural and culinary space. It was here that he was entrusted with the management of the café bearing his name, in collaboration with the luxury brand Louis Vuitton. Maxime Frédéric is proving that he can also cook savoury dishes, with his very first offering to be enjoyed before dessert. On the menu: brioche mouillettes to dip in eggs from his own Normandy farm, but also a waffle to devour accompanied by a lemon or caviar tzatziki, or a wrap based on salads and fresh herbs.

• 26 quai de la Mégisserie, 75001 Paris
• Read Gault&Millau's review of Plénitude - Cheval Blanc Paris

Agathe Legrand and Salim Djelloudi at La Tsarine in Lille

This is the newest sweet sensation in the capital of Flanders. While La Tsarine is unusual in terms of the way it operates, with click-and-collect distribution, it is also unusual in terms of its decision to include savory recipes adapted to its signature pastry, the millefeuille, right from the start, when it opened last September. This lunchtime option is called mirliton, which the couple Agathe Legrand and Salim Djelloudi garnish with Caesar salad or pesto-style chicken. "On the authorization of pastry chef François Perret, who officiates at the Ritz, we took the shape of his takeaway millefeuille and worked on our own puff pastry recipe," explains the young artistic director-turned-pastry chef. He adds, "We wanted to reappropriate the French snacking style by seeing our mirlitons as a balanced, cooked plate". For the festive season, La Tsarine is planning a foie gras-based recipe. At the same time, the couple are developing a range with meat juices for even greater indulgence.

• 70 passage de l'internationale, 59000 Lille
• www.la-tsarine.com

Benoît Castel in Paris

Bakers have also mastered the art of savoring. To find out, head for the Ménilmontant district, where Benoît Castel serves an all-you-can-eat brunch on Saturday and Sunday, including pizzas made from croissant dough. In this 35-euro formula, the chef even offers preparations unexpected for a pastry chef: ribs, roast chicken, pasta gratin or roast vegetables. Each week, Benoît Castel also adapts the salad according to the season. The savoury offer can also be found in his grocery store l'Alimentation.

• 150 Rue de Ménilmontant, 75020 Paris
• Read Gault&Millau's review of Benoît Castel

Thierry Mulhaupt in Strasbourg

"During my apprenticeship, I learned to master the savoury side of things," reports Thierry Mulhaupt, recalling the strong roots of certain pastry-making skills in Alsace, such as pâté en croûte. From quiches lorraines to leeks, the pastry chef has been presenting savoury recipes behind his shop window since 1991. A salted kouglof can still be found today. During the health crisis, the Alsatian artisan developed a formula entitled "les pâtissiers gastronomes cuisinent pour vous", including a main course, a dessert and even a recommended wine pairing. It's an offer that Thierry Mulhaupt has kept, and one that he reveals is very popular at weekends. As a nod to his cocoa plantation in Colombia, Thierry Mulhaupt recently served sancocho, a traditional dish based on chicken, coriander and vegetables.

• 18 rue du Vieux Marché aux Poissons, 67000 Strasbourg
• Read Gault&Millau's review of Pâtisserie Thierry Mulhaupt

Cédric Grolet in Paris

Cédric Grolet also recently took on a savory challenge, in a collaboration with Swiss cosmetics brand La Prairie. The Instagram star pastry chef adapted his sculpted fruit technique to the silhouette of an egg, using a Comté cheese mousse and Parmesan cheese.a Comté and Parmesan mousse, a runny heart of egg yolk, all infused with caviar, his very first savory dessert. The pastry chef from Le Meurice has just returned to his Parisian boutique Opéra with a vegetarian sandwich based on rye sandwich bread, breaded butternut squash, cabbage and black truffle. Since the opening of his sweet den, the Stéphanois hasn't been content with just offering his favorite saint-honoré or flower-themed tarts. His Parisian haunt has also become a lunchtime idea, with a range of sandwiches that evolve with the seasons by changing the type of bread (ciabatta, gluten-free bread, baguette), and in which truffles are often the star.

• 35 avenue de l'Opéra, 75002 Paris
• Read Cédric Grolet's portrait