Chef Pâtissier – Sweet and Savoury – in, on and with Polish Pottery

A Chef Pâtissier is the heart of the dessert kitchen – the master of sweet and tangy delights, where precision, creativity and perfection meet. With polish pottery, even the most demanding desserts become easier and more elegant to prepare and present. The smooth, glazed surface is ideal for whisking creams, pouring chocolate and arranging decorations without sticking.
This category includes bowls, platters, tart dishes and plates, allowing preparation and service with style – both in professional kitchens and at home.

Below are the 5 most demanding dishes a pâtissier can make, with recipes adapted so that any home baker can follow them.

1. Croquembouche (Caramelised profiterole tower)

Ingredients (8–10 servings, 25–30 pieces)
Choux pastry:

• 250 ml water

• 100 g butter

• 150 g plain flour

• 4 medium eggs

• Pinch of salt

Vanilla cream:

• 500 ml milk

• 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 100 g sugar

• 4 egg yolks

• 40 g cornflour

Caramel:

• 250 g sugar

• 60 ml water

Method:

1. Choux pastry: Boil water, butter and salt. Add flour in one go, stir until the dough pulls away from the pan. Cool slightly, beat in eggs one at a time.

2. Pipe small mounds onto baking sheet, bake at 200°C for 20–25 mins.

3. Vanilla cream: Heat milk with vanilla. Whisk yolks, sugar and cornflour, pour in hot milk, return to heat and thicken. Cool.

4. Fill buns with cream.

5. Caramel: Melt sugar and water until golden, dip buns and build into a tower.

2. Opéra Cake

Ingredients:
Almond sponge:

• 6 eggs

• 150 g sugar

• 150 g almond flour

• 50 g plain flour

Coffee buttercream:

• 200 g butter

• 100 g sugar

• 2 egg yolks

• 2 tbsp strong espresso

Ganache:

• 200 g dark chocolate

• 200 ml double cream

Soaking syrup:

• 100 ml espresso + 2 tbsp coffee liqueur

Method:

1. Sponge: Beat egg whites with sugar, fold in yolks. Mix in flours. Bake at 180°C for 12 mins.

2. Buttercream: Boil sugar with water to 118°C, whisk into yolks, add butter and espresso.

3. Ganache: Pour hot cream over chocolate, stir smooth.

4. Layer sponge with syrup, buttercream and ganache.

5. Glaze top with ganache.

3. Mille-feuille

Ingredients:

• 750 g puff pastry

• 750 ml milk

• 2 vanilla pods

• 180 g sugar

• 6 egg yolks

• 60 g cornflour

• 60 g butter

• 200 g fondant icing

• 50 g dark chocolate

Method:

1. Bake 3 puff pastry sheets at 200°C for 15 mins.

2. Pastry cream: Heat milk with vanilla. Whisk yolks, sugar and cornflour, pour in hot milk, return to heat and thicken. Add butter.

3. Layer pastry and cream: pastry – cream – pastry – cream – pastry.

4. Glaze with fondant, pipe chocolate lines and drag a skewer to create a feathered pattern.

4. Sacher Torte

Ingredients:

• 150 g dark chocolate

• 150 g butter

• 100 g icing sugar

• 6 eggs

• 150 g sugar

• 150 g flour

• 200 g apricot jam

• 200 g dark chocolate

• 100 ml cream

Method:

1. Melt chocolate. Beat butter and icing sugar, add yolks, then chocolate.

2. Beat egg whites with sugar, fold in. Add flour.

3. Bake at 170°C for 50 mins.

4. Spread warm jam over cake.

5. Glaze with melted chocolate mixed with cream.

5. Lemon Meringue Tart

Ingredients:
Shortcrust pastry:

• 250 g flour

• 125 g butter

• 80 g sugar

• 1 egg

Lemon cream:

• Juice and zest of 3 lemons

• 150 g sugar

• 3 eggs + 2 egg yolks

• 100 g butter

Meringue:

• 4 egg whites

• 200 g sugar

Method:

1. Make pastry, chill, blind bake at 180°C for 15 mins.

2. Cream: Heat lemon juice, zest, sugar and eggs over a bain-marie until thick. Stir in butter.

3. Fill tart shell.

4. Meringue: Beat whites, add sugar gradually, pipe on top, brown under grill.