The pastry Picasso

Pastry chef Pierre Hermé is referred to as the “Picasso of Pastry” due to his creativity in flavour combinations and innovative techniques. Though he has a thriving business, his primary role remains one of chef and creator. 

“I concentrate on the product, on what makes the difference,” Herme said in Mauritius, where he was a judge at the 18th annual Constance Festival Culinaire, which awards a trophy bearing his name. 

“I’m a pastry chef. I create all the products and I have a team who makes the products, who works on marketing and communication,” alongside a business partner. 

A fourth-generation pastry chef, Herme blends artistry, precision and unexpected ingredient pairings. He started in 1976 and now has a business that spans several countries with Pierre Herme Paris in which about 60% of his business is macarons. 

Stores are found in France, Singapore, Tokyo as well as Hong Kong, London, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Germany, Thailand, Abu Dhabi and Morocco. Japan and France are the biggest markets, having opened his first shop in Tokyo in Japan. “Japanese like creativity, they like the taste and like the pastry.” 

You can find chocolates, pastries, cakes and tea and coffee alongside viennoiseries (croissants, pain au chocolat and other buttery baked goods) at the stores. “I didn’t like macarons at first because for me they were too sweet and not enough taste.” 

When he started learning to make macarons in 1976, they made vanilla, chocolate, raspberries and coffee. At the time they were just two biscuits with a little cream inside. “When I started to make macarons myself, I started to say — the filling should be more important and have more taste because only the filling has the taste inside. And I developed a lot of recipes.” 

Hermé has developed many techniques for macarons and while some have one filling, for the most part there are two fillings “so you can give the architecture of taste. You can bring in different layers of taste”. 

He talks of how macarons are relatively new in history.

While the biscuit was invented in medieval times (it was brought from Italy by Catherine de Medici’s pastry chefs), the macaron we now know is filled with ganache, jam or crème au beurre. 

Pierre Herme Paris sells macarons (their signature item) with sophisticated flavour pairings such as Ispahan (rose, lychee and raspberry) and Mogador (milk chocolate and passion fruit). Of course, there is also chocolate and vanilla in the mix. 

He says the art of pastry making has come to the fore in French cuisine. Where the pastry chef used to be behind the chef de cuisine, now there’s a big change. 

“In the past, journalists spoke only of chefs de cuisine; no-one was speaking of pastry chefs. Pastry making has become its own centre of excellence and interest.” 

Hermé has no interest in food trends. “They’re always the worst idea. I’m interested in making a difference, finding a new taste, ingredients, techniques. 

“There is nothing worse than being part of a trend, because being in a trend means it’s a short period of time. What makes a company a brand is its longevity.” 

As to what sets his creations and business apart, he says it’s being audacious, making a difference and being authentic. 

Chocolate and ice cream (glace, frozen ice) are of particular interest to him at the moment. Last year he opened a boutique dedicated only to chocolate on Boulevard des Capucines in Paris. This year he’s working on setting up a shop with a large space dedicated to ice cream in Singapore selling classic ice cream and warm brioche with ice cream inside.   

There are always new tastes and innovations. “This summer we will have a macaron with tomato leaves and olives — an infusion of tomato leaves and compote with black olives.” 

The idea of the tomato leaf came from a perfume made by French florist Christian Tortu who’d made candles with the smell of tomato leaves and I had this in my memory and said I have to make it in a taste. I tried last year. We made only tomato leaves, and this year we’ve made a combination with tomato leaves and black olives. I’ve also made a combination for probably next year . with green olives and a combination with raspberries, which was very amazing.” 

At a demonstration at the five-star Constance Prince Maurice in Mauritius with Sebastien Claverie (who heads production at Pierre Herme) we picked up tips as to how to make meringue, such as keeping eggs in the fridge for a few days before use. They are particular about taste and are not driven by price but quality. For instance, even the vanilla they use is a combination of product from various parts of the world spanning Tahiti, Madagascar and Mexico. 

What is Hermé most proud of? “Probably the next thing I will discover”.