LE CYGNE à la CRÈME

by Romain Castet

For the pâte à choux

200g French butter

250ml water

250ml milk

5g salt

10g granulated sugar

300g T45 flour

15 fresh whole eggs

For the whipped Chantilly cream

500ml 35% fat French cream

125g granulated sugar

½ pcs vanilla pod

For the pâte à choux, combine the butter, water, milk, salt, and granulated sugar together in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to a low and add the flour all at once. Stir until the flour is completely incorporated and a thick dough clumps into a ball. Mash the dough ball against the bottom and sides of the pan for 1 minute, which gently cooks the flour. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or, if using a handheld mixer, a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool down for a few minutes before adding the eggs in the next step.

With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the eggs in 3-4 separate additions mixing for 30 seconds between each. The mixture will look curdled at first, but it will begin to come together as the mixer runs. Pour in the final addition of beaten eggs very slowly. Stop adding when the choux pastry has reached the desired texture: shiny, thick, and smooth with a pipeable consistency. At this stage you can use it immediately or cover it and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly brush the parchment with water, which creates a humid environment for the pastry to puff up without drying out or burning.

Place ¾ of the pastry in a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and the rest in a small piping bag with a small plain nozzle. Using the small nozzle, make the swan necks with heads by piping 15 to 20 thin ‘S’ shapes onto a lined baking tray. Next, use the large star nozzle to make the bodies by piping a rosette shape and then draw the bag towards you, so you end up with an elongated ‘body’ with a tail. Repeat until you have 15 to 20. Put the tray containing the necks with heads into the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then, keeping the pastries in the oven, reduce the heat to 180°C and continue to bake for 5-8 more minutes until golden brown. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool. Bring the oven temperature back to 200°C. Bake the bodies for 20 minutes then, keeping the pastries in the oven, reduce the heat to 180°C and continue to bake for 10-15 more minutes until golden brown. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool. Once cool, gently slice off the top of bodies with a sharp serrated knife, then cut the tops in half to make the wings.

To make the Chantilly, add the cream, sugar and vanilla seeds to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until soft peaks form, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Place the Chantilly in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe into the swan ‘bodies’. Insert the wings into the cream and gently place a swan neck onto each choux body.

THE BEST DISHES CURRENTLY ON MENUS AT RESTAURANTS ACROSS DUBAI – AS CHOSEN BY CHEFS THEMSELVES

Head Chef Andrei Voitovici

What is your favourite dish on the menu?

So difficult to choose the favourite from all the goodies, but I’ll go with our Live Mud Crab with Singaporean Chili sauce. It's naughty, it's crabby, it’s delicious!

Tell us about the dish:

Live Mud crab is steamed and then all the shells are slightly cracked. Tossed in a wok with Singaporean sauce, the sauce gets through the cracked shell which offers authentic flavours and a savoury taste, yet you still have that unique taste of crab. Dig in with some fried Chinese buns, or just warm steamed jasmine rice.

What makes it a standout dish?

Singaporean sauce is one of the best choices, as it's full of umami. Tomato, chilli, and much more Asian flavours. Of course, you can’t go wrong when adding whole egg into the sauce, as it gives that richness and thickness. The crab itself is always a star especially when live and freshly prepared. It’s an all-time celebration when having one!

Where do you source the ingredients from?

The crabs are live and come direct from Sri Lanka, freshly caught in the waters of the Indian Ocean - can’t go wrong with that! Other products we choose are sustainable and locally grown, from vegetables to farm free-range eggs.

Cake Artist Beth Lauren

WALDORF ASTORIA DIFC

What is your favourite dish on the menu?

When it comes to our signature line, it’s a tough choice but I have to say my favourite cake on the menu is the Lotus Biscoff.

Tell us about the dish.

I’ve always loved Biscoff since I was a child, so when I moved to Dubai and saw how popular it is here, I knew I had to feature it on the menu! The flavours of Biscoff, caramelized sugar, and cinnamon, are so comforting to me, therefore, creating a luxury product incorporating these tempting flavours was really significant.

What makes it a standout dish?

Because I follow a plant-based diet, I wanted to have at least one amazing vegan option on the menu, and this was it for me! It’s safe to say I love this cake - it’s 100% vegan. The sponge is soft spiced cinnamon, filled with Lotus white chocolate ganache and Lotus Swiss meringue buttercream, it’s everything you need in a cake. I’ve trialled this cake over and over and I never tell anybody it’s vegan before giving it to them, the surprised expressions never get old, and it’s often chosen as our most popular flavour on the menu.

Where do you source the ingredients from?

I am incredibly lucky to work with an amazing procurement team. Dubai can be notoriously difficult to find the right produce but something I and the team never compromise on is quality, which allows us to source the finest ingredients from all over the world.