B The Change : Let's bring gastronomy and well-being together
This month, we have met three extraordinarily talented individuals who, in their own way, break the rules to redefine gastronomy in a healthy yet indulgent way.
Reasonable Indulgence: how to mix gourmet pleasure with positive impact
This new pastry-baking concept was developed by Frédéric Bau, Pastry Explorer at Valrhona, in his latest book Gourmandise Raisonnée (Reasonable Indulgence), published in October 2020 by La Martinière Editions.
The fruit of 15 years of hard work, reflection, and writing, Gourmandise Raisonnée shares the basics of a healthy and virtuous form of baking that is more sustainable, more responsible, and steadfastly gourmet through 60 recipes, tips, and tricks. In the book, Frédéric Bau takes a scientific and creative approach, exploring new ingredients and techniques.
The aim: to create indulgent treats that have a positive impact for all, from the producer to the end consumer, not forgetting the planet. It is a new way to inspire artisans of taste and support them in their quest for differentiation and towards using the more responsible practices expected by end consumers. In addition to the book, four courses for professional pastry chefs are being offered at l'Ecole Valrhona this year.
Impressed by this new way of making pastry, Pierre Hermé asked Frédéric Bau to make sustainable versions of two of his flagship desserts: Tarte Infiniment Citron and Tarte Infiniment Vanille. Impressed by the result, Pierre Hermé has decided to sell them in his Paris stores from April 6 along with two other exclusive recipes.
Building on its success, the book is being translated and will be available in four languages from September 2021.
100% Natural, 100% indulgent
Driven by her passion and commitment towards creating frozen treats healthy enough to regularly feed her kids yet indulgent enough to still enjoy, Julia Marchetti started Lovely Sheep.
From the get-go, her commitment towards sugar-free, gluten-free and dairy-free was a driving force, as her family consumes ice-cream daily and simply can't afford for it to be anything less than healthy. She makes sure to know all her suppliers personally, believes in using only the finest of products, and is a well-recognized and respected name in the Morrocan health-conscious F&B world. Her one advice to everyone is never compromise on the quality of products.
Healthy cooking that tastes like a treat: that is Michel Guérard's challenge
For over 40 years, the Michelin three-star chef Michel Guérard has worked to make food better and improve people’s diets. The Institut bearing his name, located in Eugénie-les-Bains in the Landes region, is the first school that teaches Health Cuisine®.
When his wife took over a small spa, he naturally had the idea to try to use his professional knowledge as a chef to produce healthy yet delicious food. His work was based on the belief that it is vital to put taste and enjoyment at the heart of all efforts to reform eating habits. Very quickly, a way of cooking which ran parallel to the one he had been trained in began to take shape in his mind: a way of cooking which, at the time, was based solely on the principle of calories, by reducing sugars and fat, but without losing out on taste and enjoyment.
His school aims to train chefs in new skills and techniques, enabling them to create tasty cuisine that respects their customers’ health. To achieve this, it is essential that professionals understand how and to what extent their usual culinary practice can affect health.
We'll see you next month for a new topic with B the Change.
