A pastry chef, also known as a patissier, is a pastry chef who works in a restaurant, bakery, cruise ship, or hotel kitchen. He or she could make pies, cakes, fresh-baked cookies, candies, chocolates, and dessert sauces, among other things. These chefs may bake fresh bread on occasion, but only if a baker, or boulanger, is present in the professional kitchen. A pastry chef, in general, prefers to work with sweetened dough over unsweetened dough.
The chef de cuisine oversees the professional kitchen as a whole. He or she decides on the menu and the budget. Second in command is the executive chef, to whom the patissier usually reports. The pastry chef is in charge of the dessert station and supervises and trains his or her helpers. Assistant chefs are frequently tasked with plating desserts.
Because head pastry chefs are in charge of their stations, they must plan the dessert menu, order ingredients, and test recipes. The chef de cuisine and his or her executive typically meet with all of the professional kitchen station heads on a regular basis to sample recipes and work out menu details. Patissiers, like other chefs, frequently use seasonal ingredients in their desserts.
For example, an apple cinnamon strudel with caramel sauce may be served with a hearty autumn meal of various German sausage dishes and winter vegetables prepared the pastry chef. A light summer meal of grilled shrimp and zucchini vinaigrette, on the other hand, could be rounded out with the patissier’s extra-flaky crust fresh strawberry pie. A pastry chef must be creative in creating unique desserts while also providing sweets that are popular with customers and complement the rest of the menu.
Patissiers typically receive their education from a pastry chef school, which can range from two to four years in length. This usually includes learning about various dessert courses, such as those that include wine and cheese. These chefs are also trained in pairing sweet desserts with alcohol, such as poached pears in champagne and chocolate with port. If a pastry chef decides to serve something that is usually simple, such as a cupcake, he or she may create a sophisticated version such as dark chocolate cakes with Merlot, or other dark French wine, in the frosting.