There’s no denying we have a fondness for good pastry in Ireland. Cakes, scones, tarts, cream cakes, buns – they are part of the Irish food tapestry, but when it comes to patisserie, a particular style of French baking, we tended mainly to see it in fancy hotels. For the most part, it hasn’t been part of the offering in local bakeries in towns and villages. Thankfully that’s changing, with a new wave of Irish-based chefs embracing patisserie in fun and inventive ways.
Note re recipes: - patisserie recipes are technical and precise, and all of the following require digital scales for precise measuring, as even liquids and eggs are measured by the gram for the most part.
Laura Gannon
Cakeface, Kilkenny
In Kilkenny city, contemporary Irish food meets classic French patisserie at Cakeface, where Laura and Rory Gannon own a bright, vibrant shop full of impressive creations people want to eat (and photograph). “People see patisserie as a luxury item, they want to spend their money on it, so they want something a bit unique. They want to talk about it, take a picture of it.”
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The couple went from Ballymaloe Cookery School to the patisseries of Paris, then London five-star hotels, before opening in Kilkenny in 2015. They have had a loyal following from the start, but Laura says customers have certainly become more interested and knowledgeable about what patisserie is over the years.
“People realise more what goes into patisserie. It’s not just putting an apple sponge in the oven. It’s unique and it’s complicated, but it’s also really rewarding.”
[ A simple strawberry tart worthy of a French pâtisserieOpens in new window ]
Here Laura shares a Cakeface favourite, a dramatic dark chocolate tart. “There are a few steps to this tart, but it’s also very straightforward. The pastry shell can be made the day before, just store it in an airtight container. The whipping ganache benefits from an overnight rest, in order for it to whip up nicely.”
Cakeface Decadent Dark Chocolate Tart
INGREDIENTS
For the chocolate sweet pastry:
150g unsalted butter
95g icing sugar
30g ground almonds
Pinch of salt
50g egg yolks
25g cocoa rouge or best-quality cocoa powder
230g plain flour
For the chocolate whipping ganache:
250g single cream
60g caster sugar
170g chocolate (50 per cent dark, 50 per cent milk)
375g single cream (cream 2, see method)
For the dark chocolate ganache:
200g 70 per cent dark chocolate
200g cream
METHOD
For the chocolate sweet pastry:
For individual tarts, we use 9cm tart rings, but you can use a 20cm loose bottom quiche tin for example.
1. Add the butter and icing sugar into a large bowl, and cream together by hand or by using a hand mixer, until pale. Scape down the sides and add the eggs and the dry ingredients alternatively.
2. Scrape down the side and form the mixture into a block of dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1hr. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees.
3. Flour a surface to roll on, then roll out the pastry to 5mm thick. Line your tart tin with the dough, trimming the edges. Cook the tart shell for 8-10 minutes at 170 degrees, or if you are doing a larger tart, 10-12 minutes.
4. Trick of the trade: we don’t line our tarts with baking beans; if the pastry has started to shrink, three to four minutes into the bake, we open the oven and gently press the pastry back into shape.
For the chocolate whipping ganache:
1. Add the first batch of cream and caster sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the chocolate to a bowl and then pour in the hot cream, stirring with a spatula until smooth and silky. Add the second batch of cream and stir again. Place in the fridge overnight. You’ll need to whip the ganache again before assembly.
For the dark chocolate ganache:
You should make this just as you are ready to assemble.
1. In a small saucepan add the cream and slowly bring to a gentle boil. Remove from heat. Add your chocolate to a bowl and pour the hot cream over it, stirring with a rubber spatula until it’s smooth and creamy.
To assemble:
At this stage you could also can add a layer of peanut butter/raspberry jam/caramel to the base of the tart shell.
1. Pour the hot ganache into the tart shell to the top and allow the tart to set at room temperature.
2. Whip your ganache and add to a piping bag with a round nozzle. Hold your piping bag about 20cm above the tart. Pipe directly down on the tart but not touching the tart. The trick to piping is to pipe, stop and then lift away. People tend to move away from the bag while they are still applying pressure.
Cakeface Patisserie, 16 Irishtown, Kilkenny, R95 W634 cakeface.ie
Jack Lenards
Firehouse Bakery, Delgany
For chef Jack Lenards, the pull of patisserie was so great that he swapped late nights in high-end Michelin kitchens for early morning baking at Firehouse Bakery in Delgany. Firehouse is well known for excellent sourdoughs and decadent doughnuts, but now with Lenards working alongside owner Patrick Ryan, things are turning up a notch.
“My training is classic patisserie, so I’m bringing that into things,” he says. He feels there are still gaps in the market for really finessed pastry in Ireland, “like the masterpieces we see in French baking”. He cites French pastry chef and TikTok sensation Cédric Grolet as an inspiration, noting that while patisserie is all about technique, it’s also about playfulness and of course taste.
[ Masterclass in patisserie, plus you get to eat it tooOpens in new window ]
Here he shares his recipe for a classic choux pastry with a rich, nutty praline.
Jack Lenards’ Hazelnut Praline Paris Brest
Makes 10-15
Your cold ingredients should be at fridge temperature to start. You will need a stand mixer, hand blender, parchment paper, and a piping bag with a small circle nozzle.
INGREDIENTS
For the creme patissiere:
750g whipping cream
750g milk
8g vanilla extract
75g caster sugar
6 whole eggs
102g egg yolks
225g icing sugar
175g corn flour
150g unsalted butter, cubed
For the choux:
80g milk
80g water
4g sugar
120g butter
3g salt
160g flour
4 whole eggs
For the candied hazelnuts:
100g blanched hazelnuts
100g caster sugar
100g water
For the hazelnut cream:
100g creme patissiere
1 jar hazelnut praline caramel (Bonne Maman from Dunnes, Fallon & Byrne and some Tesco and SuperValu), or hazelnut praline paste
300g whipped cream
1 vanilla pod
To garnish
1 packet of gold leaf (optional)
METHOD
1. For the creme patissiere: Add the milk, cream and vanilla into a pot and bring to a boil. While it is heating, combine the rest of your ingredients except for the butter into a metal bowl and whisk until you have a thick smooth paste. Once the milk has boiled, pour it over the egg mix and whisk until combined. Then pour everything back into the pot and whisk constantly until the mix begins to boil. Carefully place this in a stand mixer and whisk in the butter until the mix cools. Reserve for later use.
2. For the choux pastry: Add the butter, milk, water, sugar and salt into a pot and bring to a boil. Add flour and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Carefully transfer a stand mixer and start to beat. Add the eggs, one by one, until you have a slightly stiff mix. Transfer into a piping bag with a small circle pipping nozzle.
3. On a baking tray lined with parchment paper, draw 10cm circles on to the parchment. Space them out as your choux will double in size when baked. Then pipe two rings of choux pastry into the circles. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
4. For the candied hazelnuts: Add the sugar and water to a pot and gently bring to a boil until syrupy. Reduce heat to low, add the hazelnuts and poach in the liquid for 10 minutes. Strain the hazelnuts from the liquid, put them on parchment paper on a baking tray and toast in an oven at 180 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Allow the hazelnuts to cool then cut each nut in half.
5. For the hazelnut cream: Whip the cream with one vanilla pod until you get firm peaks. In another bowl, beat the creme patissiere and 100g of the hazelnut praline together until smooth. Then gently fold in your cream until combined.
6. To build the Paris Brest: Start by cutting the choux pastry horizontally in half. Inside the base of the choux pastry, place thumb-sized pieces of hazelnut praline. Then pipe your hazelnut cream in small circles around that. Add the top half (lid) of the choux and then do six dots of the praline paste around it, and place the halved hazelnuts on them. Fill the centre with more hazelnut cream and praline paste, decorate with gold leaf and serve.
Firehouse Bakery & Cafe, Old Delgany Inn, Delgany, Co Wicklow, A63T285, thefirehouse.ie
Daniel Duckett
Lazy Claire, Belfast
Daniel Duckett started his pastry career in Belfast, but it was a stint at the legendary Angelina patisserie in Paris that sealed the deal. “I knew I didn’t want to do anything else.” He returned to Ireland and opened Lazy Claire in 2018. “We do absolutely everything to the classic French recipes. We use really good quality ingredients. Probably 99 per cent of what we make, we make in-house.”
He has noticed over the past few years that customers have a newfound appreciation for his style of baking, with the croissant being the perfect example. “Good croissants are out there, we’re not relegated to the prebaked frozen ones any more. I’ve noticed people are happy to pay for a really good one, that’s what they want now.”
He shares a recipe for Tarte Bourdaloue, a Parisian classic with a twist. “Instead of traditional frangipane, I use dark rum and vanilla to complement the pears. My sweet pastry is probably completely backwards from what you’re used to, but it will minimise gluten development and give a much shorter crust. Make sure everything is at room temperature before you begin.”
Lazy Claire Tarte Bourdaloue
Makes one 20cm tart
INGREDIENTS
For the pears:
3 Conference pears, peeled and halved
1 litre water
500g caster sugar
1/2 vanilla pod (or 1 tbsp good quality vanilla syrup)
For the sweet pastry (pâte sucrée):
140g unsalted butter
75g icing sugar, sifted
50g eggs
25g ground almonds
250g plain flour
For the creme d’amande:
50g unsalted butter
50g icing sugar
1/2 vanilla pod, seeds only
35g egg
50g ground almonds
7g cornflour
1/2 tbsp (7ml) dark rum
42g whipping cream
To finish:
Icing sugar
Toasted almond flakes
METHOD
1. For the pears: Bring the water, caster sugar and vanilla to a boil, then reduce to barely a simmer. Add the pears and gently poach over a low heat. Remove from the heat after 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool completely and drain. Once cold, remove the core and any stringy bits (It’s easier to remove once they’re cooked).
2. For the sweet pastry (pâte sucrée): In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter until pale and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the icing sugar and beat again for two minutes. Slowly incorporate the egg, until they are completely combined. If it looks slightly split, continue to beat and add the almonds, which should help it smooth out.
3. Add the flour in four additions, gently mixing between each. At the last addition, mix about 5-10 seconds after it is completely combined to help some gluten develop. This is important so that you can roll it easily.
4. Divide the dough into two circles about 2cm thick. Then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour.
5. Before you make the creme d’amande, take one chilled pastry disc and roll out to 5mm thick. Lightly butter a 20cm tart tin, and line it with the pastry, getting the corners right down. Prick the pastry all over with a fork, trim the edges and refrigerate in preparation for the next step.
6. For the creme d’amande: Using a hand mixer, beat butter and icing sugar on medium speed until very pale and fluffy. This takes at least five minutes. Add the vanilla seeds. Slowly drizzle in the eggs. Allow to incorporate completely. If the mixture looks split, increase the speed until it comes together. Add ground almonds and cornflour in two additions, beating slowly after each. Then beat on high for one minute.
7. Mix the rum and cream. Reduce the speed to medium-low and drizzle in the cream mixture, allowing to combine thoroughly. Then increase the speed to high and beat until it’s completely homogenous. It might look split, but continue to beat until smooth.
8. Take this mixture and spread it evenly over the bottom of your chilled pastry.
9. Slice the pears however you like and gently place five halves on the creme, with the narrow end pointing inwards.
10. Bake at 195 degrees (180 fan) for 20-25 minutes until the top is beginning to turn brown and the creme d’amande has risen up around the pears. It’s best baked directly on the oven rack instead of on a baking tray. Allow to cool completely.
11. Once the tart is cool, sprinkle liberally with icing sugar and spread toasted flaked almonds as you wish. Serve at room temperature.
Lazy Claire Patisserie, 227 Castlereagh Road, Belfast, BT5 5FH, lazyclaire.co.uk
