Alain Ducasse protégé Claire Heitzler reveals the ingredients for the perfect festive dessert

Award-winning pastry chef, Claire Heitzler, former Park Hyatt Dubai pastry chef, and European cream devotee, gives a step-by-step guide to creating the perfect Pavlova this festive season

CNIEL – The French Dairy Board and the European Union have partnered with one of the world’s foremost pastry chefs, Claire Heitzler, to showcase to Middle East consumers why European cream is the perfect ingredient this festive season.

Chef Claire trained under her compatriot, renowned French chef Alain Ducasse in Tokyo before putting her dessert expertise to acclaimed success at the Park Hyatt Dubai. The award-winning chef returned to Paris, where she led the pastry team at the Ritz and latterly worked at the famous French luxury bakery and sweets maker,LaDurée, before starting her own consultancy.

Long lauded for its many uses when creating everything from the simplest of desserts to a show-stopping cake, French dairy cream is 100% dairy so 100% natural. Chef Claire Heitzlersaid, “French cream is my go-to when making desserts.I never could do pastry without French cream. This ingredient is at the base of everything I do, and we’re fortunate to have excellent quality dairy products in France thanks to our unique terroir and farming methods.”

French cream is used to enhance aromas and balance all kinds of flavours.

“One of the main qualitiesof French cream is it can help reduce the bitterness of cocoa, the acidity of lemon, temper certain fruits and the astringency of others, which makes it the perfect ingredient this festive season,” said Chef Claire.

A range of French creams are available throughout the Middle East, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and can be found in local convenience stores and hypermarkets. Brands include Président, Elle &Vire, as well as Waitrose’s own brand which incorporates French crème fraîche and French crème, Candia or even Paysan Breton.