Time to meet THE dessert expert
We’re going to the Ecole des Desserts, which is just outside Vannes, to meet Alain Chartier in person and spend half a day in dessert heaven. As soon as you open the door you are assailed by the delicious aroma of chocolate and freshly-baked cakes. To get to the ‘classroom’, students pass through the shop, filled with a mouth-watering array of macaroons, frozen dessert verrines, (individual desserts in a glass) marshmallows and chocolates. The cookery workshop takes place right next to the premises where they make the delicious desserts that are sold both here and in the shop in the town centre. We begin with a cup of coffee – there are a dozen or so students altogether, and the regulars have already donned the special ‘Ecole des Desserts’ aprons. Emblazoned across the wall are the words: ‘Vous êtes ici dans la cuisine d’un chef’ (‘You are in a chef’s kitchen’) – somewhat scary if you’re not in the know! But in comes Alain Chartier, who smilingly greets us with a really warm welcome. We’re all given a little booklet containing today’s recipes. The lesson is perfectly straightforward: the chef is going to demonstrate each recipe, one step at a time, and then it will be our turn to make our own dessert.
