What’s for dessert? Three new addresses give you the answer by offering refined pastries, burst creations and a little powdered sugar.
Pleasure is everything
While finishing a fourth year of law school, Clémentine Gueroult realized that she was far from getting up fulfilled every morning. The one who always cooked with her mother during her youth in Perpignan, in the south of France, took a 90-degree turn and then enrolled in a cooking school. And there, love at first sight, pastry reveals itself to her as a source of motivation and creativity.
After several internships with the best workers in France and in some gourmet restaurants, she settled in Montreal, where she now wants to create her own signature. For nearly a year, she has officiated sometimes in the kitchens of the restaurant Les Mômes, sometimes in her own kitchen, where she concocts many creations that people pre-order on her website. “A lady told me that my Paris-Brest is the best she found in Montreal,” reports the chef, quite proud, emphasizing in the same breath that she is eager to offer pavlovas garnished with seasonal berries.
A lady told me that my paris-brest is the best she found in Montreal
Emulator of Cyril Lignac – with whom she worked – or Cédric Grolet offers desserts that stand out with a delicate and thoughtful aesthetic. A visual that fits perfectly with its motto: “delicacy should make you want to come back”. Clémentine Gueroult hopes to have a storefront in a year and a half.
clementinegueroult.com
From radio to cakes
Although she has long been a passionate amateur pastry chef, Dominike Audet would never have thought that one day she would immerse herself full-time in the world of creaming and chocolate chips. When the pandemic made him lose a job at the radio, in 2021, the jack-of-all-trades decides to sign up for the show The Great Canadian Baking Show. Her experience with ten competitors as resourceful and creative as she nourishes her desire to give all the space to pastry.
Two years later, she opened with her husband, Dennis Hennessey, So Dominike — Gourmandises at the Grand Marché de Québec; a New York-inspired pastry counter, featuring cheesecakes, giant biscuits, bento cakes, and other creations of the day. “Street desserts”, as she calls them, prepared daily and decorated with bright colors and glitter. “I wanted to offer something different from the European pastries that we find a lot. And I wanted “decadent” and funky desserts that fit my personality. »
The couple find their ideas by watching cooking shows and create flavor combinations inspired by street food, carnival dishes or trends in big cities elsewhere. “It’s always tasty, it’s made to have fun. That’s the experience! summarizes the pastry chef, all smiles. Dominike Audet also takes orders for wedding or birthday cakes.
250-M, boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel, Quebec
Featured chouquettes
When the pastry chef couple Rachel Parenteau and Olivier Verdot left the metropolis to settle and open a shop in the capital, their idea was to revisit French classics by integrating local ingredients. And Chouquette seemed like a perfectly catchy name. It was without knowing that the pastry itself would become a perfect canvas to integrate the ingredients of the moment. “We had done for the opening. People’s comments were so good, they stayed [sur la carte] since, says co-owner Olivier Verdot. It’s the perfect dessert. It’s not too big or expensive. »
Since then, the star has been available in several flavors, or garnished, depending on the mood and the season — like all the other creations. The couple, who worked with Stéphanie Labelle at Rhubarbe, concoct their desserts with local ingredients and Valrhona chocolate. “In Quebec, we have fresh produce at our fingertips. 15 minutes from my place, there is Île d’Orléans with currant, sea buckthorn and haskap. You don’t find that anywhere else,” continues Mr. Verdot’s astonishment. This vast choice means that the pastries change often. There is only the mille-feuille that still seems entrenched, as the demand is so strong. “We have a very receptive clientele! We work hard, and people give back a lot. It’s intoxicating! »
778 Saint-Jean Street, Quebec