Dubai-based French pastry chef shares secrets of sweet success

Tucked away in the heart of Jumeirah is a quaint coffee shop. It has a hidden location, but Gerard's Café has been part of the city for more than 30 years, serving traditional French pastries and coffee to an extremely loyal customer base.

I walked into the whitewashed courtyard of a tiny mall in Jumeirah, which also houses Magrudy's bookshop, to meet the man behind it all.

Dressed in a plain blue shirt and white pants, the man who is simply known as Chef Gerard explained the secret behind his success. He opened his first coffee shop in Sharjah at the once-famous Flying Saucer in 1978, under the patronage of the erstwhile ruler. He then moved on to Al Ghurair Centre, then the only mall in Dubai, in 1981. Last year, Gerard Café opened its latest outlet in Downtown Dubai.

Basic bites

"I tried to do something very classic and basic, instead of going high-tech, because I prefer to do traditional things," he said. "In France, each city has a speciality in pastry because there are so many flavours to play with. But respecting the religious and cultural beliefs of the region, we could not include liquor in our products and had to work with just chocolate, vanilla or mocha for flavouring. Take my croissants, for example. We use pure butter to give them a different taste from the usual ones, which may use oil or margarine — and people still like it, even though it may be very heavy for the weather here. But my croissant is made in a very old style, and I continue to serve them. Many of my clients have crossed generations, often three generations, sitting at one table."

A young Arab gentleman sitting at one of the tables, told us that he had been coming to the café with his grandfather and father since he was a kid.

"French pastry is just like French food. The French are perfectionists. They just want the person eating the food to go ‘wow', whether it's a pastry or a savoury dish," Gerard says. "They like to be appreciated for it because they know how much work they've put into the dish. And this is the reason why they are so well known. French chefs pass on the tradition; learning under them is not just about cooking, but about carrying on a tradition.

"When you begin your career as a pastry chef, another chef will teach you the basics. Then you can experiment and make thousands of cakes, depending on the demand. Eventually, you learn what your clients like, and make that. For example, if people don't like it too creamy or too sweet, we adjust the taste accordingly. In the UAE, I've found that people are simple, with simple demands, asking, maybe, for just one cookie or a mille feuille or an éclair. But you need to build a name — like I did, with one small coffee shop. Because I believe a chef has to work to earn his reputation. But I'm not like the chefs in five-star hotels. They need to create something ‘wow' to keep their positions. What I do is something very tasty, very simple. No complaints."

One of a kind

While we dug into his signature Tarte Tropezienne, he explained why the dessert is so famous in the UAE, and shared his recipe with us. "It is simple, and very well known. It is, as the name suggests, from St Tropez, which is a famous tourist destination. And who eats this? The biggest celebrities who visit St Tropez and the people here — because I brought this here," he said, laughing.

Being a pastry chef, however, does not mean he advocates a huge intake of sweets. "I don't need to tell you sugar is poison if taken too much. But, yes, it does lift your spirits when you are feeling low, especially with women, who gorge on chocolates and cakes when depressed. You can indulge, but sensibly, especially in a country which has one of the highest number of diabetics. You can have one cake a week, but not one every day."

Gerard's Café shares its recipe with you

For the brioche pastry

For the cream

Mix flour, salt, sugar, powdered milk. Add the fresh yeast and butter. Add the water and three of the eggs, beaten, and mix in a food processor with pastry hook for 15 to 20 minutes, until soft and elastic. Let this dough rest for an hour, in a bowl covered with a napkin, to allow the pastry dough to rise.

On a floured surface, cut the dough in half and shape each piece into balls. Let it rest again for 15 minutes (or you can freeze one of the halves to make another tarte or brioche).

On a flat surface, roll the dough so it's flat and round (1cm thick). Place on a tray and leave to rise for another hour, until it's about 1 inch thick.

Once the dough has risen, gently use a pastry brush and spread the top of the raised dough with a beaten egg, taking care not to press too hard. Sprinkle with the rock sugar. Sprinkle the flaked almonds. Bake at 160°C for 15-20 minutes until golden.

Once this is done (check for a rich brown colour), let it cool and slice horizontally into half using a serrated knife. Mix equal quantities of custard cream and whipping cream in a bowl until you get a light yellow colour. Spread sugar syrup on the inside of the lower half and fill with cream.

Spread carefully with a spatula, leaving a dome in the middle and flatter on the circumference. Replace the top layer of the Tropezienne. Garnish with icing sugar. Eat right away or chilled.

Gerard's CafÉ outlets are located at: