After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!
beevan_header2_600.jpg

Dessert for dinner with Bruno Feldeisen

Bruno Feldeisen and his assistant Georgine Chung

Photos by Kelly Jean Marion -- follow her @kellyjean247

On a dreary Monday night, a group of strangers gathered together to share an evening of delicious food and wine in an educational, but casual setting. 

Stan and Kathy, supporters of The Arts Club, opened their doors to host the small group of individuals who were eager to learn from the talented Bruno Feldeisen. Wine glasses were waiting upon arrival, with our names written on them with a washable Sharpie. This was a great way of personalizing the experience while eliminating "lost" glasses. 

This was a unique class in the Celebrity Chef Cooking Class series because the focus was on dessert, rather than just finishing with dessert. 

There were, however, some savory treats to balance out the consumption of sugar and cream over the course of the night. This included a baby golden and red beet salad with yuzu olive vinaigrette and toasted pumpkin seeds, a cheese and charcuterie platter, smoked salmon, and a pasta salad with roasted vegetables and herbs.

Bruno Feldeirsen, Pastry Chef at Yew Restaurant, proved to be entertaining and knowledgeable as he led the class through the series of sweets. His strong French accent and confident attitude, made the experience that much more unique, as if we were in his family home in the small town of Clermont-Ferrand. 

Although he encouraged guests to participate, the young class was collectively quite timid, needing encouragement to get their hands in the action. 

Our first dish was an eye-opener as Bruno turned mango syrup in to a spherical delight, in a simple "salt bath".

Mango ravioli shooter with Malibu champagne

This dessert was an explosion in your mouth from the effervescent sparkling Malibu and the mango ravioli bursting in our mouth. It was an usual feeling, and a pleasant one. This is dessert in liquid form, and something that I could see myself having ten of because it's light, refreshing and not too sweet. 

“Not Your Mama’s Shortcake”
Black sesame sponge, vanilla crémeux, strawberries

This was probably my favorite of all the desserts. It was sweet and creamy with the sponge cake and raspberry meringue to add texture. I admit, I had two. 

"In the restaurant we use BC organic strawberries, buying bulk in the summer and freezing it. I found some strawberries for tonight, not BC, not organic, just in case we need to put some on the dishes. You see, I'm honest."

The sponge cake for this dessert consisted of eggs, black sesame seed, flour and sugar, that were put "under pressure" (using CO2 or N2O in a whippit) before being put in the microwave to set. Microwave time was less than a minute. 

We also learned that you can create this dish with many other flavor combinations such as pistachio lemon, but they use black sesame because they have a huge Asian customer base at the restaurant. 

More in BeeVancity

Atlantis Night Circus turns Vancouver FanClub into a nautical wonderland

Vancouver FanClub turns into a nautical wonderland during Dine Out Vancouver's Atlantis Night Circus.

Taste of Tulalip

Taste of Tulalip celebrated its fifth year this November with a slew of delectable and informative events. From the Magnum Party where Cristal and Petrus was flowing and...

Staying nourished and balanced at Cornucopia

A new addition to Whistler's Cornucopia festival this year was a series of "Nourish" seminars and yoga/meditation classes.
Speak up about this article on Facebook or Twitter. Do this by liking Vancouver Observer on Facebook or following us @Vanobserver on Twitter. We'd love to hear from you.