The Look of Love — Return of the Pièce MontéeLet us take a moment to introduce you to Laura Schmalhorst, our guest blogger. This lady is a true blue rockstar in the catering world. She founded A la Carte Catering and Chefs on the Loose, and has catered more events in the last 30+ years than any of us can comprehend. We are proud to call her the culinary director of our new events and catering division, Dazzle. Below she gives is the scoop on a recurring trend in the special events scene called pièce montée. These creations are both stunning and delicious when crafted by the right hands. Unless you’ve been stranded on a desert island or living in a cave for the past several years you’ve no doubt noticed the resurgence of the dessert and candy table at special events.
When Marie Antoinette said “let them eat cake” what she probably meant to say was “but don’t touch my pièce montée!” “Pour quoi,” you say? Pièce montée were the crowning glory of Marie’s famously (notoriously?) lavish parties. They were knock-out centerpieces, more like decorative architectural structures, made from delightful confections. The term pièce montée is sometimes used to refer to the dessert also known as croquembouche, an assemblage of cream puffs, and as we see so frequently now, macarons. I designed a dessert table featuring several for my son’s own wedding recently, and we find the demand increasing for them more in the catering industry. They can complement a wedding cake or replace it altogether – either way they give brides and others planning parties a little more flexibility and freedom when it comes to the presentation, flavors and textures they’d like to offer their guests.
With ace pastry chef Alex Flannery joining the Datz family to lead the team at Dough, our soon to open bakery located in the old Kalupa’s, we are sure to create some exciting dessert tables in the months to come! Stay tuned for breathtaking pics or shoot us an email if you think you’d like your very own for a special event. dazzle@datztampa.com |
