Pierre Herme Assisting Wegmans

[cabrales]

I'd appreciate input from members as to whether Pierre Herme's pastries, including his luscious macarons, are available at certain, yet unidentified Wegmans stores in NJ or NY. If a member has leads, please indicate which pastries may have been sampled. For background on Herme, see "Pierre Herme" under "France".  (I'm posting a similar inquiry on the NY board)

A February 27, 2002 New York Times article ("A Delightful Taste of Paris, by Way of Rochester", by Florence Fabricant) indicates:

"Mr. Herme's exquisite filled chocolates . . . are now being made in Rochester under the chef's supervision and using French chocolate and butter. . . . . Four Wegmans stores, in Princeton, Manalapan and Bridgewater, N.J., and Pittsford, N.Y., also sell the chocolates. . . . **Several Wegmans stores sell his pastries, including assorted macaroons**." [The article does not appear to indicate which, as the previously mentioned ones appear to relate to chocolate sales]

http://www.wegmans.com/aboutUs/storeLocator/

(indicates location of Wegmans stores; note that site in general offers chocolates that at least are based on Herme's recipes)

The mail order chocolates are described here:

https://www.wegmans.com/ocs/item_detail.asp?ici=1259

(prices begin at USD$17.00 for 7 oz or approx. 23 pieces)

I wonder if they could even faintly resemble Herme's Paris creations?  ???

[Rosie]

I asked a chef who works at Wegman's in Bridgewater and she was not aware of any of Pierre Herme's pastries being sold there.

[helenas]

i'm a regular in Manalapan Wegmans, since i live 5 minutes from it. After reading the Herme's discussion on France board, i specifically checked for pastries; unfortunately, our Wegmans carries only chocolates

[cabrales]

unfortunately, our Wegmans carries only chocolates

Helena -- When you have a chance, please consider discussing whether you have sampled Wegmans' Herme-line chocolates. Are they available by the piece, or is there a minimum purchase quantity like on the Internet site?  

I will sample the Herme chocolates in Paris within the next month or so, and report back.

Here is Steve Klc's response to a similar post I placed on the NY board: Click here.

[Kim WB]

wegman's in Princeton has chocolates only...but have David Burke's foie gras pops....excellent

[Steve Klc]

excuse me Kim--when did Wegmans in Princeton stop carrying Herme's line of wonderful pastries?  I haven't been there in about 3 months, so this really is significant news.  But in January I had about 8 of his pastries and 6 were as good as anything at Payard.

[Rail Paul]

foie gras pops?

Kim WB - would you elaborate, this sounds wonderful...

Paul

[Rosie]

It's  a round serving of fois gras on a stick. Delicious. You just pop them in your mouth. I think David also has a smoked salmon lollipop.

[helenas]

cabrales,

chocolates in our wegmans are available by piece, as well as in boxes of three different sizes, the smallest one ( about $6) being the most popular, and this is what i tried once. I decided that the next time i will buy in pieces, since i didn't like all the tastes. All chocolates were very fresh, i just don't like dark chocolate that much. The fruit  and nuts ones were pretty good.

[cabrales]

It's  a round serving of fois gras on a stick. Delicious. You just pop them in your mouth. I think David also has a smoked salmon lollipop.

Are members aware of where the described foie gras and salmon lollipops might be available in Manhattan?  

[Steve Klc]

OK, Kim WB's scare was just that.  Herme's beautiful boutique within the Princeton store is still intact and popular as ever, went there today on my way back to DC.  They had all the same pastries as before--plus the new line of chocolates, available pre-boxed, pre-selected as over the internet and as Helena mentioned, by the piece available by weight.  They have a selection of faux-suede fuschia boxes (They look better than that sounds) which you can fill up yourself if you don't like certain flavors in the pre-selected Internet package--or want 20 whiskey ganache truffles for a dinner party.

$33 for the pre-wrapped 1# box.  A 1# hand-selected box could be more or less depending on the varieties chosen. A very fair price.

They also have the macaroons, which are called "nicolettes" or "violettes" or some such.  Chocolate, vanilla, passionfruit, coffee, raspberry...but not the only one I actually wanted to try--caramel with salted butter.  I forgot to ask if they were temporarily out of that variety.

The counter sales person was charming, conveying an infectious enthusiasm for the chocolates and offered a sample piece or two for us to taste and even explained to us the best way to enjoy the chocolate--by placing it on our tongue and allowing it to melt, resisting the temptation just to bite and chew immediately.  She had no idea we were pastry chefs.  I was very, very impressed that someone took the time to explain to the staff--probably earning not much more than minimum wage--why fine chocolate is special and how to share that with the customer--and that the sales force ran with it.  Refreshing.

One variety of chocolate was not available at the time we were there--it still had about 6 hours to go before it could be sold, according to the counter person.  I'm guessing that means thawing, coming to room temperature. (It is possible some chocolates are being deep-frozen and shipped, but I won't know until I look at the ingredients and taste them.)

It is possible that the Princeton Wegman's store offers the best pastry and chocolate work in the entire NY/NJ area.

Sorry cabrales--no rose meringue pastry.

[cabrales]

Herme's beautiful boutique within the Princeton store is still intact and popular as ever . . . . They had all the same pastries as before--plus the new line of chocolates . . . .

They also have the macaroons, which are called "nicolettes" or "violettes" or some such.  Chocolate, vanilla, passionfruit, coffee, raspberry...

(It is possible some chocolates are being deep-frozen and shipped, but I won't know until I look at the ingredients and taste them.) ...

Steve Klc -- Thanks for the update. If you can recollect, what Herme pastries (and approximately how many pastries) were available? On the macarons, some of the flavors sound different from at least what is currently available at Herme's in Paris. For example, there is no straight vanilla offering in Paris -- just olive oil coupled with vanilla. Also, no rasberry macaron there.

On how the Wegmans chocolates are being produced and marketed, see the following article excerpts:

-- "Recently [the Wegmans Herme chocolate ] were heralded in a Smart Money magazine segment 'What Chocolate Makes The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift?' Gramercy Tavern Pastry Chef Claudia Fleming hailed them as 'the greatest chocolates I have ever tasted.' Priced at $36 a pound, they are **handmade in Rochester, N.Y., by one of Herme's assistants who moved from France to make them.**" (The Morning Call, Allentown, February 6, 2002).

-- "Wegmans  Food Market, 6789 East Genesee St., DeWitt. (315) 446-7490. . . . Plus, they have an upscale bakery done by a man as a consultant,  Pierre Herme,  a famous Frenchman who makes magnificent tarts. Our two favorites are lemon and chocolate bombe." (The Times Union, Albany, NY, March 28, 2001; describing one of the favorite food shops of Chef George Schroeter of the River Street Cafe, Troy).   Steve Klc -- Could this be another branch with Herme pastries?

-- "Pierre Herme,  the renowned Paris patissier, uses French butter for the brioche, croissants and puff pastry he created for  Wegman's  Supermarkets in *Bridgewater* and Princeton, N.J." (NYT, January 17, 2001)

Note that, in a blind taste test of four luxury chocolates, Wegmans' Herme line was ranked second to Martine's, NY. (Consumer Reports' February 2002 report had also placed Martine's first in the boxed chocolates category). The other chocolates evaluated were la Maison du Chocolat and Godiva's. Here's the testing procedure used, including the "melting on the tongue" step you discussed:

"Between the categories of aroma, appearance and flavor, they cleansed their palates with water. . . . First, they eyed the chocolates . . . Time for some water. Next, the tasters carefully sniffed their chocolates . . . . More water. Finally, they painstakingly allowed little bits of the chocolates to *melt and work their magic on their tongues*, enrobing their senses with a blast of flavor, then leaving them with the lingering memory of the chocolatiers' artistry and the need for more." (The Morning Call, Allentown, February 6, 2002).

[helenas]

Steve,

Our Wegmans does carry nicolettes in different flavors, but they're not marked as related to Herme.

[Steve Klc]

Helena--I haven't been to your local Manalapan branch--in fact, though I grew up in New Jersey I have no idea where Manalapan is, so I don't know the setup.  Is that branch one of the ones which has an in-house Herme pastry shop?

For all I know Bridewater is Manalapan or they are distinct--from my reading here--it appears Bridewater has the full setup with an in-house Herme pastry kitchen plus chocolates plus macaroons as does Princeton; Manalapan probably does not--having chocolates and macaroons only, which can easily be shipped in.

If it is like the Princeton store--the chocolates are displayed in a very clean, very minimalist square pedestal case--much like a Richart chocolate presentation.  The macaroons are in two locations--on trays in with the rest of the Herme individual pastries and cakes in a very long refrigerated display--staffed by sales people which front the production area...and the macaroons are also packaged up in regular plastic takeout containers across the aisle in a much larger refrigerated case which also contains all the typical non-Herme very white processed American light airy bakery-style crap.  You are correct in that they were not marked specifically as "Herme Nicolettes."

Cabrales--I think the press releases on the Wegman's website lists the 4 locations that have the full Herme boutiques--I believe 2 are in NY, 2 in Jersey.  This vast wasteland known as upstate New York I don't visit often. I am not in a position to contradict/add anything in those article excerpts except what I reported about my Princeton visit yesterday.  I have no confidence in Consumer Reports when it comes to awareness and appreciation of fine food, though I rely on it for air conditioners and car buying advice.  It is incapable of contributing meaningfully to sensual, sensitive or poetic pursuits.

The Princeton store has a production schedule--so the variety and sizes available for certain pastries vary day by day.  Yesterday they had a lemon curd tartlet, a lime curd tartlet, a chocolate ganache/sauteed banana tartlet--incredibly delicious yesterday, a typical mixed berry fruit tartlet, an eclair split lengthwise and filled with creme chantilly with berries, a rectangular slice of cake composed of a cooked green apple, a faintly cheesy bavarian cream, a walnutty jaconde-like cake layer and a crumble topping--very satisfying yesterday, a vanilla "panna-cotta-like" cream in a plastic bowl with berries and berry gelee on top, also a little round strip of red striped jaconde wrapped into a cylinder containing a cream and berries on top--kind of a red fruit charlotte, also a version of his Le Tropique cake from Fauchon days--coconut dacquoise, coconut mousse and tropical fruit.

I didn't inventory them and a list is not made available.  They were the same ones from before--clean, straightforward, simple, unchallenging, accessible versions of stuff from his excellent "The Patisserie of Pierre Herme" from 1997 (Montagud, Spain--but available in English) slightly re-worked, slightly tweaked recipes and presentations from this book. (Eminently superior to either of his American popular cookbooks.)  Finishing and detailing of the Wegman's line, not surprisingly, is not as professional, not as skilled as in Paris, nor was it designed to be.

Cabrales--in order to become fluent in Herme you must study this book.  It will inform your critical assessment of all pastry work that you might encounter--and has quite a few excellent step-by-step photographs.

Realize that describing the pastries--describing the base flavors or components is no substitute for seeing and tasting them and that all of these bases can be combined differently for different effect even by the same patissier.  To take just one example--his chocolate and banana tart pictured in the book on p. 191 has layers of shortcrust, ganache, flourless  chocolate cake, banana compote, sauteed bananas and hazelnut nougatine with cocoa nibs--with the nougatine and banana slices arranged on top.  The Wegman's version omits the flourless chocolate cake layer, puts the banana in the shortcrust shell first, covers them with ganache, covers the ganache with a chocolate glaze, places a perfunctory banana slice on top (hardly sauteed or caramelized as in the book) and omits the nougatine.

It is a basic and excellent tart and could have been done by anyone with attention to detail, good ingredients and his book.

[cabrales]

Cabrales--in order to become fluent in Herme you must study this book.  It will inform your critical assessment of all pastry work that you might encounter--and has quite a few excellent step-by-step photographs.

Steve Klc -- Can one study Herme's book if one has literally no cooking skills?  

[Steve Klc]

Yes, you cannot hope to understand this subject fully unless you read this book or are friends with a pastry chef who doesn't mind explaining everything to you.  (This is apart from, and not required, to simply enjoy a pastry and observe what you liked and disliked and why.) I recommend devouring the book as a consumer reference--even if you never cook or plan to cook-- if only to guide your appreciation of modern French patisserie and pastry shops. This book dates to 1996/97 and contains so many revealing hints and tricks and in-process photography that will literally blow your mind.  It is, decidely, not dumbed down yet remains accessible. You can break down recipes and steps--indeed compare recipes and steps with others--without cooking a lick yourself. I do believe seeing how and why Herme does things can inform your writing, your appreciation and your enjoyment of life and eGullet more fully.

[helenas]

I do believe seeing how and why Herme does things can inform your writing, your appreciation and your enjoyment of life and eGullet more fully.

Steve,

Is this book a unique case even in the professional culinary library, or you can name some other examples of books that can live up to this description?

[Steve Klc]

Since this wouldn't have anything specifically to do with New Jersey, why not pull this out and start a new thread on Cooking or Food Media?

[Kim WB]

OK, Kim WB's scare was just that.  

Sorry, didn't mean to steer you wrong...but I specifically looked because the original request was so polite and interested.  I did see all the chocolates but didn't notice that the bakery area marketed or promoted that name.  I was looking for it, too. Guess I just didn't look closely enough..they are just the regular Wegman's desserts, and I didn't know he was affiliated.  The chocolates promoted his name...

anyway, the Gourmet pops are smoked salmon, foie gras and goat cheese. I think they are great, but you need to follow the directions for a slow defrost. or the texture of the salmon can be mushy.  Kings carries them, too.

[cabrales]

I was looking for it, too. . . .

anyway, the Gourmet pops are smoked salmon, foie gras and goat cheese. I think they are great, but you need to follow the directions for a slow defrost. or the texture of the salmon can be mushy.  Kings carries them, too.

Kim WB -- Thank-you for having taken the effort to look in response to the contents of this thread  

[tony h]

It's  a round serving of fois gras on a stick. Delicious.

But is that with or without chocolate?

[Kim WB]

OK, now this poster FINALLY has an idea of the meringues you inquired about,  I think,  they are in the new issue of Vogue, and the WEgman's calls then nicolettes, and they are sublime..but I didn't know this chef's moniker was afiliated with them...unless, I am thinking of the wrong thing and steering you all wrong again!  The picture in vogue, about this Herme 's guy, is of the Wegman's nicolettes, that I gave office mates for Xmas last year.

[helenas]

I bought nicolettes today, and i agree, it's a great stuff.

According to the sales lady, everything in Wegmans patisserie is Herme's recipes.

[cabrales]

I bought nicolettes today, and i agree, it's a great stuff.

Helen -- When you have a chance and if you remember: what flavors were available (e.g., rasberry)?  

[helenas]

Sure, cabrales: mocca, raspberry, passion fruit, vanilla and chocolate