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Jean Philippe Maury Patisserie


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Neil,

Thanks so much for the photos! It seems like a very cool and exciting time to be in pastry at the Bellagio. I'm jealous. That's truly inspiring stuff. Congrats on being part of something fantastic!

Hmmmm, you guys still have pastry openings huh? I wonder if my hubby could be convinced to sell the house and move to Vegas :hmmm:

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I should know by now not to look at fabulous photos of pastry when I have yet to eat.

Everything looks spectacular.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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Who are they getting the packaging from?

I believe they got samples from several different companies, so I'm not sure who has the final contract. They are insanely elaborate and detailed - the boxes all have hidden magnetic closures (even the tiny two-truffle box), and some are actually made of wood with cherry veneer and little drawers that pull out. Very expensive stuff.

Oh, by the way - not sure if you noticed, but the dessert pastries are not displayed in a traditional enclosed display case. The counter itself was custom designed and built so that cool, moisture controlled air comes from slots around the pastry and "pools" within an area contained by a low stainless steel barrier. Really tricky considering how dry the air is here.

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Very beautiful looking products Neil,you should be very proud to be a part of whats taking place,i,ve been a part of 2 restaurant openings and I know it,s a great source of pride when the bell rings for opening service-i wish you continued success!!

Dave s

"Food is our common ground,a universal experience"

James Beard

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Wow!! They are all incredibly stunning! I definitely would have to have 1 of each! Will have to make sure we stop by there next time we're in Vegas- just to see this wonderful shop, and taste at least a couple of those wonderful pastries!

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OMG! It's all so beautiful! The shop and the desserts! So now we finally know where we can get our hands on some of your work! :biggrin: Looking forward to my next trip to Vegas now. May be a while, but I'll get there. Got to get me some of that good stuff!

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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nightscotsman,

You may need to preface this thread with a warning label:

Culinary Advisory: Explicit Content

The following photos can cause gastronomic epilepsy.

You have been warned.

Congratulations, Neil!!

This is truly a world-class patisserie. Of course, I'll have to taste the pastries to confirm that statement, ehh??

Perhaps, it was a blessing in disguise that it didn't open while I was in Vegas during Christmas. I wouldn't know how to handle all this.

Keep up the good work.

I hope you find some people so you can get some rest. Four o'clock in the morning? Yikes!! :blink:

Russell J. Wong aka "rjwong"

Food and I, we go way back ...

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super cool. thanks for posting the pix. all I can say is, must be one hell of a mise en place!!! I hope it all sells out everyday and you don't have to deal too much with leftover/day old. The Rose Macaron would be my first pick to taste.

I also wish I had millions of $$$ in financial backing!! The only fountains I have are from leaky, rotting plumbing . which will cost $1900 to fix.

You are lucky to be in your situation. It is rare!!! Have fun with it !

Melissa McKinney

Chef/Owner Criollo Bakery

mel@criollobakery.com

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All i've got to say is 2700miles.

I do beleive im tempted to quit my job and run across country. Whats a beach resort traded for a casino, nothin but more lights.

I will be coming out with some colleagues this summer for the 2005 ACF convention this year, i'd love to take a look at that display box and how it works. Any chance of a behind the scenes look?

Edited by chiantiglace (log)

Dean Anthony Anderson

"If all you have to eat is an egg, you had better know how to cook it properly" ~ Herve This

Pastry Chef: One If By Land Two If By Sea

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Oh... my.... God.....!

Everything looks exquisite! How exciting to be a part of such a beautiful place!

My first thought: "Hmmmmmm..... let's see ..... $5.50 times 5, 6, no, 11, geez ...16....uh....uh.... uh! 25! I'll need to rob the casino before I can come buy one of each to try!!!!"

I DID immediately notice the case, Neil. I thought it looks as if the pastries literally just sit right on the granite or whatever, with that stainless shield around them. Hard to tell from the pic: is there glass between the pastries and the customers? It doesn't look like it! (Or is the glass just super-clean ? :wink: )

I can't imagine any greater temptation ... people could just point and 'OOOPS! Was that my finger???' :blink:

Thank you for the beautiful photos!

Oh, btw, I really LOVE how the little label/signs for each of the pastries says not just the name of the item, but exactly what is in those lovely jewels. Counter clerks hate having to explain that 1000 times/day more than anything. It makes such sense! (except for "lime emulsion".... I think that sounds weird and unappetizing. I certainly know what is meant, but I can't imagine the average customer does... maybe you all should consider a better term :shock: )

I like to cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.

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I hope it all sells out everyday and you don't have to deal too much with leftover/day old.

Funny-as I was looking at these gorgeous pictures and thinking about all the work that goes into getting everything done and looking the way it does, the same thought went through my mind. Do you put stuff out fresh every day, or can it last for a day or two? It bugs me to toss a plain blueberry muffin, and tossing all of these pastries going into the garbage or a food bank after less than 24 hours would give me a heart attack.

But most of all, I say WOW. Best of luck.

Marjorie

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First off, congrats, Neil!!!

Everything looks fantastic, but I would expect nothing less from your crew :biggrin:

And lest anyone forget, it's a crew, a pretty big one, running 24/7.

I was surprised to read on one of Neils posts that they're only making 12 to 24 of each item a day.

On the freshness issue, I'd say it's 50/50 they carry thru a day, maybe?

Fruit tarts would probably be dumped?

Great stuff!

2317/5000

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The dessert display does have glass in front and a short glass shelf on top, but otherwise the pastries are uncovered and sit directly on the chilled granite counter (except for small cardboard rounds, of course).

Everything is made fresh every day - nothing is kept for a second day. Leftovers, which have been rare so far, go to the employee dining room). Although you have to realize that many items are made up partially in bulk and kept frozen, then we just pull what we need each morning and do the finishing. But stuff like the napoleans, fruit tarts and eclairs are certainly made from scratch daily.

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I have some questions about the garnishes and finishes, if you don't mind.

1. On the Exotic, Imperial and Pecan Tart what do the ball shapes on top consist of? How do you get it so darn round?

2. On the Chocobana is the green triangle garnish sugar? in the refridgerator?

3. Whats the garnish on top of the eclair (more balls)?

4. Can you explain how you finish the carrot cake, from it's orange coating to the garnishes on top, please?

THANKS

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Wow, congratulation to all the team!

The cheesecake looks so delicate, the folds in the chocolate are really beautiful.

Can't wait to see the choc fountain too.

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I have some questions about the garnishes and finishes, if you don't mind.

1. On the Exotic, Imperial and Pecan Tart what do the ball shapes on top consist of? How do you get it so darn round?

They are various flavors of cremeux (passion fruit, vanilla, and chocolate), which is sort of a stove-top creme brulee with a bit of gelatine to set. They get the perfectly round ball shape by using custom silicon molds. The light chocolate flower-like shape on top of the Imperial is also produced with a custom mold. By the way, the Exotic and the Imperial were both developed for last year's World Pastry Competition and helped the US team win the gold medal. So if you've ever wanted to taste what the judges are tasting, this is your chance. :biggrin:

2. On the Chocobana is the green triangle garnish sugar? in the refridgerator?

The green shapes are white chocolate and are sort of stylized bamboo leaves.

3. Whats the garnish on top of the eclair (more balls)?

Caramelized hazelnuts.

4. Can you explain how you finish the carrot cake, from it's orange coating to the garnishes on top, please?

The carrot cake is assembled in a ring mold, frozen, unmolded, and sprayed with orange cocoa butter. The sides are decorated with white chocolate squares, and the top has a white chocolate fan, marzipan carrot, three dots of clear glaze each with a touch of gold leaf, and a little round plastic JP logo.

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Thanks Neil!

No way, the logos are plastic, not chocolate? That would be a serious choking hazard.........

Darn, custom molds, it figures! Are they two pieces......how can you unmold them if they aren't?

I thought those might be hazelnuts on the eclairs cause their the right size..........just didn't think they'd put hazelnuts on a eclair, thanks.

O.k. I think you can buy the green leaves thru PCB (even molded already)........at least they have something extremely similar.

Now the real stumper............I don't get how you get that smooth of a surface spraying cocoa butter straight on a carrot cake? Help, I'm stumped.

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Thanks Neil!

No way, the logos are plastic, not chocolate? That would be a serious choking hazard.........

Darn, custom molds, it figures! Are they two pieces......how can you unmold them if they aren't?

I thought those might be hazelnuts on the eclairs cause their the right size..........just didn't think they'd put hazelnuts on a eclair, thanks.

O.k. I think you can buy the green leaves thru PCB (even molded already)........at least they have something extremely similar.

Now the real stumper............I don't get how you get that smooth of a surface spraying cocoa butter straight on a carrot cake? Help, I'm stumped.

They tried to do the logos in chocolate, but could never get satifying (ie: perfect) results.

The custom molds are just one piece. The balls are frozen very hard before unmolding.

The hazelnuts are on top to indicate the hazelnut cremeux filling inside the vanilla cream.

The leaves (like all of our chocolate deco) are done in house by our chocolate team, but PCB might have something like that.

The smooth surface comes from using the ring mold rather than frosting each cake by hand. They come out of the mold smooth and clean just like a mousse cake. We spray them frozen to get a velvet finish.

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Wow..........I hope no one gets hurt eating those plastic logos. I see a law suit in their future. Have they really considered that?

Thanks a bunch Neil. I still stuck on the carrot cakes though. I can't comprehend how the exterior surface bakes smooth. Hum...........

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Thanks a bunch Neil. I still stuck on the carrot cakes though. I can't comprehend how the exterior surface bakes smooth. Hum...........

Oh, I think I see where the confusion is. The cakes aren't baked in the rings. We bake sheets of carrot cake and cut rounds with a circle cutter. Then the individual cakes are assembled in rings with the cream cheese filling just like a mousse cake, so when they are unmolded, the outside is covered with frosting with a smooth finish.

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