http://www.conticini.com/

[tan319]

Was doing some googling tonight and came up with this.

I'm not even sure this is the right forum for it.

I was surprised no one else hit on it.

Nice site, seems new.

Beautiful pics.

Kind of reminds me of Balaguer's site.

Be Warned, very heavy Macromedia FLASH use.

English isn't up yet.

I hope some enjoy.

[Corinna Dunne]

Very cool!

[docsconz]

Here is the link. Beautiful work. Does he have a shop or a restaurant?

[tan319]

I literally found this site last nite before passing out over the keyboard So I haven't had a bunch of time to look it over.

As I said, It reminds me of Balaguers site, offering consulting and so on.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is some kind of shop involved.

[docsconz]

Louisa Chu has a little more info on Conticini on her blog A Movable Feast. It would appear that he currently does not have a regular gig in Paris at the moment. Too bad. I hope this changes before September.

[joiei]

beautiful site, I checked the link to Les Magnolias, another spectacular site.

[chefette]

Tan........

Please refer to this previous discussion

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=68251&hl=

Quote Tan;"I love this guy"

*memory ping*

He's one of our all time Favs here - long admired and Doc - he WAS in NYC just a couple of years ago - French Russian place and I am blanking on the name momentarily - also in Paris - way way cool.

[docsconz]

He's one of our all time Favs here - long admired and Doc - he WAS in NYC just a couple of years ago - French Russian place and I am blanking on the name momentarily - also in Paris - way way cool.

←

What did I know then? His work looks veryinteresting. I bet it tastes interesting too. I would love to try it.

[chefette]

Another memory *ping*

From the France Forum – compliments of Tan

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...28&hl=conticini

Petrossian was the restaurant/shop

Philippe was at PELTIER – Phillipe Conticini (66 rue de Sèvres)

I am suprised that you guys act like you never heard of Phippe before since BOTH you doc and Tan have discussed him before

Tan - you must be really Really tired! get some sleep.

Some other references for your reading enjoyment:

Quate Fat Guy June 2005 #25 ” If you look at teams of chefs and pastry chefs, Ferran and Alberto Adria have got to come out on top. I don't know the pastry world well enough to rank Alberto Adria against Pierre Herme, Philippe Conticini and the other top guns (though I think Herme is more of a confectioner/patissier type than a pastry chef in the restaurant sense), but I know for sure that pastry chefs all over the world are watching Alberto Adria's work very closely.”

Quote Tan March 2005 #29 “Something that is going to be added to the Chocolate parfait was also suggested by a book, rather, a magazine that I WAS looking at, a mini molten chocolate cake that will be buried under the frothy curry espuma is not unlike a "teaser", or a sundae of sorts of Phillipe Conticini that is in an article and series of recipes in an old Thuries mag from France”

Quote Tan: #8 “I use it in a flourless chocolate brownie I do, based on the Conticini recipe.

I use 2/3rds 58% and 1/3 Tanzania, the 75% Origine Cocoa Barry chocolate, just for some added depth and complexity, otherwise I still feel it's too sweet.”

Quote Steve Klc: #2 “Philippe Conticini just shared the recipe for his most excellent "White Chocolate Moelleux" cake that has a liquid center of blueberries--it's on page 40 of the August 2001 issue of Pastry Art & Design, the one that has Philippe on the cover holding a salmon--and it's right out of his Petrossian boutique in NYC. This cake might be a good starting point for the dessert you're trying to create. (Another might be a white chocolate brownie recipe, but that might make your dessert heavier than you intend.)

Of course, Food Arts had already introduced Philippe to American foodies long before, profiling him in their July 2000 issue. And as long as we're on the subject, the current issue of Thuries magazine, in French only--#132 September 2001--has an amazing 28 page array of Philippe's current exciting work as both chef and pastry chef--with recipes and beautiful, inspiring photography. (Single issues of Thuries--a little known secret in this country and the way many culinary francophiles keep up with who's doing what back in France--can be purchased from JB Prince, 36 E. 31st Street, 800.473.0577) Thuries magazine goes along way to explain why certain presentation styles and concepts show up on the plates of New York restaurants.”

[chefette]

Yes Doc - Philippe really is one of the most interesting chef/pastry chefs around IMHO. His approach to his work and food is really interesting and his work tastes as great as it looks. A few years ago when he was at Petrossian he did a demo at the Salon Culinaire of his chocolate moulleux - of course this was prior to the rest of the world discovering the joys of liquid center chocolate cake.

[docsconz]

I am suprised that you guys act like you never heard of Phippe before since BOTH you doc and Tan have discussed him before

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Now I will admit to not having the best memory, but I certainly don't remember ever having discussed Phillipe Conticini before. It is possible that he may have been mentioned in discussions that I have been involved in, but not by me. I was not specifically aware of his work until this thread. In any case, I am now. It looks beautiful. Does it taste as good as it looks?

[tan319]

Louisa Chu has a little more info on Conticini on her blog A Movable Feast. It would appear that he currently does not have a regular gig in Paris at the moment. Too bad. I hope this changes before September.

←

Yes, he was at Pettrossian in NYC a year or two before 9/11 and I, for one, would be very interested to know if that had a negative effect, a VERY negative effect on his finishing building up his profile here in the states.

I mean, here he was, major articles in F&A, FRONT PAGE of P&D, holding a salmon, fer chrissake, and to top it off, he got "The Chef" column for 4 weeks, I believe ( you can find it in the chefs of the times book, his whole series is included), all big stuff and the kind of stuff designed to kick ones career off, not that his career in Europe wasn't already gold, I just mean stateside.

I've kicked myself in the ass more times then I can count about not sampling his wares while I lived there.

I could go over to Bolo or Mesa Grill and just eat Wayne Harley Brachmans desserts ( those places were close to me...) but I couldn't get there...

Yes, chefette

Mr. Klc, you, myself, LKL Chu, and Mr. Laiskonis have always been fans of Phillipes and I DO love this guy, for what he does both savory and sweet and for his charm, it comes out on the plate, to me at least.

I've been waiting on a website from him for a long time.

Glad it's here now.

PS: I was kinda kidding around about not knowing where to put him

[Louisa Chu]

Did you all notice that he has a virtual patisserie under construction - that's going to offer home delivery?? Thanks Ted for finding the site!

[Michael Laiskonis]

I like the site- actually, I admire and am envious of it. I picked up the 'Tentations' book several months back while in Paris (which has given me a ton of inspiration, a little for what I'm doing at LB, but also with regard to consulting projects I'm working on), but also heard through some reliable sources at the time that he had been very ill (trying to recall if the Tokyo shop had also closed or not). I know Dorie is good with up-to-the-minute news on the Paris patisserie scene- hopefully she still drops in now and then and let's us know what she does.

But yeah, I had first been exposed to Conticini pre-Peltier, maybe even pre-Petrossian NYC, at Petrossian on La Tour Maubourg in Paris, where he did both the sweet and savory (I believe it still holds one Michelin star, and while a quick browse of the the menu still appeared to carry his signature stuff, it wasn't clear to me if he remains at the helm). My two meals there (circa 1999-2002) and a couple trips to Peltier (Klc steered me to the shop, as I remember. And that being around the time Herme also first opened on Rue Bonaparte, my opinion of and interest in retail pastry took a sharp turn), along with all the media I absorbed at the time, made me a huge fan. I'm a pretty firm believer that he is directly or indirectly responsible for any dessert you see served in a shot glass. Unfortunately, I don't think he ever hit as wide an audience here in the US as, say, Herme, so I understand why his influence hasn't spread as far as it should.

His 'virtual shop' reminds me of what Balaguer is doing in Barcelona, or at least appears similar in spirit. When I met Oriol this past Spring, I learned that his pastry shop is, essentially, not open to the public, or at least it isn't geared toward walk-in business. Clients basically pre-order items from a seasonal menu he distributes, and those items are made to order for a precise pick-up time in order to ensure ultimate quality control (and he turns a profit, though I'm sure his internet chocolate sales and consulting help). Makes me not only rethink the whole notion of retail pastry yet again, but also makes me extremely jealous!

[Joni]

Another memory *ping*

From the France Forum – compliments of Tan

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...28&hl=conticini

Quote Tan: #8 “I use it in a flourless chocolate brownie I do, based on the Conticini recipe.

I use 2/3rds 58% and 1/3 Tanzania, the 75% Origine Cocoa Barry chocolate, just for some added depth and complexity, otherwise I still feel it's too sweet.”

Quote Steve Klc: #2 “Philippe Conticini just shared the recipe for his most excellent "White Chocolate Moelleux" cake that has a liquid center of blueberries--it's on page 40 of the August 2001 issue of Pastry Art & Design, the one that has Philippe on the cover holding a salmon--and it's right out of his Petrossian

Is the white chocolate cake with the liquid blueberries recipe available anywhere??

[tan319]

Quote Steve Klc: #2 “Philippe Conticini just shared the recipe for his most excellent "White Chocolate Moelleux" cake that has a liquid center of blueberries--it's on page 40 of the August 2001 issue of Pastry Art & Design, the one that has Philippe on the cover holding a salmon--and it's right out of his Petrossian

Is the white chocolate cake with the liquid blueberries recipe available anywhere??

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[tan319]

Still finding out more about this site.

If you get the tables up on the left, click on 'astrlic' and you'll get a table of pull down recipes and essays on fruit and herbs.

In French of course at the moment but English hopefully soon too.

Theres also Conticini radio and TV.

The "radip" plays thoughts and brief talks on subjects.

"TV" is not running yet but I think will show either tv appearances or demos, which will be neat as hell!

[tan319]

If you enjoy this kind of thing.

[tan319]

The English gateway is open now.

Some great text, etc.

I'm still going thru it but thought I would share.

This guy is the s--t!

Was doing some googling tonight and came up with this.

I'm not even sure this is the right forum for it.

I was surprised no one else hit on it.

Nice site, seems new.

Beautiful pics.

Kind of reminds me of Balaguer's site.

Be Warned, very heavy Macromedia FLASH use.

English isn't up yet.

I hope some enjoy.

←

[tan319]

Now, what"s VERY exciting to me is a discussion or essay on this one area called

"Taganika"(my emotions) where Conticini discusses candy and making a blueberry sauce that his assistants say reminds them of 'Chupa Chups' (lollipop made in Spain, I think) and then he goes on to discuss something that's been very much on my mind lately.

The idea of memory, childhood specifically, and I suppose "whimsy" has to come up too.

I came up with a mint truffle over the holiday (many of you probably did too) that REALLY reminded people, myself included, of 'Junior Mints'.

I've always found myself propelled more by a memory or an idea of something from my childhood, etc.

Conciously or subconciously.

One time I was doing this chocolate flan with a prickly pear foam and candied pinions for a rest. I was at and a drunken wine salesman came up to the chef when he was leaving and told him to tell the pastry chef the flan tasted like a Hunts snack pack pudding!!!I've never had one, swear to gawd!

Someone approached me about consulting at a diner recently and I've been thinking about peanut butter ice cream, grape sorbet, bruleed banana and toasted marshmallow.

Good stuff there, nice to see thoughts are shared.