Place the ganache in a bain marie to soften before using.įor the coffee buttercream: In a saucepan over a medium heat bring the first three ingredients to 121 degrees Celsius (this is called pâté à bombe). Remove from the heat and allow to cool.įor the ganache: Boil the cream and pour it over the chocolate, whisking until smooth allow to cool. When cool remove from the tin and wrap in cling film.įor the coffee syrup: Dissolve the coffee and sugar in the water over a gentle heat whisking all the time, then bring to the boil. Line two 12in/30.5cm square tins with parchment paper (if you only have one tin, don’t worry – it cooks quickly and you can reuse the tin).ĭivide the mix between the two tins and spread evenly – this will be wafer thin.īake in the preheated oven for five to six minutes. Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg white and caster sugar to stiff peaks. He was buried in the family vault at Bernay, Eure.For the sponge: Mix the ground almonds, icing sugar, egg and egg yolks in a small bowl with a whisk until pale.

Gaston Lenôtre died on 8 January 2009 at the age of 88 in Sennely, Loiret. In 1985 the businesses under the banner head Lenôtre were taken over by the French hotel firm Accor. Quickly bouncing back from this failed venture, in 1982 he opened Les Chefs de France in the France Pavilion in Walt Disney World's Epcot Center together with Paul Bocuse and Roger Vergé. It only stayed in business for a single year. In 1974 Lenôtre dispatched another then apprentice of his Michel Richard to open Chateau France a restaurant and patisserie on the East Side of Manhattan in New York City to spotlight the Lenôtre culinary style. The chef Alain Ducasse also worked under him. The chef Pierre Hermé was an apprentice of his, as was the pastry chef Sébastien Canonne. Among the chefs who studied under Lenôtre there was David Bouley and Jean-Paul Jeunet. The year 1971 saw Lenôtre open his first cooking school in Plaisir, Yvelines France. Due in large part to improvements in freezing food perishables, he was able to quickly expand the number of diners he was able to serve. The year 1964 saw Lenôtre enter the catering field.

Lenôtre was renowned for concentrating on simple preparations and fresh ingredients, and for insisting on using the best butter in his pastries. His new establishment did extremely well from the outset and is said to have presaged nouvelle cuisine. The venture was a success and in 1957 he came upon the opportunity to purchase a tiny bakery in the 16th Arrondissement of Paris. Prior to the outbreak of World War II, he sold his homemade chocolate creations in Paris from a bicycle.įollowing the war, Lenôtre opened a small bakery in Normandy.

Lenôtre then had to struggle to find a position in a kitchen in Normandy. Eventually, his father's ill health forced them to move back to the province from which they came. Both of his parents eventually moved the family to Paris and became restaurant workers. Lenôtre was born on a small farm in Normandy, in the commune of Saint-Nicolas-du-Bosc. He is known as a possible creator of the opera cake ( gâteau opéra), the founder of Lenôtre a culinary empire, whose brand includes restaurants, catering services, retail concerns and cooking schools, as well as one of the three founders with Paul Bocuse and Roger Verge of Les Chefs de France at Epcot in Orlando, Florida, US.

Gaston Lenôtre ( French pronunciation: , born, was a French pastry chef.

Gateau opera cafe