A Chat With Pastry Chef Andrea Meyer Of Dallas' Bisous Bisous Pâtisserie
Chef and owner Andrea Meyer of Bisous Bisous Pâtisserie has always lived for dessert. Now her life really is all dessert, all the time with her West Village shop offering a wealth of French-style pastries from macarons, to tarts to éclairs, to croissants, to cakes.
She makes all of her original creations from scratch each day, of course, and prides herself on using only the very best ingredients. The selection of offerings rotate and are often inspired seasonally, keeping clients pleasantly surprised with every visit.
Having a serious sweet tooths ourselves, we were curious to know just what it was that made this pastry chef tick. Here's what she had to say:
The Daily Meal: What made you decide to become a pastry chef?
Andrea Meyer: I had a real love of dessert from a young age, but it really became a passion for me after traveling to Paris for my honeymoon. After that, my husband and I returned nearly every year, trying new pastries, enjoying the culture and dreaming of one day owning my own French style pastry shop. It was always a dream, it just took me a while to realize I could turn it into a reality.
Did you always have a love of pastries and desserts?
Oh yes! What's not to love? I have always had a severe sweet tooth, from ice cream, to doughnuts, to Grandma's chocolate chip cookies!
Why do you think people in general adore pastries and desserts so much?
Pastries are such an indulgence; it's such a luxury to have a bite of something sweet and delicious, it's hard not to love them. For us, we want them to not only taste divine and look incredible, but if we can bring back a fond memory for our guests too, that's such a bonus. So much of what we love in food is based on our memories. Whether it's something your mom made when you were a kid or it's your first trip to Paris, we completely relate with that feeling and love to be a part of reminding our guests of happy times when they're in our shop.
What is your favorite pastry to eat?
Truly, favorites are the hardest! I will say I never pass up the chance to try a Paris-Brest when I'm in Paris—I buy one in every shop I try each trip.
What is your favorite pastry to make?
I adore making custards! I love pastry cream, pot de crème, and ice creams. There's just something so soothing about a perfectly executed custard—it's so smooth and luscious!
What are your favorite pairings with desserts when it comes to food and drink?
I really love the simple classics and for me, it's hard to beat a perfect croissant and a cafe noisette.
What's the happiest accident you've ever had while experimenting with pastries and desserts?
While I can't say we've had a whole lot of happy accidents (usually they tend to be rather unhappy), I can say our Cruffin is something we experiment with all the time and they always turn out deliciously. They're nearly always created from an extra of this, a funny looking batch of that, but that's the beauty of the Cruffin!
What do you think would surprise people to find out about pastries and desserts?
I think people would be truly surprised to find out how precise pastry chefs have to be with nearly everything they execute. It truly isn't like cooking where you can add a little of this and a little of that, workout the taste as you go, etc. What we do many times is truly a science and even the smallest percentage—sometimes just a few grams of an ingredient—can make a huge difference in the outcome. [pullquote:right]
What would you say is the biggest myth about pastries and desserts?
Often times people tend to associate desserts with family memories, as I've mentioned before, which seems to lead to this image of a happy grandmother making cookies for kids at Christmas, or something like that. While I truly have a passion for what I do and use that love to drive myself each day (and I certainly love Grandma's cookies), working in a production pastry environment is extremely challenging work, both mentally and physically.
Anything that surprises you when it comes to how dessert is treated here in the US?
I'm always sad to see how minimal attention desserts tend to have in the execution of a meal when I dine out. Not always, but there's definitely a tendency to have dessert be an afterthought. I've never understood that — it's the last thing a guest tastes before they leave your restaurant. It should never be an afterthought.
Have any of your family members or friends gotten bitten by the pastry bug because of you?
My stepmother is a really fantastic cook, and I like to think that between her and me, we've helped influence my younger brother to seriously consider a culinary career. I'm not sure he'd go into pastry, but he does love a delicious dessert—time will tell!