There are moments in your career that you appreciate more than others, moments that make you stop and think, yes, this is exactly where I’m meant to be. Sitting in front of a tray of French pastries, fork in hand, sunshine on my face, was one of those moments.
Pastry chef Corentin is the mastermind behind the hidden gem Butter. The chef only opens his window for a few hours each Saturday, with eager customers queuing in rain or shine to get a taste of what can only be described as heavenly delicacies. I sat down with him to talk about his art form and how Butter started serving up delicious French-inspired treats for the good people of Christchurch. Corentin kindly had an array of treats prepared for me to try, I wanted to know more about the flavours and taste experience that he creates within each morsel.
Tell me a bit about how Butter came to be
“Reluctantly. I worked in sales beforehand, and really liked it but I was always daydreaming about baking. I decided to take a year off to study pastry, and part of my course at ARA was to do a placement which I did at Gatherings and then I kinda got trapped in a nice way? I just didn’t want to stop doing it. I was planning to go to England to get some experience but because of covid I didn’t get to do that, and actually I’m glad I didn’t because I didn’t want to follow the journey of becoming a Michelin star restaurant chef, I just wanted to bake. And so, having run out of places to work, I essentially decided to start a small business from home where I could bake things I wanted to bake, and I had the freedom to fail. People just kept ordering cakes from my social media, and it eventually just became a business. I ended up having to find a kitchen to fulfil more and more orders and before I knew it, I was paying taxes.”
What is your favourite creation and why?
“My favourite creation is the canele, they’re baked in a copper mould, it’s rum and vanilla flavoured, essentially like a crepe batter. It’s really runny and baked really hot in the oven and that runny mix turns into this soft custard inside and this crispy baked custard shell on the outside. It’s like a crème brule on crack.”
What is your best seller? Why do you think it’s so popular?
“My chocolate and caramel tart, and that’s because Kiwis cannot get enough of chocolate. I think chocolate and caramel is such a classic combo that people can confidently order and know they’re going to like it. I think people order quite conservatively at first, and then once I’ve gained their trust through the chocolate and caramel tart they’ll move onto different flavours.”
Madeleine
“This is a brown butter and honey pound cake. It’s baked in a mould like a seashell and it catches people by surprise. To make a decent madeleine, it’s just a cake batter essentially and it’s a very forgiving cake batter. Out of everything I do, it’s the simplest.”
Technical rating: 3/10
Key elements: “The brown butter adds a nuttiness that I think takes an edge off the sweet, and the honey brings a bit of a floral element, almost like an aroma rather than a flavour.”
Vanilla and White Chocolate Macaron
“Macarons are notoriously difficult. It’s definitely doable, but you have to be able to accept that you’ll fail a few batches before you nail it, and if you fail it, it’s not pretty. Whereas if you fail a madeleine, it’ll be fine, it’ll still be delicious, but a macaron isn’t always salvageable.”
Technical rating: 8/10
Key elements: “Crisp outside and a chewy centre, then a ganache in the middle. Good macarons have that softness and that chewiness in the middle. The filling and the shell soften together when they rest in the fridge, which essentially gives them that unique texture which is essential.”
Lemon meringue choux
“The choux is like an éclair; the craquelin on top is a biscuit made with sugar, butter and flour, and when it bakes, it crisps up and forms that nice texture on top that we like. The choux is the thing that gives me the most anxiety when put in the oven, you can make the mix and not know how it’s going to turn out if you’re not a perfectly skilled pastry chef, which I am not. I am more scared of choux than I am of macarons.”
Technical rating: 8/10
Key elements: “The choux pastry is so important because it becomes this empty ball that you put filling in but actually has a really rich flavour and is really well balanced. And then the cremeux is essentially a lemon custard, and I just fold heaps of softened butter into it so it’s super rich, which helps balance out the tang from the lemon, with meringue on top.”
Gluten-free hazelnut brownie
“White chocolate macaron aside, this is probably the sweetest thing I do. I just try to keep my food quite balanced. This one is actually gluten-free, and I just used a recipe I liked and swapped the flour for hazelnuts, and it kinda worked. Brownies don’t inherently have a lot of flour in them so it’s quite an easy substitute.”
Technical rating: 2/10
Key elements: “It’s just a brownie with a glaze; it’s heaps of sugar, eggs, butter and real chocolate. The hazelnut especially adds to the earthiness and balance that plain flour just doesn’t. Chewiness as well, I’m not here to eat cake if I order a brownie. Fudgy or nothing.”
Butter is descriptive of its name: a simple yet indulgent culinary experience. Corentin’s passion and joy for his craft shine through in every delectable bite.
You can experience the delicacy of Butter on Saturday’s between 10am till sold out at 472 Tuam Street, or by online order at butterpastry.nz.