Bake-a-Mania: The French Connection: 'Bread et More' now at Vasant Vihar....& recipes shared by Bakery Chef Umesh Sharma

“Whoever said money can’t buy happiness has obviously never shopped in a bakery!!”

Vasant Vihar has a new French connection.

If dessert is your weakness then you are at big trouble at Bread et More. One step inside this delightful cafe and one is left totally mesmerized by the mouth watering array of exotic cakes, delectable pastries, the aroma of freshly baked breads and savory items evoking your senses and luring you to simply give in to indulgence. It felt like walking into a Willy Wonka chocolate factory.

Kwality Group's signature Patisserie Boutique Bread et More, is the latest French Cafe to sprout up in the upmarket neighborhood of Vasant Vihar. Located in a quiet corner of C-Block market, the elegant white decor and stylish vintage look of the patisserie brings a feel of contemporary Paris to the city. A visit to this enchanting patisserie made me realize it is nothing short of breathtaking.

On reaching the Patisserie, we were welcomed by Mr. Divij Lamba (Director, Kwality Group), who impressively is a Cornell University graduate and has worked at Hillary Clinton's Senate office before deciding to join the family's business. He told us how at Bread et More, the best quality Couture chocolate was used in making their products. They also had a huge variety of over 40 Artisan breads which were baked in stone ovens imported from Italy to retain their original flavor and texture.

Their sour dough bread, for instance, amazingly is made from a starter that is 75 years old. We were also told that they had a state-of-the-art commissary in Okhla in Delhi from where twice in a day freshly baked breads and confectionery were brought in to replenish the stocks.

After feasting our eyes on the inviting pastries and exotic cakes and confectionery that had our gastronomic juices flowing, we moved outside to the patisserie's outdoor patio seating to savor the delectable delights.

We not only got to taste the amazing goodies but also their pastry chef, Chef Umesh Sharma was kind to share a few of his recipes which you will find attached at the end of the post.

We started with a serving each of Gruyere croissant, Balsamic onion pizza and a Ham and cheese croissant. Both the Gruyere croissant and ham and cheese croissant were outstanding. Buttery, light and flaky, every texture and flavor was luxurious. They were so delicious that I could easily eaten a couple of these alone for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Served with a french pressed Ethiopian coffee, they were a perfect start to the evening.

The Balsamic onion pizza, topped with caramelized onions was also good but sadly did not stand a chance in front of the gorgeous croissants.

The Opera pastry was an elegant looking pastry comprised of layers of almond sponge cake (known as Jaconde in French) filled with coffee butter cream and topped with a dark chocolate ganache and finished with its name written in glaze across the top. The almond cake was light and moist with the cream complementing the cake. I believe Gateau L'opera was invented by a Parisian patisserie called Dalloyau. One bite and you get completely lost in its sensuous taste.

Next to be served was Millefeuille Pastry also known as Napolean pastry. Millefeuille true to its name (which means 'thousand leaves'), is made up of layers of puff pastry filled with a pastry cream and topped with a delicious toffee sauce. There is a lot going on in this dessert but somehow it all works leaving you craving for more. Highly recommended.

The Macarons served next were to die for and probably the best served anywhere in the city. I find there is a Macaron explosion in our city. With their rainbow of cheerful hues, they seem to have found a place of glory in each and every bakery worth visiting. Seriously I think they are grossly over hyped as I have always found them to be overtly sweet, especially as I am not a big fan of sugar. But the Macarons served here totally knocked me off. They had the perfect crisp-chewy texture, and most importantly they were not painfully sweet.

I believe Brand Head Sahil Mehta, who is certified by the prestigious Lenotre Baking School in Paris, uses the same recipe as Pierre Hermes to make these macarons. Undoubtedly the best I have tasted. They have about 11 flavors - We tasted the Passion fruit & chocolate Ganache, Salted Caramel, Rose Petals and Raspberry, Mocha and Lemon flavored Macaron - each one with a distinct taste and character. A real treat for our tastebuds.

The Lemon Tart served next was filled with lemon curd and topped with a meringue that was blow torched to give it a lovely golden hue. The citrusy lemon filling was tangy and refreshing to taste and made a perfect combination with the crunchy sweet crust.

Banoffee cup, a deconstructed version of the Banoffee pie was a layer of crunchy biscuits at the bottom topped with toffee sauce, sliced bananas and whipped cream. It tasted heavenly. What I loved about the desserts here was that without exception, they all were pleasantly sweet, unlike some other places where the level of sweetness totally knocks your taste buds off. I must give my compliments to the chef for this.

We ended with Rococo Chocolate Pastry, one of their signatures, which was a spectacle in itself. A chocolate mousse and crunchy praline was a God's gift for all die hard chocoholics.

Now tell me if your mouth isn't watering right now? So, if you too are in the vicinity and are in a mood to indulge yourself with something special do stop by Bread et more and enjoy their sinful delights.

Bon Appetit!!

Recipes by Chef Umesh Sharma, Chef, Bread et More:

Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients	Quantity
Dark Chocolate	540 gm
Egg yolk	230 gm
Whip cream	900 gm
Sugar	100gm
Chocolate sponge	100 gm
Sugar syrup	75 gm

Procedure:

Whip the egg yolk & sugar in a mixing bowl with a help of hand blender until fluffy. Then on the other hand melt the dark chocolate in microwave. When the chocolate becomes hot then mix chocolate in egg yolk mixture slowly and after that mix the whipped cream with the help of spatula. After that, line the mousse ring with chocolate sponge. Apply the sugar syrup on the sponge and pour the mousse mix in the ring and set it in the fridge for 2 hours.

Carrot Cake