“I don’t want to hear that ‘for a vegan pastry,’ it’s good,” but simply: “It’s good.” » At the Cerise verte workshop, where Ignacio Robledo has been teaching plant-based pastry classes – without animal products – for two years, this philosophy is at the heart of his approach. Originally from Chile, the pastry chef, trained in his native country, strives to promote refined pastry, inspired by French tradition, but entirely vegan.
Initially, its workshops attracted 95% vegan participants, for ethical reasons or due to food intolerances. Today, more curious people go there. This Sunday, December 22, four participants gathered at the workshop located on Cours Pasteur in Bordeaux to make a clementine, hazelnut and vanilla pastry log, in nine steps.
No more difficult
Vegetable milks to replace cow's milk, vegetable oils instead of butter, or even chickpea cooking juice to replace whipped eggs… There are many alternatives to traditional pastry ingredients. “I use the juice of red beans to make chocolate mousses. It amazed more than one person,” confides Véronique, who has been exploring plant-based baking for ten years.
Initially, his workshops mainly attracted vegans, but today, many curious people go there.
Laurent Theillet / SO
At his side, Élodie is already taking part in her fifth class, after the cookies and tiramisu workshop. “In Bordeaux, there are not many vegan pastries, and the recipes found on the Internet are not always good to take,” says the Bordelaise. Plant-based baking “can be learned, but it’s not more difficult,” says Ignacio. “What's great is that there is a lot of freedom in vegan baking since ten years ago there was nothing. It is developing little by little but there is still a long way to go. »
Rabeb, who is taking part in his first class “out of curiosity”, licks his fingers, ganache flavor whipped with hazelnuts: “We really don’t feel the difference. And what's more, we leave with our Yule log. »
