The cream of the French pastry industry was in Dubai on Wednesday, quite literally in this case, for an evening with Un Dimanche à Paris’ renowned executive pastry chef Nicolas Bacheyre.

Nicolas Bacheyre, executive pastry chef Un Dimanche à Paris

Speaking to Hotel News Middle East at the Crème de la crème event in the St Regis Hotel he said: “I am here to promote French animal cream and show people this is better for people than the vegetable cream you commonly find used, especially when it comes to the flavours and textures.

“With one litre of cream, whenever you whip it up, you can have 2.8 litres because of the air that’s added in there.

“This doesn’t happen with vegetable cream.”

Guests at the event, which was sponsored by Sopexa, were able to not only sample the pastries but also create their own in workshops.

Bacheyre was effusive in his praise of the animal cream that he prefers to use.

“In 17 years of cooking pastries I have never used anything except animal cream,” he said.

“Comparing vegetable cream to animal cream is like comparing a cheap Peugeot to a Ferrari.

He said that while French cream might be more expensive than others the difference in quality is what sets it aside.

Laurent Damiens from the French Dairy Board was also on hand to speak about French cream.

“Dubai is a developing market for us,” he said.

“That’s down to the growth of the foodie movement which started in Japan 10 years ago and here in Dubai six years ago.

“We are exporting more and more cream, after all for French pastry you need French cream.”

He said that in the Middle Eastern market other creams are available but they do not have the same taste qualities.