For this issue, our superstar chef Stéphane Décotterd hands the recipe reins to his colleague Christophe Loeffel who, as The Insider discovered previously, is also a master of his art.

It may be the winter season (in Europe at least), but there’s plenty to warm the cockles of your heart with this delicious dessert courtesy of pastry prodigy Christophe Loeffel, who is a key member of the Maison Décotterd team on Glion campus.

Having focused on the savory courses for a few issues, we felt it was high time to cater for those with more of a sweet tooth. So put on your chef’s apron and have a try at creating a Michelin-starred dessert dish!

Ingredients and directions (serves 8 people)

Pain d’épices (use a large cake tin):
– 300g water
– 300g honey
– 140g sugar
– 2g salt
– 8g star anise
– 10g pain d’épices spice mix (5 spices)
– 300g flour
– 20g baking powder
– 160g butter

Put the spices, honey, water and butter in a pan and bring to the boil. Take the mixture off the heat, let it infuse for 1 hour and then strain.

Mix the flour with the baking powder in a bowl and add to the liquid. Stir with a whisk. Pour the mixture into a buttered cake tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 50 minutes. Turn out while still hot and allow to cool completely.

Cut one third of the pain d’épices into small cubes and dry 3 or 4 slices to make powder. Set aside the remaining pain d’épices for another recipe (it can be frozen).

Pain d’épices pudding:
– 250g milk
– 2 eggs
– 75g sugar
– 75g stale farmhouse bread
– 2g pain d’épices spice mix (5 spices)
– 1 tablespoon of rum-soaked raisins

Cut the bread into small cubes and set them aside. Put the eggs, milk, sugar and spices in the blender. Mix everything together and add the stale bread cubes. Let them soak for about ten minutes then mix them briefly. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the raisins. Pour the mixture into small silicone molds (half-spheres or cupcake molds). Preheat the oven to 170°C and bake for 18 minutes. Allow to cool and remove from molds.

Opaline (sugar tile):
– 120g sugar
– 60g glucose
– 60g water

Put all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to the boil until the temperature reaches 165 °C. Pour onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and allow to cool.

When the mixture is cold, crush it into small pieces and blend it finely to make a powder. Sprinkle the powder on the baking sheet, making 4 circles with a chablon or a cookie cutter. Put into a preheated oven at 170°C. Turn off the oven and let the powder melt for 3-4 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool and set aside.

Light mousse with seasonal spices (using a whipping siphon):
– 5g pain d’épices spice mix (5 spices)
– 200g cream
– 200g milk
– 20g egg yolk
– 20g sugar
– 1.6g gelatin

Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.

Put the milk, cream and spices in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Take the mixture off the heat and let it infuse for 15 minutes. Set aside.

Whip the egg yolks with the sugar, then add the infused milk and cream mixture. Heat the mixture again, stirring constantly. When the mixture thickens (at 85°C), strain into a cold container to stop it from cooking any further. Allow it to cool and pour into a whipping siphon. Add 2 gas chargers and set aside.

Finishing and plating:

Put a pudding on the bottom of each plate and cover it with a nice dome of spiced mousse. Place the opaline on top and decorate with the pain d’épices cubes and powder.

• To discover more about Maison Décotterd, visit the website