Frederic Cassel, a Fontainebleau, France-based pastry chef and chocolatier active around the world, held a new product launch event on October 4th. The launch marked the first public unveiling of their new collection, spanning from Christmas 2016 to Valentine's Day 2017. The "Inspiration" Fall/Winter collection, which presents new products on a monthly basis, features Frederic Cassel's signature Mille-feuille Fingers, Macarons, and Saint-Honoré, as well as Petit Merveilles, a first for Frederic Cassel: a meringue petit gateau. While the Mille-feuilles are too delicate to eat with a fork, they are made to fit in the palm of your hand, and the Merveilles are also bite-sized, allowing you to fully enjoy the flavors in one bite. Each of these four items in the lineup is inspired by a monthly theme ingredient. October is agrume (citrus), November is caramel, and December is a holiday season, followed by chestnuts in January, chocolate in February, and coffee in March.
The 2017 edition of Galette des Rois features a work by French sculptor François-Xavier Lalanne as the fève, which changes every year. This was made possible due to Cassel's family friendship. There are two types of sheep that are representative of Lalanne's work, and each set comes with one of five varieties and a crown. In addition to the classic "Traditionnelle," 2017 also features "Caramel Pomme," which is released only every year. Continuing on from the inspiration, "Mille-feuille" has also been introduced to the Galette des Rois. As a homage to Lalanne, it contains rum jelly, which was his favorite.
In 2016, the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry awarded the company the EPV (Intangible Cultural Heritage) designation, which is given to outstanding industrial and handicraft companies that preserve and promote traditional crafts in France. Previous recipients of this award include Hermès and Baccarat, and Mr. Cassel commented, "We are extremely honored to receive this award."
Champagne was served at the presentation venue, sponsored by Duval-Leroy.
