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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 DECEMBER 2015 38 Food 38 Ornellaia is simply one of the greatest wines in the world, one of the First Growths of Italy. Ornellaia 2012 is as yet un-rated by Monica Larner of the Wine Advocate or Antonio Galloni; however, he has said of the vintage, "Although most of the top wines haven't been released yet, the 2012s I have tasted from barrel and bottle are hugely promising. The best wines are nothing short of exceptional." The vintage was hot and dry from June to August, characterised by an abundance of sun, causing the vines to slow growth, this followed a cool February and a wet May. Rain fell at the right periods providing a tonic for the vines. The result was consistent ripening, yielding a generous, seductive wine, with all the hallmarks that distinguish a great vintage of Ornellaia Ornellaia 2012, Bolgheri, Italy Exclusively imported by Charles Grech & Co. Ltd, Valley Road, Birkirkara T: 2144 4400 Rachel Agius takes a look at a restaurant and brings a recipe, wine and delicacy of the week. Write to us with your comments on restaurants or submit your own recipes to rzammitcutajar@mediatoday.com.mt FROM home cooks to multi-million dollar franchises, the world seems to have fallen in love with desserts all over again. Sweet things were never a hard sell but a recent explosion in establishments specialising in special treats has people paying closer attention to them. Hands stained purple from a morning spent working with fresh forest fruits, Jesmond Borg does not immediately strike you as something of a pastry guru. Soft-spoken and shy, he is the French Affaire café's newest addition. And al- though this may be his first foray into the café business, Jesmond has literally seen the world through his work with pastry. His is a classic tale of hard work paying off. Having started off as a school leaver washing dishes, he worked his way up the ranks, at- tending the Institute of Tourism Studies and then earning positions with hotels in Malta. He would then use those to get a foothold in others abroad. Dubai, Frankfurt, Berlin, Rus- sia, Jordan – Jesmond has worked in some fascinating places, getting a chance to see, firsthand, just how food and culture interact. So what inspired his move out of the hotel scene? "There is a lot more opportunity to display my work in a café setting," he explains. And although there isn't the massive volume of food to be prepared like in a hotel kitchen, a café has its own challenges. One of these is coming up with a menu, a process that involves some element of trial and error. "You have to work out what peo- ple enjoy," Jesmond says. No mean feat, given that French Affaire is situated in the decided- ly cosmopolitan Tigne Point. Keeping a close watch on customer preferences is a challenge. Still, customers here are in good hands. Jes- mond has been a pastry chef for the past 19 years and has won several competitions, in- cluding the Pâtissier of the Year award in 2001 and several medals in the recent Chef Grand Prix in Istanbul. He continues to hone his craft through courses around the world and by working with other experienced chefs. Although everyone and their aunt has sud- denly taken up baking, few realise just how much work goes into creating works of art like Jesmond makes every day. "This work takes dedication," he enthuses. "It has almost nothing to do with regular cooking." Closer to an art than a trade and anyone who knows their macarons from their eclairs knows this to be true. And it's not just training either – finding certain good quality ingredients may be close to impossible from your regular su- permarket and though alternatives exist, you simply cannot substitute the real deal. So what can customers expect at French Affaire? Some familiar favourites and a few brand new faces, if Jesmond has anything to say about it. "Part of the job is to keep in- novating," he smiles, making it seem like this 'job' he speaks of is not so much employment as it is a lifelong passion. The display cases at French Affaire current- ly carry a broad selection of mouth-watering treats, including fruit tarts, chocolate ga- teaux, walnut pie and millefoglie, Jesmond's personal favourite. If this is just the beginning for Jesmond, the future looks very bright and very sweet. French Affaire The Point Tigne Point Sliema Tel: 79629262 Email: info@frenchaffaire.com Web: www.frenchaffaire.com.mt Find us on Facebook A most delicious liaison Resto of the week A life in search of the greatest sweet treats is a difficult one. RACHEL AGIUS talks to Jesmond Borg from French Affaire about what makes his pastries so special PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MANGION Recipe of the week Ingredients • 2kg flour • 1 litre milk • 200-300g butter • 300g sugar • 1 tbsp salt • 80-100g yeast • 2 tbsp cardamom Filling • 4 tsp butter • 4 tsp sugar • 4 tsp icing sugar • cinnamon Glaze • 1 egg • 1 tbsp milk • Pearl sugar Method 1. Melt the butter and add the milk and carda- mom and heat until lukewarm. 2. In a blender prepare the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add the butter and milk mix- ture. Blend till it becomes a dough. Leave to rest for 20 mins at room temperature. 3. Knead dough for 5 mins and sprinkle flour on the table. Cut dough into 2 pieces and roll out both pieces into rectangular shapes of about 2cm in thickness 4. Mix the butter, sugar and icing sugar to make the filling 5. Spread butter filling onto dough (covering all top part) sprinkle cinnamon over. 6. Start to roll dough into a roly poly form. If the dough is too thick gently pull to make it longer 7. Cut 3cm slices and place in cup cake hold- ers. Leave to rest for 5 mins 8. Whisk 1 egg and add 1 tbsp of milk to glaze the buns and sprinkle with pearl sugar. 9. Place in a pre-heated oven at 250°C for 10 – 12 mins until firm. Cinnamon rolls