If you are looking for the French confectionery, Lea Zapf is the right place in Munich. She studied fine patisserie with Cynthia Barcomi in Berlin and is part of a young culinary movement that is defining a new era for the production of gourmet products. Her Standl at Viktualienmarkt opened in June 2020.
IRMA: Tell us about your concept. They are the perfect place to prepare dinner when you don’t have enough time to prepare the dessert yourself. What are your typical patisserie products?
LEA ZAPF: You can see us working in our transparent bakery on Viktualienmarkt in Munich, where our products are freshly made every day from scratch It is especially important that the products we use are top quality and made as locally as possible as this is the foundation for our baked goods to be of high quality and unique.
My signature pastry is the “Luftikus”, also known in France as “Choux à la Crème”. It’s a type of cream puff baked with a craquelin top and filled with aromatic creams that change depending on the season.
IRMA: Do you use less sugar in your creations when pairing your pastry with champagne?
LEA ZAPF: I would refrain from using too much sugar when pairing patisserie with champagne to ensure that the champagne’s finesse is shown. It is important to me that my patisserie is not too sweet. There are certain baked goods that require a large amount of sugar to bake, but you can easily make up for it by adding salty or fruity flavours.
IRMA: Which fruit (coulis) work best with champagne?
LEA ZAPF: Rosé champagne works really well with red berries, lychee or pink grapefruit.
IRMA: Is there a cake that underlines the taste of a champagne rosé (by Ruinart)?
LEA ZAPF: The “Luftikus Cassis – black sesame” matches Ruinart Rosé brilliantly because they complement each other on many levels.
The fruity freshness of the cassis cream combined with the slight bitterness and nutty aroma of the black sesame leads to a complex and intense diversity of aroma which does not lose its clarity though. In order for the pairing to work perfectly I put a dash of elderflower sirup in the cassis cream. This adds the needed lightness of the fruit in this combination.
With its round appearance the “Luftikus” also matches the characteristic bulgy Ruinart bottle visually.
IRMA: What is your suggestion regarding desert. First the sweets and then the cheese or vice versa?
LEA ZAPF: I prefer having sweets before cheese.
IRMA: We can’t travel right now, but we have a certain amount of wanderlust. Which dessert specialty of yours can cure this?
LEA ZAPF: That of course depends on where you want to go in your imagination. If you want a sense of Bordeaux, a Cannelè is your best bet. The crispy shell and the juicy core will take you straight to the French port city.
The “Luftikus pistachio” takes you straight to Sicily. Its intense and pure pistachio taste embodies this spectacular island of Italy.
You can find out more about Lea Zapf Deliciousies and Patriesserie @leazapf_marktpatisserie