As part of the challenge, 20 home bakers were selected to join Jumeirah al Qasr’s renowned pastry chef, Dimitri Esposito, as part of a masterclass on the versatility and exceptional taste of French butter
Dubai, United Arab Emirates-: The European Union and The French Dairy Board (CNIEL) are showcasing the versatility and exceptional taste of French butter as part of its Butter Stories’ viral butter board social media campaign.
Butter has long been the basis of European culinary culture, especially in France. This competition has been designed to highlight how simple it is to work with the ingredient and produce unique colourful recipes with Middle Eastern flair.
Like the popular cheese board challenge, Butter of Europe launched a butter board challenge within the UAE using the celebrated French butter. To enter the competition, butter enthusiasts had to spread their butter of choice onto a board and add their favourite toppings, including spices, vegetables, fruits, jams and sauces, ready for bread to be dunked.
The contest reached millions from the region thanks to its popularity with various influencers and chefs. Mohamad Chabchoul, the award-winning UAE-based chef, applauded the initiative. He said: “It encourages people to use their imagination. I loved seeing the individuality of every board and people expressing themselves through their love of food.”
Chef Wadad, a partnering influencer on the campaign, said: “This campaign has had a major role in promoting French butter to a new audience. I had followers on my social media channels saying they tried French butter for the first time and were stunned by the depth of flavour”.
The butter board challenge winners were picked based on the most visually appealing board. Twenty aspiring home bakers joined the class at Richemont Masterbaker Centre for Excellence in Baking and Pastry, where Dimitri Esposito, Head Pastry Chef at Jumeirah Al Qasr, with over 18 years of experience in the art of pastry making, held a masterclass where participants had the opportunity to learn how to make his one-of-a-kind red berries and elderflower tart.
Chef Esposito said: “I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my recipe and showing the class the importance of French Butter for the wonderful texture and nutty taste it brings into pastry.”
Marie-Laure Martin, International Communication Director from CNIEL, said: “We wanted to give people who are passionate about the culinary world a unique experience to learn new recipes and techniques that they can carry forward. We aim to create a culinary community here in the region that’s all about French butter.”
Each participant took back their tart to share with their loved ones. Every bite is a homage to the golden ingredient.
