Dallas-born pastry chef Molly Wilkinson stands behind the butcher block counter in the kitchen of her charming, light-filled, 18th-century apartment in Versailles, France. She’s demonstrating how to make a simple puff pastry dough for a French apple tarte tatin.
She lowers her hands into a round, white bowl containing one cup of all-purpose flour, a pinch of salt, and one stick of cold, unsalted butter cut into large cubes. She lightly tosses the butter pieces with flour grains.
Then, she busts her signature move – a manual dough mixing technique with a brilliantly apt, yet decidedly non-technical, moniker: “Show me the money.”
She presses some of the butter with her fingers, deftly rotating her thumbs until the cubes smoosh in half and begin incorporating into the flour. Her movements are a two-handed riff on the common “Pay me” gesture, where you repeatedly rub your thumb over the tip of your index and middle fingers to mimic the act of rubbing coins or bills – that is, to show me the money. Molly’s is a kinder, gentler culinary process ensuring more control and better results than I have ever attained using a food processor.
Regrettably, I’m not actually in Molly’s kitchen to observe her dough hack.
Rather, I’m seated at my dining room table in Charlotte, North Carolina, watching one of her live, delivered-in-English, sold-out French pastry demonstration classes on my laptop via Zoom.
If not for the pandemic and the global travel ban, I would at this very moment be in the midst of a seven-week stay in France, living in both Paris and Beaune in the Burgundy region. In normal times when I’m on the road, whether stateside or abroad, taking on-site cooking classes is a favorite way to become familiar with local customs, meet new friends, and learn to prepare traditional foods. Those experiences instill lasting memories, and the recipes are among my favorite mementos.
Eager for an alternative way to connect to French culture and cuisine during the forced grounding, I’ve been pseudo-traveling many hours over these many months to La France through Molly Wilkinson’s 90-minute online pastry classes.
Frankly, dough used to unnerve me. Molly’s show-me-the-money maneuver, as well as her other tips and techniques, have fostered my baking awakening. Flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and I are now in creative sync.
Consequently, much to my delight and, not surprisingly, to the detriment of my waistline, I’ve baked and consumed an absurd quantity of sweets and savories in my quest to enjoy French food from afar.
I’ve whipped out dreamy-looking cream puffs, mini palmiers, strawberry galettes with almond cream, madeleines with lemon glaze, quiche Lorraine, peach tarts, pear cake, goulish Halloween cookies with buttercream icing, and even a chocolaty Christmas bûche de Noël with relative ease and delicious results.
I may not be in France, but I’m reveling in my newly Frenchified kitchen.
About Molly Wilkinson
While the time-honored profession (and art) of French pastry making is certainly serious stuff, Molly’s relaxed approach involves accessibility, simplicity, and sheer fun.
As an instructor, she’s part cheerleader, part coach, part confidant. Her ready laughter is unselfconscious and infectious. She patiently bestows her expertise and builds our confidence. Sparkling with joie de vivre, she literally sings “bonjour” when we students – all ages, all genders, from around the globe – log on, and calls out our colorfully patterned aprons and cool baking pans with an enthusiastic “oh là là!”. She even hums contentedly as she cleans up her workstation.
After all, Molly Wilkinson (aka MollyJWilk) is living the life. She shares her story at the start of each class.
Inspired by her mother, Molly began baking chocolate chip cookies in early childhood, and she kept adding to her repertoire. In 2013, she left a career in digital marketing in Texas and moved to Paris to follow her passion by earning her certificate in pastry at Le Cordon Bleu. Since then, she’s worked in bakeries, hotels, farmhouses, and elsewhere in Dallas and France. She freelances as a pastry chef for hire, and (in non-pandemic times) holds small, intimate classes in her kitchen and conducts workshops. She lives with a handsome Frenchman (François) and an adorably fluffy rescue dog (Eliott), both of whom make occasional on-camera appearances.
And, for the icing on the cake, so to speak, her debut cookbook, French Pastry Made Simple: Foolproof Recipes for Éclairs, Tarts, Macarons and More, will be released later this year. I’ve pre-ordered my copy, bien sûr.
In the virtual kitchen with Molly Wilkinson
Apple tarte tatin – a classic French dessert more homey than haute – is essentially a topsy-turvy apple and caramel tart. It’s baked upside down, meaning the caramel layer and apples are on the bottom of the pan, and the crust is on top. Inversion ensures the apples turn soft and jammy within the caramel, and the crust stays crisp. This marriage of apples, caramel, and crust is long and happy, dating back to the late 19th century.
Molly explains its origins. “Apple tarte tatin was supposedly invented by the Tatin sisters,” she says. “We’re not sure if they did it on purpose, or if they forgot the crust, said ‘Oh, well,’ and put the crust on the top. You flip the pan in one fell swoop onto a serving plate when you remove it from the oven.
“Anyone scared about making caramel give me a wave,” she continues. Several students motion affirmatively. “At the end of the class you won’t be.”
Situated behind Molly is a massive pantry brimming neatly with all manner of baking equipment, gadgets, and ingredients. That ample storage space for the tools of her trade sealed the deal when she and “The Frenchman” (her fond term) were apartment hunting. I can hear her favorite playlist of French tunes in the background, which enhances the upbeat mood.
Molly rolls out the puff pastry dough, and folds and re-folds it to form layers that will lift when baked, giving puff pastry its, well, puff. She peels, cores, and quarters apples (she recommends pink lady). Next comes dry caramel. She melts sugar in a small saucepan, and cautions us to be on the lookout for the smoking hot spot – the point of no return when it will burn if kept at the same heat – and adds butter. Tarte tatin assembled, the pan goes in the oven for about 45 minutes, until golden brown all over.
While many participants bake along, I prefer to observe so I can absorb every nuance, and then bake on my own later. Along the way, she checks in with her bakers. “Alfie says his caramel looks good! Awesome!”
During down times, Molly picks up her laptop, walks across her chevron-patterned wood floor, throws open her windows, and introduces us to her neighborhood of Saint-Louis from on high. I love this break in the action. What a gift to see French people – pedestrians, drivers, Molly’s neighbors – on French soil in real time, even on a screen.
“The Palace of Versailles is a five-minute walk that way,” she points over the mansard and gabled rooftops. “To the right are a pharmacy, a wine shop, and a pastry shop.”
A momentary fix for my travel-junkie reveries.
Dishing on Versailles, travel, and more
During a private Zoom call, Molly and I have a wide-ranging chat.
The Roads Traveled: What are your must-sees, must-dos, and must-eats in Versailles?
Molly Wilkinson: You need a good day to explore Versailles. I love the Parisian architecture and small-town feel. Tourists come here for the chateau. The carriage museum, with carriages from royal weddings and sleighs, is outside the palace gates, but most people don’t go because they’re exhausted after touring the palace. You can see the palace gardens for free when they’re not doing the musical fountains.
My neighborhood of Saint-Louis has cute shops and a beautiful cathedral. Restaurant Chez Stef’s around the corner from me has a local, seasonal, market-based menu, and a cool, bohemian vibe. La Salamandre is located to the left of the cathedral, and has a big terrace. Be sure to make reservations. Le Bistrot du 11 is very good.
The Notre Dame Market is huge, inside, and open every day. It’s a great place to pick up stuff for a picnic, maybe at Pièce d’Eau des Suisses. The Swiss Guard built this park, which has a huge lake. Restaurant Le Pincemin is very upscale and gourmet. Au Chant du Coq pastry shop is a favorite.
The Roads Traveled: Why are pastries such a big deal in France?
Molly Wilkinson: France’s history and culture center around food, from the daily market habits, discussions about food around the table, and every Sunday having a sit-down lunch with family lasting three hours. The French like the finer things and the presentation of things, such as pastry with levels of flavor and decoration, and wrapped up beautifully.
The Roads Traveled: What’s new and different about your cookbook?
Molly Wilkinson: I did a lot of research looking at other recipes and historical versions and different methods, and went from there, testing, tweaking, and refining what I like best. I drew on my American background, and transferred that to French pastry. I’m teaching you 10 base recipes, and you can make all the recipes with them. The descriptions are detailed, but not intimidating. It’s like I’m holding your hand through the process. I tell you the theories behind them so you know why you’re doing certain things. I’ve taken all the questions I’ve heard in my classes and answered them so you can master these core French recipes in your own kitchen.
The Roads Traveled: How many pounds of ingredients do you go through in a week?
Molly Wilkinson: I buy 10 sticks of butter. At 250 grams each, that’s five pounds of butter. Every two weeks I buy two 18-packs of eggs.
The Roads Traveled: What are your key travel tips for France?
Molly Wilkinson: Train travel is your best friend. It’s so easy and enjoyable – no waiting in line at security, and you show up two minutes before departure and get on the train. Three months in advance you can book first class, and it’s cheap.
Also, rent a car. You’ll see the most interesting things driving outside of cities and visiting smaller villages. A lot of France is just walking around, having coffee on a terrace, and absorbing the atmosphere.
The Roads Traveled: What are the pros and cons of your ex-pat life?
Molly Wilkinson: Pros: experiencing another culture and new dishes, exploring a beautiful country, and learning a new language. I mesh my American culture with my new French culture, and my desserts reflect that, such as in the decoration, flavors, or how they’re put together.
Cons: paperwork. I’ve had three different visas. For the most recent one, I put together a 60-page dossier. The renewal was 100 pages. The renewal I just went through for three more years was 30 pages. They wanted such things as bank statements, a scan of my passport, proof of where I live, a business plan with finances and projections for the future, and proof of health care and social security.
The Roads Traveled: If I were stranded with you on a tropical island, what would you bake for me?
Molly Wilkinson: My hands-down favorite is croquembouche (cream-filled pastry puffs piled high in a cone shape and drizzled with threads of caramel). It’s so ethereal.
The thought of relaxing under a palm tree and munching my own Molly-made croquembouche is truly tempting. France is still on my radar, though, albeit off limits for the foreseeable future. When I do return there, I’ll be eager to meet Molly and François in person, bake and sniff sweet aromas in her kitchen, pet Eliott, and look out her windows at the French scene below.
Until then, her online pastry classes remain a favorite portal to France.
Photos are courtesy of Molly Wilkinson. Photos by Claire Emmaline: White cake, dining table, and making dough. Photo by Krystal Kenney: Molly and François.
