As Executive Pastry Chef of the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino in San Diego, Chef Laffargue leads a staff of 26, providing pastries and desserts for the property’s three restaurants, as well as buffets and banquets. His career spans several countries and numerous competitive accolades.

Chef Laffargue trained in France, through an extended apprenticeship program for Bread, Pastry and Chocolate, and later also studied Hotel Management. His early career included work at several Michelin-starred restaurants in France and England, continuing to the Cunard/Seabourn Cruise Line in Germany as Supervisor, where he worked for four years. In 1998, he opened with the Four Seasons Hotel in San Diego as Supervisor, and later opened his own Catering and Bakery Shop in San Diego. His career then lead him to Las Vegas, as Pastry Chef at both the Bellagio and Wynn Hotels and Casinos, where he contributed by introducing higher quality products to the menu.

A professional competitor, Chef Laffargue recently garnered the first place prize in hot plated desserts and the bronze medal for artistic sugar piece at the ACF Las Vegas Food Show. He also received the first place at the San Diego Gingerbread House competition, and assisted the US team at the 2004 World Pastry Championship, where they won the gold medal.

In regards to products, Chef Laffargue enjoys the quality and consistency of Felchlin-Swiss, and relies on Swiss Chalet’s personalized service and wide range of products to assist in his culinary success.


Chef Laffargue's Recipe:
Chocolate Trio Supreme

Chocolate Financier
300 g / 10.6 oz Powdered sugar
120 g / 4.2 oz Hazelnut flour
100 g / 3.5 oz Pastry flour
250 g / 8.8 oz Egg white
10 g / 0.4 oz Baking powder
250 g / 8.8 oz Brown butter
1 each #90071 Madagascar Vanilla Beans
35 g / 1.2 oz #31301 Felchlin-Swiss Cocoa Powder

Chocolate Sable
410 g / 14.5 oz Butter
10 g / 0.4 oz Salt
450 g / 15.9 oz Powdered sugar
2 each Whole eggs
160 g / 5.6 oz #31307 Felchlin-Swiss Cocoa Nibs
330 g / 11.6 oz Pastry flour
80 g / 2.8 oz #31301 Felchlin-Swiss Cocoa Powder

Dark Chocolate Mousse
80 g / 2.8 oz Crème Anglaise
540 g / 19 oz #31118 Fechlin-Swiss Maracaibo Classificado Rondo 65%
500 g / 17.6 oz Heavy cream

Milk Chocolate Mousse
80 g / 2.8 oz Crème Anglaise
400 g / 14.1 oz #31103 Felchlin-Swiss Accra-Lait Rondo 42%
140 g / 4.9 oz #31358 Felchlin-Swiss Maracaibo Gianduja with Piemont Hazelnuts
500 g / 17.6 oz Heavy cream

White Chocolate Mousse
80 g / 2.8 oz Crème Anglaise
540 g / 19 oz #31123 Felchlin-Swiss Edelweiss Rondo
4 each Gelatin
500 g / 17.6 oz Heavy cream
1 each #90071 Madagascar Vanilla Beans

Preparation
Chocolate Financier
Place the Hazelnut flour and the sugar in the food processor, mix and reserve.Beat the egg white to a soft pick.Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder.Brown the butter with the vanilla bean.Pour the flour blend very gently over the egg white, add the brown butter, bake at 340°F for 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Sable
Beat the butter, salt and sugar. Do not cream. Add room temperature eggs slowly. Add sifted flour and cocoa powder. Add cocoa nibs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate over night.

Dark Chocolate Mousse
Make an anglaise sauce. Pour the anglaise sauce over the chocolate. Whip the cream to a soft peak, liaison with the anglaise base. Use as needed.

Milk Chocolate Mousse
Use the same process as Dark Chocolate Mousse above.

White Chocolate Mousse
Soak the gelatin. Proceed using the same process as the Dark Chocolate Mousse above. Add the gelatin and scrape the vanilla bean into the hot crème anglaise.

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