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CHRISTOPHE ADAM created weekend éclairs, launched in 2008, for Fauchon. It was only natural that, when opening his own establishment, the pastry chef only kept to this one product that he knows perfectly. In the Marais neighbourhood, L’Éclair du génie is a little boutique with a single product and every day offers a rich panoply of choux pastries freshly assembled throughout the day. Garnished with seasonal products, piped with finely worked toppings, the éclairs form a line of savvy, coloured geometrical forms that are unique and complex.

What role does cream play in your patisserie?
Christophe Adam :

I use a lot of it. This is because it’s a product that can be lightened, flavoured, seasoned and quickly provided with a new texture. For me, cream is a base that serves to create a lighter texture. I use it especially in the finished product in the form of Chantilly, which I love especially for its porous qualities.

Everybody loves cream
What preparations do you make with cream?
Christophe Adam :

I never use it hot. For a Chantilly, I put a well-chilled, 35% UHT cream in the processor, add sugar and possibly white chocolate or mascarpone – a minimum of butterfat is necessary for it to hold up. This keeps chilled all day and the éclairs are put together at the last minute. Crème fleurette (liquid heavy cream) is much lighter and more fragile and is reserved for mousses (but we don’t make mousses…).

What are its usages?
Christophe Adam :

In and on éclairs: as a cream and as piping. The strawberry shortcake éclair (with a pistachio-vanilla base + white chocolate cream) or the chestnut-clementine, for example, have a lot of cream. It’s very rare for me to make a recipe with pure Chantilly but I use it to aerate a cream cake. Ganaches are also beaten with cream, then put back into the mixer to aerate them. Before, we made mousses; today, we make Chantilly bases. By mixing them with caramel or chocolate chilled at 5-8°, we obtain rather dense mixtures. In addition, we use it with white chocolate or mixed with mascarpone as an emulsifier in view of textures that are thicker or more aerated, especially for decorative piping.

Which of your creations best celebrates cream?
Christophe Adam :

Before, at Fauchon, I created an entire line of great classics with Chantilly cream (cream puffs, millefeuilles, verrines) that we sold all at the same time.

Would you say that you love cream, love it passionately or love it madly?
Christophe Adam :

I love it passionately, definitely! Everybody loves cream. A strawberry, a little bit of Chantilly with a little bit of vanilla and everybody is delighted, it’s always an instant hit. There’s no need to make it more complicated than that.

What is your signature cake with cream?
Christophe Adam :

Chantilly with strawberries or red fruits!

Les infos utiles

L’ÉCLAIR DE GÉNIE

Paris 4e

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