Christophe Michalak

It’s huge. This, along with few other ingredients, is the DNA of our pastries. I’ve always been a fan. You cannot have a pastry business without it. It goes well with everything from chestnuts to chocolate and seasonal fruit. I use it every day.

Sometimes in cold infusions for over 24 hours. With herbs (basil, mint or verbena), tea, coffee, orange blossoms, or brown sugar (which gives it a slight woody,
liquorice taste). I prefer a smooth and slow infusion, heating it for three or four minutes. It is then allowed to infuse in the refrigerator for 24 hours, finally being passed through a fine sieve. This makes a cream that goes perfectly with mint, which enhances the taste. White infusions accompany many flavours. When whipped, it makes an outstanding Chantilly whipped cream. For ganaches and mousses, it’s boiled then infused.

We use a 35% liquid cream for its natural taste. And we use a thicker heavy cream in cheesecakes. I also add 20% cream to the whipped cream to make it a little tangy. I also like to use raw cream for quenelles over strawberry tarts, for example. Before, I was doing summer and winter puddings: a kind of charlotte with a quenelle of coconut milk, liquid cream and heavy cream, and topped with a fragrant vanilla cream. We also use it in ganaches, which we use on macaroons, or even on some cakes and petits fours. It is the basis of my recipes. It has a more dense texture than whipped cream. The latter is superimposed on pies or is used mixed with mousse or Bavarian cream made with fruit. It’s sweet and gooey.

Absolutely mad! I used to even eat warm chocolate croissants filled with whipped cream. It’s amazing.

Le merveilleux. I go nuts for this combination of meringue and whipped cream.