Francois Perre, pastry chef at the Ritz. “Pastry is a very sensual exercise”

If you read the book Homemade pastries, By François Perret, starting from the end, you will be amazed to come across sketches of glasses of all shapes… No, there is no typographical error. You have there, summarized in eight drawings, so many templates for making real raspberry cups, on page 72. Unexpected, joyful, accessible. The Ritz pastry chef wanted to show with this new collection of recipes that taste, or rather good taste, is not synonymous with sophistication.

He designed and created this praise of simplicity at home, in his kitchen, with household appliances. “When I published Sweet moments at the Ritz Parisone of the two complimented me on the beauty of the work, adding, however, that it is too difficult to do at home. Well, today I can tell them “I understand you,” even if I don’t think I’m General de Gaulle. Specifically, I have done everything possible so that everyone can make these recipes and understand them. There are also tips, advice, step-by-step instructions…”.

He who primarily defends the legibility of the products of his works, sold at his Comptoir on the rue Cambon, served at the star table of the Espadon or in the Proust salon at the Ritz, but also invented for his children, his family, friends. , here proves that this quest for accuracy does not always require professional equipment and impeccable mastery of skills. He gave us some thoughts and little secrets.

Madame Figaro. – Have you never been deprived of desserts?
Francois Perre. – We hear everywhere that we should skip pastries because they contain too much fat and especially sugar. However, this is not where the most sugar is found; All processed foods are full of it. This is the real tragedy. we consume it without even knowing it. It is synonymous with supposed indulgence. It serves only one thing, which we need . Dessert is the ultimate gift, the extra thing. It’s always there to celebrate the great moments in life, and it also helps to overcome the moments of depression. After all, we always turn to it.

Is baking the art of making your mouth water?
In any case, it is a very sensual exercise. Even when it’s clear. Plus, who wouldn’t want to be a cake when it’s frosting time? Photographer Geraldine Martens captured this dimension perfectly, in my book, because cakes should be synonymous with joy.

Does this book make a good cake out of cream?
It seems to me! I introduce concepts that simplify the approach to pastries, such as the “freeze reflex.” So when you start with a cookie or sweet pastry, you plan to triple the amount and freeze two-thirds of it to have a small supply or in the case of many other creams… A way to always have the essentials to make a cake.All you have to do is set it up, because time is of the essence in baking we don’t have much, we can wait a few days for the strawberry plant, we do the shopping on wednesday, then we make the cookie on thursday when we get home from the office. Friday night is butter. On Saturday, it remains to prepare the cream and calmly assemble it at the end of the meal. You can be more spontaneous for the cake, curd cake. You should also know that at the beginning It’s not pretty, it won’t be pretty in the end… In pastry, when it’s failed, it can’t be made up for.

And so that the preparation of the cake is cooked at all?
You need some material. First, a good oven, if possible with resistance at the top and bottom. We also invest in a mixer, and in a spatula, a professional spatula.

A separate recipe.
Without hesitation, that Basque cake is crazy. This is also the reason why I included step by step in the book. To get everyone involved, it must be said that it is a rare chocolate. I love it so much that I put it on the menu at the Proust Salon at the Ritz.Then there are chouxettes that are made right away and can be topped with whipped cream, my all-purpose praline. And I’m not forgetting the raspberry cups, which can be eaten without jam and eaten like a cookie, or garnished with your favorite cream. The important thing is to have fun and make the recipes your own. And I believe you have to taste them to understand them.

Homemade pastriesFrançois Perret, photographs by Géraldine Martens, Marmiton Collection – The Chef in My Kitchen, Éditions Michel Lafon, 176 p., €25.95.