Laurent Jeannin

It is a vector of indulgence, a binding agent. It’s unctuous and enhances everything. Pure, elegant and noble, it provides body and, despite its rich qualities, lightens every recipe. With its ability to incorporate air, it’s a fat that combines with other elements. Cream is a fabulous product that invites creativity: flavouring, colouring, making a sauce, etc.

Each type of cream has its own qualities. It’s a living product, which is both an advantage and an inconvenience: after 10 minutes, Chantilly gets flat again (unless you use stabilised creams that are common in warmer climates). What you have with crème fleurette (liquid heavy cream) is purity. Sometimes, depending upon the taste that it has, we cut it with another cream. Double cream is put into cakes. It brings a flavour that’s different from butter, less fat; a slightly bitter taste that gives a certain acidity to the cake. This works with a lot of flavours like chocolate, pistachio, lemon and praline. Only banana is not very receptive.

It can be used in a lot of ways. Heated in sauces or ganaches. Combined lightly with mascarpone to give a better hold to mousses. On the Saint-Honoré (Chiboust cream, vanilla, caramel base with demi-sel butter and whipped crème fleurette with 10% mascarpone), the butterfat content was increased so that it became slightly heavier, and for there to be a stronger molecular bond. The cream makes it possible to lighten a mousse while providing an indulgent element that is not greasy. Even a lemon cream lightened with whipped cream is very good. However, the bond doesn’t work with uncooked lemon or juice.

Really, I love it madly!

Shortcake, which I find especially beautiful with its satiny whiteness. The water of the fruit counterbalances the strawberry preserve and the creamy element of the whipped cream; it’s acidic and fruity.