Paul Gardin

I come from Normandy, which is the birthplace of cream. So naturally, it has a very important place in pastry-making for me. I use it to make the most of my pastries. I also pay close attention to the source of the cream.

I personally feel that cream and pastries are intricately bound to one another, and one can almost never work well without the other. I use cream for everything: ganaches, cakes, mousses, etc. It is an absolute must!

Home! As I am from Normandy, all my desserts, and even all the local dishes, are cream-based. Cream reminds me of my home. It brings back all my childhood memories!

I think that the dessert that I have created for this book is my best creation. As I had the chance to travel to Asia, Australia, and the Caribbean islands, I learned to work with ingredients from different cultures. I have used vanilla, mango and lime and many ingredients associated with Malaysia in this recipe which reminds me of the country’s culture and flavours, and the cream gives it all the flavour. I like to use it especially when I am experimenting with new recipes.

It is always best to retain all the flavours as they are. Mixing everything isn’t always the way to go. It is really important to be careful when you handle or process cream. Having said that, selecting the right cream is no less important! I really see a great difference when I use European cream: the end result, flavour, colour and consistency are all so much better!