Waddah Bou Saad

Cream has always been an essential element in my cooking. It is an extremely special ingredient that I use in all my pastries. It adds lightness to my desserts, gives them a rich texture and a unique taste, and gives my creations the perfect balance. I think pastry chefs are also artists, and cream allows us to express our creativity!

I whip my cream by hand, and I like doing this because I have found that I can control it better than a mixer. Though this does take longer, I am so thrilled with the end result that it’s certainly worth the effort! You can feel that the cream is indeed lighter! I usually use cold cream for all my preparations, but sometimes I infuse it (at 45-50 degrees) with herbs like basil and mint or Tonka beans. I also find that cream goes perfectly with certain local ingredients like cardamom. Generally, you won’t be able to see the cream in my desserts unlike the Chantilly cream, but there is no missing it when you taste them.

Cream for me is lightness and softness.

When it comes to my favourite cakes, I love cheesecakes, especially those with passion fruit, as well as eclairs. The eclair, with the softness of the pastry cream that contrasts with the power of the icing, is always a lovely surprise… Sometimes, it is the simplest things that leave the most profound impact. I created the White Forest as an ode to cream: it is an immaculate white and perfectly balancedround pastry with a refined elegance.