Maxime Frédéric in 5 pastries

In the kitchens of Cheval Blanc Paris, pastry chef Maxime Frédéric reigns supreme over the art of sweetness. Renowned for his refined creativity and attention to detail, he has established his signature by revisiting the classics with contemporary elegance. Today, he opens the doors to his world by unveiling five emblematic desserts that have marked his career. Each one, conceived with passion and precision, embodies a key stage in his evolution, and perfectly reflects his unique style, a blend of audacity, finesse and respect for authentic flavors.

Mille-feuille

Maxime Frédéric likes to revisit the great pastry classics. At Le Tout-Paris restaurant (2 toques) in the Cheval Blanc Paris, the pastry chef was inspired to revisit the mille-feuille in his own way, working on textures and depth of flavors. "Theidea was to recreate the emotions of the mille-feuille by making it easy to eat, without the cream spilling out on all sides when cut," explains the Norman pastry chef. "We waited almost four years to find the right puff pastry, airy and caramelized, and the right unctuous vanilla cream. instead of fondant, we chose to prepare a sauce with three vanillas (Tahiti, Madagascar, La Réunion) for an airy, tasty result!"

maki Manoukian

Paris-Brest

For this other classic French pastry, Maxime Frédéric wanted to showcase products from the family farm, based in Normandy. "I get my eggs and hazelnuts there," he explains. For this dessert, the Cheval Blanc Paris pastry chef has once again worked on textures, with a powerful praline combining several varieties of hazelnuts, more or less intense.the top of the cabbage is toasted just before serving for maximum crunch. The Paris-Brest, also served to the Tout-Paris, also features a flowing praline heart that brings gourmandise and intensity, large hazelnut chips and, of course, a light cream."You're plunged into the world of hazelnuts from the very first spoonful," assures the pastry chef.

maki Manoukian

Tiramisu

La Langosteria (3 toques) is the Italian restaurant at Cheval Blanc Paris, where Maxime Frédéric is also in charge of the sweet side. Here, the pastry chef has revisited tiramisu in his own way, replacing the traditional spoon cookie with a naturally gluten-free Annécien cookie that reminds him of his childhood snacks. "It's a cake I make all the time at home when I have people over. Soaked in coffee, it's really incredible", says the chef. Maxime Frédéric's tiramisu is presented to the customer like a verrine, but in a bottomless glass, with a very light, fluffy mascarpone cream.it also has a second layer of cream, less stiff and more liquid, which, when removed from the mold, will flow out to coat the entire dessert.

© Clémence Sahuc

Fleur de Cabosse cocoa

This is the signature dessert of the Plénitude restaurant (5 toques). "Theidea was to create a dessert that would appeal to all chocolate lovers," says Maxime Frédéric. "The same structure can be adapted to suit the customer's taste, with pure chocolate, coffee, pear or even vanilla. The base is always the same, with a warm chocolate flower, a play on texture with very crunchy gavottes and very fine shortbread, and an iced heart. next, a triple sauce (three textures, two temperatures) is served in a copper pan, with a chocolate sauce, a cocoa ephemera and an ice cream corresponding to the chosen flavor. The ice cream melts into the hot chocolate... It's very regressive!"

maki Manoukian

The pear douillon

"The pear douillon is a tribute to my apprenticeship with Christopher Jeanne, in the La Grigne bakery-pastry shop in Argences, Normandy. Every year there were medieval festivals, and my apprentice master wanted to make old Norman cakes, of which the douillon was one. I love this dessert and, once again, we worked on the textures to refine the line. It's a dessert somewhere between a pear tarte tatin and a baked apple. The first step is to hollow out a pear, coat it with puff pastry and bake it in the oven. As the puff pastry bakes, the pear will turn juicy and candied. This dessert is served warm with a cold heavy cream... The contrast is magnificent", emphasizes Maxime Frédéric.

richard Haughton