Jessica Préalpato's good addresses
Jessica Préalpato, former pastry chef at the Plaza Athénée and currently a taster at the San Régis hotel, reveals her good addresses for buying infusions, cheese and plum oil.
Jessica Préalpato is one of the most respected pastry chefs in the profession. With her unique touch, forged at the Plaza Athénée under the tutelage of Alain Ducasse and Romain Meder, the young woman offers unusual, uncluttered desserts, where sugar and fat are abandoned in favor of straightforward, raw flavors. To make them, the woman who is currently designing a healthy snack for the San Régis hotel, relies on a host of French producers and artisans, whom she is happy to recommend to us today.
Cheeses from Ferme Sainte Cécile, La Garenne-Colombes
Jessica Préalpato is a great lover of cheese. To stock up, she regularly visits Ferme Saint Cécile, in La Garenne-Colombes, to "stock up". "It's quite a magical store. The maturing work is really amazing! Frédéric Vallon knows his products like the back of his hand, so it's really nice to talk to him," says the pastry chef.
- Where to buy? Ferme Sainte Cécile, 21 rue Voltaire, La Garenne-Colombes
- www.facebook.com/La-Ferme-Sainte-Cecile-La-Garenne-Colombes
Carole Fraile's plates, Malakoff
"I met Carole Fraile during the French selection for the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie. She showed me her creations and I've kept them in a corner of my mind. She does truly magnificent work, and I'd dream of working with her", confides Jessica Préalpato. "She sometimes dries her bowls or plates with leaves or flowers and that adds a lot of volume. It's really beautiful!"
- Where? Carole Fraile céramiste, 5 impasse ressort, 92240 Malakoff
- www.facebook.com/Carole-Fraile-Ceramiste
Les graines de courge de Valconie, in Eole-en-Beauce
"I've only been working with them for a short time, but their squash seeds are great. I have a recipe where I prepare them with egg white and salt, before baking them in the oven at 160°C, and they're the only ones that puff, while remaining super fine. They also make pumpkin oil, which you can buy on the internet", explains the pastry chef.
- Where to buy? Valconie, 9 rue des tourelles, 28150 Eole-en-Beauce
- www.valconie.fr
Plum oil from Perles de Gascogne, in Pujols
In her desserts, Jessica Préalpato likes to use unusual oils, like plum oil, which she finds at Perles de Gascogne. "It's an oil made from plum pits. This almost gives it a very bitter almond taste," she points out. "They also make virgin camelina oil, which works very well in desserts."
- Where? Perles de Gascogne, Vidalou, 47300 Pujols
- www.perles-gascogne.com
Les 88 thés, Paris
For the teas and infusions used to create her pastries at the San Régis Hotel, Jessica Préalpato turns to Nadia L. Leury, passionate source and founder of Les 88 Thés. "I work a lot with her. I send her a list of what I'd like to make, she then creates a bespoke infusion and we taste together," details the pastry chef.
► Where? Les 88 thés, buy online
