Sébastien Bouillet in 5 pastries
Sébastien Bouillet, Lyon's well-established pastry chef, reveals himself through five creations that he believes perfectly represent his gourmet and creative universe.
in Lyon, Sébastien Bouillet has established himself as one of the most gourmet and generous pastry chefs of his generation. Heir to a family business, he claims an approach that is both regressive and modern. "We always go back to basics, to the classics, but with a modern twist. We've done a lot of de-sugaring and de-greasing in recent years", he asserts. For Gault&Millau, Sébastien Bouillet looks back on five creations that tell the story of his world and its evolution.
The most regressive dessert: vanilla ice cream
"It's my favorite ice cream, I'm crazy about ice cream!" exclaims the chef. An absolute childhood memory, vanilla ice cream harks back to his early years above the family laboratory: "Whenever my father made it, he'd call me and give me a little bowl... I could eat it without stopping," he confesses. Still on the menu, it remains true to its promise: a melt-in-the-mouth texture and intense vanilla. "It really is the ultimate treat, especially when it comes out of the turbine. enjoy it on its own or with a tarte tatin."
The most emblematic creation: the Lyon-Tokyo tart
Born some fifteen years ago for an event in Paris, this revisited tart has never left the menu. "We wanted to thumb our noses at Lyon's traditional praline tart," he says. Here, crunchy dried fruit mingles with praline flan, a crunchy tuile and a poached yuzu cream that adds a touch of acidity. "The praline is quite sweet and the yuzu counterbalances it. It's become a staple of our creations."
The most gourmet dessert: L'Odéon
"I love chocolate cakes," admits Sébastien Bouillet. L'Odéon is the finest demonstration of this: a 70% dark chocolate mousse, a Madagascar vanilla heart, a chocolate cookie and an almond dacquoise cookie. The play of contrasts is total, between the strength and bitterness of the cocoa, the sweetness of the vanilla and the different textures, mellow and creamy. "We've been making it since I started working with my parents. It's also a tribute to the Odeon district of Paris, where I worked at Gérard Mulot."
The most addictive creation: the Tablette à partager
220 grams of pure pleasure: dark chocolate, lightly salted vanilla caramel, smooth-textured hazelnut gianduja and crunchy marbles that explode under the tooth. "It's a bar to share, but in reality it's complicated not to keep it for yourself!" smiles the chef. A constant success since its inception. "It's addictive, a real sin of gluttony. It works very well and it's also a nice gift to give."
Excerpt from Craquage by Sébastien Bouillet, published by La Martinière.
Her favorite fruit dessert: Fraisier
"The Fraisier is really my favorite fruit dessert," says the pastry chef. Here, the sponge cake is made with almond paste, topped with a vanilla mousseline cream and fresh strawberries, carefully selected from producers in Provence or the Rhône Valley.
The marzipan finish marks the identity of this strawberry cake, which is only available two or three months a year. "The first weekend we put it on, it's crazy. We don't change the recipe: it's a classic that comes back every year and is a big hit."
