From the pages of Elle magazine to children books and a pastry book in cooperation with Pierre Hermé, her humour, always very light, presents our little quirks with accuracy and mischief. Illustrations come as candies to the mind, by a now well confirmed lover of desserts.

Your favourite flavour?

Let me think… I love the taste of dough when it’s not baked. But I have to find a true flavour, to honour Pierre! The mix between butter, sugar and flour, like sweet dough! As a matter of fact, a big chunk of it is eaten before it’s baked, the more so if my husband is in the kitchen! More often than not, I have to prepare more…

A favourite dessert?

Cream puffs, and more specifically an enormous vanilla cream puff by Pierre Herm.. An unctuous cream, visually beautiful, creamier than the Religieuse. He only made it once. When we made the book, he was working on his creation with his chefs and I was able to take part in the tasting sessions of various creams, as early as 9AM! Sublime… Then I had to wait two more years before it became available in shops!

The recipe you like to prepare?

I recently prepared a strawberry tart. I mixed Pierre’s sweet dough, took another recipe for the pastry cream and did my own mix. I found it extremely pleasing to prepare the recipe of a great chef and to succeed. I was lucky enough to discover, as a result of this cooperation, that one could do an extremely good dessert at home just by following the steps. Selecting the ingredients carefully, cutting them cautiously and mixing them. And then, stay in the kitchen! I did have to redo a dough four times because I left to work and forgot it (editor’s note: Soledad works at home). I even take pleasure in watching the preparation before eating, it’s so pretty!

A sweet souvenir from childhood?

When Mum brought us almond croissants from Ladur.e. She didn’t bring one, but three a head! And coffee macaroons as well, sometimes. The warmth of the almond cream, the stripping of the croissant… It was delicious, and crazy!

Your favourite gourmet moment?

When you start thinking about something you love. That very moment when you try to think about what you really want to eat? Then you go out and buy it, and often find yourself waiting in an queue… before being a bit disappointed at the end. Desire and imagination often exceed the pleasure of the actual thing.

How did the idea of a cooperation with Pierre Hermé come about?

After I had illustrated a step-by-step chocolate cake recipe, we did a greeting card together. It was only seven years afterwards that we were able to find some place in Pierre’s agenda, we had to space out the sessions in his laboratory over two months to come up with the project.

If you were a dessert?

Bonbons…

From "Desserts" Autumn/winter n°16