With partner Sylvain Blanc, Hugues Pouget opened Hugo & Victor to showcase creations from chocolate dreams to playing macaroon scales.
There's more to Hugues Pouget than being a pastry chef and proud owner
of a jewel of a Parisian pastry shop as I realized reading his Portrait
a la Une (in IdeeMag).
Since the interview was published in French (IdeeMag is a French site on Food and Wine) and I thought there were a few things worth sharing with those not fluent in the language of love, I asked IdeeMag if I could excerpt it in an English version.
Q: A dish you prepare with your family:
Ratatouille from my native south which I prepare with eggplant, green squash, peppers, garlic, onions and tomatoes that I add at the end, olive oil and fresh thyme. The secret trick is to cook each vegetable separately at high temperature then to let them simmer together.
Q: A dish you like to be treated to?
My mam's beef and carrots with fresh tagliatelle and the beef salad with lemongrass prepared by my wife.
Q: Your favorite places to eat out in Paris?
I would start with Yam' Tcha (4 rue
Sauval in Paris) which has been getting a lot of buzz, love at first bite.
Then Ma Bourgogne, traditional French cuisine, for its Tartare de viande haché à la minute (Steak Tartare) seasoned by the boss.
Third, Maï Thaï, 24 rue Saint Gilles, real Thai food like in Bangkok with a Pad Thai that will knock your socks off.
Q: If you were to share a pastry making trick?
Use sugar as seasoning rather than ingredient as you do with salt. In my pastries, there is on average 5% sugar rather than the usual 15%. In the same vein for lightness it is better to use 'creme fraiche' than butter.
(* photo of Hugo & Victor shop via Gourmetise, a French site that treats sweets as gourmet food)