What does a pastry chef think when he trellises a Champagne vineyard? Tony Pluot is thinking about how to connect champagne and his image with his professional activities. Established himself in the heart of Troyes (Aube) for just over a year, the thirty-year-old is fascinated by chardonnay and pinot noir vines. “There is chocolate in capsule form but there is no cake yet,” he stressed. “Capsule desserts have become one of my trademarks. »
To make her cakes, she started from scratch and began designing custom molds. Since then, the capsules, in small or large format, have been available in five flavors. The most symbolic is the Lili capsule, a bright red color, a subtle blend of raspberry and vanilla. With a “P” in its last name, the capsules quickly became one of Trojan’s favorite pastries.
A “wonderful rose” on the log
For the end-of-year celebrations, the young pastry chef decided to push the champagne concept even further with his log. The first three of the four collections are “classics”, based on pralines, citrus fruits or tonka beans. In addition to standard sized logs, he also makes logs which are of course shaped like champagne capsules.
His fourth and latest creation pushes the concept around sparkling wine even further. “We put champagne in the recipe! » he laughs. And not just any wine: “While tasting Barfontarc Champagne, I discovered an extraordinary rosé. » He was referring to the 2020 Rosée de Saignée Les Chênies Millésime. Composed exclusively of pinot noir, this wine underwent a short maceration, a famous saignée technique. The consequences? More colorful and more delicious roses.
Launched in 1962, Champagne de Barfontarc brought together around fifty grape growers from the Côte des Bar based in the towns of Baroville, Fontaine and Arconville and were fascinated by the creativity of the young man. It didn’t take long for a collaboration to reach the light of day.
After several tests, Tony Pluot integrated champagne gel into his log. It consists of almond biscuits, raspberry crisp with raspberry compote with Damascus rose water, the famous rosé champagne gel and silky light cream with smoked Madagascar Bourbon vanilla. It’s subtle, but the champagne flavor can be felt in the log.
Next challenge
One of the difficulties Tony Pluot faces is finding the right food and wine pairings. Contrary to popular belief, pairing dessert with champagne is more complicated than it seems. The “signature capsule” log will be sold alone or in a box with a bottle of Rosé de Saignée. For fans of numbers, one bottle allows you to make about 10 logs weighing 800 g. Therefore, foodies will not take any risks if they have to undergo an alcohol test after returning from a party.
At the end of the year, the start of the following year will again be marked by champagne for Tony Pluot. He didn’t go so far as to integrate the prized drink into his king cake – a challenge to take on for Epiphany 2027? – but the seeds, the model is unique, are clearly capsules. “Everything was designed by local ceramicists,” he explains. We chose just one bean model, because I wanted something fairly simple. »
Caroline Corroy, also known as Scaraterra, created these works that would refer to the queens and kings of the early years. A bit harsh, rosé or blanc de blanc, to accompany the pancakes?
