Advanced Chocolate Class at NWCAV

To end 2006 with a bang, Chef Marco kindly put an advanced chocolate class together for a few of us that are completely addicted. In the first two days, we made 8 different chocolates and then spent two more on building chocolate showpieces. We learned new techniques such as folding caramel and nougat together to form a center for a chocolate that resembles puff pastry. This was so delicious that it didn't even need to be dipped in chocolate. Putting it together was a little tricky (and messy) as you had to work quickly with semi-hot caramel, folding the layers, and then cutting it into pieces before the mass cools and turns hard.


We made two chocolate showpieces. Chocolate showpieces are made completely out of chocolate and are entirely edible. We first made an underwater world which consisted of a sea-bed, coral/sea-life, and fish. The second was a chocolate chef who turned out to be absolutely adorable. The showpieces are so much work which is why we probably don't see them that often. If you ever get the chance to see one up close, really appreciate how much time and skill goes into it. For us die-hard chocolate fans, it would have been nice to spend more time on each piece, perfecting them, but Chef Marco would have been trapped at the school until next year...literally!


Not saying that you will learn all of these techniques in these classes, but if you are interested in beginning to learn more about the basics of the pastry world and chocolate, without committing to a full-time program, try out Chef Marco's Serious Foodie Pastry Classes. They will not disappoint!

As for me, I will not be making a New Year's resolution to eat less chocolate. I believe quality chocolate is healthy and has a wonderful healing affect. In the New Year, I plan to have my own little chocolate factory in my own kitchen. I will keep on experimenting with different flavors and techniques and be sure to share what I learn as I go!

Click here to see more of our work during the course.

Tagged as: [ chocolate nougatine nwcav showpiece ]

Sumptuous Goodies for the Holidays

Transfer sheets are super cool. Cocoa butter is painted onto acetate in an array of colors and designs. You apply the transfer sheet directly onto the chocolate immediately after it has been dipped into crystallized (tempered) chocolate. Once the chocolate sets, you peel off the acetate and the cocoa butter is imprinted on the chocolate leaving a glossy shine! It is very exciting!












A Croquembouche is a French dessert which is traditionally served at weddings but can be eaten at any time for any celebration. The tower is made of profiteroles filled with pastry cream that are glued together with caramel. In this case, I filled some with vanilla pastry cream and some with praline pastry cream and decorated it with spun sugar but it can be decorated in many different ways. Translated into English, Croquembouche means "crunch in the mouth" and crunch we did!

Tagged as: [ caramel chocolate croquembouche marshmallows nougatine pastry pistachio sheets transfer truffles ]

Dessert Menu Development Project at NWCAV

The past two weeks in class have been spent on plated desserts. We made over 45 different recipes for the following: ice creams, sorbets, sherbets, sauces, puddings, soufflés, marshmallows, panna cotta, parfaits, compotes, salsas, sabayons, molten cakes, pate d'fruit, jellies, sponges, tuiles, crepes, tarts...the list goes on and on and on.

To wrap up the series, we each had to create a 5-course dessert menu (with sketches) and calculate the food costing for one of the items. We began on Thursday morning, preparing what we could and had to present our first plated dessert that afternoon. Nothing could be done in advance of Thursday. No chocolate decorations, no garnish – nothing. Today, we had to present our second item. Here is the menu that I created for the imaginary "Pique" restaurant.


I enjoyed the project. In our discussion at the end of class today I had commented on how much of a challenge it has been to beckon that creativity within. After not really allowing it to come out for so long, it is a bit testing. As with everything I have said in this blog, it will just take practice, experience, and exposure to different things to build up that database in the brain. The basic techniques are always the foundation. Take ideas from various things that you see and like and put them together to create something new. What becomes unique is how you can put different components together and apply modern spins on classic desserts. Nobody is expected to reinvent the wheel.

The first dessert I presented yesterday was a Fresh Orange Cake with Raspberry Mousse and a Grand Marnier Sabayon. I liked the flavors but I shouldn't have made my cake 4 layers – it should have been just two. It looked a little messy and the serving wound up being too big. Plus I didn't think that when you put your fork into the dessert that the first layer of cake would squash everything underneath it because the mousse could not withstand that much pressure from above. Whoops – that is where I should have practiced more.


Today's dessert turned out better. I made a Chocolate Pomegranate Molten Cake with Pomegranate Jelly and Grapefruit Sherbet with a Tuile Cookie. I thought the colors on the plate were vibrant.

Tagged as: [ caramel chocolate dessert development menu mousse nougatine nwcav pastry pomegranate tuiles ]