Chocolate, Sugar and Wine: The Sweet Stuff of Life

After a long break (5 days), it's hard to settle back into a scholar routine and today of all days was an especially long one, and a sweet one at that. 

At 8 this morning we entered class for a chocolate tasting. Sure, no one is too keen on the idea of chocolate so early in the morning, but we did learn a great deal and it will sure help us in our coming final exams. Personally, I am a fan of dark, bitter chocolates, so it was all right when we tried some with high percentages of cocoa butter. This is not to say that I dislike creamier, sweeter chocolates. Trust me: if there are things I absolutely love in this world, chocolate is definitely one of them. But yes, at such an early time, I do prefer a bitter, less sweetened chocolate. Ask me after lunch and surely, I wouldn't go for the dark ones. 

We tried a whole variety; even some that are not exactly chocolate and that are used mainly for decorative purposes. For example, melting the orange or pink colored ones we tried to decorate our Easter eggs, or Easter cows as our Chef said. My favorite one was one called Madagascar and according to the Chef, it is one of the most versatile chocolates as it is a "common" chocolate. It can be used for almost anything, however, he mentioned, he would not recommend using it to mold chocolate (the chocolate box we are to make next term). 

Apart from the difference in cocoa butter percentages the different chocolates contain, and recapping the different types of cocoa beans grown and where, I found interesting learning about the snap chocolate gives. If the snap is clean (no splinters and it doesn't crumble), the chocolate is of a good quality. If the appearance of the chocolate is smooth, with no streaks or air pockets, it is of good quality. I guess now I'll be analyzing every piece of chocolate I eat (not chocolate/candy bars though). 

Sadly I have no picture of my tasting plate...I couldn't resist eating them as soon as I got them. My apologies.

But that was only the first class of the day. During our second period, we got a preview of sugar work we will be doing on our next term, in Superior Patisserie. We saw poured, pulled and blown sugar. It looked easy enough, but the Chef assured us, it only looks easy. As we are still in Intermediate, there are more pressing matters to worry at the time, still, we have to bear in mind we might burn ourselves working with sugar next term.

Imagine more colors..amazing!!!

We will be making a sugar centerpiece using the techniques we were demonstrated today. With the use of silicon mats, silicon strips, metal bars and cutters, we will test our skills with patience and creativity. The chefs will also assess how quickly we work without making a mess or hurting ourselves. We shall have to wait and see.

The finished centerpiece

The smokey aroma and honey taste of the wine were exquisite. I liked them all, but this one was fantastic. Surprisingly, we were informed that for such a vintage wine, the price for a 75 cl bottle falls around £19. The reason for this is due to the wine being a fortified wine, meaning it had alcohol added to it, a process not widely used nowadays.

If you are a wine enthusiast or connoisseur, consider the following sweet wines:

Château Les Sablines Monbazillac (FRANCE)

Château Suduiraut Sauternes (FRANCE)

Arnaud de Villeneuve Rivesaltes Ambré Hors d’Age (FRANCE)

Sweet Agnes (New Zealand)

Royal Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos (Hungary)*

*King Louis XIV referred to it as "The Wine of Kings for the Kings of Wine"

So the day ended on a sweet note indeed and we left school with heaps of knowledge on chocolate, sugar and wine. Not a bad day for future pastry chefs right?

If you have any inquiries or wish to know a bit more on these wines, don't hesitate and ask. 

Sweet dreams xx