Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / London food blogger events / A chocolate masterclass with Paul A Young & Great British Chefs

A chocolate masterclass with Paul A Young & Great British Chefs

by Jeanne Horak on May 23, 2016 7 Comments in London food blogger events

Paul-A-Young-Title

When I first arrived in London back in 2000 I, along with much of London, thought Thornton’s to be an example of a premium chocolatier. Bean-to-bar control over the chocolate-making process; single estate chocolate bars; or dinner party debate about the relative merits of Venezuelan or madagascan cocoa beans were still foreign concepts to almost all of us not working in the chocolate industry. Nobody thought to enquire what percentage of cocoa solids a bar of milk chocolate might contain, and Swiss or Belgian chocolate were still thought of as labels indicating quality. Clearly, we’ve come a long way! Today the average London premium chocolate purchaser is a savvy customer who wants to know whether the cocoa beans were ethically sourced; which country the beans were grown in; and what sort of lecithin is being used to emulsify the chocolate – you need look no further than the uproar caused by the recent Mast Brothers chocolate controversy to see just how far we have come. This level of consumer education and interest is due at least in part to a generation of energetic young British chocolatiers including William Curley, Willie Harcourt-Cooze and Paul A. Young.

Although I had tasted his chocolates before, I first met Paul A. Young in person on the P&O Britannia during her inaugural celebrations last year. We bonded over G&Ts and talk of our respective skiing injuries (as one does!) so I was delighted to hear that he was to host a chocolate masterclass at the Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in London, in association with Great British Chefs. The occasion was partly to mark the ten year anniversary of his first chocolate shop, opened on Camden Passage in Islington in 2006, after having worked as head pastry chef at Quo Vadis and Criterion under Marco-Pierre White.  Known for his innovative, fresh and playful flavour combinations, Paul is the only chocolatier in London working in a truly artisan way. He and his team make all their creations completely by hand in the kitchens at each shop, in small batches and at every stage using fresh ingredients (no compounds, concentrates, essences, preservatives or additives). This means that his chocolates do not have a long shelf life, but it also means that their fresh, clean flavours are experienced by the customer as Paul envisioned them, not as preservatives have dictated.

 

PaulAYoungTeaching

 

Paul-A-Young

 

Our evening kicked off with Paul explaining what he was going to make: champagne rhubarb, earl Grey tea ganache, rose and white chocolate. It sounded like a show-stopper – maybe a little intimidating – but Paul assured us that if we tackled each individual component in sequence, there was nothing to worry about. The first step that Paul demonstrated was his water-based ganache.  Anybody who bakes has at some point been told that you should never get water anywhere near melted chocolate because it will seize – in other words clump together in a dull, grainy mass.  But Paul showed us that as long as you add the liquid to solid chocolate, the chocolate emulsifies as it melts and you get a perfectly smooth ganache.  In this case,  he melted a bowl of chocolate pieces by stirring in some hot sweetened Earl Grey tea and whisking vigorously until the chocolate had melted and the mixture emulsified into perfect glossy smoothness.  Who knew!! The ganache was poured into a lined baking tray and popped into the blast chiller while he roasted the rhubarb with vodka and sugar.

 

Paul-A-Young-Cooking

 

Paul-A-Young-Rhubarb

 

While we waited for the ganache to chill and the rhubarb to roast, paul told us a little about how he got started in the chocolate business and we got to taste some of the chocolates that have won him regular medals at the International Chocolate Awards. First up was the smooth, shiny chocolate dome of his sea salted caramel filled chocolate – dark chocolate filled with rich and properly salty caramel. Good enough to sell your granny for! Next up was the pretty pink grapefruit marmalade martini filled chocolate, full of the bittersweet citrus flavours of pink grapefruit with a little alcoholic kick; and last but not least was the divine Kalamansi lime filled chocolate – like a zestier lime curd stabilised with white chocolate. Each one had such distinct flavours and each was show-stopping.

 

Paul-A-Young-Chocolates

 

Once the rhubarb was hot and the ganache cold, Paul demonstrated how to cut a block of ganache as wide as the strips of rhubarb pieces; how to lay the rhubarb pieces side by side on the serving plate, and to top them with the ganache slab. On top of that came shavings of Valrhona white chocolate, rose petals, and a syrup made from the rhubarb cooking liquid that had been boiled to reduce it – and voila!  Dessert fit for a king! And just to test that we had been listening, Paul then got us to recreate the dessert on our own.  In the photos below, mine and Sarah’s is on the right with the glass of moscato and Paul’s is on the left – almost indistinguishable! 😉

 

Paul-A-Young-Prepping-Rhubarb

 

Paul-A-Young-Plating

 

 

Paul-A-Young-Drizzling

 

Paul-A-Young-Plated

 

But we weren’t done yet – Master Chef Julie Walsh from Le Cordon Bleu was on hand to show us how to make classic florentines, and it’s easier than you think.  After mixing chopped nuts and dried fruit, she added a mixture of cream, sugar and honey which had been heated until the sugar melted and mixed well.  She spooned this mix into a silicone baking mould with bite-sized cups and baked it for about 40 minutes at 2 different temperatures before allowing them to cool and unmoulding. After tempering chocolate, instead of brushing it onto the base of each florentine, she showed us how to pipe small circles of chocolate onto a silicone mat and then gently pressing each florentine into a blob of chocolate so that the base is fully coated. Once hardened at room temperature, the florentines are ready for eating.

 

Julie-Walsh-Cordon-Bleu

 

Julie-Walsh-Cooking

 

Julie-Walsh-Piping

 

Julie-Walsh-Florentines

 

Florentines

 

Both Paul and Julie’s extensive knowledge of chocolate and patisserie was evident, as was their pragmatism.  Both were keen to point out that working with chocolate need not he overly complicated – you don’t need to know the crystalline structure of chocolate and you don’t need a tempering machine or loads of special equipment.  Paul especially encouraged us all to get into the kitchen and experiment a little with chocolate because that’s exactly how he got started – and his enthusiasm is definitely infectious. You can find the recipe for Paul’s chocolate and rhubarb creation on the Great British Chefs website, and you will find my two favourite photos of the night below: Me, Urvashi (holding her London Marathon medal!), Judith and Sarah giving it our best Zoolander “Blue Steel” look; and Paul, Sarah and I clearly finding something about the chocolate ganache very, very amusing 😉  Thanks to Great British Chefs, Paul, Julie and Le Cordon Bleu London for an enjoyable and informative evening!

 

Paul-A-Young-Blue-Steel

 

.@paul_a_young having fun making ganache with @MaisonCupcake@cooksisterblog at #CookSchoolGBC at @LeCordonBleuLDNpic.twitter.com/TL4xesduQy

— Great British Chefs (@gbchefs) April 25, 2016

DISCLOSURE:  I attended this event as a guest of Great British Chefs but received no further remuneration to write this post.  I was not expected to write a positive review – all views are my own and I retain full editorial control.

 

Let’s keep in touch!
You can also find me on Twitter (@cooksisterblog), Instagram (Cooksister), Snapchatting (Cooksisterblog) or Pinterest.  To keep up with my latest posts, you can subscribe to my free e-mail alerts, like Cooksister on Facebook, or follow me on Bloglovin.

More deliciousness for you!

  • Summer berry terrine for IMBB#15Summer berry terrine for IMBB#15
  • Runner bean and feta gratinRunner bean and feta gratin
  • Gingery baked nectarinesGingery baked nectarines
  • Christmas private dining @ Marriott County HallChristmas private dining @ Marriott County Hall

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Rhubarb and strawberry galettes
Tasteology by AEG – a film to take taste further »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. stefano arturi says

    May 24, 2016 at 10:33 am

    hi Jeanne. I have just discovered your blog and it looks full of goodies. This is a interesting and useful report – thanks. one question: is there any reason for the two different temperature for the florentines? thanks. stefano

    Reply
  2. Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

    May 24, 2016 at 10:44 am

    Ah that was a fun night! And Paul is such an entertaining teacher. This was a seriously impressive dessert that took barely any effort – I’m so making it again!

    Reply
  3. Urvashi says

    May 26, 2016 at 8:56 pm

    Aaaah such a fun evening. I cannot believe that you posted that pic! I look more like a fish than Blue Steel lol!
    I have made that ganache twice since the workshop. All for myself as truffles. So delicious!

    Reply
  4. Sally - My Custard Pie says

    May 27, 2016 at 5:07 am

    Love the group pic of you all and adore the one of you and Sarah laughing your heads off with Paul. I’d heard of Paul’s chocolate of course but you’ve really explained the extraordinary attention to detail and use of such fresh premium ingredients. Not a huge chocolate lover but when I eat it I want the best. A visit to Paul A Young on the cards.

    Reply
  5. Margot says

    May 27, 2016 at 12:01 pm

    I would love to take part in chocolate masterclass … sounds and looks like an amazing event! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Camilla says

    May 27, 2016 at 1:25 pm

    Oh my Jeanne, how lucky were you to be taught by the master of chocolate, the one and only Paul A Young! Those creations look out of this world!

    Reply
  7. Barry Stephen says

    July 1, 2016 at 12:04 pm

    I just participated in a chocolate workshop in Interlaken, Switzerland. It provided some fine insights, just like your post.

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Perfect broccoli and Stilton soup [keto, low carb, GF]
  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Jan Ellis pudding - a classic South African dessert

Featured on

Also available on

The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a 7 metre diameter scale model of the moon suspended in the Painted Hall at the  @oldroyalnavalcollege in Greenwich this week, by @lukejerramartist. A surreal and fabulous sight!
Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need to get down to @canarywharflondon between now and Saturday 28 Jan to catch the free Winter Lights 2023 event, back for the seventh year.

My favourites include @lukejerramartist ‘s Floating Earth; Tom Lambert’s Out of the Dark; Fluorescent Firs; Toroid by This is Loop; and the surreal and mesmerising Anima by MEATS - a tunnel filled with hundreds of thin optical fibre lights that change colour and move in the breeze 😍 

Have you been to Winter Lights? What was your favourite?
“When we look down at the Earth from space, we s “When we look down at the Earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” - International Space Station astronaut Ron Garamond

To experience the “overview effect” (a phenomenon experienced by astronauts viewing the earth from space), head down to Canary Wharf in the London docklands this week where you can see @lukejerramartist ‘s beautiful Floating Earth installation as part of the Winter Lights event. 

This giant 10m diameter installation is created using high resolution NASA images to create a floating scale model of the Earth, lit from within so that it glows from its current home on the Middle Dock, surrounded by the headquarters of international banking and finance corporations.

The artist hopes that viewed in this context, the installation will make visitors and the bankers working in surrounding buildings question how their money in savings and pensions is invested, and whether investments can be greener.

Aside from being a thought provoking piece, it is also mesmerising and surreally beautiful, so make sure you visit the free Winter Lights event before ends on Saturday 28 Jan.
Happy lunar new year! [Invited] To celebrate the Happy lunar new year! 

[Invited] To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, why not head over to @mamachensdumplings currently doing a residence at the @thegantrylondon in #stratford where you can feast on prawn & chive dumplings; pork, Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushroom dumplings; pork & prawn wontons with Mama Chen’s chilli oil; vegetable dumplings; smacked cucumber salad; and spicy noodles coated in garlic and Szechuan pepper oil.

And afterwards, make sure you head up to the @unionsocialoc bar for a cocktail - I loved the Moreish Fashion with bourbon, PX sherry, chestnuts and mandarin orange bitters!
Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Chr Got leftover Stilton (or any blue cheese) from Christmas? Turn it into this super simple and super indulgent broccoli and Stilton soup! So easy to make and soooo delicious to eat - and it is low carb and GF. What more could you want?! Click the link in my bio for the full recipe. What’s your favourite soup?
CELEBRATE. So the fireworks are over, the champag CELEBRATE.

So the fireworks are over, the champagne is finished and the leftovers are all eaten. We are one week into 2023 and I have had some time to think about what my intent is for the year. 

In 2022 my brother had a life saving kidney transplant. Since the operation, he has had a Peanuts cartoon as his WhatsApp profile pic, where Charlie Brown and Snoopy are sitting on a pier talking. Charlie says “Some day, we all die Snoopy.” And Snoopy replies: “Yes - but every other day, we will live.”

Waking up in the morning is a gift, every day, and it is so easy to forget this. The last few years have been difficult for so many people and the coming year promises its own challenges. But every day that we don’t die is a day to live, to celebrate life in some small way.

So my intention in 2023 is to celebrate. Celebrate our achievements however small. Celebrate our friends and family. Celebrate small things. Celebrate life.

Did you make any resolutions or goals for 2023? I would love to hear them in the comments! Wishing you all the very best for 2023 🥂
Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes fro Happy new year, everyone! Here are some scenes from last night with friends in Deptford. My deconstructed avocado ritz; @twinkleparkstephen ‘s bobitie; Giles’ Ottolenghi tomato salad; and Jean’s clementine trifle - and the London night sky ablaze with fireworks!  How did you spend your evening? 🥂🎇🎆
Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope Merry Christmas to all those celebrating - I hope your day was merry and bright, filled with family, friends and love 🎄🥂. Mine was spent alone at home - my choice and the result of a combination of Covid (not mine!) and rail strikes 🤦‍♀️ but very relaxing and indulgent!
Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter y Looking for a stylish and easy Christmas starter you can make ahead? Look no further than my individual smoked salmon terrine! Hot smoked salmon, cream cheese and chives wrapped in cold smoked salmon in a ramekin. Still one of the most popular Christmas recipes in my blog, it looks cheffy but is soooo simple to make - and will save you time and effort on the day! Get the recipe by clicking on the link in my bio.

How is your Christmas meal prep going? Are you entertaining at home or going to friends or family? 🎄🥂🎄🥂🎄
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Bowls of broccoli and Stilton soup
Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2023 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2023 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT