World Pastry Forum 2005

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

While I am new to the EG board (don't know why except being too busy to join before this), I know some of you are probably also in Phoenix for this event.

It was a good first day. My first class was with Jean-Pierre Wybauw on chocolate candies. For the first half hour he asked us all to dispel what we had learned about tempering chocolate and to think about it in a new way. He was fascinating, charming and extremely informative. I finally got a chance to really browse his book. I've never seen a book about chocolate with so much technical information presented in such an easy to read and devour format. And despite its price ($80), knew I just had to have it. Having it inscribed by him was lovely.

My second class was with En-Ming Hsu on chocolate amenities. Having worked in a resort envioronment, this was near and dear to my heart. Her enthusiasm for the subject, her superb presentations and her delightful personality made it a truly great session. She's incredibly creative and hope she shares her talent through many books.

What classes did anyone else attending take today, and what were your impressions?

[chefette]

You tell us that Wybauw had you clear your head of all you knew about chocolate tempering to think about it in a new way - so - what is this new way? what did he put inside the space in your head about chocolate that he had made you clear out?

Inquiring minds want to know?

[Wendy DeBord]

For those of you not familar with this event look here.

[tan319]

You tell us that Wybauw had you clear your head of all you knew about chocolate tempering to think about it in a new way - so - what is this new way?  what did he put inside the space in your head about chocolate that he had made you clear out?

Inquiring minds want to know?

←

Me too!!!

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

Perhaps "new way" is a tad misleading...

He dislikes the word tempering as he believes it leads people to believe that temperature of the chocolate is what is important in determining whether your chocolate is tempered. He prefers the term precrystallizing, which while related to temperature, is not about temperature. He went into detail on the 6 crystalline forms, each of which have their own melting temperature and focused his discussion from the scientific point-of-view. To quote him, "Correct temperature does not mean that the correct crytalline form is present. Bit if the correct crystalline form is present, the chocolate is in a specific temperature."

He spoke a great deal about the nature of Beta crystals (the only good crystals) and how they behave under different circumstances. And then, most importantly, how to correct for these circumstances. He also spent a good deal of time talking about the importance of correct cooling.

I know I'm not giving you useful information here, but it was really more about turning your mindset to stop thinking about temperature and to start thinking about crystals. His book (which I bought) spends the first few chapters dealing with the subject. It's an excellent book and would highly recommend it.

[chefette]

So - it was geared more towards people who don't really temper chocolate?

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

No, not at all. The class was geared towards industry professionals. What he was trying to get us to do was to better understand why failures can occur (and they do to everyone) and how the only things you need to do to judge whether your chocolate is ready is its color, the look of it and its viscosity. He never looks at the temperature. We learn about crystalline structure in school, but then most of us don't really think about the properties of Beta crysals when working. He was trying to get us back to that way of thinking. Also, his discussion of cooling based upon mold type (silicone vs. polycarbonate was quite useful.

[tan319]

I totally understand what you're saying.

When I first started tempering I was religeous about looking at my temp then grew to looks at my choc.

Great stuff, gotta get this book!

Thanks.

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

May I just say that Jean-Phillipe Maury is not only one of the best pastry chefs in the world, but also one of the most amusing...LOVED his class on chocolate decors. He used techniques we use every day at work and just elevated them...all with simplicity, but in ways that were so imaginative. Also, his philosophy of "thinner is better" when it comes to most acetate spreading work really makes a lot of sense. The thinner they are, the less likely they will break. Counter-intuative I grant you, but based upon his demo, so true.

[tan319]

Anything to add on how JPMs techniques are impressing you?

Anything special he's doing or...?

BTW, thanks for the reports, they are most appreciated!

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

One really cool thing he showed us was how to create chocolate showpieces without precast molds. He basically took two large lexans of cocoa powder and using a spatual and small offset created forms in the cocoa. In the lexan in which he created the base of the sculpture he used a sphere to create a female half sphere, and in the lexan containing the "J" shaped arm of the sculpture he created the male (rounded) half sphere. This is how we would join the two pieces. He then piped chocolate into the molds and put them in the freezer to set up. He simply brushed them off when they came out and attached them. (You have to scratch the chocolate surface wherever you are going to attach anything as nothing will adhere to the remaining cocoa powder on the sculpture.)

He showed us three different techniques for making chocolate flowers...two of them quite easy, the third (as he readily admits) takes some practice. In the first, he created leaf stencils of varying sizes and dipped them in the chocolate and then onto acetate. (He used white chocolate into which he drizzled tempered colored cocoa butter.) He then laid the acetate in a length of pvc pipe so they would set up curved. He then glued these petals onto a half sphere of chocolate using smaller petals as he got to the center of the flower. Really easy, and really beautiful.

The second method involved using balloons. Instead of dipping a balloon straight down into the chocolate like you do for balloon cups, you dip it sideways...first on one side, then the other. (The chocolate from the two sides should not meet.) Let it set up, and you have perfect petals from which to create a flower.

The third method is a little difficult to describe, but involved using a paint roller to paint a piece of rimless stainless steel. He then let the chocolate set up and using powdered colors rubbed them into the chocolate. When the chocolate had reached the perfect temperature, he used a very flexible knife to scrape strips of the chocolate that curved just slightly. (This is the part that takes a lot of practice.) The edges of the strips were ruffled, much like a French tulip. He created the flower as a decor for a small cake. It was stunning.

[duckduck]

I didn't get to observe either of these classes at all but En Ming has been going to other people's classes when she can and said Wybauw's class was so cool because Wybauw is very, very clear and precise. I've been able to sit in on En Ming's Amenities and Kanjiri's Asian Desserts and both were wonderful. I'm on my shift right now so I can't elaborate, but I'll try to get to it later. What other classes have you had so far, Whitetrufflegirl?

[duckduck]

I have a moment to catch my breath and pop in. I think the thing that is striking me the most is that this year seems completely different in the fact that when we are in Vegas, the minute class is over, everyone scatters. Here it seems the opposite. The amount of networking and building relationships seems like just totally night and day to me. Here I see groups gathering everywhere to discuss what they do outside of here, what they're learning. Everyone seems more open. It's a great place to meet people in the industry for those who have never been to this event. It's been a great experience volunteering and I'm really glad I went that route this year. I'll try to go into detail on volunteering a little later. I have gotten to meet some very cool people in various positions in the food industry. It's been great to see the "back of the house" if you will. The work and the millions of small details that go into this are just totally unreal. Gotta get back to work.

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

duckduck,

Chef Haas was commenting on the same thing this morning in class. Because Phoenix isn't exactly a bastion of nightlife, people are pretty much sticking around the hotel. He said that last night he finished dinner at 11:00 and was going to go up to his room, but kept running into people in the halls and didn't end up getting to his room until 12:30. Today after class, I walked the competition floor with Chef Glacier and got his critique of each the (remaining standing) chocolate showpieces. It was a wonderful learning experience.

I'm really sad tomorrow is the last day of classes. I have Decorative Bread and Asian Desserts. I've heard Asian Desserts is great.

I would say that I've really gotten something out of every single class, with the exception of one, which was more like an infomercial for the sponsor's product than a true class. Everyone at the Forum has basically been saying the same thing. And it's really too bad, because the Chef instructor knows his subject matter, even if his platings look like something out of the early 1980s.

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

One other thing I wanted to mention that is completely unrelated to the Forum, but to its venue, (the Desert Ridge JW Marriott), is the lack of thinking some resorts (and to be fair, event sponsors) have with regard to events like this. Lunch each day has been "okay," but certainly not great. When we went to the ballroom today, I walked the buffet line only to be completely surprised by the menu choice. When I mentioned to a friend of mine (who isn't attending but used to work at the resort) that the menu was themed, he said, "let me guess...Italian." And, indeed it was. I then said to him, "and what day is today?" He started cracking up.

The winner of the chocolate showpiece competition took advantage of the fact he was competing on the 4th of July...the Marriott (and Carymax) took no such advantage. I wish some venues put a little more thought into their groups and didn't just go by a rote rotation of menus. Drives me crazy.

Thank you for letting me vent.

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

What an incredible last day of classes. Ciril Hitz's class on decorative dough was AMAZING. I've worked with dead dough, but felt like a complete amateur next to his pieces. And the things he did were really not hard at all...just with so much imagination. It was his ongoing joke in class if that we wanted to be able create pieces like his, "just buy my DVD." He had to run from class at the very end for a photo shoot, but I ran into him later and told him that act of repetitive mention had worked, and I had bought the DVD. He had a good chuckle.

My last class was Asian Desserts with Chef Mochizuki. Many of his desserts were Japanese inspired versions of classic French techniques we use every day...just with a flavor twist that bowed to Japanese influence. Really amazing stuff that was just so light on the palate. But his most stunning dessert is something called the Dragon Ball. It's blown (beautifully colored) isomalt filled with a very light mousse served over a creme brulee. It was gorgeous and tasted outstanding.

I'm sorry classes are ending. It's been an incredible week...I've made so many new friends and contacts.

On to the pastry championships and trade show. Should be a great next couple of days.

I would encourage any of you who are in the industry and have not attended this forum to do so next year. The generosity of the chefs, the contacts you make and the general love for expressing yourself through pastry so widespread, it's very special.

[Wendy DeBord]

Are you (or anyone else) aware of how non-attendees can purchase Hitz's DVD?

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

Wendy,

You can his DVD through his website breadhitz.com. He was running a special at the Forum selling the 3 DVD set for $100. It's $155 on his website, but you can purchase them separately as well.

[Wendy DeBord]

Owwwwwwwwww, that's not inexpensive. Have you had a chance to view the DVD yet? If so or not, will you reassure us that it's as good as you thought his class was (you can comment on this later when you return home)? Hearing a review from someone who owns this will be very influencial. Thanks.

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

Yeah, I know...pretty steep. I haven't had the opportunity to look at them yet, but hope to today as the Championships don't begin until 2:00 this afternoon. He also has a "home baker" version of his DVD which "only" runs $40.

I'll let you know my thoughts after I've watched them, but as you said, this may not happen until I get home.

[tannerz]

Being a volunteer this year, I was not able to take his class, but I did spend alot of time in his room, during prep and after classes. I got his DVD's and watched the first one last night. It is amazing. It does not go into specifics about doughs, but is more a demonstration of how he makes his pieces. I will be watching the second one this morning if I have the time. It was definately worth the 100.00, and even the 155.00.

On a side note... I was one of the interpreters for a visually impaired student this year. I interpreted for only 3 classes (Rohiro, Gellato "class", and Wybauw) and took 2 night open classes (Glacier, and Breads[can't find notes right now, Hitz's classroom though]). All of the instructors were "letting it all hang out". Nothing was a secret, if you wanted to know how a technique was done, not only did they describe it, they demo'd it!!! Being new to this industry, and in the middle of school, I was amazed at how nice everyone is. They all had a genuine desire to teach what they do. I will deffinately be a student next year.

[duckduck]

I think that was the thing that blew me away last year. You have people that have won the world pastry team championship and you would thing that they would want to hoard their secrets but all of them, especially Maury are willing to show you anything they know. They share all they can. You can ask Maury to show you anything and he will joke constantly, "you come back next year...I will show you." And then he shows you. I had to go ask him for some paperwork yesterday at the end of his class and he was doing a bit of hands on with his students. I'm so sorry I missed his class. Last year the only hands on in the demo classes was in the airbrush class but it looks like several of the teachers are trying to incorporate a little hands on time this year. My roommate came back with a piece she made in Ciril's open kitchen session. Very cool.

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

duckduck,

If Ciril did not give your roomate his bread recipes during his evening demo (which I missed), make sure you get a copy of them from someone's binder. He readily admits that he never used to share them while he was still competing, but now does. In my first (cursory) glance at his DVD it seems that he doesn't give the ratios of his components.

[duckduck]

Someone said last nght that the recipe is on the dvd. I'm here until sunday but I'll be busy loading equipment so I won't get much time to post. The neworking anf time spent with instructors has been incredible. Last night we were hanging with Franz Ziegler and he was talking us through a tasting of some chocolate that I had. Totally different than Vegas. All these peole have been so open.

[Wendy DeBord]

Hey you guys this feels like alot of teasing to me. Can you, will you at some point give more details?

......who won?

.........what did Franz have to say while you were tasting chocolates?

..........what exactly did you learn in class?

......did you see anything new in the competition?