In my last post I described a very special breakfast I went to at the Corinthia Hotel with Laurent-Perrier Champagne a couple of weeks ago. To my surprise, this breakfast was not all that it said on the tin. It was revealed that these two have joined up in a Christmas partnership called their #12TipsOfChristmas project. At the breakfast 12 bloggers were given 12 specially designed experiences, each with a festive theme! I was delighted to be selected as one of these 12 and even more so to discover my experience: a chocolate masterclass with Corinthia Head Pastry Chef, Sarah Barber, accompanied by plenty of Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rose! Read below to see how I got on!
A couple of weeks later I found a free morning and headed down to the Corinthia Hotel. The breakfast was the first time I’d been to this swanky hotel and had been impressed – it’s a beautiful and somewhat luxurious space. They’ve done it up really nicely too for Christmas – all giant Christmas trees and glittering baubles.
It was behind this seamless facade however that I was headed. I was led down, behind the scenes and into the ‘Staff Only’ kitchen area. This was a total thrill…akin to peeking under the water of a duck pond, serene on top but under the surface seeing cute little legs furiously pumping away. We passed hot rows of sizzling stoves and quietly tense line cooks, doing their mis en place under the close eye of the Head Chef. The Pastry Kitchen however had a totally different vibe. First of all, it was noticeably cooler in temperature (it makes sense – things like delicate chocolate work can’t be done in hot kitchens), and felt calmer. People were working away but somehow it felt relaxed.
It was behind this seamless facade however that I was headed. I was led down, behind the scenes and into the ‘Staff Only’ kitchen area. This was a total thrill…akin to peeking under the water of a duck pond, serene on top but under the surface seeing cute little legs furiously pumping away. We passed hot rows of sizzling stoves and quietly tense line cooks, doing their mis en place under the close eye of the Head Chef. The Pastry Kitchen however had a totally different vibe. First of all, it was noticeably cooler in temperature (it makes sense – things like delicate chocolate work can’t be done in hot kitchens), and felt calmer. People were working away but somehow it felt relaxed.
There I met Sarah Barber. Sarah’s had a huge amount of success in her career as a Pastry Chef, working at some of the best kitchens in the UK, and just released her first book on pastry, Patisserie Perfection. I had a flip through this later – a more beautifully photographed food book you’d be hard pressed to find.
First of all, Sarah showed me how to temper chocolate. This is a process of transforming chocolate to a hard, glossy state, with a professional snap when cracked. I’ve always imagined it as devilishly difficult, and indeed they always make a fuss about doing it on Great British Menu, but Sarah made it seem like child’s play. To temper chocolate you take it to a very precise temperature and I learnt the three methods of doing this: adding cold chocolate to melted chocolate (the seed method), cooling it on a marble slab, and simply heating and cooling it to the right temperature (31-32C for dark chocolate). This is totally doable at home, especially the seed method which avoids getting messy chocolate everywhere
|
|
We then moved on to making some of the Corinthia’s signature chocolates – a festive ‘CD’ made out of chocolate, and an intricate chocolate bauble, filled with chocolate coins, and spray painted with edible gold!
Finally, Sarah showed me the Christmas Afternoon Tea she makes for the hotel at the moment. I don’t wish to pull the rug out from under Tania from The London Thing’s feet, who was given this as her #12TipsOfChristmas experience, so I’ll not go into too many details beyond saying….wow. What. A. Spread. Incredibly detailed, intricate and delicious patisserie.
I left well fed, feeling festive and way more confident about working with chocolate in my own kitchen. Talk about 12 tips, I think Sarah gave me about a hundred! To Sarah Barber, Laurent-Perrier Champagne and the Corinthia Hotel, thank you so much for such a fabulous experience and….a merry christmas!
www.laurent–perrier.com/en
www.corinthia.com/hotels/london/
Whitehall Pl, London SW1A 2BD
020 7930 8181
