For those of you who didn't know, this weekend was the NYC Chocolate Show, an incredible event where chocolatiers come together to display their delicious goodies to the public, as well as demonstrations by famous pastry chefs on everything CHOCOLATE! It is a sweet event! Unfortunately I always end up eating way too much chocolate for my own good. But it's a once a year event, and the demos are always incredible. Chefs like Jaques Torres, Johnny Iuzzini, Zac Young, Nick Malgieri and many others demo their desserts and then allow the public to taste them. (Recipes will soon be posted on the chocolate show website.) I can't express how much I love this event.
Here are some photos from the event.
With this show, there is always a fashion show to inaugurate opening night. All the costumes are made out of chocolate.
Then for those of you who are not familiar with the new foodscapes artist, Carl Warner, you should get familiar with him. His work is unelievable. He created this chocolate foodscape bellow the "Chocolate Express " (displayed at the chocolate show) and has many other images that are incredible.
Then there were all the displays of beautiful and delicious chocolates from many exhibitors..
For a little education on Chocolate and how it's made from bean to bar, see Le Bernardin's Executive Pastry Chef, Michael Laiskonis' blog on his adventure in a cacao plantation, complete with pictures!
The demos were a great part of the event. The first Demo I attended was Michelle Tampakis' (who was actually my pastry teacher!) and also one of the top 10 pastry chefs of 2010. She has celiac's so she has to make everything Gluten Free, including her entry for the top ten pastry chef event. For the chocolate show she created a Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cheese with a Gluten-Free Chocolate Base.
These are a few of the items at Jaques Torres' booth. Gift Boxes made out of Chocolate!
This next Dessert was from Chef Dean Anderson at One if By Land, Two if By Sea. It's a delicious Chocolate Bread almost like a Cinnamon Roll with nuts and a great chocolate molten center. And one little tid bit we found out about Chef Dean...he doesn't like eating Vanilla Ice Cream sinc ehe ate too much of it as a kid! Who would have known..
Chef Dean loves chocolate chip cookies!
This is the dessert from Chef Joseph Gabriel at the Pluckemin Inn in NJ. It's a Chocolate Torte with a chestnut puree, and candied pumpkin. It was a very interesting flavor combination. Different most of all, which I love!!
Chef Joseph likes Valrhona!
This is a photo of the tea from one of the exhibitors at the show. It smelled sweet of herbs and fruity accents. They looked beautiful.
This next dessert is a chocolate Panna Cotta with fruits. Simple and delicious, the fruit really adds to the flavor profile.
And if any of you are fans of Top Chef's Just Desserts on Bravo.. here's a treat for you.. Zac Young, Executive Pastry Chef at Flex Mussels in NYC. He made a "Chocolate Cream pie on-it's-side" complete with the disco dust!!
These little shot glasses were the tasting versions for the audience... the top layer with the creme fraiche whipped cream, chocolate cremeux in the middle, and Zac's own version of an oreo cookie crumb.
Zac displays his plated version.
Beautiful, complete with a dark caramel brushed onto the plate and a half sphere of chocolate made with nothing other than a balloon!
And everybody's favorite treat was Johnny Iuzzini, The Executive Pastry Chef at Jean Georges and also Top Chef Just Dessert's Judge. Johnny made a chocolate-sesame dessert which included a variety of different components.
Chocolate strings solidified in liquid nitrogen, chocolate brownie, white chocolate-sesame mousse and a chocolate curd.
Despite the celebrity chefs and their astronomical desserts, I think the best dessert out of the show was actually this next one, a chocolate bread pudding made by Gramercy Tavern's Executive Pastry Chef, Nancy Olson. It was moist and chocolaty and ooooh so good!
If you want to join the chocolate madness.. stay tuned for next year's Annual Chocolate Show!!
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