You can only buy Laurent Gerbaud products at the cafe in Raven Ravenstein, not far from Brussels Central Station.
Laurent Gerbaud is charming, full of enthusiasm, and smiles as wide as Grande Place. This is my chocolate idea. But for this man, there is more besides the look in his eyes: Laurent is an erudite man, his curiosity about travel and language-he can speak fluent Mandarin-for him excellent service.
“My inspiration comes from China,” Laurent told me at the cafe of the same name on Raven Ravenstein Street. Laurent first came to Shanghai as a student, but he was deeply moved by the locals’ attitude towards chocolate-and noticed that sugar plays a more measurable role in certain Chinese dishes. It is fair to say that the experience of living there changed Laurent’s taste buds. After returning to Belgium, his first major sales success was kumquats covered in chocolate.
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For the next eight years, Laurent sold his chocolates at a stall at the Boitsfort market in Brussels, while also offering cooked food. Then in 2009, he opened a cafe and workshop, his mantra is “less sugar, no alcohol, drink more cocoa”. There are more vegetarians. He explained: “I have never used eggs in chocolate, and coconut cream instead of milk in some mixtures.” “By accident and not by design, about half of my products are vegan.”
Laurent’s grandfather was a baker, and it was a hard night job with a high salary, so much so that his grandmother forbade her children to follow in her husband’s footsteps. Nevertheless, the taste of fresh cakes, waffles and pies still lingered in grandson’s mind, sowing the seeds for his ultimate career.
When I visited Laurent’s studio, the first thing I saw was the cream and chocolate brioche being stirred in the tempering machine. Then, he poured it into the mold and cooled, while assembling the other ingredients: pistachio, cashew, sultana, fig, dried apricot, cranberry, papaya, ginger, cocoa nibs, hazelnut, and the same East Asian flavor as usual -In this case, both eiyokan and uzu are Japanese citrus fruits. After the chocolate has solidified, everything else is sprinkled on it. Their abstract composition looks very striking, similar to Jackson Pollock’s paintings.
Before I leave, I will take the “Gerbaud Taste Test”. I tried a piece of supermarket chocolate (superior), and then tried his own 12 innovations, including grapefruit peel (great), candied ginger (unusual), sesame pralines (surprising) and dried figs ( God) stuffing. Then, I tried commercial advertising again. I told him, “Now it tastes like cardboard.” “Exactly!” He exclaimed and clapped his hands.
When I left the cafe, I noticed a slogan on the wall: “Chocolate is much higher than a kiss.” Some are indeed certain.
You can only buy Laurent Gerbaud products at the cafe in Raven Ravenstein, not far from Brussels Central Station. To learn about chocolate making and the opportunity to take part in the’Gerbaud Taste Test’, please book a location in his Saturday workshop, which is priced from 11.30 to 13.00 (35 euros / 32 pounds per person).
Laurent Gerbaud’s candies contain pistachios, cashews, sultanas, figs, dried apricots, cranberries, papaya, ginger, cocoa nibs, hazelnuts and some East Asian ingredients such as eiyokan and uzu. It is a Japanese citrus fruit.
Paul A Young, who used to be Marco Pierre White’s pastry supervisor, opened his first store in London in 2006. Since then, his reputation has skyrocketed due to frequent TV shows and regular master classes, not to mention his amazing chocolate works.
David Maenhout (David Maenhout) and David (David Maenhout) prefer left-cooked flavours, such as the umami sesame pralines that are used by Imperial in Japan. His gin and tonic dark chocolate won a gold medal in London in 2017.
William Curley went from the apprentice of the Gleneagles Hotel to the chef and pastry chef of The Savoy. William is another culinary genius. He doesn’t Use additives, colors and preservatives. He has won the Academy of Chocolate’s Best Chocolatier Award four times, and he sells his fine chocolates, macaroons and biscuits at Harrods.
suzy@lstchocolatemachine.com
www.lstchocolatemachine.com
Tel/whatsapp：+86 15528001618(Suzy)
Post time: Aug-03-2020
