Pastry Demonstation by Chef Stephane Glacier

Pastry Demonstation by Chef Stephane Glacier

This September, Executive Pastry Chef Alejandro Luna of Marina Bay Sands is partnering with world renowned artisanal Pastry Chef Stephane Glacier to bring about a series of chocolate signatures.


Note: The entire set of photos for this post is done by my daddy
A quick introduction, Pastry Chef Stephane Glacier was awarded the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) in 2000, making him the Best Pastry Maker in France. In addition, he owned Patisseries et gourmandises located at the fringe of Paris in Colombes (66 rue du progres, 92700 Colombes, France) and a school "patisseries et gourmandises, l'école (20 rue rouget de l'isle 92700 colombes) for amateurs and professionals.

If Paris is out of reach for the time being, his five chocolate-themed desserts, which are served at Patisseries et gourmandises in Paris, are available at three Marina Bay Sands eateries, The Chocolate Bar, Sweetspot and Rise, the buffet restaurant.


Apart from being able to try some of Chef Stephane's signatures, we were elated to receive an invitation to Chef Stephane's Pastry Demonstration. This demonstration focus on the use of Felchlin Chocolates, a Swiss-based chocolate-maker which uses some of the world's finest and rarest chocolate in their production.


Setting aside the technicalities of single origin chocolate, Chef Stephane provided a sampler portion of a freshly-made Chocolate mousse made of Felchlin Maracaibo 65% during the course of the demonstration. The initial taste of the chocolate mousse leaves a distinctive milk aftertaste, which I would labelled it as a strong characteristics of Swiss Chocolates and in general, very balanced, light and pure in its taste.


I may not be a baker myself and don't deny a lack of culinary knowledge but the style of Chef Stephane focus mainly on the use of very basic components such as hazelnut to introduce crispy into chocolates, fruits for some tang in his summer creations, sometimes coffee to bring out the quality of the chocolates used. From making the chocolate mousse to chocolate glaze, it was an eye-opener to see Chef Stephane making the various components of his creations and assembling the cake live.


Chef Stephane shared with us the use of Italian meringue to make his signature pastry, macarons; this type of meringue is generally stable and resistant to mixing using a electric mixer. In addition, he also recommends the use of silicone mats for it will not absorb moisture during the course of baking, thereby maintaining the shape of the shells.

In addition, Chef Stephane is also a man of humour for he relates the application of chocolate glaze to applying make-up. The more rounds one attempts to smooth the glaze using a palette knife, the more smudges one can expect from the chocolate glaze.

Some other tips include the importance in boiling cream and raspberry puree separately for acidity of fruits will break down the cream during boiling. The pointers he gave goes on and on and I am simply astonished by the speed he worked at and also the knowledge he has in every step of pastry making.


While Pastry Chef Alex of Marina Bay Sands consistently pushed the boundaries with each creation, Chef Stephane tends to keep his creations simple to bring out the quality of the chocolates.

The above is the Hazelnut Croustillant Bar with Blood Orange Sorbet and what is splendid about it is the use of

• Praline Croustillant to give a crispy crunch,
• Hazelnut Dacquoise for a soft nutty texture,
• Praline cream for a hazelnut aftertaste to create the "noisette" effect,
• Maracaibo Chocolate Mousse and Gianduja Chocolate Glaze for the finishing oomph factor.

The overall texture is so velvety smooth and that the chocolate sheets used in the decoration of this cake is paper-thin that melt on the tongue, allowing the palette to take in the diversity of aromas slowly.


Le Petit Antoine (a bigger individual sliced is sold at $9.10 at Sweetspot) is a creation Chef Stephane has been making for the past 15 years and is acclaimed to be his best seller. Similarly to the Hazelnut Croustillant Bar, it contains the Praline Croustillant and Hazelnut Dacquoise as its base but instead uses the Maracaibo Cariolait 38%. The use of this chocolate allows one to enjoy the full-bodied milk taste with subtle note of honey and caramel, which is a strong characteristic of Switzerland chocolates (in general).

Similarly to the Hazelnut Croustillant Bar, the beauty of this lies in the extreme thinness of the chocolate sheets and its ability to diffuse the chocolately goodness rapidly across the palette.


Chocolate Tartlets (sold at $6.00 at Sweetspot) is outstanding in its pate sablee pastry dough. The crispy sweet crust with the smooth and rich blend of Maracaibo Cariolait 38% and Maracaibo 65% makes every bite an addictive one and once again, the tart finishes off with Chef Stephane's signature chocolate sheet.


Chef Stephane firmly believes that a good macaron does not only lies in the shells but also the filling and using caramel filling in his macarons, the chewy texture of the filling does bring out another dimension of textures in his macarons.

Praline Tendresses (as shown on the right) is also available at Sweetspot for $6.00.


It was fabulous to be able to spend an afternoon with two world-class pastry chefs, Pastry Chef Stephane Glacier and Executive Pastry Chef Alejandro Luna.

Many thanks to Executive Pastry Chef Alejandro Luna for his warm hospitality and time to share with me his passion and concepts in his pastries. Also our heartfelt thanks to Communications Officer, Ms. Venetia Chung for the invitation to this wonderful chocolate event at Marina Bay Sands.

As mentioned earlier, this is an exclusive collaboration between both Chocolatier Masters and one can expect an exquisite chocolate event from now till the end of September 2011.

Guests can experience a new array of confectionery at the Chocolate Bar, available nightly from 8pm at The Club at Marina Bay Sands.
Website for the Chocolate Bar

During the day, chocolate lovers can enjoy the indulgent bites at Rise Restaurant or pack home these exquisite works of art from SweetSpot.
Website for Rise
Website for SweetSpot

For more information on Rise Restaurant and the Chocolate Bar, please call +65 6688 5525 or +65 6688 8858 respectively.

[ ... ]

Marina Bay Sands Snowskin 2011

Marina Bay Sands Snowskin 2011

Just when we thought we are done with mooncakes for 2011, we received a complementary box from Marina Bay Sands (MBS). For snowskin, there are only 2 flavours available - Dark Chocolate Orange Grand Marnier and Salted-Caramel Almond Crunch. As MBS does not have a Chinese restaurant, the mooncakes come from Sweetspot, the hotel's European Espresso, Bakery and Dessert Bar. Sweetspot is helmed by talented pastry chef Alejandro Luna who has worked in various pastry kitchens in America and Europe.

Chef Alex wants to create a signature for MBS - a flavour which you will associate with MBS just as you would associated Champagne Truffle with Raffles Hotel. Chef Alex feels that one of the best combination is to combine chocolate with orange. I am not a fan of fruity flavors with chocolate but I personally feel that the ratio is just right for this mooncake. The taste of the chocolate is retained but at the same time, you can feel the orange. Further there are chocolate bits which adds some crunch to the chocolate ganache.

These mooncakes were consumed after a chocolate event at MBS and having ate several creations made from Switzerland Chocolate, Felchlin. The quality of the chocolate used in these mooncakes continues to wow and this is of no doubt made from good quality chocolates.

Those who like salted caramel should try the Salted-Caramel Almond Crunch. The caramel is smooth and not too sweet. The outer layer contains almond which is similar to eating the almond snickers bar but the buttery goodness lingering in the palette.


Marina Bay Sands probably has the most elaborated mooncake box for 2011. Designed by Chef Alex himself, this box will certainly impress friends and relatives. With a tiffin-like container housing the mooncakes, this entire thing fits into a lattern-like packaging with a Chinese knot suspending it, making it a perfect decoration for this festive event.


Many thanks to Executive Pastry Chef Alejandro Luna and Communications Officer, Ms. Venetia Chung for the complementary box of mooncakes.

Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018956
Tel: 6688 5668
Website for Sweetspot

[ ... ]

Chocolate buffet @ Marina Bay Sands

Chocolate buffet @ Marina Bay Sands

Dessert lovers will be delighted to know that apart from Fullerton Hotel, there is another hotel offering an unlimited array of delightful treats.


Located at the 57th storey of the Marina Bay Sands, at the height of 200 metres, The Chocolate Bar offers a different form of experience in enjoying chocolates and the best part is that The Chocolate Bar is opened 7 days a week from 8pm till midnight.


Priced at $38++ person (or $55++ with a glass of Champagne), this buffet offers a wide variety of chocolate-themed desserts, crafted by hand with premium chocolate and one will be intrigued by the techniques and surprising companions Executive Pastry Chef Alejandro Luna and his team have adopted to create a palette of extreme flavours.


Unlike Fullerton's chocolate buffet, the desserts offered by The Chocolate Bar focus more on shooters and individual portions, thereby ensuring each and every single dessert are presented at maximal visual pleasure.

From left to right,
In general, our preference inclined towards the white chocolate creations and we have to admit that the white chocolate mousse is smooth and not overly sweet, making it one of the nicest white chocolate we have came across so far. Moreover, the clever use of mango compote compliments perfectly, making the White Chocolate Cremeux Mango Compote a refreshing and light treat.

White Chocolate Pistachio & Five Spice Pear Baskets is another favourite of ours. Although the thought of putting five spice in a dessert may sound weird but this waffle basket housing the pear and white chocolate pistachio mousse did win our hearts, warranting a second round.

According to the press release, Rosemary Milk Chocolate Cappuccino is a must-try and this is served in a cup with a dash of chocolate powder. This drink is supposed to intoxicate one with the refreshing rosemary-flavored foam which gives way to a satisfying layer of rich milk chocolate mousse.


Although the caramel is subtle in these Milk Chocolate Tarts and that the crust is weak in its taste, the way these are assembled does make me savour it slowly. 4 components in total, namely a mini bi-colour macaron, caramel mousse, chocolate ganache and a chocolate tart crust.


Imagine having your chocolate served with black pepper, coriander, curry or mint, sounds weird but we enjoyed the Chocolate Nougat Curry & Mango Chutney very much. Very similar to eating twisties with a chocolate bar.

“After Eight”, a Manjari Chocolate chocolate mousse, infused with mint, was relatively weak in its chocolate content, making the mousse slightly diluted or rather creamy to our liking. The endorphin surge was just not sufficient.


As mentioned earlier, Chef Alejandro Luna presents white chocolate mousse in a splendid manner, this time nicely infused with lychee. One of my favourites.


Another favourite of mine, the White Chocolate Pear Torte steals the show for the lightly sweetened dessert and that the pear neutralizes the typical cloying characteristic of white chocolate.


Another interesting highlight of this buffet is the Steamed Chocolate Crème, Banana Chutney, a ganache based dessert that pairs the smoothness of the chocolate – which is steamed with banana leaves - with the bite of banana chutney.


The very first time we have came across a cheesecake lollipop was at Hilton's Sunday Brunch and Marina Bay Sands' lollipop didn't disappoint for its crisp white chocolate shells and its oozing cheesecake filling.


Nama chocolate lovers will not want to miss this one. This fits the definition of a good nama chocolate for its rich cocoa content and smooth texture. Enough said.


Thumbs up to the attentive service provided by the staff and Chocolate ice-cream and Warm Chocolate Cake are served to your table upon request. The Chocolate ice-cream is a magnum look-alike and the chocolate outer shells with Valrhona Chocolate Pearls is simply divine when eaten together with home-made chocolate ice cream.

Warm chocolate cake didn't disappoint with its molten core and its slight flaw lies in the subtle burnt chocolate after-taste of the cake.


Running through the entire list of desserts, this will appeal to desserts lovers for the innovative creations and extensive combination but die-hard chocolate fans will be disappointed as the desserts that left a stronger impression (in our opinion) were the white chocolate ones as mentioned in the post and non-chocolate desserts such as the Churros con Chocolate, Elderflower Macarons, Candied Macadamia Nuts, etc. Although premium chocolates are used in all creations, the resulting texture is creamier and weaker in its cocoa content.

However, we would say it is worth a try, considering the fanciful combination Chef Alejandro Luna and his team have put up and one will be surprised how well these desserts fare.

Lastly, this is also a very good excuse to have access to Sands Skypark. Moreover, The Club at Marina Bay Sands is exclusive to Suite guests and is only opened to the public for the chocolate buffet.

Before signing off, we would like to thank Venetia, Corporate Communications Officer of Marina Bay Sands for acceding to our photography request.

The Chocolate Bar @ The Club
Marina Bay Sands Singapore
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore 018956
Tel: 6688 8858

Chocolate buffet is available every evening from 8pm to midnight.
Website

[ ... ]

Sweetspot @ Marina Bay Sands

Sweetspot @ Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands is the latest hype in Singapore, be it its infrastructure, dining and not forgetting the casino. Although most of the shops are not opened but it sure stir alot of curiousity among the local.

Located at the lobby of tower 3, this pastry shop has attracted me with its modern style decoration. With no sit-in for their cakes, there are stands for customers to enjoy a cuppa or 2. Not a bad deal as there is no 10% service charge. Have to admit that the choice of mirrors, metal and stone provides a nice comtemporary ambience to people-watch.


Executive pastry chef Alekandro Luna provides a wide selection of bread, chocolates, cakes and pastries and the presentation of all is indeed a visual treat. Having grew up in a Venezuelan cocoa plantation, it is no surprise to spot the chocolate sculptures and chocolate bonbons.


Somehow or rather I just don't have luck with chocolate cakes that are widely publicised for varying textures. Deste has ceased production with individually sliced Candle cake and I didn't see Sweetspot's signature, the Chocolate Paradigm Cake.

Screening through the selection for the day, it seems that chef Alekandro Luna focus alot of combining varying flavours in a single creation. Over here, there aren't the regular chocolate mousse nor strawberry cake. Instead, fruit purees, cheese, yogurt and liquor are the common ingredients in various creations.


Nougat Torte ($8.80+) is highly recommended by one of the staff (as her favourite) and is also known to be the chef’s version of a snickers bar. With a light mousse (not sure is it suppose to be vanilla or nougat, i.e. the flavour is not distinctive however Yuan said that it tasted like almond) and a chocolate cake base that resembles a soft brownie or cookie dough. This is generally light on the palate (can be bland to those who has strong taste). The textures of both layers are good and the overall is not too sweet. I am neutral to this and would say its plus points are the toppings (peanuts, caramelized crumbs and chocolate mousse).


Rum lovers like Yuan love this while non rum drinkers like me will be put off by the bitterish, alcoholic content.


Enclosed in a white chocolate (with peanuts), the rum cheesecake ($8.80+) is very light and has a texture close to a mousse. The rum-soaked raisins provide a good alcholic kick while the sponge provides a neutralizing sweet taste to the overall. A favourite of Yuan.He added that this could be a good alternative to the tiramisu especially for those that don't like coffee or chocolate.


The flavours of Sweetspot's macarons ($2.50+ each) are closer to fruity and green tea, pink guava and mango caught my attention. Among all the sweets, this is a disappointment as the shells are merely crumbly and sweet. The flavours weren't strong and the overall taste is closer to a sweet biscuits, lacking the chewy interior.

Sweetspot to a certain extent is worthwhile trying, given its exquisite choice of ingredients and given how much Yuan likes the sweets for the afternoon, pretty sure we will blog about it again. Apart from the sweets, Yuan mention that this is one of the rare place to obtain a cheap Caramel Ice Latte ($5+) and flavoured sodas are charged at $3.40+. Apart from cakes, I bought back some bread and these hard European breads, in particular the parmesan cheese, leave a deep impression.

Sweetspot
Marina Bay Sands Hotel
10 Bayfront Avenue
Lobby Level, Tower 3
Singapore 018956
Tel: 6688 8588

Operating hours: 7am to 10pm (daily)
Website

[ ... ]