It's a Chocolate Love Affair - Kirsten Tibballs
It’s a Chocolate Love Affair
Kirsten Tibballs
Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School...
I had a great time chatting with Kirsten Tibballs, the brainchild behind Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in Melbourne.
Chocolate fanatics rejoice! If you’re a lover of chocolate, then you’ve probably heard of Kirsten Tibballs. And if you’re a fan of cooking shows, like Masterchef or Everyday Gourmet, then you would certainly know of her intricate chocolate creations – especially if you’re up on the best chocolatier competitions in the world.
For the rest of you not in the know, Kirsten is a chocolate goddess! In fact, she’s a patisserie goddess too! So are the people who work for her!
After years of training in Australia and Europe, Kirsten opened one of the most elite chocolate and patisserie schools in Australia, Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School, and it’s not just for the pros!
Situated in Brunswick, it is a dessert lover’s heaven where you can learn all of the intricate details of the best chocolatier’s in the land, in a hands-on, easy to digest, commercial style cooking school – any day of the week.
Avid chocolate lovers dedicated to learning the tricks of the trade come from all over the world to learn the art and science of petit fours, petit gateaux, éclairs, tarts, choux pastry, macarons, croissants and Danish pastries.
If a hands-on class isn’t your thing, or you prefer a slower rate of learning in your own home, Savour even has online classes! Sign up for a monthly or yearly membership and Kirsten and her team will be by your side in your kitchen with all the video know-how you'll ever need.
For those of us who like the smell and feel of a hardcover book Kirsten's newest achievement,
Chocolate – Luscious recipes and expert know-how for biscuits, cakes, sweet treats and desserts is packed with a brand new collection of recipes that she’s developed over the last twelve months.
Kirsten, how much time went into writing your book Chocolate?
It took me about a year to write and test each recipe until I was happy with them because none of them were existing recipes that we've used before. It was time-consuming, but they aren't complex recipes.
So even though the images look amazing, we can easily re-create them at home?
Yes absolutely, they are pretty simple recipes in many ways.
And what inspired you to open Savour in 2002?
I felt there was real a lack of education in Australia; you really had to go to Europe, and obviously when I opened the school fourteen years ago people didn't travel as much, and we didn't have social media back then. Social media really allows people to learn and to see fashions and trends, but we didn't have that then. I was fortunate enough to work in Paris and Belgium, and I wanted to bring those skills back to Australia to train Australians who wanted to up-skill whether it was at home or in a professional environment.
Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School is open seven days a week. Find them at in all of their deliciousness savourschool.com.au
Chocolate by Kirstin Tibballs (Murdoch Books) RRP 49.99
Published in Vanilla Magazine - Spring 2016
Read the full issue here https://issuu.com/vanilla_magazine/docs/vanilla_magazine_issue_20
Our friends at Murdoch Book have given us two of Kirsten's recipes from her delicious book Chocolate. Enjoy! And don't forget to tag Murdoch in if you share your re-creations of social.
‘Images and recipes from Chocolate by Kirsten Tibballs (Murdoch Books) $49.99’ Chocolate Soufflé
Chocolate soufflés
Makes: 8Difficulty: Easy
Creating the perfect soufflé can be a challenge. For me, this soufflé is the ultimate in flavour and texture and isn’t too difficult to create. It needs to be served immediately after baking and I like it best with a scoop of chocolate ice cream in the centre.
Ingredients
melted butter, for greasing
icing (confectioners’) sugar, for coating the moulds
35 g (11/4 oz) unsalted butter
40 g (11/2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
pinch of salt
190 ml (61/2 fl oz) milk
35 g (11/4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar (a)
135 g (43/4 oz) good-quality chocolate, coarsely chopped (70% cocoa solids)
80 g (23/4 oz/about 4) egg yolks
125 g (41/2 oz/about 5) egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
50 g (13/4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar (b)
icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F). Prepare eight 8 x 6.5 cm (31/4 x 21/2 inch) ramekins or soufflé moulds by brushing melted butter inside the ramekins until evenly coated. Dust the inside of the ramekins with sugar and tap out the excess. Place the prepared ramekins on a baking tray.
Mix the butter, flour and salt with your hands until they form a paste, leaving no dry flour. Put the milk and caster sugar (a) in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the flour and butter paste to the hot milk and whisk for 3 minutes, or until the paste dissolves and the mixture has a thick, gummy texture. Add the chocolate and egg yolks and stir until melted and combined.
Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed to medium peaks. Gradually add the caster sugar (b) and continue whisking to stiff, glossy peaks. Add one-third of the meringue to the chocolate mixture at a time and gently fold it through by hand with a spatula before adding the remainder.
Once combined, divide the mixture between the eight soufflé moulds by spooning it in to just below the top. Bake the soufflés immediately for 9–10 minutes – the baking time may vary if you use different-sized ramekins. Serve the soufflés as soon they come out of the oven, dusted with icing sugar.
Coconut, Raspberry and Chocolate Tarts.
Coconut, Raspberry
& Chocolate Tarts
MAKES: 8Difficulty: Easy
If you want to simplify this recipe you can replace the made raspberry jelly with a good-quality store bought raspberry or berry jam.
Ingredients
90 g (31/4 oz) unsalted butter
60 g (21/4 oz/1/2 cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar
15 g (1/2 oz) almond meal
20 g (3/4 oz) desiccated (shredded) coconut
30 g (1 oz/about 1/2) whole egg
160 g (51/2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Coconut shortbread pastry
In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until it is a thick, smooth paste. Sift in the icing sugar then add the almond meal, desiccated coconut and the egg and mix to combine. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine until it comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour, until firm.
Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F). Place eight individual 8 cm (31/4 inch) tart rings on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Roll out the dough on a lightly dusted work surface to a thickness of 3 mm (1/8 inch) then line each tart ring with the rolled pastry. Place a large paper case in each tart ring and fill with uncooked rice. Blind bake for approximately 6 minutes, then remove the rice and paper case and bake the tarts for a further 6 minutes or until light golden brown. You can freeze them, baking them as needed. Remove the tarts from the oven, allow to cool and then remove the tart rings. The baked tarts can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Ingredients
180 g (61/2 oz) good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
50 ml (13/4 fl oz) cream (35% fat) (a)
70 ml (21/4 fl oz) coconut cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
160 ml (51/4 fl oz) cream (35% fat) (b)
Chocolate mousse
Put the chocolate in a bowl. Put the cream (a), coconut cream and vanilla bean paste in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate, whisking by hand until the chocolate is melted and completely combined with the cream, creating a ganache. Place the cream (b) in a chilled bowl and whisk to a semi-whipped consistency. Immediately and gently fold the semi-whipped cream through the ganache by hand until combined.
Ingredients
4 g (1⁄8 oz) gold-strength gelatine sheets or 6 g (3⁄16 oz) powdered gelatine
110 g (33/4 oz) frozen raspberries
80 g (23/4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
Raspberry jelly
Soak the gelatine sheets in a bowl of iced water and, once pliable, gently squeeze the sheets to remove any excess water. Set the sheets aside and leave at room temperature. If using the powder, sprinkle it over a bowl containing 30 ml (1 fl oz/11/2 tablespoons) cold water. Leave at room temperature until needed.
Combine the frozen raspberries with the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine, stirring until it is dissolved and combined.
Ingredients:
Dutch-process cocoa powder, for dusting
shaved coconut, for garnishing
fresh raspberries, for garnishing
Finishing
Evenly divide the raspberry jelly into the base of each cooled tart. Spoon in the prepared chocolate mousse on top of the raspberry jelly to fill the tarts. Create a rough texture on the surface of the tart. Dust each tart with cocoa powder and garnish with shaved coconut and fresh raspberries. Eat immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
