29/12/13
For those interested in Savour & their classes, Savour has recently added online demonstrations to their website. Of course, there is a subscription fee involved, but you do get to view one class as a free trial. There seems to be numerous people interested in choux pastry & eclairs, so I wanted to let you know that one of the demonstrations is for a toffee éclair. Kirsten Tibballs, Savour's owner, demonstrates & talks you through the production of the choux paste, the preparation of trays, the piping & the baking.
You may decide you would be interested in a subscription. I think it is cheap & well worth the money to get the recipes & have each demonstrated. Online classes currently include the tabling & seeding methods for tempering chocolate, a moulded chocolate recipe & creating the shells, a dipped chocolate & a lemon meringue tart, with new recipes being added all the time. I'm looking forward to a great year of baking.
Their web address is savourschool.com.au
Regards, Natalie
Sunday 29 December 2013
Sunday 3 November 2013
World Chocolate Masters
Sun 3/11/13
Back at the end of August, I did a blog on Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School & mentioned the World Chocolate Masters competition being held from October 28-30th. I just wanted to give you an update on the competition as I had also mentioned that Australia was being represented by a young man named Deniz Karaca who is executive pastry chef for the Epicure Group in Melbourne. I'm thrilled to share with you the result that Deniz came third. Yes, that's third, as in third IN THE WORLD! An absolutely amazing achievement considering he competed against European countries that are at the forefront of pastry & chocolate. And he was awarded first in the small globe showpiece category. I'm sure it is a testament to his dedication & just reward for numerous hours of training. I have pictures of Deniz's pieces that he produced during the competition.
Photo: moulded chocolate
Photo: dipped chocolate
Photo: pastry
Photo: plated dessert
Back at the end of August, I did a blog on Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School & mentioned the World Chocolate Masters competition being held from October 28-30th. I just wanted to give you an update on the competition as I had also mentioned that Australia was being represented by a young man named Deniz Karaca who is executive pastry chef for the Epicure Group in Melbourne. I'm thrilled to share with you the result that Deniz came third. Yes, that's third, as in third IN THE WORLD! An absolutely amazing achievement considering he competed against European countries that are at the forefront of pastry & chocolate. And he was awarded first in the small globe showpiece category. I'm sure it is a testament to his dedication & just reward for numerous hours of training. I have pictures of Deniz's pieces that he produced during the competition.
Photo: large showpiece
Photo: small globe showpiece
Incredible, eh? And Deniz was only one of nineteen competitors. All extremely talented & at the top of their game in their respective countries.
Friday 1 November 2013
Recap of my Melbourne adventure
Fri 1/11/13
This blog was initially set up so family & friends could follow what I was doing in Melbourne. Stats, however, show that I have people from the US, UK, Russia, Germany, Indonesia & other countries around the world viewing my blog. Whether it's been a single visit or you have returned a few times, whether you've followed it for the chocolate & patisserie or for the views of Melbourne & its surrounds, I hope I've given you some interesting details & beautiful, clear photos. I've had to research a lot of destinations, for my own interest & it helped me pad out my blogs, so I have my fingers crossed that I've given you accurate, relevant & interesting information.
It's a rather time consuming task, keeping a blog. I had no idea. There's been many late nights, trying to keep my blogs & facebook up to date & transcribe class notes. As more people started monitoring it, I felt duty bound to keep blogging. And you know what, I look at it now & it's a diary of my three months, so was well worth the effort.
So, let's have a recap of what I got up to.
I attended at least thirty classes, including four levels of chocolates & pralines, chocolate showpieces, caramels, tarts, entremets & macarons. I've learnt many techniques, delved into flavour combinations, layered components, decorated with chocolate curls & blinged with shiny metallics.
For those of you interested in the chocolate & patisserie side of things, Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School is located at 22 Wilson Ave, Brunswick, Vic. They don't retail finished products, but rather sell chocolate & baking supplies through their shopfront which is open 9am till 5pm Mon-Fri. They also offer a variety of classes for all levels of learning. At least three times a year, they have guest chefs from Europe & the US come & teach, sharing their areas of expertise. They have a web page & facebook, so simply look them up to follow them. Those of you in the US & Europe have world class schools closer than Australia, so this would be of more interest & relevance to those of you in the Australasia region. I have met quite a few people from Indonesia, Singapore & other Asian neighbours at Savour classes.
For those of you who followed with an interest in Melbourne & are perhaps considering touring the city of Melbourne or country Victoria, make your first stop the Visitor Information Centre in Federation Square. It is a mecca of information, brochures & maps for all areas of Victoria. They can organise bus tours & more. Melbourne really is an amazing place with so many things to see & do. And many activities are free, which is a bonus. The sense of history, mainly evidenced in the architecture, was one of my main focuses. The Royal Exhibition Building, the Old Treasury Building, the Town Hall, there are many buildings within the city that are beautiful examples of architecture reflecting the Victorian style. The houses & laneways in the area where I lived also reflected the history.
This blog was initially set up so family & friends could follow what I was doing in Melbourne. Stats, however, show that I have people from the US, UK, Russia, Germany, Indonesia & other countries around the world viewing my blog. Whether it's been a single visit or you have returned a few times, whether you've followed it for the chocolate & patisserie or for the views of Melbourne & its surrounds, I hope I've given you some interesting details & beautiful, clear photos. I've had to research a lot of destinations, for my own interest & it helped me pad out my blogs, so I have my fingers crossed that I've given you accurate, relevant & interesting information.
It's a rather time consuming task, keeping a blog. I had no idea. There's been many late nights, trying to keep my blogs & facebook up to date & transcribe class notes. As more people started monitoring it, I felt duty bound to keep blogging. And you know what, I look at it now & it's a diary of my three months, so was well worth the effort.
So, let's have a recap of what I got up to.
I attended at least thirty classes, including four levels of chocolates & pralines, chocolate showpieces, caramels, tarts, entremets & macarons. I've learnt many techniques, delved into flavour combinations, layered components, decorated with chocolate curls & blinged with shiny metallics.
For those of you interested in the chocolate & patisserie side of things, Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School is located at 22 Wilson Ave, Brunswick, Vic. They don't retail finished products, but rather sell chocolate & baking supplies through their shopfront which is open 9am till 5pm Mon-Fri. They also offer a variety of classes for all levels of learning. At least three times a year, they have guest chefs from Europe & the US come & teach, sharing their areas of expertise. They have a web page & facebook, so simply look them up to follow them. Those of you in the US & Europe have world class schools closer than Australia, so this would be of more interest & relevance to those of you in the Australasia region. I have met quite a few people from Indonesia, Singapore & other Asian neighbours at Savour classes.
For those of you who followed with an interest in Melbourne & are perhaps considering touring the city of Melbourne or country Victoria, make your first stop the Visitor Information Centre in Federation Square. It is a mecca of information, brochures & maps for all areas of Victoria. They can organise bus tours & more. Melbourne really is an amazing place with so many things to see & do. And many activities are free, which is a bonus. The sense of history, mainly evidenced in the architecture, was one of my main focuses. The Royal Exhibition Building, the Old Treasury Building, the Town Hall, there are many buildings within the city that are beautiful examples of architecture reflecting the Victorian style. The houses & laneways in the area where I lived also reflected the history.
Other attractions I visited included the Old Melbourne Gaol, the Shrine of Remembrance, Fitzroy Gardens, St Patrick's Cathedral, the State Library & the Eureka Skydeck, where you can get 360 degree views of Melbourne & its suburbs.
I think the highlight would have to be my tour of The Great Ocean Road. Absolutely remarkable. It is so worth doing if you ever get the opportunity. But don't rush it. The Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge & the other rock formations that make up Port Campbell National Park aren't all that is worth seeing along this coastal trek. There are coastal towns with beautiful bays & beaches. There are all kinds of walks of varying degrees of difficulty, through rainforest, through bushland, to waterfalls, along coastal tracks, take your pick. And for the majority of the length of The Great Ocean Road, you hug the rugged coastline, where numerous parking bays allow you to pull over & admire the spectacular scenery.
Other natural landmarks that intrigued were Tower Hill, near Warrnambool & Hanging Rock. Both are the result of volcanic activity. Truly spectacular.
As you can see, I have had the most amazing time in Melbourne.
And so, my time as a blogger comes to an end, just as my adventure in Melbourne has. If you want to get more detail on any of the Savour courses or the landmarks I've visited, simply go through the blog to that particular post. Many thanks for viewing.
Natalie
Tribute to my husband
Thurs 31/10/13
Farewell Melbourne & Victoria! We have shared a wonderful relationship over the past three months. But, the adventure is over & it's back home to beautiful Newcastle, New South Wales, an eleven hour trip of just over 1,000km.
I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge my amazingly supportive husband. I had done some classes at Savour earlier in the year after Hamilton TAFE's patisserie course was cut. I happened to find out that Savour offered a VIP membership that could be done full-time over three months or part-time over six months. I'm a mum of three boys & have a part time job in the pathology field, so there was no way I would ever conceive of packing up & abandoning my family for three months. You mums would know what I mean. You just don't leave your family to do something for you. Not to mention being on my own in unfamiliar territory. It was Glenn, my husband, that pushed & pushed at me to give it a go. I actually relented just to stop the whingeing!
So, my darling husband, thank you, thank you, thank you for that huge push. It has been a truly memorable experience & it certainly wouldn't have been possible if you hadn't been happy to take on the role of both mum & dad to our boys. Your continued support & love mean so much. xxx
PS now I just have to get used to living with you again!
Farewell Melbourne & Victoria! We have shared a wonderful relationship over the past three months. But, the adventure is over & it's back home to beautiful Newcastle, New South Wales, an eleven hour trip of just over 1,000km.
I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge my amazingly supportive husband. I had done some classes at Savour earlier in the year after Hamilton TAFE's patisserie course was cut. I happened to find out that Savour offered a VIP membership that could be done full-time over three months or part-time over six months. I'm a mum of three boys & have a part time job in the pathology field, so there was no way I would ever conceive of packing up & abandoning my family for three months. You mums would know what I mean. You just don't leave your family to do something for you. Not to mention being on my own in unfamiliar territory. It was Glenn, my husband, that pushed & pushed at me to give it a go. I actually relented just to stop the whingeing!
So, my darling husband, thank you, thank you, thank you for that huge push. It has been a truly memorable experience & it certainly wouldn't have been possible if you hadn't been happy to take on the role of both mum & dad to our boys. Your continued support & love mean so much. xxx
PS now I just have to get used to living with you again!
Wednesday 30 October 2013
Chocolate lollipops
Tues 29/10/13
Well readers, this is my final blog regarding a Savour class as this is the last day of my three month membership. But what a great class to finish on. Chocolate lollipops. A single bite of chocolate bliss. Or maybe two bites if you're dainty.
These little beauties were made using chocolate truffle shells, which are available in dark, white & milk chocolate. A variety of fillings were produced. Of the six varieties, five of them contain two layers. These fillings would also be suitable for a moulded chocolate.
- Lemon & coconut, in the centre, features a crunchy coconut component paired with a lemon ganache
Following class, Glenn & I caught the tram to St Kilda. St Kilda Pier has a breakwater that shelters the harbour & plays host to a colony of fairy penguins. The breakwater is a Wildlife Management Conservation Area, providing a safe environment for the penguin colony.
Little or fairy penguins only live in Australia & New Zealand. They like rocky shorelines as these are the best sites for breeding & I imagine, the rocks would provide a degree of protection & security from predators & the elements. After feeding all day, each evening at dusk they venture onto the shoreline to take shelter amongst the rocks. They actually jump between the rocks & stumble often. Volunteers from Earthcare visit the pier each evening to give information to those viewing the penguins & ensure no one is impacting negatively on the colony. They also offer red cellophane to cover torches, as the penguins aren't able to see light in the red spectrum, so aren't disturbed by it. Flash photography is also banned. Apparently the light from torches & camera flashes affects them as they don't have eyelids & it may cause epileptic fits.
Well readers, this is my final blog regarding a Savour class as this is the last day of my three month membership. But what a great class to finish on. Chocolate lollipops. A single bite of chocolate bliss. Or maybe two bites if you're dainty.
These little beauties were made using chocolate truffle shells, which are available in dark, white & milk chocolate. A variety of fillings were produced. Of the six varieties, five of them contain two layers. These fillings would also be suitable for a moulded chocolate.
So, starting from the purple lollipop & working clockwise, we have
- Kir Royale, which combines a blackcurrant caramel with a champagne ganache
- Coco kalamansi finds the sweetness of a white chocolate shell cut by the tartness of kalamansi
- Irish coffee sees the pairing of two ganaches, one flavoured with coffee & the other with Baileys
- Gia features hazelnut in both layers, a crunchy layer for texture & a smooth buttercream layer
- Popcorn finds an oozy salted caramel teamed with popcorn marshmallow- Lemon & coconut, in the centre, features a crunchy coconut component paired with a lemon ganache
Little or fairy penguins only live in Australia & New Zealand. They like rocky shorelines as these are the best sites for breeding & I imagine, the rocks would provide a degree of protection & security from predators & the elements. After feeding all day, each evening at dusk they venture onto the shoreline to take shelter amongst the rocks. They actually jump between the rocks & stumble often. Volunteers from Earthcare visit the pier each evening to give information to those viewing the penguins & ensure no one is impacting negatively on the colony. They also offer red cellophane to cover torches, as the penguins aren't able to see light in the red spectrum, so aren't disturbed by it. Flash photography is also banned. Apparently the light from torches & camera flashes affects them as they don't have eyelids & it may cause epileptic fits.
Monday 28 October 2013
Hanging Rock & Trentham Falls
Sun 27/10/13
If you've been following my blog then you've seen my initial post on Hanging Rock. My friend Lesa makes teddy bears & was attending a bear fair at Woodend, which is less than 10km from Hanging Rock. A brilliant opportunity to kill two birds with one stone - catch up with Lesa & share Hanging Rock, a truly magnificent piece of nature, with Glenn.
If you've been following my blog then you've seen my initial post on Hanging Rock. My friend Lesa makes teddy bears & was attending a bear fair at Woodend, which is less than 10km from Hanging Rock. A brilliant opportunity to kill two birds with one stone - catch up with Lesa & share Hanging Rock, a truly magnificent piece of nature, with Glenn.
Also in the Daylesford & Macedon Ranges area is Trentham Falls, which is the highest single-drop waterfall in central Victoria.
The face of the waterfall was formed approximately five million years ago by molten lava flowing along the valley of the Coliban River valley. Trentham Falls plunges 32m over basalt columns onto the quartz gravel below. Contraction of the lava as it cooled & solidified resulted in vertical cracking & the appearance of distinct columns.
The spray from the falling water is constantly altering the face, undercutting the lower soft river sediments. In the near future, the left side of the waterfall, which you can see has very little rock supporting it, is expected to collapse as a result of the undercutting.
Further along, water bubbles merrily over rocks on its way downstream.
Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton Gardens
Sat 26/10/13
The Royal Exhibition Building is one of the most striking examples of Victorian era architecture in the city. The building was designed by Joseph Reed & built by David Mitchell for Melbourne's first international exhibition in 1880-81. Back in those days, exhibitions were held to showcase & promote products & achievements of the industrial revolution & foster a global exchange of ideas & innovations. It stands as one of the world's oldest exhibition pavilions. In 2004, the Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton Gardens were granted World Heritage List status.
The Royal Exhibition Building is one of the most striking examples of Victorian era architecture in the city. The building was designed by Joseph Reed & built by David Mitchell for Melbourne's first international exhibition in 1880-81. Back in those days, exhibitions were held to showcase & promote products & achievements of the industrial revolution & foster a global exchange of ideas & innovations. It stands as one of the world's oldest exhibition pavilions. In 2004, the Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton Gardens were granted World Heritage List status.
With its meticulously restored, ornate interior, expansive gallery & soaring dome, the building offers a magnificent setting for cultural & community events, trade shows & fairs. Just this past weekend, the Royal Exhibition Building housed the RACV sponsored Motorclassica, which included examples of classic older model cars, such as Jaguar & Vauxhall.
In the 19th century, it was fashionable to place grand buildings such as exhibition halls in a garden setting. Garden beds at the time were laid in a "parterre" style - formally planted with hedges patterned & shaped as scrolls, circles & triangles & then in filled with flowering blooms. These beds were removed in the early 1900's & replaced with more simple beds. In 2008, Melbourne City Council reconstructed the beds in the same shape & layout as in the 1880's, but with plant species more suited to current day maintenance & water conservation requirements.
As with most of Melbourne's parks, there is a tree-lined avenue offering shade during the summer. A semi-circular space has as its centrepiece, an ornate fountain, from which other paths radiate out across the park. Melbourne really knows how to do parks. The amazing part is that most of them were established back in the mid to late 1800's. The city planners back in that century really showed great foresight & vision.
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