Bite of Belgian chocolate at Mandarin Oriental<\/p>\n
By Bruce Emond<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Time was tick, tick, ticking away and there was
\nstill no sign of our guest of honor at the Mandarin Oriental's
\nKafe-Kafe coffee shop. Flurried explanations amounted to the
\ncooking demonstration was actually scheduled for 3 p.m., and that
\nthe Belgian ambassador (\"a very busy man, you know\") would also
\ngrace the event with his presence.<\/p>\n
As it had just turned 1:30 p.m. and we had been seated for
\nmore than an hour, I was in two minds whether to fumble through
\nmy bag for that unfinished copy of War and Peace.<\/p>\n
\"They think we're all running on jam karet,\" the woman next to
\nme whispered conspiratorially.<\/p>\n
The restaurant manager steered us back to the subject at hand
\nby proffering his musings on the meaning of chocolate; this was,
\nafter all, the first day of Kafe-Kafe's Chocolate-Chocolate
\npromotion (try saying that quickly-quickly five times).<\/p>\n
\"Chocolate doesn't have to be just chocolate bars,\" he said
\nearnestly, nodding to the line up of assorted cakes, tortes and
\npuddings on display. \"And good chocolate doesn't just come from
\nSwitzerland, it is also produced in Belgium.\"<\/p>\n
No kidding. Along with coal from Newcastle, cigars from Havana
\nand oil from Saudi Arabia, I thought.<\/p>\n
As any chocolate lover will vouch, Belgium is as synonymous
\nwith chocolate as it is with gems (or french fries, which
\nincidentally should rightfully be called Belgian fries as its
\npeople consume more fried potatoes than anyone else on earth).
\nThe event was organized by Puratos, a major Belgian chocolate
\nconfectioner.<\/p>\n
We moved on to sample the dessert buffet spread, a popularity
\ncontest of sorts for the chocolate desserts. The cakes and flans
\nmost favored by diners during the promotion through July will
\nbecome a permanent part of the Mandarin's bakery output.<\/p>\n
The lineup consisted of the Egyptian, a chocolate sponge cake
\nfilled with mousse, shaped into a pyramid and studded with dates;
\nChocolate with Cherries, a tart chocolate cream flan; the
\nJapanese, a layered hazelnut and chocolate sponge; Belgian
\nTruffle Cake; Tagli almond sponge with Tiramisu filling; the Cafe
\nNoir cake; Chocolate Flan with Pears; and the rich Praline Bomb.<\/p>\n
\"Do any of these contain alcohol,\" we asked the helpful chef
\ndivvying up generous portions of cake.<\/p>\n
She cheerily answered in the affirmative, adding hasty
\nqualifiers when she realized we were not in quest of an alcohol
\nhigh.<\/p>\n
\"These two don't, and you can always substitute other
\nflavorings and essences for the alcohol in the rest of the
\ncakes,\" she said.<\/p>\n
At that moment, David Austraete, the Puratos representative
\nand the man we had been waiting for, entered the room and saved
\nher from further damage control efforts.<\/p>\n
\"He looks like Van Damme,\" my companion murmured to me in
\nreference to Belgium's most famous acting export. Stifling a
\nresponse that he probably could give Jean-Claude a run for his
\nmoney in the thespian skills department, I tackled Austraete on
\nsubstitutes for alcohol in the recipes.<\/p>\n
\"You can use concentrated fruit essences and other flavors
\ninstead,\" he said. \"The alcohol isn't essential, it's up to your
\ntaste.\"<\/p>\n
Charming and well-spoken, Austraete travels the world six to
\neight months of the year demonstrating use of Puratos products.<\/p>\n
\"I learn a lot from traveling around,\" he says. \"I learn how
\nwe can do things differently, and how we can adapt a local recipe
\nby using our chocolate.\"<\/p>\n
Chef Austraete named Belgian Truffle Cake as one of his
\nparticular favorites, and this scrumptious melding of butter and
\npraline cream and sponge proved to be heavenly. Another exotic
\ndiversion was the Egyptian, which shows there is more to cooking
\nwith dates than just chopping them up for a fruit cake.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bite-of-belgian-chocolate-at-mandarin-oriental-1447893297",
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