Salon du Chocolat Inter- Blogger Demo

The opening night of the Salon du Chocolat, I said to my cousin:  “if we went back to our childhood and looked at ourselves tonight we would think, ‘hey, these girls know what’s going on’.”  

As soon as I received the invitations in the post for the Chocolate Show, I realized that not only did I want to go, but I was required to. 

To celebrate it’s 20^th birthday celebration, the Salon du Chocolat Paris organised it’s first e-cup inter- blogger competition.  Since my Lime and Coconut Floating Island on Blond Chocolate Cream with a Ginger Crumble got more than 130 “likes” on facebook, I was invited along with a few other candidates to participate in this demonstration.

I went along feeling (pretending to feel) extremely calm and collected.  But it was the first time I have ever made desserts in front of a watching audience. 

Funnily enough, last year I had all these ideas that I wanted to do “theatrical patisserie” (I would be absolutely thrilled if you would let me know what you think of this idea) where I make French patisserie whilst reciting classical theatre pieces in different languages.  A bit of Shakespeare, Dante, and Moliere never hurt anyone… 

Ok now I just sound like a prat. 

 

But lets just say this demonstration proved to me that I needed a few more years of practice. 

Unfortunately, I won’t be juggling with sugar and chocolate anytime soon.

The demo all in all did go reasonably well.  Certain things I would have changed, but now I know what I would have done differently. 

Little note to others doing any kind of presentations: know what you’re doing inside out.  Know what you’re doing so well that it rings in your mind and bores you to the end.  Because there is nothing worse than something going even mildly wrong in front of other people. 

Luckily enough, nothing really went “wrong”.  I just didn’t WIN.  And that’s what was “wrong” about it.  My dessert wasn’t punchy enough. It needed rhythm.    It lacked swagger. But now I know these things and I’m understanding the kind of patisserie I want to invent.