As someone with a keen interest in patisserie and all things sweet, I was excited to be sent off to the Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School this week to participate in their Entremets/Gateaux class.

Savour is unique in that it is the only school of its kind in the Asia/Pacific region, where students are able to undertake short-term classes both online or at their Melbourne-based kitchen.

Cursing the heavy morning traffic, I rush in to class where I am greeted by Robyn Curnow, an experienced pastry chef who is approachable and friendly. Robyn quickly divides our class in to three small groups, each tasked with creating various components of the desserts we will be making – a coffee/hazelnut gateaux and a divine-sounding apricot/caramel chocolate mousse cake.

I am in a group with Claire, Georgina and John, and we set about weighing all ingredients for each of the components we have been assigned. We will be preparing the praline sponge, Tanzanie cardamom cremeux and coffee mousse for the coffee/hazelnut gateaux. Each step is explained in the class recipe booklet, and if we have any questions Robyn is easily accessible. She explains the science behind many different techniques in an easy-to-understand manner, and encourages us to taste everything as we make it. No one seemed to mind tasting the deliciousness that we were creating!

Some of the components for the apricot/caramel mousse cake had been made for us in order to save some time, so we set about carefully layering each one.

A light lunch is provided, and before long we are back in the kitchen, ready to finish our gateaux. Robyn demonstrates the different methods we would be using to apply a professional finish to our cakes, and shows us how to create some gorgeous chocolate garnishes.

Several of us (myself included!) are very nervous that we will make an irreversible mistake while decorating our divine desserts. I am having visions of my gorgeous bright red gateaux sliding across the floor. Luckily, under Robyn’s expert direction (and with some help from lovely apprentice Jean) everyone is able to beautifully decorate their gateaux and achieve a professional-looking finish.

The queen of chocolate herself, Kirsten Tibballs, pops in for a quick chat before she heads out to an engagement. The owner and director of Savour, Kirsten is easily recognisable due to her increased media presence. Appearances on television programs such as Masterchef, demonstrations at events such as the Cake, Bake & Sweets Show, along with the release of her first book, ‘Chocolate to Savour’, have elevated Kirsten’s fame within the professional patisserie and hobbyist/chocolate-loving communities alike.

Our finished cakes are loaded in to carry boxes and we are given the opportunity to browse the shop before leaving for the day. Savour carries a great range of hard-to-find chocolate products, along with moulds, freeze-dried fruit and silpats.

THE VERDICT: I thoroughly enjoyed my day at Savour, and I learned so much about creating entremets. I would highly recommend the school to anyone with an interest in creating delicious desserts. The great thing is that even if you’re not in Melbourne you can have 24/7 access to Savour’s online library of video tutorials, starring some of the world’s best pastry chefs, for less than $10 a month. I love flicking through these tutorials – they are very detailed, easy to follow and have been professionally filmed.

Thanks for having me, Savour!

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School is giving one lucky reader a Savour School Class (Melbourne) or 12 month Online Class Subscription! All you have to do is answer one simple question.

ENTER HERE!

 Kellie

**Did you miss any previous days of our 12 Days of Christmas giveaway? No worries! You can enter all days up until 24th Dec. So find the links below!**

 12 Days of Christmas Day 1: Delicake

 12 Days of Christmas Day 2: The Timber Cake Box Company 

 12 Days of Christmas Day 3: Maggie Beer

 12 Days of Christmas Day 4: Nestle

 12 Days of Christmas Day 5: BOXD

 12 Days of Christmas Day 6: Sandra Dillon Designs

12 Days of Christmas Day 7: Agbay Products

12 Days of Christmas Day 8: Queen Fine Foods & Dr Oetker Australia

 (Please note, Winner will be drawn 24th December and notified via email and announced on the ACDN Facebook page)