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On Wednesday, July 21, 2010, Festival intern Chelsea Reeves had the pleasure of attending a class titled “The Art of French Macarons” at the . This four hour class, taught by owner and Pastry Chef Marco Ropke, covered the secrets and tricks of the trade for the perfect macaron.

The class began at 5:00PM with an introduction by Chef Ropke and a discussion of what we would be learning and working on for the evening. A third generation pastry chef from Germany with over twenty-five years work experience, Chef Ropke brings a wealth of information and expertise to his classes. He has extensive experience working as Executive Pastry & Bakery Chef at hotels such as the Ritz Carlton & JW Marriott Beijing, Four Seasons Hotels in Vancouver and Toronto, and Hilton Hotels in Shanghai, Taipei and Chongqing in China, to name a few. In addition, his past teaching experience includes working as Pastry Chef Instructor at the Northwest Culinary Academy and the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver.

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6704(1).jpg

The first recipe we made was “Macarons Parisian Style” – Chef Ropke’s recipe to which we were able to add whatever colours and flavours we chose. My partner, Rachel, and I chose to add grapefruit zest and pink food colouring to our macarons. Other groups chose flavours such as lemon, green tea, chai, vanilla, and lime. Needless to say, we had a lot of different flavours and colours – perfect for trying all different kinds of macarons!

After creating our mixture, it was time to pipe it onto the trays. The next step, the drying time, is perhaps the most challenging and complex stage of making macarons; in order to have a perfect outcome, they can be neither under nor over-dried. Our first batch dried for approximately 40 minutes, but then cracked slightly in the oven – they were under dried. Our second batch dried for a little longer, approximately 50 minutes, and came out nearly perfect. We quickly learned that macarons require a lot of practice and a lot of patience!

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6694.jpg

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6719.jpg

The next recipe Chef Ropke showed us was for Amaretti Saronno – the Italian version of macarons. These are simpler to make than the French macarons, but just as tasty! For these ones, rather than using the Kitchen Aid mixer, Chef Ropke whipped up the egg whites in a copper bowl using a balloon whisk. The copper relaxes the protein in the egg whites and allows for nearly double the volume compared to using the mixer – sometimes doing things by hand really is worth the effort! The final outcome are delicious macarons topped with almonds and powdered sugar.

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6728.jpg

The final recipe was for Coconut Macarons, the only ones that do not require any drying time and can be piped directly onto the baking trays. For those looking for a simple and delicious treat – these macarons are for you! Crispy, chewy and golden brown, the Coconut Macarons were a hit!

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6727.jpg

Once our Parisian Style Macarons were baked and dried, it was time to make our fillings. We had a choice of either dark or white chocolate ganache which we could again flavour and colour as we wished. To complement our grapefruit macarons, Rachel and I chose to make a white chocolate ganache flavoured with more grapefruit zest and coloured with a touch of pink.

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6733.jpg

While we waited for our ganache to cool, Chef Ropke surprised us all with a special treat – homemade white chocolate ice cream with figs and pecans!

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6730.jpg

After finishing our macarons by piping the filling into them and putting them together, we ended off the evening by exchanging our goodies with other partners and sampling all the delicious flavours.

For those wishing to learn about the art of pastry, Chef Ropke offers a number of different classes including:

• Artisan bread baking classes
• Basic and advanced pastry classes
• Serious chocolate classes
• Serious pastry classes
• Cake decorating classes
•  Corporate team building classes

For more information, visit the website or drop by and pay Chef Ropke a visit at his location at 818 Renfrew Street, Vancouver, BC.

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We are currently recruiting volunteers for 2011. Many hands make light work, especially when there's chocolate involved!

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Delicious chocolate recipes sure to enlighten and taste great! Try them and discover the pleasure of chocolate.

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On Wednesday, July 21, 2010, Festival intern Chelsea Reeves had the pleasure of attending a class titled “The Art of French Macarons” at the . This four hour class, taught by owner and Pastry Chef Marco Ropke, covered the secrets and tricks of the trade for the perfect macaron.

The class began at 5:00PM with an introduction by Chef Ropke and a discussion of what we would be learning and working on for the evening. A third generation pastry chef from Germany with over twenty-five years work experience, Chef Ropke brings a wealth of information and expertise to his classes. He has extensive experience working as Executive Pastry & Bakery Chef at hotels such as the Ritz Carlton & JW Marriott Beijing, Four Seasons Hotels in Vancouver and Toronto, and Hilton Hotels in Shanghai, Taipei and Chongqing in China, to name a few. In addition, his past teaching experience includes working as Pastry Chef Instructor at the Northwest Culinary Academy and the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver.

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6704(1).jpg

The first recipe we made was “Macarons Parisian Style” – Chef Ropke’s recipe to which we were able to add whatever colours and flavours we chose. My partner, Rachel, and I chose to add grapefruit zest and pink food colouring to our macarons. Other groups chose flavours such as lemon, green tea, chai, vanilla, and lime. Needless to say, we had a lot of different flavours and colours – perfect for trying all different kinds of macarons!

After creating our mixture, it was time to pipe it onto the trays. The next step, the drying time, is perhaps the most challenging and complex stage of making macarons; in order to have a perfect outcome, they can be neither under nor over-dried. Our first batch dried for approximately 40 minutes, but then cracked slightly in the oven – they were under dried. Our second batch dried for a little longer, approximately 50 minutes, and came out nearly perfect. We quickly learned that macarons require a lot of practice and a lot of patience!

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6694.jpg

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6719.jpg

The next recipe Chef Ropke showed us was for Amaretti Saronno – the Italian version of macarons. These are simpler to make than the French macarons, but just as tasty! For these ones, rather than using the Kitchen Aid mixer, Chef Ropke whipped up the egg whites in a copper bowl using a balloon whisk. The copper relaxes the protein in the egg whites and allows for nearly double the volume compared to using the mixer – sometimes doing things by hand really is worth the effort! The final outcome are delicious macarons topped with almonds and powdered sugar.

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6728.jpg

The final recipe was for Coconut Macarons, the only ones that do not require any drying time and can be piped directly onto the baking trays. For those looking for a simple and delicious treat – these macarons are for you! Crispy, chewy and golden brown, the Coconut Macarons were a hit!

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6727.jpg

Once our Parisian Style Macarons were baked and dried, it was time to make our fillings. We had a choice of either dark or white chocolate ganache which we could again flavour and colour as we wished. To complement our grapefruit macarons, Rachel and I chose to make a white chocolate ganache flavoured with more grapefruit zest and coloured with a touch of pink.

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6733.jpg

While we waited for our ganache to cool, Chef Ropke surprised us all with a special treat – homemade white chocolate ice cream with figs and pecans!

http://www.chocolatefestival.ca/images/blog_body/100_6730.jpg

After finishing our macarons by piping the filling into them and putting them together, we ended off the evening by exchanging our goodies with other partners and sampling all the delicious flavours.

For those wishing to learn about the art of pastry, Chef Ropke offers a number of different classes including:

• Artisan bread baking classes
• Basic and advanced pastry classes
• Serious chocolate classes
• Serious pastry classes
• Cake decorating classes
•  Corporate team building classes

For more information, visit the website or drop by and pay Chef Ropke a visit at his location at 818 Renfrew Street, Vancouver, BC.

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We are currently recruiting volunteers for 2011. Many hands make light work, especially when there's chocolate involved!

buy generic cialis online uk

Delicious chocolate recipes sure to enlighten and taste great! Try them and discover the pleasure of chocolate.