and the fire coming from the chimney.
Tell us a bit more about the dish itself and the elements of it:
For the flavours of the cake, the inspiration I have to say isn’t Lorraine anymore but the south of France where I later moved. It was over there I discovered the blackcurrants used in the syrup and aperitifs and of course the orange blossom which is everywhere in pastries as is the marzipan in the Provençal cakes I chose. I also used vanilla for the perfect combination between all of the elements.
From bottom to the top of the cake you will find, a roasted almond and
white chocolate crunchy base, a pain de genes made with cassis compote and Provençal pate d'amande.
A thin layer of biscuit joconde to absorb the syrup from the compote on the top.
A blackcurrant cremeux and a white chocolate and vanilla mousse.
You will also find a good balance between flavours, sweetness, acidity, and lots of perfumes with the orange blossom.
Are you looking forward to the final:
I am very excited as I would really like to improve myself and my skills .
I would also like to thanks my colleagues as they have been extremely helpful. I could have never done all of this without their help, time and passion.
What do you think will be the most challenging part of the day:
The most challenging part of the day for me will be the time when I will prepare/make the cake just because of the small details.
This year the final five will be invited to re-create their entremet in front of a live audience in the recently opened TheTasteLab by Classic Fine Foods. The panel of judges which includes Pastry Chef for TheTasteLab by Classic Fine Foods London, Denis Dramé MCA and Valrhona Pastry Chef UK, Luke Frost and last year’s winner Maxime Michelot, who joins the judging panel as President of the Christmas Entremet Contest 2016, will then select the winner based on taste and appearance.
The winner will fly to New York for a 2 day hands-on training course at L’Ecole Valrhona Brooklyn. The prize includes flight tickets to New York and accommodation for 4 nights.