Who can resist the sight of melted chocolate? A bowl of thick, creamy cocoa waits its turn under the hands of trainee Karen de Lima. Pouring it onto the surface of her chocolatier station, Karen cools the chocolate, folding it upon itself again and again When she’s done it will be layered over all kinds of fillings. Biting into one, you will find the sweet heat of alcohol hiding in its sticky centre, in another creamy white chocolate, in a third cool mint. Nuts and raisins, rum and cognac, strawberries and almonds, sesame and coconut, nougatine and truffles.
A thought: locating Goodies so close to the car park was a tactical error – one of these days someone is going to make off with that bowl of chocolate, and unless you get there first, I think it’s going to be me.
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| Chef Lakshman |
Karen shows how it’s done |
Making it easy for prospective robbers will be the fact that Karen will be at her station till the end of this month, from 10 a.m – 3 p.m, every day (except on Saturdays). Ostensibly, this is your chance to see how your chocolates are made. The truth of it is that this is all about pure temptation. At least, at Rs. 80 - a piece, it’s temptation you can afford.
The man to thank (or to blame, if it’s your diet on the line) is Pastry Chef Lakshman de Silva. Having studied in Singapore, he followed that up with several assignments in the Middle East. To listen to him, it’s clear that being a chocolatier demands that one also be a chemist in part. For instance, to make it pliable, the chocolate must first be tempered (melted) to 41 degrees, then cooled to 27 degrees and then brought back up to 32 degrees.
The moulds are “like babies” and require special treatment, says the chef revealing that they can only be cleaned with cotton and cannot be exposed to warm water. Three types of chocolate - milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate - are melded into perfection. But getting the gloss right on all three is the real test, he says – sliding a fresh batch from the chiller, Karen keeps direct contact to the bare minimum. Too much handling and the pieces will lose that inviting gleam.
Chef Lakshman intends to introduce a new chocolate menu shortly, but promises that all the old favourites will still be available. He’s already begun to innovate.
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Dates imported from Dubai are served stuffed with almond filling and dipped in dark chocolate or nougatine nut is combined with milk chocolate for maximum effect. Keep an eye out for the deliciously mysterious ‘local surprise’. It offers a twist on a familiar flavour. The good news, as far as the chef is concerned, is that the Sri Lankan market is being flooded with all sorts of exciting ingredients we haven’t had access to before.
The chocolate in particular is getting better and better, says the chef. He hopes this will stimulate the local market to become more discriminating, more appreciative of fine cuisine. For my part, as I cave in and eat a second cognac filled wonder, I’m already more appreciative than I should be. |
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