Baking or pastry work relies less on instinct and more on precision than any other type of cooking. While it's fine to be inventive with your ingredients or slapdash with measurements when preparing a stuffing for a roast chicken, veer away from the recipe when making tart au citron and there is likely to be trouble.
Head chefs in most well-established restaurants tend to appoint a pastry chef to run their dessert section and it is generally thought that the job requires certain qualities: a creative mind, perfectionist tendencies and absolute attention to detail. These characteristics were found in abundance on Sunday morning, when a chocolate and pastry workshop was held as part of Gourmet Abu Dhabi, with six internationally renowned female patissiers taking to the stage.
What followed was an informative and impressive few hours, with some spectacular-looking desserts. Loretta Fanella spent a number of years working at the famed Spanish restaurant El Bulli, and she created an unusual dish called "time for cake" which featured blackberry foam, raspberry numbers and chocolate clock hands, among other elements. The UK-based patissier Ruth Hinks served chocolate delice with blood-orange jelly, white chocolate and ginger foam and citrus salad; quite the mouthful, in more ways than one.
Angela Pinkerton, the executive pastry chef at Eleven Madison Park in New York, said that she is fascinated by the connection between food and science and explores this idea in her cooking. Her simply titled "milk and chocolate" dessert actually consisted of caramelised white-chocolate sorbet, dehydrated milk foam, dehydrated chocolate mousse, frozen chocolate foam, browned milk solid and aerated chocolate (which was frozen in liquid nitrogen).
The idea of the workshop was to give an insight into the scope of the cooking of these patissiers and while much of what they do is beyond the reach of the home cook, it is possible to recreate one or two elements of the dishes. The recipe for Pinkerton's dehydrated chocolate mousse is below and would be delicious crumbled over good-quality vanilla ice cream.
Janice Wong is the chef behind 2am:dessert bar, an innovative, much talked-about restaurant in Singapore where the emphasis is on all things sweet. Like Pinkerton, she is interested in the idea of food as "art on a plate" and says that the inspiration for her desserts comes from all over. She and her team are due to open a food laboratory later in the year and are dedicated to "developing new techniques and ideas for future generations".
Wong prepared a chocolate dish featuring chilli chocolate coral (which actually did have the appearance of sea coral), chocolate soil and a light chocolate water sponge, which was apparently created for the women who come to her restaurant late at night, craving chocolate but not wishing to eat anything too heavy.
Those who fancy trying the sponge will have to invest in an espuma gun (the must-have gadget at this year's event) but if that seems too much effort, why not do as Wong suggested and have a go at making your own peanut butter. Her version is sweet and salty, as well as being free of preservatives. Eat on toast, with crudités or stir into chocolate-chip cookie batter.
Angela Pinkerton: dehydrated chocolate mousse
40g Valrhona equatorile (or semi-sweet 55 per cent cocoa solids chocolate)
20g Valrhona coeur de guarana (or 80 per cent cocoa solids chocolate)
20g egg yolks, at room temperature
75g egg whites
20g caster sugar pinch fine salt
Preheat the oven to 165¿F/74¿C. Place both types of chocolate in a heat-resistant bowl, suspended over a pan of barely simmering water - don't let the bowl touch the water. When the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to form soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar, whisking continuously, until the meringue is firm and glossy. Stir the egg yolks into the warm chocolate. Gently fold the meringue into the chocolate. Spread the mixture out on to a tray lined with an inverted, acetate sheet, silpat (silicone) mat or non-stick baking parchment. Leave in the oven overnight, to dry out. When the mixture is completely dry, crumble into small pieces.
Janice Wong: chocolate water sponge
30g cocoa powder
56g caster sugar
21g flour
7g milk powder
1.5g egg-white powder
3 eggs 44ml water
Mix together all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the eggs, followed by the water. Transfer to a blender and blend well. Pass the mixture through a sieve and pour into an espuma gun canister. Charge with two gun gas cartridges and leave to set in the fridge for an hour. Pierce the base of a plastic cup several times with a small skewer. Pipe the mixture into the cup and microwave on full power for one minute. You will be left with a very light, aerated sponge.
Janice Wong: homemade peanut butter
200g unsalted roasted peanuts
50g white chocolate (optional)
30ml peanut oil salt, to taste.
Break the white chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water - make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. When the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat. Tip the peanuts into a blender and pulse until smooth - scrape down the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the peanuts. Gradually add the peanut oil, blending continuously. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, stir in the chocolate (if using) and season with salt. Cover with cling film and use within a week.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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Man of the Match: Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)
More on animal trafficking
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
