Master chocolatier shows his formidible chocolate talents

I'm continually amazed at the popularity growth of fine chocolate in China. When I first arrived here, the only chocolates available widely were Snickers bars, or domestic chocolate bars which I always joked had two varieties: chalk and wax.

Now, 13 years later, we have truffles and chocolate pastries available on every other street corner.

Stephane Leroux's recent chocolate "master class" illustrates the sophistication of the current chocolate market in China. Last week, visiting chocolatier Leroux led an astonishingly rapt large crowd of Chinese salespeople and chefs through the making of several fine recipes and complex techniques in an all-day chocolate demonstration at the Shangri-la Pudong. In the afternoon, he created a stunning, intricate chocolate sculpture combining shining white lotus flowers, shockingly life-like bamboo and graceful long stalks of dark chocolate leaves. [Click above "view all images" to see another image of the sculpture].

Leroux, a member of the prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France--a title granted to France's best patissiers, was in Shanghai to promote his newly released chocolate book, Matier Chocolat, a giant gorgeous tome of luxurious photos and recipes, which undoubtedly qualifies as "food porn" but which also explicitly illuminates the sophisticated art of working with chocolate and includes highly technical sculpting instructions.

Leroux's book tour trip was sponsored by Belcolade, the Belgian fine chocolate company, distributed by Guangzhou-based Puratos Foods. They also provided the scrumptious chocolate refreshments for the long, but entertaining and educational afternoon. Belcolade’s single-origin chocolates are sensational. I love conducting taste comparisons of chocolates from different regions. I especially liked Becolade’s Noir Collection Peru which is 64% cocoa content. It has an unusually creamy flavor for dark chocolate, with a surprisingly complex finish of dried fruits.

Thanks to Brian Tan, a talented chocolatier in his own right, for tipping me off on the chocolate extravaganza.

Interested in learning to make chocolate yourself? Check out these chocolate-making courses in Shanghai

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