The Joy of Chocolate by Paul A. Young is published by Kyle Books. Photography: Louise Hagger
I am so excited, because today, we get to talk about one of my favourite topics, chocolate. And when talking chocolate you really can’t do any better than talking to my friend Paul A Young, a wonderfully inventive chocolatier and cookbook author. If you ever find yourself in London, a visit to his store is an absolute must, make sure you have room for one of his signature brownies and a selection of his amazing chocolates. Paul’s chocolate is nothing like you’ve tried before, his inventions cover everything from reimagining nostalgic treats to new flavour combinations you’d never think could possibly work, never mind taste amazing. Think chocolates made with sunflower seed praline, flavours of stout combined with paprika, ginger and chilli, or sangria magically transformed into a truffle. It’s safe to say you won’t be bored eating Pauls chocolate, he truly is the real world Willy Wonka. I first had the pleasure of trying Paul’s chocolate around 12 years ago and all these years later, his classic salted caramel filled chocolate is still the best version I have ever had. And I have had many (many many). He is quite possibly known best as the chef who successfully paired chocolate with marmite, a pairing that initially seems both impossible and probably disgusting. The chocolate started out as challenge, set for him by a journalist, and became a mainstay on Paul’s menu, its so popular he couldn’t take it of the menu even if wanted to. Despite my general ambivalence towards Marmite it works incredibly well in the chocolate and is also a great example of Paul’s skill blending flavours together. Whilst I like to pop by the store regularly, to see what’s new on the menu, one of the items I will always have room in my heart for is his amazing brownie, if you like your brownie dense and rich no one makes one that comes anywhere close to Paul’s.
For todays post I had the pleasure of interviewing Paul about chocolate and his wonderful new book The Joy Of Chocolate, plus as bonus I have two extra special recipes from the new book, one for free subscribers and one for paid subscribers. Also if you are a paid subscriber make sure to watch out for a post next week on all things pie, if you have any questions on the topic (the pastry, the filling, the process etc) leave a comment and I’ll incorporate it into the post.
First of all, tell us all about your beautiful new book?
This is my love letter, my nostalgic nod to the chocolate of my life with stories, plus heaps of information about chocolate of all types and styles with some fabulous recipes thrown in. It's a super vibrant and colourful book as I didn't want to write a predominantly brown chocolate book. Chocolate is a wonderfully happy and colourful product especially in the way it's presented and in such bright packaging, so I wanted this to be reflected in my book.
You have a wonderful chocolate shop in London but before you set up that business what did your culinary career look like?
I trained as a cuisine chef at New College Durham for three years and loved the practical and creative elements of the training, however when I enrolled for a higher qualification at Leeds Metropolitan University in 1992 I realised that there was little cooking or creativity so I left after one semester. I then threw myself into work and with many varied roles including catering manager on an army barracks in York, my first head chef role in 1994 at a new restaurant in Whitby, then I worked for a chef agency in Leeds called City Catering and I managed to work in every type of hospitality setting you can imagine and one job changed my career for ever. One week with Land Rover for a UK launch tour at an outside catering event, with Marco Pierre White creating the menus and his chefs cooking. One week turned into a few months and then the offer of a lifetime, from Roger Pizey Marco's executive pastry chef, the role was pastry chef in the stunning Criterion Brasserie. Such an honor to work with amazing chefs and it was hard, very hard, long hours but unbelievable skills were learnt and surrounded by amazing people. I'm still friends with Roger and see him regularly. I became head pastry chef at Quo Vadis in Soho, another of Marco's restaurants and loved it. Then I spent two years working as a product developer creating Chinese and Japanese ready meals for M&S, and Pizzas for Sainsburys. I learned so much in both jobs. Then it was back to being a head pastry chef in La Rascasse in Mayfor for 18 months and then my TV work began on Great/Good Food Live with Jenny Barnett. It was an amazing time with such great memories and learning how to present myself on TV was amazing. Then I began playing with chocolate in between working freelance as a cookery school teacher, chef consultant for Serious Desserts, and developing chocolates for chocolate brands. I created my own chocolates which by encouragement from Chantal Coady ( The Chocolate Detective) and Kate Johns (Nudge PR) ended up being entered into the Academy of chocolate awards and I won gold and silver awards, especially special as my sea salted caramel won gold. And the seed was planted to create a brand, find a shop and open a special chocolaterie which happened on April 10th 2006.
The Joy of Chocolate by Paul A. Young is published by Kyle Books. Photography: Louise Hagger
We’ve known each other for a long time and one of the things that always impresses me is that your range is constantly evolving, it never stays the same and you’re always playing with new flavours and combinations. Where does that drive come from?
I get bored easily, customers get bored easily so I want for something new and exciting and if you are a creative chef then you have this desire to make, create, innovate and entertain peoples taste buds. I LOVE playing with flavours and textures and its a privilege to be able to do this as a job.
Considering your known for interesting and sometimes surprising flavour combinations, which is your ultimate, favourite combination?
I love crunch and hazelnut praline so a crunchy praline or alcohol based chocolates I adore and could never tire of. Saying that every day I tend to have a new favourite and I crave so many different things depending how I feel at that moment.
A seemingly simple question, but why chocolate? Out of all the things you could have specialised in, how did you end up settling on chocolate?
Chocolate found me, I had no plans to be a chocolatier but I found it fascinating in all its complexities and ways it can be manipulated into so many things. Its just infinite how many ways you can use chocolate, how many varieties are growing all the time and it’s a happy food, it makes people very happy.
Something that has always come across to me is that you lack the snobby attitude that some people can have when they make a high end product. You talk about the joy of confectionery and supermarket chocolate bars. What would be your all time favourite?
Yes, I cannot tolerate snobbery around food in general, it makes me very angry as I will not remove something I enjoy and love from my life just because the expectation from others is that I shouldn't now buy, eat or enjoy it. Everything has its place and is relevant so enjoy what you like and don't feel guilty about it.
I love KitKats, anything chocolate orange and at Christmas my mum buys a tin or two of Quality Street and the green triangles have no chance of lasting long.
If you could give the home-baker one piece of advice when it comes to working with chocolate, what would it be?
Chocolate is sensitive, warm it slowly when melting, cool it slowly when setting, never try to speed these two things up with direct heat or putting in the freezer.
PAUL’S BOOK - THE JOY OF CHOCOLATE IS OUT NOW AND IS ON SALE EVERYWHERE BOOKS ARE SOLD.
Chocolate Mousse
The Joy of Chocolate by Paul A. Young is published by Kyle Books. Photography: Louise Hagger
I hunt out epic chocolate mousse on menus in cafés and restaurants
wherever I visit, as a fantastic chocolate mousse is so sublime and
joyous that not much else comes close. No frills here: a chocolate
mousse doesn’t need diamonds and pearls to dress it up, and
especially not a whipped cream swirl. What’s the point? It adds
nothing at all to flavour or appearance. A grating of chocolate or
dusting of cocoa powder is all the very best chocolate mousse needs.
Always set your mousse in the fridge, but eat it as close to room
temperature as possible. Don’t expect your homemade mousse to
be like those supermarket-bought mass-market chocolate mousses,
that really are mostly air. Yours will have lots of air bubbles, but it
will also have the structure and density that using a good amount
of chocolate gives.
Serves 4
200g (7oz) dark chocolate (75 per cent cocoa solids), choose something with
a robust flavour, nothing too acidic
75g (2¾oz) unsalted butter
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes, crushed
3 medium free-range eggs, separated
50ml (2fl oz) whipping cream
30g (1oz) unrefined golden caster sugar
grated dark chocolate (at least 85 per cent cocoa solids), to serve
Begin by melting the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof
bowl set over a pan of very hot water. Stir in the salt, then add in
the egg yolks and mix well. Take off the heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the whipping cream until stiff and fluffy and add it to the chocolate mixture.
In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, then stir in the sugar and whisk again until stiff and glossy.Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in two batches. Do not over-mix, but do be sure that there are no unmixed egg whites visible in the mousse.
Carefully scrape the mousse into a serving dish and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Grate over some very dark chocolate, then allow the mousse to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
To add even more joy, do nothing! There is enough joy in this
mousse already. Just make it often – and share it. This is one of those desserts that is better shared.
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