Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, headed by Chef Raymond Blanc, is a British culinary icon. Its signature dish is Le Café Crème which took half a year to perfect. Thanks to Learning with Experts, Le Manoir’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons Benoit Blin can teach you the fast track to making this delicious masterpiece.
Over the past year or so, many people have been sat in their homes, twiddling their thumbs, craving inspiration. Fortunately, technology provided the answer and, in particular, Learning with Experts and their fantastic online courses.
Some of you reading this might be thinking, “Pah, online courses are two a penny.” Indeed they are, but Learning with Experts are somewhat different. Although they invite you to learn with experts, these are no ordinary experts; these are icons of their industry.
Many renowned masters of their fields, such as Michel Roux Jr and Paul A Young, have been teaching people around the work the well-guarded secrets behind their masterpieces. The latest person to reveal his secrets is Le Manoir’s Chef Pâtissier Benoit Blin.
Le Manoir’s menu is jam-packed with iconic dishes, but perhaps its most famous is a Raymond Blanc classic named Le Café Crème. It took Raymond and his team six months to perfect, and this was due in no small part to the numerous techniques involved. On this new Learning with Experts course, students will be led by Benoit Blin, who’ll teach them all the secrets required to master the recipe and many more techniques that should result in many other delicious desserts.
One of the things students will be able to learn about, and master from Benoit is inverted sugar. If you’re wondering what it is and its uses, below are some brief pointers he offered us that should act as a taster of what you can expect on the course:
- What is Inverted Sugar?
It is sugar (sucrose) that has been hydrolysed using an acid. The process makes the sugar change composition allowing it to retain moisture and crystallise less than everyday sugar. Another significant result of this process is the inverted sugar becomes a lot sweeter than standard sugar. - What are the benefits of using it, and why is it used?
Bakes or chocolates made with inverted sugar can be preserved for longer as they are better at retaining moisture and, when kept at a lower temperature, they will maintain the same creamy texture of frozen produce. - Are there any good substitutes?
Honey is a good substitute as it is a natural inverted sugar but will add a little flavour. Otherwise, a little bit of glucose could be used in some cases. - Can you make it?
Certainly! A simple recipe of 800g sugar, 400g water and 1/4 of a teaspoon of citric acid or cream of tartar. Add the sugar to the water and wait until it boils. Then add the citric acid and cook to 114 degrees C and allow to cool into a jar and voilà! - Other uses?
Inverted sugar can be used in ice cream or sorbets or even cookies to get them nice a chewy! A little bit in a chocolate ganache would prevent it from drying out if kept for a few days.
We’ll admit, the first time we had heard about inverted sugar was when Benoit Blin told us about it! Armed with the brief snippets he provided us above, a whole new range of possibilities are now open to us in the kitchen; imagine what you’ll get from the full course!
Pricing for Le Manoir’s Le Café Crème course
One of the reasons we are big fans of the Learning with Experts courses is they don’t break the bank. If you asked someone on the street how much would it cost for some expert tuition from a leading industry expert, they’d likely come up with a figure in the hundreds or even thousands. This is far from the case with Learning with Experts.
Benoit Blin’s Le Café Crème course is priced at £29 for peer access or £109 for expert access. Some of the things students can expect to learn from the course are tempering, moulding and flavouring right through to finishing decorations and dessert wine pairing.
For more information and to book a place on Benoit Blin’s course, visit www.learningwithexperts.com.