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London shop's chocolates with Japanese ingredients proving popular
LONDON —
A Japanese woman and her British husband are combining traditional Japanese ingredients with chocolate in order to create some unique offerings to tempt sweet-toothed Britons.
For the last five years, chefs Suzue and William Curley have been trying out different foodstuffs from Japan and mixing them with chocolate to produce a variety of treats at their patisserie in Richmond, southwest London.
Among the Japanese ingredients they have used in their chocolates are black vinegar, green tea, toasted sesame seeds, wasabi and the Japanese citrus fruit Yuzu. They also use Szechuan pepper.
The Curleys admit the combinations might at first appear unusual to many people but they say that the fusion works well and comes as a pleasant surprise to customers.
They have also proved popular with judges at the prestigious Academy of Chocolate who have named William Curley ‘‘chocolatier of the year’’ for the last three years.
Suzue, who originally hails from Osaka, said she and her husband first started experimenting with ingredients they had in the kitchen and realized some of the combinations worked really well.
‘‘We had lots of ingredients around us and they are not necessarily always for use in savory dishes. We tried some and they worked well with chocolate,’’ she said.
For example, one of their creations combines an apricot pate de fruit with a subtle wasabi ganache (chocolate cream filling). Suzue said the apricot softens the sting of the wasabi, which is similar to a hot horseradish sauce and is used in sushi dishes.
The chocolatiers often travel to Japan for ideas, but do not generally find the kind of adventurous offerings they make on the shelves of the chocolate shops, where Belgian and French-style chocolates predominate.
Suzue said she has certainly never seen any wasabi chocolates for sale in Japan, nor one of their other popular creations—a chocolate filled with a dark ganache with a hint of Japanese black rice vinegar. It was this sweet that landed them a gold award from the academy for the second year in a row.
William explained that they decided to try adding Japanese vinegar because quite a few European chefs have added balsamic vinegar to their creations with much success.
Suzue believes the fact that they are working in Britain and her husband is British means they can be more experimental with their creations than if they were living in Japan.
While most of the Japanese ingredients they have tried have worked well, there have been one or two failures during their testing. One woman recommended to Suzue that they try seaweed in chocolate, but it tasted completely wrong.
She said the bottom line is that they always respect the chocolate and never add anything that destroys its quality. Instead they look for ingredients which are naturally harmonious with the chocolate.
Although their unconventional creations may generate publicity, Suzue said the aim is not to attract press interest but simply to produce consistently good chocolate year after year.
They also produce a green tea chocolate made from ground green tea gently infused and married with dark chocolate and sprinkled with Kyoto green tea.
This differs from the way in which such chocolates are made in Japan, where white chocolate is used so that the green tea contents can be seen.
The shop in Richmond has a loyal clientele and also attracts many Japanese.
Suzue said, ‘‘We have lots of Japanese clients who live in London and some also travel here when they are visiting Britain because we are in a little guide book on places to take tea. They love the chocolate.’’
To make their creations the Curleys use a chocolate from Italian firm Amedei based in Tuscany.
William began his career as a chef at Scotland’s prestigious Gleneagles Hotel, before going on to work at several Michelin-starred establishments.
He then became chef patissier at London’s Savoy Hotel leading a team of 21 pastry chefs. It was here that he met his wife, who joined the Savoy after working at Claridges where she was in charge of the afternoon teas.
About Us
The rise to the top has been a hard but rewarding climb for William and Suzue Curley. The couple have enjoyed many successes in their careers so far but retain the passion and drive that is certain to see them enjoy many more in the years to come.
In 2004, they opened their first shop in the leafy suburban haven of Richmond's Paved Court, just off the prestigious and picturesque Richmond Green and made an almost immediate impact. William was awarded the Best British Chocolatier accolade for 2007 and again for 2008 by the Academy of Chocolate.
Brought up in Fife, William's career began with an apprenticeship at Gleneagles. He then went on to spend 6 years at numerous Michelin-starred establishments, working with respected chefs including Pierre Koffman at La Tante Claire, Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons and Marco Pierre White at The Oak Restaurant.
He has won numerous awards, including The Caterer's Acorn Award, The Craft Guild Pastry Chef of the Year, The Academy of Culinary Arts Awards of Excellence and British Dessert of the Year. Having won the William Heptinstall Scholarship, he was given the opportunity to work under Marc Meneau at L'Espérance in France.
"During my twenty-five years in the business, only one or two like William have ever come along. He is a fantastic pastry chef and chocolatier - perfect!" declared Koffman, London's undisputed Chef of Chefs. He then became Chef Patissier at The Savoy Hotel under Anton Edelman (where he met Suzue), as Chief Patissier leading a team of 21 pastry chefs.
Suzue is also a highly respected patissier. Originally from Osaka, Japan, Suzue moved to London in 1996 where she trained at Le Cordon Bleu. She has worked at Claridges and The Savoy where she was in charge of the world famous Afternoon Teas. She has won many national competitions including Gold at Hotelympia in 2000. Both William and Suzue have represented Scotland at international culinary events, winning Gold medals in Chicago and Basle. Prior to opening their shop together William and Suzue both won Gold at the Culinary Olympics in Germany in 2004.
Contemporary Chocolate, Patisserie and much more...
Together with a small team of young pastry chefs, William and Suzue make an outstanding range of contemporary chocolates, patisserie, cakes, biscuits and ice cream. They are innovative with flavours, total perfectionists when it comes to their art and have a real respect for their craft.
In their chocolate collection you will find innovative creations such as Rosemary & Olive Oil, Japanese Black Vinegar and Apricot & Wasabi. Classic Truffles include House Dark, Framboise and Noval Vintage Port. Patisserie is prepared on a daily basis and is stunningly well-crafted which includes a Toscano Chocolate Cadeaux layered with vanilla crème brûlée and Rum soaked sultanas or Passion Fruit & Mango Entremet. In addition to a classic range of ice cream including the dense, dark Madagascan Chocolate or Tahitian Vanilla, is a Japanese range offering flavours such as luscious Green Tea or Golden Chestnut.
The influences for their flavours are drawn from a variety of global experiences. William's years of working in French Michelin-starred restaurants account for his unmistakably French-styled Patisserie; for instance his popular 'Mont Blanc' and Breton Sables. Suzue on the other hand inspires a unique Japanese aesthetic - their Yuzu filled chocolates and Miso and Walnut biscuits are a fine example of this.
More traditionally, you can buy a fine English Bakewell Tart, as well as some distinctly Malt Whiskey truffles, or Scottish Heather honey chocolates. William and Suzue have skilfully combined classic good taste in what they do, together with an intriguing sense of adventure.
http://www.williamcurley.co.uk
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Originally Posted by edmcel
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