New technologies and methods are shaking up the pastry and chocolatier professions, shaped by centuries-old traditions. Packaging, raw materials, decorative elements… : the fundamentals of sweet gastronomy are reinvented. For the public, this dynamic of innovation carries the promise of ever tastier sweets, practical and responsible. Leader Réunion was at the 2024 Chocolate and Pastry Show, in Paris, from October 30 to November 4.
Is gluttony eternal? ? We can believe it, because the pastry is rising, otherwise at the dawn of time, at least in ancient times. From one century to another, it has always been a source of creativity and transmission, a bridge between generations linking the most established traditions to the most daring innovations. The current period is no exception to the rule, quite the contrary : the last Chocolate Fair has just provided further magnificent proof of this. Innovation has colored the aisles of the show for almost thirty years. This showcase for companies imagining the delicacies of tomorrow now inspires the transmission of growing know-how, between generations always, but also across the world, by bringing together the entire sugar sector, from the fields to the plates.
From chocolates from around the world to pastries from around the world
Another step is being taken. The whole world now wants to have its share of sweetness. The culture of taste maintained around the world of pastries and chocolate is spreading more and more widely, thereby multiplying exchanges between cultures and encouraging an increase in the range of products and an evolution of the know-how held by professionals. Not only do they strengthen their exchanges between peers and train themselves in new techniques, but they also appropriate this knowledge by tinting it with their respective sensitivities, with local ingredients with unique flavors. We also see that the care given to the diversity of uses is accompanied by particular attention to the responsible and ecological nature of the packaging., many of which are recyclable or reusable. Enough to avoid all guilt !
A constantly renewed miracle
But first, a return to an essential truth. Namely that, each day, sweet arts professionals maintain, in their laboratories, a true miracle : from simple ingredients – fruits, cacao, sucre, crème, eggs, lait…–, they manage to invent and reinvent recipes that maintain the interest of gourmets. Innovation and the ability to surprise are part of their DNA. Today the meeting of manual know-how, cutting-edge equipment and ingredients inspired by culinary cultures around the world marks a decisive turning point in the renewal of the face and flavor of sweet and chocolate creations.
Chocolate bread : a classic under the eye of modernity
Chocolate bread : a classic under the eye of modernityFar from being the fruit of an inflexible tradition, pain au chocolat is the subject of numerous innovations by new generations of artisans. If most remain discreet, they improve regularity, the visual or texture of the finished product. Control of fermentation, turning or kneading techniques… So many elements that made the difference during the third edition of the National Master for the best pain au chocolat, organized by the National Confederation of French Bakery and Pastry.
Tree-to-bar : chocolate without borders
Initiatives are emerging in the heart of cocoa producing countries in order to create chocolates designed from the tree to the bar.
Innovation has colored the aisles of the Salon du chocolat more than ever
This proximity between the fields and the finished product allows all the aromatic nuances of the beans to be revealed., by guaranteeing full valorization of the work of planters. If Ivory Coast is one of the main cocoa producers in the world, the statement was much less true for chocolate. With its brand Chocovi, master craftsman Viviane Kouamé embodies a generation of professionals determined to change this state of affairs. She distinguished herself in her country by obtaining, This year, the prize of excellence in the “best craftsman” category. In addition to participating in the making of a chocolate dress, the chef presented nearly twenty references at the Salon du chocolat, including a range of tree-to-bar tablets called Tour d’Ivoire, presenting Ivorian buildings and masks.
The Martinican chocolate strategy
Culturally closer to Reunion, Martinique deserves attention by showing initiative to exploit its assets : it showed at the show that it intends to capitalize on market trends to establish itself within the global sweet scene. The agricultural wealth of the island allows it to produce cocoa, AOC rum and spices that inspire local artisan chocolatiers. These ingredients were gathered on the Labell’Martinique stand, where four professionals showed off their innovations. The Frères Lauzea chocolate factory presented its guava or maracuja ganaches enhanced with condiments such as basil and chili pepper., but also the Volkanik tablet, combining Martinican cocoa with local vanilla, as well as rum chocolates. La Fabrique du Céron and Chocolat Elot have also unveiled ranges of bars where local cocoa plays a key role.. Finally, O’tantik introduced his work to using local beans without roasting to preserve their natural flavors.
The new routes of chocolate delicacy
Other territories are building gourmet sectors combining environmental responsibility and quality products. This is the case of Indonesia, whose bean-to-bar chocolatiers exhibited their creations, and India, with the presence of the Bon Fiction brand and its bold flavor combinations (pistachio pink, orange-cinnamon, etc.). Proximity to plantations can nevertheless exist even when a long distance separates them from the final processor.. Danish brand Oialla proves this by working closely with Bolivian families, with whom it maintains long-term commitments and whose development it contributes significantly. An approach which is becoming the rule in the European world of tasting chocolates.
Sweetness comes in all colors !
Chocolate candies come in boxes with neat visuals, while their appearance is itself also renewed.
A GOOD BELGIAN AND PINK TASTE
Belgian master chocolatier Pierre Ledent has developed a unique pink metal case. The products are arranged on two floors, a simple slide allows you to discover a new assortment of delicacies. Among them, we find one of the emblematic creations of the artisan : his strawberry chocolate.
A CHOCOLATE ARTIST
Pastry chef Vincent Salur designs trompe-l’oeil pastries. It also reinvents classics such as flan, at the heart of which the scent of Antep pistachio is expressed. Already present in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, he will inaugurate his second store in the Batignolles district at the beginning of December.
OACAO BRAND MICALAS
The best worker in France chocolatier Pascal Brunstein imagined these fine pucks, weighing less than 4 g, which are available in black version, lait, blonde or white, and reveal fragrant ganache in their heart (vanilla, café…), praline or even coulis. The visuals can be personalized as much as the assortments. Latest innovation from the company, these pucks to melt in milk serve as a base for simple and fun hot chocolates to make.
CHOCOLATE AND HOPS
Can you enjoy a square of chocolate like you drink a beer? ? This is Qantu’s bet, who developed a tablet designed “like an IPA”. The Canadian brand, bean-to-bar specialist, combines the sweetness of 60% milk chocolate with the intensity of sabro hops, whose flavor is expressed through an infusion.
PLEASURE OF TASTE AND EYES
The Kufa Pistachio chocolate bar, originally from Dubai, reveals its intense heart thanks to the know-how of Maison Renaissance. At the tasting, the crunchiness of the chocolate coating gradually gives way to the crunchiness of the pistachio praline. A pleasure also for the eyes.
CRISPY HEADBALLS
Bille en tête has imagined a range of crunchy balls with unique flavors : corn curry, for tonka van, piment Carolina Reaper. Sweets inspired by the world of snacking, which are revealed in practical and elegant packaging.
François-Xavier Caussade, chocolate researcher
Partner of the Réunion Cocoa Farmers Association, artisan chocolatier François-Xavier Caussade explores the potential of new flavors of Reunion cocoa with his bean-to-bar chocolate.
Réunion was absent from the last Chocolate Fair, early November in Paris, but a report on the 8 p.m. news on TF1 highlighted the small sector of passionate farmers who are reviving the criollo of Reunion Island. The artisan chocolatier François-Xavier Caussade, founder in 2020 of the Audaces brand, who works this cocoa, delivered an enthusiastic testimony in front of the camera. “It got me a lot of views on my site, online orders and requests to know where to find my chocolate in mainland France. » François-Xavier Caussade is one of four bean-to-bar chocolate producers in Reunion Island with Richard Lauret, founder of the brand Les Cabosses Ailées, Philippe Pereira, founder of the brand Le Passeur d’Arômes, and Mascarin. Les Cabosses Ailées and Audaces offer chocolate bars produced from Reunion cocoa. But the production of criollo from Reunion is limited (a few hundred kilos of beans are harvested per year), “It is not possible to sustain an activity solely with cocoa from Reunion Island”, warns François-Xavier Caussade. Audaces displays expanded sourcing to the Indian Ocean by also working with cocoa from Madagascar and cocoa from Tanzania. The brand's other rule is to include as little sugar as possible. Audaces also participates in the modernization of the image of chocolate, which is one of the characteristics of bean-to-bar.. We notice the original design of the packaging and the absence of aluminum to wrap the tablets. And as for all bean-to-bar artisan chocolatiers, eco-responsibility and ethics in the choice of suppliers is at the heart of the project.
An extraordinary cocoa
“I work in the medical field. I wanted to challenge myself in an area that I knew nothing about at the start, and chocolate embodies universal values of well-being that speak to me. » Reunion cocoa has a reputation for rarity and novelty which could only seduce the research mind of François-Xavier Caussade. “Reunion criollo is a different cocoa, out of the norm, more difficult and demanding to work with. » The maturation phase of chocolate, notably, lasts longer than average cocoa. In addition to a new flavor, Reunion cocoa, compared to that of Madagascar, contains twice as much theobromine, compound related to caffeine and theine, hence a toning property. Another source of astonishment : “It does not cause any feeling of nausea”, note François-Xavier Caussade.
The pastry, nouvel horizon
With around ten references, Audaces' main distribution channels are online sales in mainland France and delicatessens in Reunion Island.. The spirit is that of limited editions. “I am in a process of research and continuous improvement”, specifies François-Xavier Caussade, whose objective, now, is to explore the use of Reunion cocoa in pastry. “After my own tests and feedback from catering professionals who tested it, I think I can say that this is a new field of pastry
