All Things Chocolate: An Interview
By: Annie Farley
ARE YOU A CHOCOHOLIC? THEN YOU CAME TO THE RIGHT PLACE! SCROLL DOWN TO READ AND DEVOUR THIS INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSIONAL CHOCOLATIER, MARIA BRANDIFF.
“Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”
Maria Brandriff is a professional chocolatier and teacher of a truffle program, All Things Chocolate. All her life, Maria had a passion for desserts and pastry making, which eventually evolved into a love for chocolate making. In 2001, she completed a certificate of Gastronomy from the University of New Haven and in the winter of 2004, she took a private course in chocolate making with a professional chocolatier in the city of Arles in Provence, France. The New Canaan Library hosted a recent event called All Things Chocolate, where Maria was able to demonstrate the precise ways to create perfect chocolate. The EEATSS Team and I were here to watch how to make truffles, learn about tempering, melting methods, and of course devour the sensational flavors of ALL THINGS CHOCOLATE!
How did you first think to yourself, I want to become a professional chocolatier? Was this a profession that sprung out of a hobby?
“Yes it sprung out of a hobby. I was always interested in dessert making and as I started baking and doing more desserts, I started just being more and more interested in chocolate and then I read a book that talked about chocolate truffles and became really interested in that. I would say that this profession almost organically grew. “
What steps did you take to become a chocolatier? Was there specific training you had to go through?
“At first, I was self taught. I read about it and did things the way I thought they should be done. And then in 2004, I had the opportunity to do a one-on-one intensive workshop with a professional chocolatier in France. It was in the city of Arles in the south of France. And that really, really honed my skills. I thought I knew a lot before I travelled there, but I was a baby.”
As a chocolatier, can you take me through what an average day might look like?
“I’m not a full time chocolatier. I teach these classes as they come, so it is sporadic. When I am preparing for a program, I will make a couple of ganaches in the morning then let them sit. Later on, I’ll check them to make sure they came out properly. It is a process over a couple of days because the next day I will form the centers. The following day, I will take out my tempering machine and start dipping and decorating them.”
What are some skills that differentiate you from a baker or pastry chef?
“Well there is no baking involved for one thing. It is all working with temperature and consistency. I think there are some similarities in which you have to be precise and measure and take temperatures and weigh and that type of thing. I think the biggest difference is that you don't use an oven.”
What is the most impactful thing that has happened to you as a chocolatier or in the world of baking?
“Well I think working with the chocolatier in France was really a game changer. It was very humbling, and I gained a lot of respect for somebody who knew his craft so well. And that had a huge impact on me.”
If you had to give one secret to a good chocolate recipe, what is it?
Use the best chocolate possible.”
Can you elaborate on the different type of chocolate flavors such as dark chocolate versus white chocolate?
“For one thing, white chocolate is not a true chocolate. It does not have cocoa mass, but only the cocoa butter. Dark chocolate means that there is more cocoa mass than sugar, so it is going to be more intense.”
What is your favorite type of chocolate? Do you ever get sick of chocolate?
“Dark chocolate is what I prefer. I haven't gotten sick of it yet, even though I have been doing this for twenty five years. I always have a little bit of chocolate every day, but I don't over do it.”
What is the best chocolate recipe you have ever created or tasted?
“Thats a hard one! Wow, I think a perfect chocolate ganache tart is probably one of my favorites. I make one that you bake for a very short time in the oven and it has raspberries inside. It's like eating silk, the taste is so wonderful and the texture is so lovely. I got this recipe from a French chocolatier’s cookbook. I would say the best chocolate truffle I created was a turmeric, ginger, and honey truffle. And I also recently created a goat cheese one that I really think is lovely. I use part soft goat cheese and part cream. I add a little honey to it because goat cheese is tart, and it balances it out.”
