Yigit Talks Chocolate at Williams-Sonoma

It was Chocolate 101 at Williams-Sonoma in Union Square as Yigit Pura stopped by to wow us with his expertise. We were treated to a real Master Class as he incorporated several techniques into his demonstration of two great recipes, Earl Grey Chocolate Truffles and Chocolate Cremeux.

He walked through tempering, transfer sheets and emulsions. When asked questions he was ready to go with explanations on the chemical makeup of ingredients and proper technique. My poor hand could not write fast enough. It was truly inspiring to listen to him speak so passionately about his craft and I am all the more eager to get in the kitchen to re-create everything myself.

Demonstrating how to use chocolate transfers, plastic sheets “printed” with designs made from a mixture of cocoa butter and food coloring.

After being coated with a thin layer of tempered Valrhona chocolate, the transfer was scored with a pizza wheel, rolled up and placed in the fridge to set.

Yigit and his sous chef, Laci scooping Earl Grey-infused truffles for us to sample.

They were to die for. I like Yigit’s use of butter in the truffle ganache, creating this incredibly smooth and silky, almost mousse-like texture. The butter also adds warmth where sometimes truffles are one-bite-only because they’re so dense and rich. I could have hogged the entire plate.

Yigit scooping perfect canneles of the chocolate cremeux, literally translated as chocolate creamy and resembles a chocolate pudding. Of course it’s more fun to say cremeux. I love the attention to detail with the plating in wooden boats.

For finishing touches, he added a drizzle of Meyer lemon olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

I love Meyer lemon and it was a nice combination with the milk chocolate. The sea salt was the perfect touch.

Sorry camera a little shaky, did I really have that much chocolate? Before leaving I got a shot of the chocolate with the transferred design. Lovely Spring lavender color.

So for those not ready to completely geek out about pastry, you can wait till Fall and just stop by Yigit’s pastry shop and taste his fabulous creations.

Tools from the demo:

Cookie Scoop- Size #100, which means 100 scoops per quart. Because not all manufacturers use the number system, it is equivalent to 2-2.25 tsp or 3/8 oz. I like Oxo’s version because it has the rubberized grip.

Immersion Blender- Yigit used one to create his emulsions for both the truffle ganache and cremeux. Cuisinart’s version is rated well and under $30.

Transfer Sheets- Still trying to figure out where to get them in the city. If anyone knows where, let me know!

Individual Wooden Boats- I believe the 5″ size was used for the canneles. Luckily they are available in a 100-pk which is doable for a home chef.