The Vegas outpost of Payard Patisserie is well known for its Wonka-like clock that dispenses truffles every fifteen minutes. After a hearty breakfast at Payard Bistro, we were invited behind the gears, into the kitchen, to learn where those truffles originated. Payard Executive Chef Gregory Gourreau delivered an informative chocolate making lesson that helped to explain why Payard has earned a global reputation for quality and artistry.
It’s always time for chocolate at Payard Patisserie in Las Vegas.
Gourreau has worked with Francois Payard for years, and when Payard isn’t on site it’s Gourreau’s job to deliver top-flight chocolate and pastries. He gave us a lesson in white chocolate, which isn’t technically chocolate, but does utilize cocoa butter from the cacao pod. No matter, it was still representative of the process he uses with dark and milk chocolate, and it was a great learning experience.
Payard starts with top flight chocolate, insisting on using Valrhona Ivoire (35% white chocolate), Jivara Lactee (40% milk) and Manjari (64% dark).
Gourreau was hard at work on Easter offerings, filling molds shaped like bunnies and roosters (it’s a French thing) with liquid chocolate.
He banged the molds to remove bubbles, then slid the chocolate into the fridge for 1-2 minutes so it becomes easy to un-mold.
He lined molds with white chocolate, then piped in champagne ganache, incorporating merc de champagne (leftover grape skins from Champagne), heavy cream, vanilla beans and white chocolate. Finally, he coated the ganache with more white chocolate.
Payard Patisserie’s display also dazzled with a chocolate bird’s nest.
Gourreau led us upstairs to a room he keeps at 45 degrees and 0% humidity. This is where he decoratively paints chocolates with an airbrush, including massive eggs for the Easter display.
He tried to un-mold an egg and cracked the siding, but wasn’t concerned. As “Food Network Challenge” has taught us, there are ways to mend busted chocolate.
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