Satisfy Your Every Sweet Craving at Grand Formosa Regent Taipei with New Savory Sensations Crafted by Winner of France’s Confectionary Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Award
In November 2009, Grand Formosa had the honor of France’s honorable Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Award winning chef Bruno Le Derf, display his knack for sweets at Grand Formosa’s Brasserie buffet. Leaving behind a memory of chocolate bliss, beginning February 1st , azie bun, located on the first floor of the hotel, presents chef Le Derf’s most popular classic chocolate cakes including [Angel’s Tears] and [Devil’s Whisper]; so now you can experience true chocoholic bliss and share it with those around you!
Now 38, chef Le Derf began his career at the age of 16, and honed his technique and skill by working in several famous restaurants in Europe and attending renowned institutions located around France, Belgium, and Japan. While in Japan, he was invited to become a pastry instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Japan, and in 2004, he became the technical director of Le Cordon Bleu in Kobe Japan, which was a great achievement given the high quality and reputation of confections in Japan. As a result of his outstanding performance and skill, chef Le Derf was awarded the confectionary Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Award in 2007, which attested to the world’s acknowledgement of chef Le Derf’s wondrous talent.
And as a master pastry chef, chocolate has always been one of chef Le Derf’s greatest loves as well as one of the best ingredients to exhibit his magnificent artistry. The [Angel’s Tears] cake is an apricot white chocolate cake. After mixing egg whites and sugar together, flour, powdered sugar, hazelnut puree and dried apricots are evenly blended in, which is then baked at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, creating a crisp apricot crust. Then take butter and Cacao Barry Soft White Chocolate, melt at 40 degrees Celsius until evenly distributed along with sugar syrup and an egg yolk to create a delicate white chocolate mousse. Then fill the apricot crust with the mousse, drizzle white chocolate, place vanilla pieces, hazelnut crumbs and flavoring on top, and pop into the oven to bake for another 20 minutes at 150 degrees. This crispy yet soft snowy white sweet confection will leave you in awe, shedding light on its heavenly inspired name.
The [Devil’s Whisper] is a savory dark chocolate and caramel cake. Blending together almond paste, sugar, flour, butter and Dominican bittersweet chocolate, the mixture is baked at 190 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, creating a fragrant and crisp crust. Then sugar, honey, fresh cream are brought to to a 103 degree Celsius boil, after which fresh milk, Le Guerandais salt and gelatin are added to form a delicious caramel. Then blend Dominican bittersweet chocolate, fresh cream, egg yolks, and sugar syrup to create a dark chocolate mousse, where Cacao Barry chocolate powder, chocolate syrup and other flavorings are added to top the cake along with caramel, chocolate and almond bits. A true chocoholics delight, every bite fills you with a rich chocolate sensation that leaves behind a faint and momentary bitterness. Engaging all the senses, the [Devil’s Whisper] tempts you to indulge in your guiltiest chocolate pleasure.
So explore your taste buds as you re-discover chocolate through artfully savory chocolate masterpieces. Available during afternoon tea on weekdays at the all-you-can-eat Brasserie buffet at NT$490 per person, weekends NT$590 per person (all prices are subjected to a 10% service charge); or azie bun dessert counter with items beginning at NT$50.Cakes are available at azie bun. NT$180 per slice, NT$980 per 6-inch cake, NT$1200 per 8-inch cake.
For more information or reservations, please call 02-2523-8000 ext. 3870 Brasserie or ext. 3157 azie bun
M.O.F
Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Award (M.O.F) is France’s highest artistic award and may be awarded to restaurants and those in the arts and crafts sectors. Winning this award is a great honor and is a national recognition of excellence in a craft. This title may be used throughout one’s lifetime and is indicative of superior skill. It is also a title that many strive to achieve throughout their lifetime, making it the highest honor one can achieve in his career.
To win this award, one must go through a rigorous selection process. One must stand for election every 3 or 4 years for an assessment, during which examiners will assess nominees based on their professional performance and select those eligible for a final 4 day assessment. In the case of those involved in the food sector, examiners will then conduct an independent review of each nominee and evaluate submitted projects based on taste, creativity, and work performance.
Winner of the award must obtain extremely high marks in all the evaluated categories. The award ceremony is held at the University of Paris, and the winner is congratulated by the president of France. Receiving this award is equivalent to a “master of art” status, and the winner receives an emblem with France’s colors of red, white and blue, which is to be worn on the collar of the work uniform. This emblem signifies superior skill and national recognition and honor.
