GOU Atelier Live Reportage in Lamasat program

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i74t-6rZbwU&feature=player_detailpage#t=1832s

GOU Atelier: The secret behind perfect French Macarons

GOU Atelier: The secret behind perfect French Macarons: I'm going to tell you the key to the perfect macaron . It's only right that I share this with all the foodies out there who've wanted to th...

The secret behind perfect French Macarons

I'm going to tell you the key to the perfect macaron. It's only right that I share this with all the foodies out there who've wanted to throw their baking trays full of flat, puddly macaron batter at the wall.

To get that nice, high, billowy look to your macarons...it's all about WHEN you add the sugar to the egg whites.

Most recipes enforce how long you mix the batter..."no more than 50 strokes". And while this is true, it's not the most important in my opinion.

It all comes down to science. You need to make sure you start adding the sugar after no longer than 25 seconds of beating the egg whites...just until they get a bit foamy. This will immediately increase the viscosity or thickness of the whites, making it more difficult for air bubbles to form.

As you beat it with the mixer, the elastic egg whites stretch to allow air bubbles in, but then spring right back very quickly. This allows for very tiny air bubbles to form, which gives the whipped egg whites the texture of thick, shaving cream or whipped cream. That is what you want!
 

Also, when sugar is added near the beginning of the whipping stage, it gets very selfish. Sugar loves to bind water, so it hogs all of the water in the egg whites, leaving the egg proteins with less of a medium to move around in. This slows them down so that they can't arrange themselves at the interface between air and water as easily to form large air bubbles. So, instead they end up forming very tiny air bubbles, which...again...gives us shaving cream!

This will create a very stable foam that will hold up better to mixing (during macaronage) and piping.

Photo Taken at GOU Atelier Pastry Class: Passion Macarons

Now, if you don't want to throw anymore your baking trays full of badly done macarons, just participate to our next Macarons Class on November 21st, 2012!

Here are some photos from the last Atelier to encourage you!

GOU Macarons Class on October 24th

GOU Macarons Class on October 24th

Photo Taken at GOU Atelier Pastry Class: Passion Macarons

And there you have it. My secret is revealed.

Soufflé: How to rise to the occasion - every time!

Michel Roux, the Chef & Restaurateur, who has written all there is to write about soufflés will point to three very specific elements of a soufflé.

Preparation
To begin with – La Préparation.
You can’t rush a soufflé. You SHOULDN’T rush a soufflé.
Under beat the eggs and you don’t have a binding agent, over beat, and the air is gone. If you mix rather than fold, you lose precious air and the chance for your masterpiece to really shine.
The overall result? A soufflé that won’t reach the table looking greater than a puddle at the bottom of a well prepared ramekin.

Ingredients
The next thing Roux points to is Les Ingrédients.
Are they fresh? Can they hold their own? Do they mix well to be a harmonious, well risen taste?

Time
Roux is adamant on this. You need Le Temps to create the perfect soufflé. Have you practised enough to master the art of the soufflé? It’s simple yet complicated; one element will affect another and so on and so on.
This is to do with how long you are allowed to make the soufflé. If you want a quick-fix, try the burger!. But to really make a soufflé, you got to be patient.

So if you want to really learn the tricks that can produce a better soufflé, join our Cooking Atelier of Monday 15th of October at GOU.
Theme: La France gourmande
Recipes: Soufflé au bleu- Paupiette de saumon aux asperges, sauce beurre blanc

GOU Atelier kicks off

GOU Atelier: After 3 years of sharing with you the discovery of...: After 3 years of sharing with you the discovery of gourmet products we have passionately scouted the world for; and after you have savored t...

After 3 years of sharing with you the discovery of gourmet products we have passionately scouted the world for; and after you have savored their taste through our World Food menu offering, we thought it is about time we opened our GOU restaurant kitchen doors for you to experience, first hand, the magic of live cooking.

As of October, we are proudly launching the GOU Atelier.
It is the only cooking atelier in Lebanon, which offers you a novel and unique program of interactive cooking and pastry classes, and allows you to experiment and learn, hands on, the recipes and techniques in a professional kitchen and under the expert guidance of our Executive Chef.

Classes are available at various convenient times throughout the week (see below program), and each class ends with all participants treating themselves to their food creations with our complimentary drinks.

Class Times:

Cooking Classes: Monday from 10h30 to 13h00 or from 18h00 to 20h30

Pastry Classes: Wednesday from 18h00 to 20h30.

Info and Reservations:

Call us on 76-191436 or email us at gouatelier@noiyo.com

 Our GOU Atelier’s location makes it the perfect destination for a new food break to be enjoyed by cooking enthusiasts, whether individuals, couples, or groups.
And for both, French or English speakers alike.

Join our GOU Atelier classes today for a truly unique cook and dine experience!

Something is cooking at GOU!

The clock is ticking!

On October 1st, we will reveal to you what we have been cooking at our Atelier.

If you are a passionate food lover, you have now a reason to be excited about what's coming.

Watch out!