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A Day with Kirsten Tibballs
A Day with Chocolate Queen, Kirsten Tibballs at the UK Chocolate Academy
When the Chocolate Queen and founder of Savour School, Kirsten Tibballs came to the Chocolate Academy UK & Ireland in November, we were lucky enough to be invited along for a demonstration of Kirsten’s chocolate and patisserie skills!
Having recently released her book, Chocolate All Day, Kirsten shared her passion for all things chocolate, and gave us lots of inspiration, and a few new tips and tricks to try…
by Lyndsey Hall
05 December 2024
Meet the Queen of Chocolate
If you’re new to chocolate and patisserie (or have been living in an underground bunker for twenty years), you may not have heard of Kirsten Tibballs. The celebrated Australian pastry chef and chocolatier has represented Australia at world championships, and as a judge for global competitions. In 2002 she founded Savour School, an online membership for chefs and chocolatiers looking to develop their skills with tutorials and gain inspiration from new recipe ideas.
In 2023, Kirsten appeared as a contestant in the first season of the MasterChef spinoff, Dessert Masters, having previously appeared in the 2017 MasterChef Australia Grand Finale where she presented the final challenge.
So, when we heard that Kirsten was going to be at the UK Chocolate Academy with Callebaut, demonstrating her passion for chocolate, we knew we had to be there.
Champagne, Rose & Caviar: A Recipe for Romance
The three recipes Kirsten demonstrated on the day wouldn’t be out of place on a Valentine’s Day menu, with ingredients like rose and pistachio, champagne and chocolate.
The first of her creations was a total showstopper that really showed off Kirsten’s love of texture and layers: an eye-catching entremets bringing together pistachio crunch sponge, rose and raspberry bavarois and delicate floral decorations made with Callebaut’s W2 white chocolate.
The second recipe was a Champagne snacking bar with a marshmallow ganache which Kirsten decorated with coloured cocoa butter and sprayed with Champagne before shelling with white chocolate, leaving a bubbly effect on the surface of the bar.
The third and final demonstration highlighted Kirsten’s love of nostalgia and realistic designs: a chocolate caviar tin with Melba toast! The tin was layered with a chocolate sponge made from Callebaut Origin Madagascar; a bold 67.4% dark chocolate with hints of red fruits. This was followed by a mascarpone and coffee cream mousse topped with Crispearls, and the Melba toast was a combination of Callebaut Velvet white chocolate, caramelised almonds and 823 milk chocolate.
Our Keylink team members and customers who joined Kirsten on the day thoroughly enjoyed the demonstrations and loved sharing in the passion she has for her craft. We’re sure they’ll be borrowing some of Kirsten’s flavour combinations and designs for future chocolate and patisserie creations!
You can find Kirsten’s recipe books on the Savour School website, and take a look at the courses and other resources available with the membership. And follow Kirsten on Instagram @kirstentibballs for even more inspiration!
