Connoisseurs of dessert and followers of MasterChef Australia are more than familiar with the name Adriano Zumbo. The Australian patissier and television presenter is the titular host of the Australian baking competition programme Zumbo’s Just Desserts and a judge on the Netflix web series Sugar Rush. His frequent appearances on MasterChef Australia — both as mentor and guest judge — armed with his legendary Croquembouche (a French dessert consisting of choux pastry puffs piled into a cone and bound with threads of caramel) have made him immensely popular.
His appearance and skills have made Zumbo, 41, earn many nicknames in popular culture, specifically “Sweet Assassin”, Patissier of Pain,” “The Dark Lord of the Pastry Kitchen” and “Lord Voldecake.” He has also been called “Australia’s answer to Willy Wonka.”
Recently, Zumbo was in India in partnership with the ITC Group to introduce Fabelle Finesse — the world’s finest chocolate, crafted in India, whose texture is as fine as seven microns. t2 chatted with the chef on the groundbreaking innovation, the story behind his Croquembouche and his favourite Indian dessert.
What can you tell us about the new range of innovative chocolates that Fabelle has introduced? What does it mean for the world of chocolate and chocolate making?
Fabelle has created a highly revolutionary chocolate in Fabelle Finesse, a chocolate that has been refined down to seven micron, which is a very small particle size. This is an absolutely new technology and the fineness with which it sits on the palate is something that has not been experienced with any other chocolate brand. It’s a great way for Fabelle to lead the pack and show the way for a lot of other people to follow.
It’s something that is versatile, can be used as a great accompaniment in desserts or even eaten by itself and enjoyed. It’s been great to have been able to work with it.
It creates a great mouth-feel and an easier melting point on the tongue and that contribute to overall happiness. They have done a lot of laboratory testing... stress testing, neuron testing and stuff like that and the results have been exceptional.
As part of this innovation, can you elaborate on what the ‘Zumbo Challenge Reveal’ is all about?
It’s about sending off a challenge to any other firm or individual out there who can create a finer chocolate than this. If anyone can prove that their chocolate is finer, they stand to win a reward worth Rs 1 crore!
What do you think have been the biggest innovations in the world of chocolate making in the last few years?
The biggest innovation would have to be the fourth type of chocolate (apart from dark, milk and white), which is known as Ruby Chocolate. Plant-based chocolate would be another one, and also chocolate made with fruit powders.
What are the five key elements that every good chocolate must have?
One is taste, two is mouth-feel, three is a great snap... which comes from some good tempering.... For me, what is also important is the aftertaste... how the flavour lingers. A really well-made chocolate will stay in your mouth for long. I find that a lot of cheaper chocolate cuts off from your mouth pretty much after you eat it. It coats the mouth for two seconds and that creaminess that gets accentuated by the heat of the mouth, disappears.
The fineness of the chocolate is also important. When you eat a chocolate that is a bit more rough or rustic, it can give the feeling of being out of temper, a little bit brittle and crumbly, and it can result in a not-so-great experience.
(L-R) Anuj Rustagi, COO, chocolates, coffee, confectionary and new category development of ITC Foods Ltd, Mahendra Barve, head of product development confectionary & chocolates, Adriano Zumbo and master chocolatier Ruby
I have been a big fan of yours, especially after your appearances on MasterChef Australia. Your Croquembouche is legendary. What was the origin of that dessert and why do you think it’s so popular?
The origin of Croquembouche is French and it shows up on special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and so on. It’s used as a centrepiece or showpiece dessert, and people can rustically enjoy tearing out bits and parts of it and eat it.
The fact that it’s become so popular is quite amazing. When you walk in and see a well-done and beautiful Croquembouche sitting out there, there is always a ‘wow’ factor. It’s truly an amazing thing to see and experience. When you actually think about it, it’s quite simple and the vanilla flavour, the choux pastry, that crunchy feel... it’s a great eating experience.
What is it about dessert making that stirs your passion as a chef?
The fact that one never stops learning! The experiences, the people I get to meet, the culture, the ingredients... it’s endless. Your imagination can take you in a million different directions. And the fact that you can use your imagination to express yourself through food makes it exciting. When people enjoy the results of what you create out of your passion, there is nothing better than that.
I never stop learning flavours, techniques, combinations, textures, designs.... It keeps me on my toes, always excited. Like anything else, it also has its ups and downs and throws challenges at me and that only makes me better. You need those challenges in life to grow. If you are always successful, then you learn nothing.
Is there an Indian dessert that you like and have tried your hand at making?
My favourite Indian desserts are Gulab Jamun, Phirni, Kulfi, in the traditional sense. When I get back home to Australia, I think I will take a crack at making them... I have been quite inspired. The closest that I have got to using an Indian ingredient in my cooking is masala chai. The last time I was in India I made something with those flavours. Now it’s time for me to move forward and attempt something with the flavours I have tasted here this time around.
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A film or song that reminds me of a dessert: Watermelon Sugar (Harry Styles) because I make a dessert that predominantly uses raspberry rose, rhubarb and sugar.
When not in the kitchen, my other passions are: Music, reading cookbooks, researching ingredients. I try and do some sporting activities here and there. I am pretty boring! My career and my job keep me occupied all the time. Working in the food industry is a lifestyle that one lives from morning to night and even on weekends. And when I have two days off, I end up doing something around food.
Three typically Indian ingredients I would put in my Croquembouche: I would go off-centre and put in some spicy chutney tempered with mango. And then something textural like some indigenous grains. Plus, a tamarind chutney with some caramel.
