Amatika 46% by Chef Sahar Parham Al Awadhi - UAE
Testimonial from Chef Sahar Parham Al Awadhi - UAE
1- Why did you decide to make vegetable pastry?
I think with the increase in mass produced ingredients around the world and the additives and preservatives used to make it happen, we are not necessarily getting the quality of health benefits in what we are eating and it has resulted in a declination of overall health and increase in intolerances and allergies specifically when it comes to animal products. The number one place to look at when in this kind of situation is within (what we are eating) And so people look for alternatives that yield better health benefits, foods that make them feel good when they eat it and turning to vegetable based lifestyles has been a huge health shift.
2- Since when did you take this turn?
I am not a chef that makes purely vegan/plant-based desserts but I do love to experiment, and I wanted to make sure that everyone had a delicious sweet ending to their meal. I wanted to highlight that vegan or plant-based desserts can taste delicious (perhaps they just have a bad reputation sometimes) when you understand your ingredients and the technical aspects of it.
3- What do you think of Amatika? Taste? Texture ?
Amatika has been a surprisingly delightful product to work with. While most plant based chocolates always stick to dark version, it limits you to how you can be creative with different textures, flavor pairings and combinations in a dessert.
4-What does this chocolate inspire you?
Having the option of a plant based almond milk chocolate was fantastic, it opened the doors to so many more creative options. The texture is creamy, the sweetness is balanced with the nuttiness of the almond but also not overpowering with the almond flavor so it provides a neutral base to work with. Almond is quite a common ingredient in Emirati cuisine so the flavor felt nostalgic to me specially in combination with rose water, it provided such a beautiful floral blend.
5- Is it easy to work with?
It was very easy to work with. The chocolate has a slight texture from the almond to bear in mind which I used to my advantage but otherwise works well in many applications.
6-What uses do you recommend?
I have personally used it as a base for a Breton sable (provided a rich chocolate flavor), a ganache, and a cremeux and had a very creamy result (you wouldn’t believe its plant based). My personal favorite was the combination of the chocolate with rose water extract.
7- Tell us about your recipe:
"Pink Almond Tart" is a recipe composed of a Breton shortbread #Amatika 46%, an almond jelly, a light and airy Vegan Amatika 46% Rose cream, a homemade almond praline, a creamy with almonds and caramelized almonds.
