Meet the finalists
Meet the finalists
DISCOVER THE WHIMSICAL BONBONS CREATED DURING JAPAN'S NATIONAL SELECTION
DISCOVER THE WHIMSICAL BONBONS CREATED DURING JAPAN'S NATIONAL SELECTION
Contestants were under the pressure of time! Regardless, they managed to create visually appealing bonbons with flavour pairings that blew the jury members away. The evaluations by the esteemed panel took the competition a step closer to the discovery of Japan's World Finalist.
The requirements during this assignment were demanding, as a traditional chocolate format urged for a creative approach. The chefs had to include at least two different textures and use only natural ingredients. In turn, the results were 6 batches of carefully crafted designs with unique pairings:
DANGO
by Daichi Takara
This playful creation offered chocolaty sweetness in the form of a traditional Japanese dumpling. Local ingredients shone through in different components, such as red beans in a sweet paste and the mitarashi and soy praline. The bonbon's ganache, prepared with Callebaut's Arriba milk chocolate, balanced out the creation with its rich milky flavour and hints of lightly roasted hazelnuts.
Corocoro
by Akihiro Nishida
This bonbon's design represented the cute and playful nature of round elements. A classic combination took place through an apple confiture and cinnamon ganache prepared with the hints of dates and fresh plums of Sao Thomé and the vanilla notes of the 823, both chocolates by Callebaut. An extra dimension was created with a filling of Cacao Barry's Pralin Feuilletine™ combined with Callebaut's Arriba milk chocolate. The dark shell held all flavours in place thanks to the slight bitterness of Callebaut 815 chocolate.
Énergie
by Togo Matsuda
A creation influenced by the idea of the first source of energy we consume when we're born — milk! That's why the milky cacao confiture took the spotlight, crafted with the autumnal brown Plein Arôme cacao powder by Cacao Barry. This component was paired with a ganache that featured the dominant bitterness of Cacao Barry's Alto el Sol and the unique tanginess of Callebaut's RB1 ruby chocolate. The smoothness of this aromatic combo created a contrast that continued into the texture, with a crunch achieved by Cacao Barry Praliné Noisettes paste.
Light of Chocolate
by Yoko Ikezaki
The chef reconstructed a bonbon in such a way that a traditional format could be enjoyed in a new playful approach — without being bound to a framework of the past. A fruity purée of cherries found itself surrounded by textured components. These included a soft combo of two ganaches, one prepared with the red fruit notes of Cacao Barry Alto el Sol dark chocolate, the other made with the whole milk flavour of Cacao Barry Zéphyr white chocolate. All flavours were contained by the salted butter caramel notes of Cacao Barry's Zéphyr Caramel chocolate.
POP
by Rie Ito
Just like its name hints, this bonbon offered the jury members a pop of flavour in all the right places. A first taste of the caramelly notes of the Cacao Barry's Zéphyr Caramel chocolate shell made the first impression. A praline of roasted almonds followed suit, next to another praline made with corn and the slightly sweet notes of Cacao Barry Alunga milk chocolate. Adding a tropical touch, there was a delicately sweet coconut caramel next to a corn ganache made with Cacao Barry Alunga and Excellence chocolates. A touch of pure cocoa taste brought it all together through Cacao Barry's Ocoa dark chocolate.
LEVEL UP!
by Keita Koshimizu
Just like you would in a game, each bit of this bonbon was designed to level up the taste buds in a play of extravagant pairings. The ganache of this creation offered the zestiness of lemons alongside the subtle sweetness of Cacao Barry Zéphyr white chocolate. This pairing was met with a brown rice praline with the milky notes of Cacao Barry's Alunga chocolate. Adding a touch of classic sweetness, the shell completed the overall taste profiles with the aromatic Papouasie and the slightly sweet Alunga chocolates, both by Cacao Barry.
Wednesday, 9 October, 2024
