Swiss Hotel School pastry head Karen Rossouw shares festive culinary secrets
From tempering chocolate for Lindt to training future chefs, a Johannesburg pastry expert explains why kitchen ratios beat recipes every time.
Swiss Hotel School head of department Karen Rossouw sat with the Randburg Sun to share her culinary journey.
Rossouw, who has a long history in pastry, shared that her passion has resulted in her travelling across South Africa, working as a chocolatier for Lindt and in Stellenbosch, before joining the institution.
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While her work involves overseeing students’ theoretical and practical training, her first love was the hot kitchen, not pastry.
“In my career, I have been exposed to many opportunities and I truly believe it is what one does with the said opportunity that really turns it into something worthwhile,” said Rossouw. “I believe people that are into art are often all over the place, and with pastry you need to be very neat and I have both which is often very rare to come across. So, when the opportunity opened to work in pastry during my practicals I fell in love with it.”
She said her favourite aspect of her work is the science behind pastry. Rossouw said 90% of pastry ingredients consist of flour, eggs, sugar, butter and cream, but mixing methods and temperatures create a variety of different dishes. “Once you understand what ingredients do under certain pressures, it helps you become a better chef, and cook in general, because it’s not just about following a recipe. This is why I always encourage people to prioritise ratio over following recipes,” she said.
She explained that chocolate ganache consists of cream and chocolate, but altering the ratio changes the result from a sauce to a firm truffle.
Also read: Swiss Hotel School students serve South African fine dining
As the festive season approaches, Rossouw encourages families to adopt different cultural food themes to keep the holidays interesting. She suggested trying Portuguese cuisine this Christmas, as it is easy to replicate and more affordable.
Rossouw concluded by encouraging families to marinate meat and prepare potato salad the day before a braai, as it tastes better the next day. She also advised readers to look out for the recipes her students have in store this festive season.
She advised people to limit being busy on Christmas Day so they can enjoy time with loved ones.
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