The Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie, a two-day competition, will take place on January 20, 2023, in Lyon, France. Twenty teams from around the world will participate, vying to be named the best pastry chefs in the world.
In order to compete in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie, each team will be required to prepare four desserts for tasting: a whole chocolate cake/dessert to be shared, a frozen fruit dessert, frozen lollipops, and a plated restaurant-style dessert.
Whole Chocolate Cake/Dessert to Share Category
The ‘whole chocolate cake/dessert to share’ category of the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie consists of four desserts that are intended to be shared, including a mock dessert made with VALRHONA ‘Pure Origine’ chocolates.
Frozen Fruit Dessert Category
The ‘frozen fruit dessert’ category of the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie must consist of four frozen desserts, including one mock dessert. The frozen desserts must have one of the eight designated Capfruit fruit purees as the dominant ingredient. Participants may also use other purees from the optional list, as long as they are used in small amounts. Only the designated Capfruit fruit purees are allowed, and the use of other fruit purees is not permitted. However, the use of raw fruit in addition to the designated purees is allowed.
Frozen Lollipops Category
The ‘frozen lollipops,’ a recently added category of the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie, refers to frozen desserts that are served on a stick, similar to the passed hors d’oeuvres found at a cocktail party. These one or two-bite frozen treats are known as lollipops. Each team is required to make 36 frozen lollipops, including 10 mock versions.
Restaurant Dessert (Plated Dessert) Category
The Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie competition has introduced a new category called the restaurant dessert (plated dessert). This category involves creating a dessert that would typically be served in a restaurant or hotel and must be prepared on-site. The plated dessert must be presented on a plate and prepared in a way that it could be served in a restaurant. This category is unique in that it is judged by a panel of seven judges, consisting of four restaurant pastry chefs and three chefs.
In the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie competition, the “ephemeral” plated desserts are tasted immediately after they are prepared for tasting. This allows for more delicate textures and temperatures than what is typically possible in a pastry shop. These desserts may be hot, cold, frozen, or a combination of different textures and temperatures. They must not be available for sale in pastry shops.
For the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie competition, each team is required to create 10 restaurant-style desserts that incorporate DEBIC dairy products. No mock dessert needs to be created for this category.
In addition to the four presentation categories, each team participating in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie competition is also required to create three artistic creations or centerpieces. These creations include one sugar artistic creation, one chocolate artistic creation, and one ice sculpture.
Sugar Artistic Centerpiece
For the sugar centerpiece in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie competition, teams must create a composition using sugar works such as ribbon, foliage, and realistic or abstract flowers. The theme of the competition must be reflected in the composition, which should be cohesive and not exceed a height of 165 cm including the base. The base itself must be no taller than 20 cm.
For the sugar artistic piece in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie competition, the composition must include the following proportions by volume: 30% pulled sugar (such as ribbon, foliage, or flowers), 30% blown sugar, 15% pastillage, and 25% free sugar (excluding pastillage and royal ice). The judges will be evaluating the team’s adherence to these proportion requirements.
Chocolate Artistic Centerpiece
For the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie competition, teams must include one block of Valrhona chocolate in their artistic creation. The block must have the following dimensions in millimeters: 480 mm in length, 270 mm in width, and 150 mm in depth. It can be used either horizontally or vertically. The block must be sculpted and incorporated into the artistic creation, rather than merely being placed on the buffet. Teams may use the block as the base for their creation, adding other chocolate elements to the sculpture.
For the chocolate artistic piece in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie competition, the maximum height of the creation, including the base, is 165 cm. The composition of the piece must be based on the weight of the supplied chocolates, and must include the following proportions by volume: 25% hollow mold, 30% shaped and carved chocolate (circle molding and stencils are allowed, with a maximum thickness of 2 cm), 15% glossy chocolate (achieved through use of a rhodoid sheet, mold, or heat shaping), and 30% creative chocolate at the team’s discretion (excluding molding).
The chocolate artistic piece must be sculpted and incorporated into the creation, rather than merely being placed on the buffet. Teams may use the block of supplied Valrhona chocolate as the base for their creation, adding other chocolate elements to the sculpture. The base for the creation, which must be brought by the teams and is not intended to be eaten, must have a maximum height of 20 cm and will serve as the assembly base for the artistic chocolate piece.
Sculpted Water Ice creation (Ice Carving)
Competitors in the ice sculpture creation event must adhere to a set of rules. Failure to follow these rules may result in penalties being imposed on the team.
The completed ice sculpture must not exceed 40 cm in height (excluding the base) or 50 cm (including the base). The base is optional, as the sculpture can be placed on a buffet table. The maximum dimensions of the finished sculpture are 60 cm in length, 50 cm in height, and 40 cm in depth.
The sculpture must be carved from a single block of water ice with dimensions of 50 cm in length, 50 cm in width, and 25 cm in depth. The block should be sculpted to minimize waste. Of the volume of the ice carving, 70% must be created using only a gouge or ice sculpting scissors, while the remaining 30% may be created using any carving tools or a grinder (though the use of a chain saw is prohibited).
For the ice sculpture in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie competition, the International Organization of Patisserie (I.O.C) will provide the blocks of water ice in the laboratories just before each team’s turn. Teams will have 1 hour and 30 minutes to create their sculpture, including installation and cleaning. The ice block will be sculpted in a dedicated area, with two of the 12 contest laboratories adapted for ice sculpting work. Each kitchen will be divided in two to accommodate two contestants at a time. After the sculptures are completed, teams must move them to refrigerated trucks where they will be stored until the buffet presentation. Before the end of the tests, teams must then move the sculptures from the trucks to the presentation buffet tables. At the end of the day, the pieces must be taken to the display cases provided for the creations’ exhibitions at the entrance to the Partners’ Village. Teams are responsible for the transportation and exhibition of their work, and must be able to dismantle and move their artistic piece as needed.
Overall Buffet Presentation
The buffet presentation should be cohesive and visually pleasing, with the sugar creation, chocolate creation, water ice sculpture, and mock pieces all working together to form a cohesive whole. The mock desserts should be integrated into the artistic pieces and have a visual connection with at least one of the sculptures. The entire composition should be placed on a tablecloth with a diameter of 150 cm and a height of 78 cm, and should not exceed a total height of 165 cm including the base (with a maximum base height of 20 cm). If these guidelines are not followed, the team may be disqualified. The completed composition will be displayed at the entrance to the contest area in designated display units, the details of which will be provided in the Technical Information File along with a map of the Chefs’ Area.
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Team U.S.A. is sponsored by Valrhona (Founding Sponsor), Nielsen Massey, CapFruit, Paris Gourmet, Midwest Imports, AUI Fine Foods, St. Michel, Chef Rubber, Irinox, Bit Baking, de Buyer, Robot Coupe, Tomric, The Ekus Group, Clement Designs, and Steelite USA.
