Discovering new dragee flavors with pastry chef Oleksandr Brazhevskyi

Today, we will tell you about a unique master class on the topic of "Dragee," which took place on March 13 at the Chef University Culinary Academy. We are grateful to Oleksandr Brazhevskyi — pastry chef and chocolatier — for hosting an event with original dragee recipes that completely changed our perception of this dessert.

Since ancient times, dragees were created for the long-term storage of fruit, berry, and nut fillings under a dense sugar or chocolate shell. These treats have remained in the diets of people across the globe. We are used to standard variations, such as "sea stones" or the well-known colorful nut-and-chocolate candies from the mass market. But in reality, there is always an open space for culinary experiments.

Therefore, at the master class, we tried completely untypical flavors and an entirely new level of candy quality. The foundation of each type of dessert consisted of selected nut inclusions: hazelnut, almond, and pistachio from the Santo Santaniello and Callebaut brands. To produce professional-quality chocolate-covered dragees, a confectionery panning machine (coating pan) is required. It helps distribute the liquid glaze evenly and preserves the attractive appearance of the candies.

During the dragee preparation, the pastry chef shared important nuances for maintaining perfect recipes. After the informative part, we tasted the following candy variations:

• Blueberry with Yogurt: A delicate creamy taste with a sweet blueberry base and its characteristic light acidity. The juicy blueberry retained its natural flavor thanks to perfect inclusion preparation technology, while the yogurt filling added a creamy texture.

• Almond-Coffee: Features a pronounced deep almond flavor combined with an aromatic coffee trail. A sophisticated recipe for true gourmets who enjoy rich taste profiles.

• Hazelnut-Caramel: An original combination of crunchy yet tender hazelnut with caramel was especially liked by fans of intense nutty stories. Whole hazelnut kernels were used for this type of dragee.

• Orange-Raspberry: An attractive fresh taste with fruity notes. Sweet and sour orange and juicy raspberry created a harmonious tandem that unfolded during the tasting.

Which ingredients are essential for such a dessert experience? For a fresh fruity taste, we were suggested to add Aptunion inclusions and osmotic-dried inclusions from Desing. The assortment of these ingredients is designed for every taste; you can try spicy ginger or add the natural acidity of lemon or cranberry. For the recipes proposed by Oleksandr Brazhevskyi, raspberry, orange, and blueberry inclusions were used. For the aesthetic presentation, the author chose crispy decors from TM D’Orsogna. To create various types of fillings, the Cookit and Callebaut brands offer a wide range of flavors: chocolate-hazelnut gianduja, classic caramel, creamy milk, creamy hazelnut, and salted caramel.

With such a diverse selection of high-quality ingredients, we are always ready for taste achievements. Watch the creation of culinary masterpieces together with us.