Andrew Pingul
Based in Chicago, Andrew is a dedicated and experienced pastry chef passionate about modern techniques and flavor combinations. With over 12 years’ experience, Andrew started in savoury but quickly realised his passion for patisserie – and he’s never looked back. He’s worked in fine dining restaurants and event catering all over Chicago and spends his days at our USA development kitchen in Illinois testing, tasting and working with deZaan cocoa.
Get to know Andrew
What is your favorite cocoa-based dessert?
Personally, I always find myself gravitating towards simple desserts. I will often go for a really good, soft and decadent chocolate cake, for instance. Something with a soft cremeux or even just a simple buttercream.
What would be your top tip for using cocoa for other pastry professionals?
I really like hydrating my cocoa powder before using it in a recipe. Blooming it in a warm liquid within the formula helps open its aroma and starts to melt the fat in the cocoa powder and, depending on what kind of recipe (for example, ice cream), it can help emulsify the cocoa into the recipe more quickly and easily.
What are your favorite flavors for using alongside cocoa in pastry creations? You can’t go wrong with vanilla. It’s a great way to contrast the cocoa flavor in a composed dish and is simple yet so rewarding. Outside of that, one of my favorite combinations is Cocoa, Yuzu and Hazelnut.
