Paco Torreblanca, A Peek into Pastelería Totel, 2009

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On the main stage of the 2009 StarChefs International Chefs Congress, it at first appeared as if Paco Torreblanca was about to demo an oyster dish. But no, the Spanish pastry chef’s dessert oysters were realistic enough to trick the eye. In his presentation, A Peek into Pastelería Totel, Torreblanca offered a look at the creative process and techniques behind the restaurant. To make the oysters, he constructed a mold using acetate, a hair dryer, white chocolate, and an actual oyster shell. (Torreblanca joked that to make this dish, you must first eat a bunch of oysters, preferably with Champagne.) The faux oyster even got a spherified pearl for that fresh-from-the-sea look. In a second feat, Torreblanca created a mock egg, made of chocolate and filled with chocolate mousse and sugar "caviar,” to resemble a savory egg custard. The final dish was another egg, this time made with mousse and alcohol and embellished with gold leaf. In describing his philosophy, Torreblanca admitted to being a bit old-fashioned. He wanted to only use three or four components at a time, such as a classic banana bread or olive oil cake, but highly stylized on the plate.