Masterchef & Great British Menu star Michael O’Hare launches a stunning new dessert… featuring kids’ favorite sweets
A MASTERCHEF star has given classic desserts a surprising twist with new sweets from Skittles Desserts.
Michelin-starred Great British Menu chef Michael O’Hare is renowned in gourmet circles for his distinctive and creative dishes.
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But now Michael, also a Masterchef guest, has been asked to take his avant-garde culinary expertise and apply it to a range of popular puddings – albeit using packs of US confectionery Skittles.
The result was initially a chocolate orange ganache consisting of deconstructed chocolate orange cake with chocolate ganache.
Next came Sweet and Smokey Strawberries, made with smoked strawberry ice cream topped with grilled strawberries and topped with silver leaf.
Third was the Rainbow Alchemy, made from a selection of Skittles desserts.
Each candy was melted and shaped at a different temperature and dipped in a layer of colored chocolate and cocoa butter that burst when bitten.
Lastly, Michael got a watermelon tartare – served with a strawberry ice cream sorbet, also from the sweets.
His surprising work comes after a survey of 2,000 adults found younger Brits are skipping traditional desserts like syllabub, fig pudding and jubilee cherries.
Of the 18-34 year olds surveyed, 45 percent say they would rather skip dessert at home and instead treat themselves to a bag of sweets on the sofa.
Only 13 percent have eaten a Queen of Puddings, while just 16 percent have enjoyed a strawberry shortcake.
It also found that 43 percent of millennials would prefer a lighter dessert – 36 percent opt for a heavier pudding.
And 44 percent of teens admit they never make dessert at home.
Ryan Pardo-Roques, Chief Fruit Flavor Alchemist at Mars Wrigley, who commissioned the research, said, “We pride ourselves on innovating with our flavors.
“We loved working with Michelin-starred chef Michael O’Hare, who shares our vision of a more fun world of dining experiences and creations.”
Michael himself said: “Dessert is a delight – but I wasn’t surprised to learn that tabletop desserts are on the decline.
“I’ve teamed up with Skittles Desserts to make desserts desirable again through these unique and delicious creations that are inspired by ordinary flavors and experienced in extraordinary ways.”
The study also found that 69 percent of Britons admit they have a penchant for sweet tooths.
And 53 percent would choose an after-meal sweet treat when dining out rather than an appetizer if forced to do so.
Still, many believe certain sweets sound old-fashioned by today’s standards – with spotted dick (51 percent) and jam roly poly (37 percent) being the most commonly associated with times long past.
Some also have no idea what ingredients to use in “Syllabub” (46 percent) and “Queen of Puddings” (42 percent).
Among home bakers surveyed via OnePoll, apple crumble (66 percent) is the most popular dish to prepare in the kitchen, followed by Victoria sponge cake (58 percent) and cheesecake (56 percent).
However, of those who don’t dare to make dessert at home, a third realize they don’t have the skills to make it.
It has also been found that most adults eat dessert twice in a typical week.
And 58 percent just stick with what they know rather than try something new — and 38 percent say they don’t feel full until they’ve eaten something sweet after their main course.
Michael, from Eston in North Yorkshire, made his debut on the Great British Menu in 2015 – and returned to the show as a judge for the following three years.
In 2023, he was back on the show mentoring the chefs.
He also appeared on the BBC shows MasterChef and Yes Chef in 2016.
Michael has worked in some of the finest restaurants in the world including the Michelin starred John Burton Race at L’Ortolan in Reading, Berkshire and Noma in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen.
He also worked at Judges in Yarm, also in North Yorkshire, before becoming head chef at The Blind Swine in York.
In 2014 he opened his own restaurant in Leeds, The Man Behind The Curtain, which has become a Michelin starred restaurant.
And also in 2016 he became creative director of GG Hospitality, a company co-owned by former Manchester United footballers Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville – although he left in 2018.
The 10 best desserts that have never been tried by under 35s
1 curriculum
2 Queen of Puddings
3 cherry anniversary
4 strawberry fool
5 fig pudding
6 quark tart
7 Spotted Tail
8 Molasses Sponge Pudding
9 Knickerbockers Glory
10 molasses tart
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