MasterChef Professional: Being a Winner!

Me and my Mate Marco

I won!!!!!! I don't normally win things but, apart from the lottery, there was nothing better I could think of that would be better than winning a Pre-screening of MasterChef Professionals, which started last Sunday. So off we went to Fox Studios to see the kick off of what promises to be "the most challenging food competition yet." Of course, I've been looking forward to Marco and Matt putting the pros through some gruelling challenges, so it was pretty exciting. What I had failed to remember in the excitement of winning something, was that Marco and Matt were also going to be there answering questions. With only another 20 or so people there there was plenty of opportunity to hear from Matt and Marco on Australian food culture, MasterChef behind the scenes, favourite moments from the series, George and Gary ability to let go and Marco's reputation for making Gordon Ramsay cry. What a great afternoon and an amazing opportunity to meet an amazing food great (oh, and Matt Preston!)

Happy Birthday to me!

My hubbie always spoils me and this birthday was no exception. In fact, this one was the spoiling of all spoilness. For the first time, instead of going out, he decided he would cook a surprise meal for me at home. I requested a fine dining menu of 3 courses. I did not, however, expect the lengths that he would go to deliver! I was hoping for something just a little bit more than a bowl of pasta. Let's just say if spag bol is a bungalow, my birthday dinner was a high rise!

We started of with a Spanish style tapas dish - Spanish croquettas. These little balls of delicious goo, breaded and deep fried just melted in our mouths setting the stage for the main to come.

From the aromas coming from the kitchen I had a feeling that we were going to be having something smoked. It smelt sweet and spicy, which infused the perfectly cooked duck beautifully. I recognised the dish as one Pete Evans cooked in series 1 of MasterChef and was so impressed by my hubbie's delicious and great looking rendition.

The piece de resistance came for dessert. I was almost expecting a croquenboche from hearing how much time he had spent in the kitchen, but it was quite different. An elegantly plated chocolate tart - also of Masterchef fame! It was Matt Moran's challenge to the series 1 finalists, Poh and Julie, and Cam certainly gave them a run for their money! If birthdays are a time for decadence and richness, this certainly was right on with chocolate ganache lining the plate, a slice of chocolate tart, chocolate mousse quenelles on the plate, chocolate sorbet to cut through the richness and chocolate Macarons for texture.

This was the best birthday treat ever! Three hat dining in my own home!

A little daunting.... What will I come up with for him next year?! Maybe I will need to bring on the croquenboche to top it!

MasterChef Live

I am the biggest MasterChef stalker groupie fan as you know, so I was so excited to attend MasterChef Live yesterday. It is the best of it's kind with so many cooking demonstrations, in between the exhibitors, we were hopping from stage to stage watching MasterChef contestants past and present sharing tips and tricks they have learnt and learning from the real life Sydney chefs.

I have several new little techniques that I'll try in our kitchen now - deep frying enoki mushrooms seems all the rage with the Season 4 contestants. We love mushrooms, and this little technique to add some crunch to a plate sounds like it will be great for summer entertaining!

Darren Robertson's sherbet is something I'll definitely test out at home. After a meal last year at Ritual where a cardamom sherbet lined the plate, it's been something I'd love to put my own spin on, and now I know how to make it!

Prompted by a fabulous meal at Ms Gs on Friday night, chicken was on my hubbies mind, and a causal conversation with Audra Morris sparked a few ideas for him to try for a fried chicken coating to rival Audra, Mindy and Kylies "3 Pepper Chicken" from their pop up, or Dan Hong's "Naked Chicken" that we loved the other night!

Duck from the Three Blue Ducks

Of course, it wasn't just picking up on techniques for the kitchen. We came home with lots of heavily discounted booty (including pre-sale of MasterChef 2012 winner, Andy's new book "The Next Element" and our bellys full of some amazing food - the highlight for me being the Three Blue Ducks slow roasted duck with Asian greens which fell off the bone and melted in your mouth - a perfect dish for eating with a plastic fork (and I hate eating with plastic cutlery at the best of times!) whilst sheltering from the light drizzle!

Top of the Pop(up)s

On Monday night we had a very unique experience at Bar H, a little stylish contemporary bar in Surry Hills. Tonight wasn't a normal night there but one when the kitchen was taken over by Mindy, Audra and Kylie - our favourite MasterChef girls! I was ecstatic to get a booking after feeling like I had left it a bit late for the "first in best dressed" booking policy so Audra's confirmation made my day! And how glad I was - such a fun evening and great food. It is a strange thing meeting the MasterChef girls. We know them so well like friends we have shared every evening for the last few months with so it didn't feel surprising when we walked in and there was Audra greeting everyone while Mindy and Kylie smiled and cooked in the open plan kitchen.

The service was fantastic and drinks were here in no time for my hubbie and I to toast to the meal to come. The little bowl of caramelised nuts and tiny crispy fish reminded me of snacks in the Philippines and Japan so I couldn't stop going back for another nibble! The girls greeted everyone and announced a family style menu. First up was a 3 pepper chicken served in a bag for everyone to dig in. The pepper hit was great and what succulent pieces of meat. We polished off our bag in no time and soon it was an amazing slow cooked beef short ribs in an Asian sauce with some Gai lan stir fried with garlic and chilli - some of our favourite flavour combinations. No sooner had we polished off the beef, but a Mapo Tofu (Grandmothers tofu) was presented. It looked fabulous, but I was worried I was going to have to eat this one alone, as Cam isn't a big tofu fan. I gave him a bit to try and he was hooked! The spiciness with the Chinese sausage and pork mince complemented the tofu perfectly and we finished our plate.

With our mouths still with that slight chilli burn, we were presented with an individual dessert with a number of components. There was a lychee granita - so sherbetty and with such great lychee flavour that it cleansed the palate beautifully before the black sesame ice cream and the coconut tapioca with fried won ton slivers to give a crispy texture. All the flavours worked so well as a great end to a fabulous meal - or so we thought!

Just before we got kicked out so they could prepare for the next sitting finally came a Szechuan Salt Chocolate Truffle and a home made fortune cookie! Now it truly was the end, and the girls calmly saw everyone off before I'm sure they rushed back to the stove to prepare for the next round!

It really was a night to remember, the food, the wonderful hostesses and the fun!

Can't cook? Yes you can!

Gary's French Onion Soup

I can't cook is something that I hear many people say! What I don't understand is that there's not much to cooking - at least home cooking that is.

Restaurant quality dishes are challenging and even me as an avid home cook would never have the creativity, food combination intuition or delicacy to put together some of the amazing concoctions that are served in some of the top restaurants.


No, what I am referring to are people who just think that they can't make food like me. I am no pretender, I make it very clear that I just follow a recipe and out pops an amazing dish! What these friends of mine are lacking is the patience to spend time in the kitchen preparing. 


The other day was a great example. I cooked Gary's Masterclass French Onion Soup which looked so amazing on MasterChef that I had to try it! It is such a simple dish - onions , stock, herbs and cheesy croutons. However, I bet the average non cook wouldn't dare - you know why? I spent about 20 mins peeling and slicing onions - the worst job in the kitchen! And then I spent about an hour caramelising then before adding any other ingredients. All it took was time and patience (and a few tissues to wipe the tears from my eyes!) to create a delicious dish. So anyone out there who thinks they can't cook, go on, to the MasterChef website, set aside an hour and a half and you'll see what an excellent cook you can be!

Tomorrow 2012 begins - MasterChefAU 2012 that is!

Tomorrow 2012 begins! Well Masterchef 2012 that is. I can't wait! I've been having withdrawals from cooking competitions since MKR finished a few months ago, and have been anticipating the start of MasterChef for weeks now!

I have managed to avoid the previews (all but one ad with a couple of hopeful contestants wringing their hands together in a vehicle) so I have no idea what this season will bring!

What I hope though is that they bring the Mystery Box and Invention Test combo back and that we see more of the personality of the Chefs and what they can really do. Last season I wished they would show more of what the Chefs cooking style really was. I know Jimmy from two series ago only seemed to cook curry but wow! what curry that was and it was amazing to see all he could do when given a bit of freedom. The contestants last year though seemed to be on a shorter leash with less personality that showed through.

I also hope that the Celebrity chef challenge is a weekly feature. How inspiring to see the top Aussie chefs in action with their signature dishes.

I am also hoping that I happen across a team challenge some day. Who do you have to know to wangle myself into the pizzeria or sushi bar the Contestants take over for the night?

Finally I am looking forward to being inspired to cook some fantastic meals. I love the recipes I have tried from the Masterchef kitchen and can't wait for some pressure test challenging recipes and to see the judges in action in their Masterclasses.

Universal Success

Seared Scallops

Since I saw Jimmy and Claire at Universal restaurant last season of MasterChef, I've been looking for an opportunity to pay it a visit. I knew I would enjoy Christine Manfield's food style as I love spicy dishes. 


Using the excuse of a free bottle of wine, thanks to Citibank's Dining deal, we headed down a few Friday's ago to the Darlinghurst restaurant. No wonder I hadn't heard of it before MasterChef as it's in a small courtyard near not very much else!

Steamed Snapper

The whole experience was right up my alley! There was a "smart casual" feel to the restaurant with coloured lights and the buzz of light conversation, but with a fine dining presentation. What I loved about the food at Universal was that the spice complemented each dish in a different way. They also used great produce showcasing the fantastic flavour without the hype of foams and jellys of some of the more serious restaurants. This just made it a bit more relaxed and made us feel a bit more at home than when we're on our best behaviour on one off visits to "posh" restaurants!

The shared plates were perfect sized and fun for us, and perfect since there was no order envy and we got to taste quite a few things on the menu. We went for seared scallops green asparagus tempura with wasabi avocado, pork belly, steamed pink snapper wrapped in jamon with white asparagus, sichuan pepper mandarin duck, slow braised green chilli galangal wagyu beef shin.
Universal was a great success and will become a real favourite for us. Can't wait for the next excuse to dine there!

It's the Bombe!

My Strawberry Bombe Alaska

To celebrate the end of Series 3 of MasterChef, I thought I'd go a bit outside my comfort zone, and add a bit of MasterChef pressure to my kitchen! I thought I'd try a version on Bombe Alaska. Now the MasterChef recipe looks fantastic, with coconut ice cream, cherry sorbet and a 10 egg yolk sponge, which is really a bit much for my busy weekend, so I searched around for a slightly easier version. It turned out pretty hard to find a less complex version where you actually make all the components. If I am going to the trouble of using a sugar thermometer and a blow torch on my creation, I at least want to know I've put the effort into the easy parts myself! Here is my Strawberry Bombe Alaska:

The Ice Cream and Sponge should be made in advance so they have time to cool (and freeze into the bombe shape in the case of the ice cream) so actually, this is quite a good dessert for a dinner party as it looks impressive and can be prepared before the guests have arrived! The gadgets I use are an ice cream maker, food processor, sugar thermometer and a blow torch. It is much easier with these, but I'm sure possible without (although a sugar thermometer is crucial for getting the Italian meringue right.)

Strawberry Ice Cream

Custard

1 cup of milk

1 cup of cream

4 egg yolks

½ cup of caster sugar

Strawberry puree

500g strawberries

1/3 cup of caster sugar

Sponge Base

62g butter

Dash of vanilla essence

¼ cup caster sugar

1 egg

¾ cup self raising flour 

1/6 cup of milk
1 tbsp brandy

Italian Meringue

4 egg whites

1 ½ cups caster sugar

Make the Ice Cream (I did this the night before)

Heat the milk and the cream until almost boiling;

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and ribbony;

Whisk the milk mixture into the egg yolks, then quickly put back on the stove in a clean saucepan;

Stir until thick and coats the back of the spoon;

Cool the custard (to prevent a skin forming on the top, rest some cling film over the surface of the custard).

Meanwhile, whizz up the hulled strawberries in a food processor, then pass through a sieve to remove the seeds;

Heat in a pan with 1/3 cup caster sugar and reduce till you have around 1 cup of puree;

Cool the puree.

Make the Sponge

While you're waiting for the ice cream components to cool, start on the sponge base. Preheat the oven to 180º; 

Grease and line a 20 cm round baking tin;

In the food processor, beat butter and vanilla essence until light in colour, add the sugar and beat till creamy;

Add one egg and beat till combined;

Add 1/2 of the flour and beat, then 1/2 the milk and beat till combined; 

Add the remainder of the flour, beat and then add the remainder of the milk and beat till combined and has formed a smooth mixture;

Scrape the mixture in the prepared baking tin and bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden (about 15 min in my oven) and a skewer comes out clean;

Remove from oven, and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Churn and freeze the ice cream

When the ice cream mixtures (custard and puree) are cold, mix them together well and churn as per your ice cream maker's instructions.

Line a pudding basin (just under 20 cm in diametre and 1 litre capacity) with cling film. When the ice cream has churned, scoop the ice cream into the pudding basin and place in the freezer to freeze completely.

Italian Meringue

I used the recipe from the MasterChef magazine, also found HERE which is outlined below.

"Combine sugar and 60ml (1/4 cup) water in a saucepan over low–medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Brush down the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals forming. Increase heat to medium and cook, without stirring, for 4 minutes or until syrup reaches 115C on a sugar thermometer.

Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and a pinch of salt to soft peaks. With mixer on low speed, gradually add syrup in a slow, steady stream, then increase speed to high and whisk for 10 minutes or until stiff and glossy." (taste.com.au)


Assemble the Bombe Alaska


When the Italian Meringue is stiff and glossy, it is time to assemble the bombe. Lay the sponge on a serving dish and sprinkle a tablespoon of brandy (or liqueur of your choice) over it to moisten. Turn out the ice cream out on to the sponge round. Trim the sponge if it's a little bigger than the ice cream pudding basin shape. Quickly cover the ice cream in Italian Meringue and then create your pattern with the spatula or a knife. Quickly caramelise sections all over with a blow torch.
Serve and Enjoy!

Recipes from a hungry cook

Marion, last season's MasterChef favourite, released her cookbook the other day, and at the Good Food Show in Sydney I had a chance to grab my copy of her book hot off the press and meet her to get it dedicated to me! Browsing through the pages I was delighted at the variety of recipes from Marion's kitchen. Her Thai background has influenced many of the recipes but there is also a whole lot that are inspired by other areas of her life: Darwin, South Australia, and her MasterChef experience. There are beautiful images and anecdotes Marion shares about villages in Thailand she's visited where her family lives, markets in Darwin and food memories which really bring the recipes to life!

Unfortunately, many of her more tasty looking recipes are not necessarily compatible with our current health kick, but I leafed through licking my lips at Deep Fried Pork Belly, Sticky Beef Ribs with Sweet Coriander Sauce, Confit Duck and Thai Fishcakes. Another day.....

Marion's Pad Siew (cooked by me!)

For a quick mid week option I chose one of the many healthier items from her menu, Pad Siew - a chicken and rice noodle dish with gai lan (Chinese brocolli). I also added a few bonus veggies from the fridge. The dish is served with a chilli infused vinegar drizzled on which gives it an acidic heat to balance out the slightly sweet flavour of kecap manis, an Indonesian dark soy.

It turned out to be delicious, crunchy, flavourful and very moreish - lucky I had made a whole wok full to heat up for lunches during the week too!

Food with Flares

Cheese Fondue

When it came to celebrating my husband's 40th a 70's "disco" party was the obvious choice. It ticked all the boxes - excuse to dress up in psychadelic gear and flares: check, dance around listening to cheesy disco music: check, justify purchase of a mirror ball: check and of course, delicious nostalgic 70's hors d'oeuvres (as they used to call them!): check!

Beef Wellington

It was with this last item on the party list that I was most excited! Being a food blogger and showing my food off to the world via the blog has it's disadvantages. All the guests somehow had high expectations of the feast that I would be presenting so my original idea of cheese cubes and tinned pineapple on toothpicks skewered into a half grapefruit, with a bowl of twiglets, just wasn't going to cut it. I had to think a bit more adventurous and impressive!

 Vol au Vents

Friends were guessing what they might taste, and all of them were looking forward to prawn cocktail, expertly prepared by our chef friend Neil, who lent a hand in the kitchen, and devils on horseback (juicy prunes wrapped in bacon  and grilled)! Cam prepared a chicken liver pate, and we had some prosciutto wrapped melon, reminiscent of our family favourite starters! Most guests also guessed the appearance of a 70's classic, a gruyere cheese fondue, which was as popular as it was in its heyday!

The Cake(s)

The chicken and mushroom vol au vents were a hit, and we really tucked into Gary from Masterchef's delicious Beef Wellington - perhaps not quite meant for canapes but fabulous tasting, and worth licking your fingers for!

Finally, we had black forest cup-gateaux and Cam's favourite - individual Margarita Lime Cheesecakes, courtesy of LivLife's fantastic recipe!

 Food fit for a fortieth with flare(s)!

The Big French Feed

The Big Feed is a campaign running from April to June encouraging foodies to use their talents to raise a bit of money to help food education projects of disadvantaged children in Australia. To put my cooking talents to good use sounded like a great idea to me, and my friends were happy, as always, for an invitation. If I was commanding donations, I thought I'd better go all out and what better cuisine than French to try for my gourmet meal!

MasterChef Justine's Duck with Sauce Aigre Douce

We kicked off the meal with Deep Fried Brie, a bread-crumbed brie dunked quickly into the deep frier until golden brown. The brie melts inside and oozes out all over the plate! It's delicious served with redcurrant jelly. The entree was a crowd pleaser and we kept the wine topped up while I prepared the next course, MasterChef Season 1 Justine's Duck with Sauce Aigre Douce with an Eschalot Tarte Tartin.

There are lots of components to this dish - a creamy celariac puree, crispy pastry of the eschalot tarte tartin, carrots with a hint of spice, and a delicious jus for a medium rare duck breast - but it's well worth it. Good mis en place made my life a lot easier so I could cook the duck perfectly and plate up quickly. Another successful course and all that was left on the plate was the top stalks of the baby carrots!

Eve's Chocolate Cake and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

The third course was a recommendation by my Uni classmate, Donn. It's his favourite chocolate cake and, when he found out I was a foodie, sent me the recipe to try out! Damien Pignolet, a chef of the reknown French Bistro in Sydney Bistro Moncur, is on to a winner with this one! Eve's Chocolate cake was probably the course of the evening! The flourless chocolate cake was simple to make, but so tasty and looked fabulous. I served it with a home-made vanilla bean ice cream which was a great combination.

What a fantastic evening - great food, great company and all for a great cause! Thanks to The Big Feed for the inspiration, and my lovely friends for making very generous donations to the great cause!