Chefs and wild animals aren't necessarily the
closest of friends....
Except if they end up on each others dining plate ;)
Although, this time the two worked in harmony to raise funds towards fighting extinction
for some of the worlds most amazing creatures.
A very familiar face,
George Calombaris, headed the star studded line up of
chefs which included Travis McAuley from Hellenic Republic, Joe Grabc from The Press Club, Japanese master Shaun Presland from Sake
and
dessert guru Darren Purchese from Burch & Purchese .....
......and I was lucky enough to be able to tag along and hang out in the make shift kitchen at
Melbourne Zoo with these guys.
Shaun's dish was the first to go out
Sashimi salmon, seared with a blow torch, nori puree
and a few other bit and pieces (wasabi and ginger)
that just made your mouth say-
Thankyou!
Kye and Tash where keen to grab a quick snap with Shaun....
And George .....
I think the best thing about being involved with an event like this
is, that you not only get to have a chat with some inspiring chefs,
you also get to help them out in the kitchen....
And sample their handy work
Bonus!
I was too busy enjoying the 'samples'
to snap any photos of the other courses but rest
easy...
Dessert was not forgotten!
"Gorilla's Breakfast"
Caramelised white chocolate mousse with a soft passionfruit centre, roasted
banana cream, banana jelly, salted caramel and avocado cream....
I can guarantee you the Gorillas would not be the only ones eating this for breakfast...
Delicious...
As George would say ;)
Team Burch & Purchese representing ........
(or just having a laugh)
Me, Kye, Darren Purchese, Catherine 'Jugs' and Tash!
'Jugs' plating up under the watchful eye of George.
Yes, pretty chuffed that I was plating up with Shaun...
Such a good egg!
The night was a 'roaring' success
raising a generous amount going towards]saving the animals,
and i was all thanks to these incredible chefs!
We always have a bit of fun at B&P ;)
Oops...
I almost forgot to send a recipe your way...
This one is just a simple one to have in your memory bank...
Jelly
100ml liquid
1 gold leaf of gelatine (bloomed)
This is just a very general guide to making a simple jelly,
but I have found it works well.
Try purees such as raspberry (just blitz frozen berries and strain out the seeds), passionfruit or
even a tea.
Just be careful when using citrus of fruits high in acidity, them counteract the
gelatine and can hinder the setting.
Other than that have a crack,
you could set it in glasses or holds or even try layering a jelly on top of another
(make sure the first layer is set before adding the next)
Yum!
Enjoy!
Photos were taken on my Nikon V1