It’s hard to live in Australia and not become obsessed with food, and subsequently the television show Masterchef Australia. The series here is infinitely better than the Gordon Ramsey rendition we get in the States. The cooks are leaps and bounds more talented, the challenges more diverse, and (the best part) the tone is positive and congenial. The contestants are friendly and the judges (Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston) act as supportive mentors.
Earlier this week, I had the privilege of attending a cooking class with Season 6 contestant Amy Shields. The class took place in a friend’s kitchen. It was Amy, me, and two others, so the student to teacher ratio was amazing! Amy (like all contestants on Masterchef) is a home cook. She doesn't have a chef's resume or a culinary degree. What she does have is passion, creativity and good intuition when it comes to food.
Amy arrived carrying ONE medium-sized box of supplies and ingredients. (I was expecting a push-cart packed to the brim). She came ready to prepare two different kangaroo dishes and a mixed berry Pavlova for four people, and I am almost positive her "mobile kitchen" was made up of less than 25 items (total)! It was inspiring to see and taste what she could do with so little.
Below are a few photos from the class, as well as list of what was in Amy's mobile kitchen, and some of the tidbits she shared along the way. The celeriac puree with the puffed wild rice and pickled beetroot was my favorite. Truly divine!
Amy's Mobile Kitchen
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Rice bran oil
White vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Castor sugar
Thyme
Eggs
Brown sugar
Cornflour
Thickening cream
A bag of rocket
Small packet of wild rice
1 Celeriac root
Apx. 7 small beetroots
Kangaroo meat
A few stalks of celery
1 carrot
Onion
A cup of chicken stock
5-6 chicken wings
Butter
Education, Tips & A Recipe
Celeriac puree
- A root veggie used like a starch
- Sauté in olive oil, and butter adding water periodically so that it steams
- Once it’s soft (literally falling apart), transfer to food processor, add thickening crème, and blend
Beetroots
- Boil them prior to roasting (apx 20 mins)
Pickling liquid
- Don’t mix this in a metal bowl because vinegar will cause it to take on a metallic taste
- White vinegar, salt, pepper, spoon of sugar, thyme
Post marinade
- Wait until after you cook meat to pepper it
- Mix pepper, salt, oil, a few drops of red wine vinegar and thyme in a small bowl and let meat sit in this marinade for apx. 5 minutes after the cook
- You never want to cut or serve meat immediately – needs to rest for apx. 5 mins otherwise juices will just run out the second it’s cut
Sauce
- The more finely you chop your veggies, the more flavor
- Same with bones, the smaller the pieces, the more flavor you bring out
- Cook chicken bones first until brown and starting to caramelize
- Add a small amount of balsamic vinegar (apx. 1/8 of a cup) to deglaze the pan (lifting what has stuck to the bottom while cooking) - you want this incorporated into flavor of your sauce (can use anything acidic to deglaze)
- Add veggies and sauté keeping in mind the longer you cook, the more flavor you will get (just don’t burn)
- Add stock
- Strain out veggies and bones to get sauce, then add a dollop of butter to finish off and add a glossiness to the sauce
P.S. Amy is on a roadshow with her cute hubby. Follow her journey as she cooks from their camper through the Australian outback.
Earlier this week, I had the privilege of attending a cooking class with Season 6 contestant Amy Shields. The class took place in a friend’s kitchen. It was Amy, me, and two others, so the student to teacher ratio was amazing! Amy (like all contestants on Masterchef) is a home cook. She doesn't have a chef's resume or a culinary degree. What she does have is passion, creativity and good intuition when it comes to food.
Amy arrived carrying ONE medium-sized box of supplies and ingredients. (I was expecting a push-cart packed to the brim). She came ready to prepare two different kangaroo dishes and a mixed berry Pavlova for four people, and I am almost positive her "mobile kitchen" was made up of less than 25 items (total)! It was inspiring to see and taste what she could do with so little.
Below are a few photos from the class, as well as list of what was in Amy's mobile kitchen, and some of the tidbits she shared along the way. The celeriac puree with the puffed wild rice and pickled beetroot was my favorite. Truly divine!
Amy's Mobile Kitchen
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
Rice bran oil
White vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Red wine vinegar
Castor sugar
Thyme
Eggs
Brown sugar
Cornflour
Thickening cream
A bag of rocket
Small packet of wild rice
1 Celeriac root
Apx. 7 small beetroots
Kangaroo meat
A few stalks of celery
1 carrot
Onion
A cup of chicken stock
5-6 chicken wings
Butter
Education, Tips & A Recipe
Celeriac puree
- A root veggie used like a starch
- Sauté in olive oil, and butter adding water periodically so that it steams
- Once it’s soft (literally falling apart), transfer to food processor, add thickening crème, and blend
Beetroots
- Boil them prior to roasting (apx 20 mins)
Pickling liquid
- Don’t mix this in a metal bowl because vinegar will cause it to take on a metallic taste
- White vinegar, salt, pepper, spoon of sugar, thyme
Post marinade
- Wait until after you cook meat to pepper it
- Mix pepper, salt, oil, a few drops of red wine vinegar and thyme in a small bowl and let meat sit in this marinade for apx. 5 minutes after the cook
- You never want to cut or serve meat immediately – needs to rest for apx. 5 mins otherwise juices will just run out the second it’s cut
Sauce
- The more finely you chop your veggies, the more flavor
- Same with bones, the smaller the pieces, the more flavor you bring out
- Cook chicken bones first until brown and starting to caramelize
- Add a small amount of balsamic vinegar (apx. 1/8 of a cup) to deglaze the pan (lifting what has stuck to the bottom while cooking) - you want this incorporated into flavor of your sauce (can use anything acidic to deglaze)
- Add veggies and sauté keeping in mind the longer you cook, the more flavor you will get (just don’t burn)
- Add stock
- Strain out veggies and bones to get sauce, then add a dollop of butter to finish off and add a glossiness to the sauce
P.S. Amy is on a roadshow with her cute hubby. Follow her journey as she cooks from their camper through the Australian outback.
