Media Launch: Italian Master Class by Accento and ICCI

The Italian Cooking Master Class series enter its second year courtesy of Accento and it sponsors along with the recognition by the Italian Chamber of Commerce & Industry.    Each chef hosting one class as part of the series are proud holders of the Ospitalita’ Italiana award, a certified Italian quality seal bestowed only to the most authentic practice in the Italian culinary industry.  Needless to say, the Media Launch night was no less spectacular where food was concerned although I did get a little lost in the Italian culture and language that followed.  So for keen cooks looking to deepen their knowledge in authentic Italian Cuisine, be quick to register @ www.icci.asn.au or call 0892174200.  All classes are held in the Accento showroom in Claremont.  First class starts on the 20th this month.

 

Now, putting formality aside, I cannot deny that I had a really good night and as the little darling was too shy to come along, I asked another friend, J to fill in.  He too had a pretty awesome night.  I mean who would not have enjoyed all the beautiful food coming from the Accento kitchen?Chef Giuseppe Pagliaricci of Perugino (top) and Chef Egidio Squillace from Event Style (bottom) started the night with some well balanced fingers food ranging from scallop Carpaccio's to deep fried Bococcini  and even several toast with delicious toppings!

He is in the midst of preparing the gnocchi for the pasta course!

 

Scallop Carpaccio with mango is every bit spectacular as I expect it to be especially the fruity mango used as a topping.  Needless to say that even the best pairing can be flawed when the quantity is off.  Fortunately, this was exceptional.   

Prawn and pesto sauce.  While this was another fresh course, I found the serve too small for me to enjoy the richness of a typical pesto but I could not fault with much other than that!

Bacala (cod) fritters (without potato) was also another decent eat.  It had good texture although a significant portion of its crunch was lost due to its standing time on the plate.                                                                             Cod fritters.

 

The toast which I found to be really awesome.  It was simple.  Just crisp right, the correct portion of cheese and that topping of truffles was really minimalistic but the flavors were just at the right intensity.  Although a tad too dry, the combination of flavors were simply sublime!  Really quite extravagant and it reminded me of little darling’s parmesan net, chicken broth and truffle toastie that we had at Robuchon’s restaurant in Hong Kong. See post here Le Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

Besides this we had other starters like the crumbled bocconcini which was another tasty morsel served to us that night.  For me, it was again another minimalistic approach to maximize the natural flavors of the ingredient.  This felt very Italian.  Something like that when left to the Americans would normally come with Smokey barbecue or some sort of dip.  And in fact, a more popular dish that day would have to be the prawns wrapped in prosciutto.  Something that disappeared so very quickly when served.  Every single time.  But no worries, I caught it in the pan :)!

 

Following the launch and speeches by organizers, we moved on from finger food to the main  courses for the night.  First up was a course of pasta.                                                                                                                        Chef Giuseppe Pagliaricci of Perugino looking exceptional in this photo. He loves his Italian food and his expressions do not lie.  Here, he prepares the sauce used for the gnocchi.  This was for me an extremely genius dish which I enjoyed best.

 

The gnocchi with gorgonzola, apple, parmesan and pine nuts Fluffy gnocchi pillow coated with decadent gorgonzola and parmesan sauce.  Wow factor for the night.  The aroma of the cheese was easily orgasmic and the flavors of the cheeses mellowed really nicely.  Especially when eaten with the little bits of apple.  Yums!  Pine nuts hmmmm I could not taste any.

 

Ravioli filled with potato, cheddar, and prosciutto with a pumpkin sauce and a dash of béchamel was the second pasta course.The pasta skin made under the watchful eyes of the chef was thin and silky smooth!  Chef Giuseppi says, the most important thing for the pasta is the ratio of egg to flour.  He was careful enough to not spill his magic ratio so if you want to find out more, definitely register for the first Italian Master class led by him @ www.icci.asn.au or call 0892174200.  For me though, the highlight was the perfectly cooked pumpkin sauce.  So delish :)! The white sauce despite complementing the dish did not feel like it was needed! 

 

Rack of lamb cooked with olive oil, lemon juice and oregano was the meat course which I loved best.  It was tender, and the flavors of the lamb were not clouded by any seasoning.  It was just good old classic rack of lamb with pepper and salt, a few other herbs that was sealed before being finished in the oven.  Lip-smacking good!

 

To finish the night, we had various cakes and more but the only desserts that could fit in my tummy were the 

1. Macadamia panna cotta with white chocolate sauce

2. Pistachio panna cotta with berry sauce

These desserts continued the enjoyment we foodies were having for the night.  While both were absolutely moorish, the acidity of the berry sauce gave the panna cotta an added complexity rather than topping sweet milk with more sweet milk.  For me, the Macadamia panna cotta with white chocolate sauce  did not reach the extent of cloying but felt bland as there was not contrast whatsoever.  One comment though, was that the pistachio in the berry panna cotta did not provide much crunch.  Felt somewhat soggy!   Perhaps better on top then at the bottom? :)!  Nevertheless, every spoonful was enjoyable :)! Just being picky because you expect chef’s like that to be at the top of their game! Bwahahaha

 

I was too full to eat anything else by the time the clock struck 9.   For me, tonight was awesome and I can only imagine the rest of the master classes where all participants get to feast on equally moorish courses.  How would I describe the quality of the food today?  Well authentic would be a great place to start albeit a bit shallow if one assumes all Italian cooks are equally pure.  For me, the food today was to a certain extent minimalistic but manages to capture the Italian flavors at its best.  So is it time to bring out the inner Italian in you?

 

For me, it was also the first time meeting my foodie mates TFP, ChompChomp and the Queen of Bad Timing.  All of which were super friendly and lovely people.  Maybe next time I will not be too paranoid about media launches although I have to say that the formality of such invite usually extends past my norm hahaha.

 

More information of the Italian Cooking Masterclass is shown below courtesy of http://travelletto.com

All demonstrations start at 6.30pm and held at the Accento Showroom, 256 Stirling Highway Claremont.

Cost per class is $90 or $500 for the series of six.

For more information, visit www.icci.asn.au or call 08 9217 4200.

 

WenY

Follow me :)!

Bites: West End Deli @ West Perth

Knowing where to eat can really come from simple chit chats and recommendations from the people around you.  Having heard heaps of praises from an ex-colleague and my junior, I finally decided to give West End Deli a try.  Positive reviews of this place are plenty and there seems no slowing down for this little eatery located on the of West Perth (though it felt more like Northbridge).                                                                                                                                       Inception?  No, just a light feature in the house that was intentionally left derelict.

Just another barista rocking up his favourite stuff on a Sunday morning!                                                        Coming in at 9.20 in the morning, I found the service a little below acceptable.  Various gestures to call for the waitress were regarded without a nod or eye contact making impossible to confirm whether anything has been established.  Head waitress which wore specs had probably the best discipline that day.  Fortunately, more capable hands came on board and it did not take long for the service to escalate back up.  Empty cups on the tables were filled with water and everything seemed to be moving again.  THANK GOD.

After about 20 minutes of wait time, our breakfast arrived on our tables.  I would have to say that the presentation was meticulous and rustic in a great way.                                                                                                  Salmon rillettes with cress salad, and slow cooked egg.  For me, if you look for simplicity but feel too lazy to construct anything, this is spot on.  The perfectly cooked onsen egg perched on top of a delicious salmon rillettes mound was simply tantalizing.  In terms of taste, the rillettes was light, with a subtle seasoning from the herbs and heaps of acidity from the lemon.  It was a refreshing breakfast but if you put it in a more layman term, some might liken it to salmon and mayo spread.  For me, this was one of the healthiest breakfast I have seen in awhile. 

Fishman decided to go for the poached eggs duo with a serve of cherry tomato and goat ricotta on the side.  As simple as it looks, several cafes have disappointed me in their ability to serve runny yolks.  This was perfect.  Huge eggs with large yolks were runny as hell.  Acidity in the marinade paired with the sweet tomatoes create a sensation worth dying for.  And for me, strong flavored cheese like this ricotta just bring everything together.  While I really loved the whole thing together, Fishman found the cheese a little too strong for his liking but praised the tomatoes.

For my breakfast I decided to have the mushroom and pork croquettes, smoked creamed corn and fried egg.Cutting through the first croquette, a delightful crunch was heard before steam poured out of the cavity.  It was superb.  I believe whenever the chefs say that the right amount of salt makes a big difference, it really does.  This was just spot on.  More interestingly, the smoked creamed corn carried a beautiful hickory flavor which mellowed beautifully with the earthiness of the corn.  In fact, the medley of herbs which I believe consisted of coriander, basil and mint was a surprise considering how well it went with the deep fried croquettes as it was really refreshing in each bite.  The only element which did not stood out so well for me were the fried eggs.  I would have liked a more runny yolk to coat the bits and pieces from the croquettes, herb salad and corn.  It would then, be a truly fulfilling moment.  Nevertheless, this was no less a perfect bite.

Having run a good 10km before breakfast, I decided to end my brunch with a delicious treat of chocolate tart, crème fraiche and mandarin puree.                                                                                                                                            For starters the chocolate ganache was pretty damn good. I am not a sweet tooth but the ganache which was rich in cocoa yet carried such a subtle sweetness was really what had me going in spoon after spoon.  It felt decadent and rich yet not too cloying.  However, it was the crust that was a let down.  As I shared it around the table, we found the crust to be a little more doughy than short.  For us, this was were improvements could be made.    Additionally, having the mandarin puree on the side really complemented the chocolate with it zesty flavors cutting through the decadent ganache.  Having said all of these, the $15 charged was hard to fork out.  Something similar at Harvest was only around $6 and while it lacked the mandarin puree, it was no less a good ganache.  Paired with a very short pastry, it was decadent.

Over all, I am superbly impressed by West End Deli.  The morning started a little bumpy with the patchy service showing flaws here and there.  But as soon as that picked up, I have to insist that the food we ordered spoke for themselves.  For me, its rustic appearance paired with impeccable taste composition makes this place hard to fault.  Conversely, the serving sizes were pretty small but for such quality, it was still on the money.  Its derelict building also looked hip and cool, a trend that is highly sought after nowadays.  But unlike most, West End Deli still puts substance before form when it comes to food on a plate.  I really hope Gorgon Street Garage could learn a thing or two.  This is what food is all about.  And if you notice the barista, he was no less good looking compared to the hipsters at Gordon!!

WenY

Follow me :)!