Yesterday a foodie girlfriend and I attended a workshop here on the
Gold Coast in Queensland. And what a great day it was!
It was held at our Arts Centre Complex and took the form of banquet
seating with tables of 8, 300 guests in total. The Complex restaurant
did the cooking for the degustation dinner whilst the three chefs
demonstrated the dishes on stage. We ate each course as they
demonstrated each one. We started at 11.30am and were eating and
drinking accompanying selected wines until 3pm. What a great way to
spend a Saturday!
The chefs were 1/ Dominique Chaudet from Champagne Brasserie, one of
the best French restaurants on the coast here (and averagely priced);
2/ Marty Kollrep of Oscars on Burleigh (fabulous location overlooking a
point on a surf beach)(expensive but top class) and 3/ Brian Meade,
Executive Chef of the Arts Centre Complex.
Being on the coast, seafood is always a prominent ingredient. Do you
want to know what each course was? Of course you do. 3 courses, 3
dishes of each.
====
Duck Liver Foie Gras with green bean salad (walnuts and oil etc.)
Scallop Ravioli with Verjuice and Roast Capsicum (bell peppers) sauce
Twice Baked Sandcrab Souffle, wilted spinach, garlic/dill cream sauce
====
Spicecrusted Spatchcock (or quail) with chilli plum sauce
Reef Fish fillet wrapped in a cos lettuce leaf, steamed, with smoked
tomato and herb olive oil vinaigrette
Poached Beef Fillet (in red wine) with Mushroom Custard & Bordelaise
Sauce
====
Glazed Goats Cheese Salad
Pear Tartin
Strawberry Salad in Chocolate Case & Raspberry Coulis

Wow! It was a taste sensation. Hard to pick a favourite dish, but the
Sandcrab Souffle was to die for. The ravioli was fab. too.
It is my 25th wedding anniversary this Monday, and my DH had already
decided we would go to Oscars (we live just nearby, hence a 2 min
drive and we can enjoy a champagne watching the day fade over the ocean
before dining and wining). I am so tempted to have that souffle again
as that was an Oscars dish!! Altho' I don't often order beef out
(because I can cook that well at home) it is also tempting because the
mushroom custard had a Japanese bent to it and was sublime. We'll see
-- but no, that was Brian Meade's dish...
I'll just have to cook these dishes at home.

My girlfriend and I quickly decided yesterday that we would tele. one
of our Dh's to pick us up so we could fully enjoy all the matched
wines. We then went back and collected our cars in the early evening.
Good move.

The Arts Centre hope to make this an annual event. I hope so. Such fun
and good value.

Cheers
-- Bronwyn

Bronwyn

Did you get the recipes while you were at the workshop?

I would particularly love the recipe for Spicecrusted Spatchcock (or
quail) with chilli plum sauce

Kathy


On 10 Sep 2005 19:08:50 -0700, "Bronwyn" > wrote:

>Yesterday a foodie girlfriend and I attended a workshop here on the
>Gold Coast in Queensland. And what a great day it was!


>Cheers
>-- Bronwyn
>

Yes kathy. but I have just this afternoon loaned the recipes and notes
to another girlfriend who couldn't make it....as I am about to go on
holidays for 5 weeks to the UK. Could you shoot me a email to
and that will jog me to send it to you either on
Monday week (when I see her again) or in a few weeks time.

That recipe was delicious too.
--Cheers
Bronwyn

In article .com>, "Bronwyn" > wrote:
>Yesterday a foodie girlfriend and I attended a workshop here on the
>Gold Coast in Queensland. And what a great day it was!
>It was held at our Arts Centre Complex and took the form of banquet
>seating with tables of 8, 300 guests in total. The Complex restaurant
>did the cooking for the degustation dinner whilst the three chefs
>demonstrated the dishes on stage. We ate each course as they
>demonstrated each one. We started at 11.30am and were eating and
>drinking accompanying selected wines until 3pm. What a great way to
>spend a Saturday!
[Snipped further detail.]

This reminded me of some sort of cooking competition that was recently
promoted in PR blurb from the Queensland DPI. I gather it was held
today (Sunday) week ago (i.e. 4 Sep 2005) somewhere in SE Qld
(Brisbane?). Selected extracts from the blurb:

<quoting>
Coordinated by the Meat and Livestock Association of Australia (MLA)
the Black Box Culinary Challenge is the largest international chef
competition in Australia and brings together leading young chefs from
15 countries including Vietnam, Dubai, Fiji, China and Indonesia.

Competing teams have a day to turn around a fabulous three course meal
for guests at Sunday's Gala Dinner using only ingredients from a
mystery black box.
</quoting>

It would be interesting to hear from anyone who was there!

Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

Yes, I heard about that too last week -- don't know anyone who
attended.
Sounded fun. A little more refined than Iron Chef hey <grin>.

Cheers
-- Bronwyn