Can you imagine spending 2 fabulous hours in a kitchen with an awesome Chef?
Well lucky me … I got to do this recently with five other ladies!
We were participating in a Master Class with the very successful Chef and Restaurateur, Chris Taylor, at the iconic Fraser’s Kings Park.
Photo | One of the gorgeous dishes cooked for us in the Chef’s kitchen!
Chris shared quite a few tricks of the kitchen, one of these being how to shuck and serve natural oysters. I am allergic to seafood, which meant that for a while I stood sadly alone on the other side of the kitchen bench, watching the other ladies immerse themselves in the art of oyster shucking. Interestingly, Chef had also demonstrated how to lay the oysters onto a massive bed of ice, and yet a few of the women were more interested in laying the oysters straight into their mouths (hence the oyster didn’t even come close to making it anywhere near the bed of ice. I am not one to name names so one, in particular, will remain nameless (and yet thankfully I do have photographic evidence).
Photo | Evidence
The lovely young man in the kitchen who was in training saw the look of total starvation on my face (or possibly the dribble running down my chin) and made sure that I got to enjoy a massive serving of the Celeriac Soup finished off with crème and fresh truffle. I am still salivating just thinking about this dish.
I just have to share it with you (and Chef said it was OK):
Photo | Chef Chris Taylor
Ingredients:
Celeriac, peeled and diced 2cm cubes
2 litres of milk
2 peeled potatoes
2 sprigs of thyme
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 onion finely diced
Method:
-Sweat the onion and garlic in a little olive oil, and add the thyme
-Add the celeriac and potato
-Cover with the milk and simmer with a cartouche for approximately 30 minutes
-Strain keeping the liquid
-Blend adding the liquid bit by bit, until smooth and silky consistency
To Serve:
-Serve with a chunky pesto alongside (however we went for the second option of topping it with cream and fresh truffle), and trust me nothing beats cream and truffle.
Did you know? Cartouche | (I had never heard of this before) means a circle of greaseproof parchment paper that is used to cover a dish while poaching or simmering.
So check out some of these gorgeous photos. I can still smell the delicate hint of the truffle, which was not overpowering, simply melts in your mouth.
Photo | The Real Thing … Celeriac
Once you have made this gorgeous soup (ideally from fresh celeriac), which Chef suggested could also be enhanced with potato or just about any other suitable vegetable (which makes the celeriac go a little further), grab your bowl filled with some whipped cream and then pull out your little bit of heaven, the fresh truffle.
The chef suggested that $10 of truffles would possibly be adequate for a dinner party. I am sure you know just how expensive truffles can be, so it was helpful to obtain this guide.
He keeps his little piece of heaven in an airtight container, packed in greaseproof paper and the fridge.
Dob a generous serving of cream on top of the soup and then shave (using a very fine grater) the fresh truffle directly on top of the cream.
Trust me this one will not disappoint!
Following is a list of the iconic and impressive venues owned and managed by Chris Taylor and his wonderful team. I must confess I am a massive fan of the burgers at The Old Brewery. I am a sucker for a great burger (did I also say fries).
Debbie-Ann Scott 