Brisbane Hilton Masterclass, pre kids I used to attend these every year, so it's been a few years since I attended one but it lived up to my fond memories and didn't disappoint. I had a great time despite being on a blend of antibiotics and other prescription medication for a super sinus infection. Yup that meant no wine tastings for me, so I'll only be sharing the food portion of the day's experiences with you.
Session 1 - Queensland Catch - Nick Holloway, Russell Armstrong and Nick Ryan
Australian seafood and award winning chefs, 9 o'clock in the morning seemed too early to be enjoying these delicious dishes, but no one at our table was complaining, or leaving behind a morsel.
My favorite was the Crayfish and Avocado dish
Chilled Salad of Freshwater Crayfish, Avocado Shiso Cress and Fresh Wasabi, Toasted Sesame and Soy
Seared Hervey Bay Scallops on Skordalia and Gazpacho Gel
Butter Poached Prawn and Spiced Lentil Toasty with yogurt, Cucumber and Curry Leaf
Diamond Scaled Mullet, Creamed Lemon Polenta and Pancetta on a Niciose Styled Salad of Green Beans, Tomato and Olives
Session 2 - Passionate Patissier Adriano Zumbo
Adriano Zumbo - ok you know I was going to be at this session. However we were all a bit surprised when the recipe stated Adriano was making schnitzel and wagyu. But don't fret it was soon revealed that there was no meat in sight and these were indeed sweet dishes.
Adriano was refreshingly down to earth. His satirical take on desserts was visually amazing, inspired by afternoons watching his father play lawn bowls. The textures and tastes worked together perfectly which was of course not surprising from the current Australian patisserie king.
Moderator Alastair McLeod pried out a number of stories regarding Adriano's rise to fame.
It was interesting to note that Adriano believes that the consumer no longer want's 'just sweet' which was reflected in his demonstration. How can you argue with someone who in 3 years has built a reputation which results in his store closing at lunchtime due to the inability to keep up with demand. But I'm not completely convinced, although these dishes were quite amazing given a choice for a morning snack I would definitely choose a more simple and traditional sweet dish. I assume that Adriano and other pastry chef's palates may become jaded with the daily assault of macarons and other 'sweet' pieces that the rest of us crave.
Despite his appearances on Masterchef Adriano is not a performer he is a pastry chef. This was the session I was most looking forward to and I still feel lucky that I was able to attend.
Dessert 'Schnitzel'
'Wagyu Steak'
and of course what Zumbo experience would be complete without some macarons.