Winning!

I'm winning like Charlie Sheen today but with less hookers and cocaine. I normally rush out and try to get my mits on the latest MasterChef Magazine, but not this issue. This issue comes with an old MasterChef Issue and I've been hoping to spot Issue 1 (it's the only one I don't have), but so far I have failed. However I caved when spotted this copy with a free Junior MasterChef Australia Cookbook. Hard cover goodness ...

Lasagne Vincisgrassi

The latest MasterChef Magazine has just arrived on newsstands and features the dreamy Adriano Zumbo on the cover. There are a number of recipes from Adriano Zumbo but I decided to have a good at the Lasagne Vincisgrassi recipe. Here is 20g of porcini mushrooms soaking in 250ml of boiling water. After they were soft, I drained mushrooms, finely chopped them before putting them into a large bowl. I also reserved the liquid.

500g field mushrooms (stalks removed) and 500g swiss brown mushrooms thinly sliced.

After sauteing the mushrooms, I added them to the large bowl containing the finely chopped porcini. I then chopped 60g prosciutto, 50g truffle paste and 3/4 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley. I then set the oven at 180C and turned my attention to the white sauce. The white sauce was made in two parts. In one pan add 750ml milk, 250ml cream, 1/2 cup of porcini liquid, 1 bay lead and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Bring to almost a boil on medium heat. In another pan melt 100g butter and 100g plain flour. Cook until grainy. When both items are ready, gradually whisk the milk mixture in and it will soon thicken. Cook the sauce for another 5 minutes or until it thickens. Pour half the sauce into the mushroom mixture and reserve the rest.

In a lightly greased rectangular baking dish, coat the base with white sauce and then lay a lasagne sheet on top. Layer half the mushroom mixture, add 25g grated parmesan, lay another a lasagne sheet, the rest of the mushroom mixture and add another 25g grated parmesan.

Finally top with a lasagne sheet, the remaining white sauce and a layer of parmesan. Cook in the oven for an hour or until golden.

Cool for ten minutes before slicing and you can then tuck into your gorgeous piece of Lasagne Vincisgrassi.

Adriano Zumbo V8 Cake

Top left to right: Crème chantilly with vanilla water gel. Macaron layer added with a tiny smear of toasted vanilla brulee. Toasted vanilla brulee layer added.

Bottom left to right: Vanilla chiffon cake brushed with vanilla syrup and then topped with vanilla ganache. Vanilla almond crunch. Vanilla dacquoise base with added vanilla crème chantilly to fill any spaces.

26 years ago my Mother pressed the eject button and I was spat out into the world. To celebrate this, I decided to undertake the huge challenge of baking the Adriano Zumbo V8 Cake. This cake first appeared in the 2010 season of Masterchef and it quickly captured the imagination of the nation. It also captured mine with its layers of vanilla crème chantilly, toasted vanilla brulee, vanilla water gel, vanilla ganache, vanilla macaron, vanilla dacquoise, vanilla chiffon cake and vanilla almond crunch, vanilla syrup enclosed in vanilla glaze. Normally I would photograph every piece and talk you through it but this cake had 20 steps and took me close to seven hours of preparing, baking, cleaning and constructing. So here are some handy tips I've learnt from this experience:

• You don't need a mortar and pestle to grind the roasted vanilla beans. Pop them into a snap lock bag and use a rolling pin.
  


• I purchased gelatine leaves, vanilla beans, pailette feuillitine and fine chocolate from Black Pearl Epicure.
  


• Gellan is horribly expensive, it is $156.25 for 400g. The good news is The Melbourne Food Ingredient Depot stocks 10g packets of gellan and titanium dioxide which makes this cake much more affordable.


• I made my own miroir glaze from a recipe from Leave Room for Dessert. I wasn't quite as comfortable with Anita's almond praline paste as it used a dry caramel method so I made a simple toffee (50g sugar, 38ml water) poured it over some lightly toasted almonds and once the toffee was cold, processed the whole lot to a fine powder. Make sure you add a little water to the almond praline and standard almond paste.


• You could halve the vanilla syrup and brown sugar crumble as if you follow the instructions you will have a substantial amount left over.
  


• Before making the vanilla ganache, gently microwave the white couverture chocolate as it will be easier to incorporate all the ingredients.
  


• I used an Anonlon SureGrip - 20cm loose base square cake pan and it made removing the cake from the pan a breeze.
  


• Equipment you will need includes a mixmaster, hand held electric beaters, stick blender, brulee torch, piping bag, ruler, precision scales and a generous supply of dishes, saucepans and baking trays.

The good news is despite my fears the cake turned out better than expected. Without any pressure and no distractions the experience was extremely pleasant and a great challenge. Here are some photos of the finished product. The final image on the end is the Facebook thread, mapping the progress.

TV Chefs and my Family

"But look at the people who use [their potential] — who do actually give it everything ... the Beckhams or Roy Keanes of this world. People charging! Running up and down the field, swearing and shouting at each other. Are they happy? No! They're destroying themselves! Who's happy? You! The fat f**ks watching them, with a beer can balanced on your ninth belly, roaring advice at the best athletes in the world." - Dylan Moran.

While it is the social norm for Australian families to gather around a television, roaring their support or pouring their disdain on their team of choice, our family doesn't. However, it's not uncommon to find us perched on the ends of the couch, passionately shouting abuse at TV Chefs. Wandering past our living room, to hear, "Christ! Look at all that oil!" Or, "A** biscuits!" A temporary eerie silence is often a positive sign, as it means we're mentally salivating, analysing a technique or flavour combination intently. I thought I would share some of the family's recent viewing.

• Huey's Cooking Adventures
  This TV show has been on the receiving end of many a grumpy tirade. We hate how a dash of oil is really a ladle full of lard, we hate his suspenders and we especially hate it when it cooks Chinese food. A notable example of this was when he decided to cook a dish with Hokkien Egg Noodles but stated he was going to call the dish "Hor Fun" (flat rice noodles) as it, "sounded much nicer." Completely unwatchable. You can learn the "truth" about Iain Hewitson here.
  
  
• Jamie's 30 Minute Meals
  Don't get us wrong, we approve immensely of Jamie's approach of being a chef with a mission and encouraging the world get back into their kitchens. However, we are a tad disappointed with his latest show as even the most experienced home cook would struggle to complete the menu within the estimated time frames.
  
  
• Poh's Kitchen
  I don't have the attention span or patience to follow MasterChef the entire way through, but like most of Australia tuned in towards the end and was bitterly disappointed to see Julie Goodwin claim victory. Being a crying snivelling emotional wreck pays? Eurgh! However, this hasn't stopped the rise of Poh and we love the Poh's Kitchen format. I think it's great that she shares the space with Emmanuel Mollois as provides even more value to the viewers. However I wish she would show a little more of her adorable Scotty, Zed.
  
  
• Home Cooked! With Julie Goodwin
  Though we feel the scope of Julie's cooking is more limited, this show is surprisingly pleasant viewing. Achievable food, a modern music selection and no crying!
  
  
• Boy's Weekend
  Gary Mehigan, Adrian Richardson, Miguel Maestre and Manu Feildel get away for a weekend and cook great food. Cheeky banter, good food and picturesque landscapes = yes!
  
  
• Heston's Fests
  Heston Blumenthal is one of my brother's inspirations. He is completely mad, his recipes are unachievable in a home kitchen ... but still there is something so intriguing about his creations. I really enjoyed this series as it rolls history, human reactions and cooking into a neat half hour serving.
  
  
• Kylie Kwong's My China
  We strongly advise avoiding Kylie Kwong's My China series like the plauge. Every recipe involves a bucket of sauce and her pronunciation is just horrid. My advice to Kylie, if you can't say Longan, just say Dragon Eyes.
  
  
• Floyd's Fjord Fiesta
  Keith Floyd left the world of the living in 2009 but he did it in the style - with a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. I abhor his cooking but again my brother really likes him, possibly due to his shambolic presentation style. Not essential viewing.
  
  
• The Free Range Cook
  I haven't had the pleasure to watch much of Annabel Langbein's new series but I do know I love her enthusiasm for home grown food and simple, tasty recipes. I must investigate her latest cookbook.

But the TV show I am most excited about this year is Adriano Zumbo's new show Zumbo. The show will air at 7:30pm on SBS, February 10, 2011 and I just can't wait as Adriano is one of my culinary heros. His passion and genius make him so swoon worthy! Point is, I'll be watching it and so should you.