And each pair of participants will be allocated a spot, that comes with an electric ..erm..stove?
Cutleries and etc...
First Dish : Sweet Crab Salad with Carbonated Fruit
Very bland , for my liking. I supposed the carbonated fruits (both citrus-based fruits) are supposed to bring out the flavour of the crab meat, naturally....but...i don't really get it!
Maybe its just me......afterall, this is my own effort....maybe other participants made better ones
Honestly, I wouldn't do such a salad at home...on a normal day. It look very simple during the Cooking Experience, as all ingredients are prepared , there will be assistant(s) clearing empty bowls, wash up the pots and pans....etc. But if I was to do this at home :
1) Buy Mud Crab and steam it....then hand-shred the meat
2) Buy iSi Canister and Soda Chargers - to carbonate the fruits
3) Buy oranges and Grapefruit, peel them carefully, and take off the white bits of the skin that'll give a bitter flavour, and then peel them into invidual segments....
4) Buy the various lettuce used....wash and chill it in the fridge for the crispy crunch ...
the above will
(i) cost a bomb to buy mud crab, iSi Canister and Soda Charger.......
(ii) to carbonate the fruits....u have to wait for at least 4 hour..to get the fruit to taste fizzy?
I wonder if soaking the grapefruit in say, Sprite...will give the same carbonated effect?
(The ingredients all nicely measured , placed in lil bowls.......the other participants getting busy)
(Mixing the chopped lettuce (Romaine, Rocket and Frisse) with the crabmeat..., the next photo is the finished product, garnished with Carbonated grapefruits and orange segments)
(Chef Damon showing us how we "carbonate" the fruits.....)
Next , we are supposed to cook Pan Roasted Sable Fish with Melted Leeks, Baby Corn and Corn Glaze
Due to job commitment, my partner JS couldn't make it in time for the Cooking session, and me, I have to do the cooking alone. A bit hectic for this dish...as it includes running around the kitchen, to pass the fish to the staff for roasting, blending the corn glaze....and also to check out how they make the "Bubble"....hence, the lack of picture.....
(Cooking the corn ....mixture of olive oil, butter, garlic and chopped onions - browned nicely, then pop in the corn with chicken stock....)
This is how the dish supposed to look like........the bubble, is actually a tomato based corn emulsion, pre-prepared by the kitchen staff....so during the cooking class, i don't have to make the bubble, i just need to place it on top of my piece of fish....
This dish, is really not bad......you popped the bubble and let the tomato sauce spill over the fish....and eat it together....nice! Plus, the fish is really fresh....very much like Cod....with the same buttery aftertaste...
Something that worth trying at home....without the bubble , of course.
The formation of the "bubble" is from the chemical reaction of Argan bath (made from some algae/seaweed) with Calcium Salt. Hard to get and i believe, must be very expensive.....and all the trouble just to make a "bubble" ?
Once again, I supposed, they are emphasising on the "experience" you get from your food....apart from the taste, the presentation......they are trying to make your food experience, somewhat memorable?
The last dish, is ended with a sweet note.....Dessert!!
Coconut Tapioca Pearls with Lime Sorbet and Pineapple dressing
We are supposed to boiled the tapioca seeds (sago) with milk, sugar, vanilla bean in a pot........until the sago is cooked. Let it cool.....
Then we mix the sago with coconut cream....and its ready.
The kitchen had prepared a tub of lime sorbet for each team....and we couldn't resist but steal a spoonful of the sorbet ...for tasting!! heheheeh...lovely sorbet.
Anyway, depending on your preference, you can assemble the sago with coconut cream as a base, then top the sago base with the lime sorbet , and decorate it with pineapple bits and edible flowers. The Kitchen had also prepared caramelised pineapple slices....for decoration.
(The finished product....I particularly like the crunchy caramelised pineapple chip with the lime sorbet..... )
And after we finished preparing the dessert.....a certain someone finally arrived :
I feel like putting the word "DUNCE" on the hat..........
Hmm..once again, i dunno how to rotate the photo...after I've uploaded it....coz this is the last session of the cooking experience, mix your own cocktail.....
Our mixologist/bar tender will mix anything....you just tell him what kind of liquer and mixer you want to mix with...and he'll create your cocktail for you....
Did I mention, throughout the Cooking Experience, the hotel staff fed us with free flow of Champagne, choice of red/white wine.....fruit juices, Evian....etc....
This is one pampering Cooking Class eh?
After all the fuss in cooking.....we were given a room to freshen up......for the next part .....the Dining Experience @ the restaurant Lafite...
Part 3 : The meal....
(to be continued)
