Heinz Beck Masterclass at Caffe Sicilia, Surry Hills (1 Dec 2012)

628 Crown Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 

http://www.caffesicilia.com.au

Three Michelin Star chef

Thanks to George Redmond from Wasamedia for inviting me along to the Heinz Beck masterclass held at Caffe Sicilia. To be honest the only Heinz I knew before the day was the canned variety. Due to restriction of time and space in the kitchen it was more a cooking demonstration and tasting of the dishes rather than a hands on class. The kitchen was quite narrow it wasn't practical for everyone to actually get close enough to see what was happening but the tasting of the dishes was my favourite part. I was happy enough to just stand back to photograph the food bloggers photographing Heinz which is always fun. The first dish was a savoury Sedanini 'De Cecco' with red shrimps, smoked aubergine coulis and croutons. The pasta was perfectly al dente for me and the flavour combination very enjoyable. I like the added crunch from the croutons sprinkled on top and could have happily eaten another serving. For dessert the Orange jelly with bergamot ice cream and edible flowers was a hit with everyone. Great presentation with lovely flavours and the interesting basil puree worked so nicely in the dish. The homemade ice cream was silky smooth. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to visit his three michelin-starred restaurant La Pergola in Rome but I'm glad I had the chance to meet the very down-to-earth and passionate chef and enjoy a couple of his dishes.

Other food blog reviews:

• Eat, Show & Tell — includes dessert recipe

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Sampling dishes created by a three-michelin starred chef who's passionate about using seasonal produce

CONS: Not much space in the kitchen to watch the cooking but I was more than happy to just taste and appreciate the final dishes

MUST TRY: Visiting La Pergola in Rome one day

VERDICT: Was a good opportunity to see a top chef in action and get to ask him questions about his cooking career

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Sedanini 'De Cecco' with red shrimps, smoked aubergine coulis and croutons

Orange jelly with bergamot ice cream and edible flowers

Not much room to swing a cat in this kitchen — let alone fit a few food bloggers with their DSLR cameras

Plating up the Sedanini 'De Cecco'

Heinz loves talking about food

Plating up Orange jelly with bergamot ice cream and edible flowers

Chef meets food blogger

Heinz kindly writes out the dish descriptions

Love a good reflection shot

Heinz Beck and me

Would have loved to try this special dinner

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Frangelico Cocktail Masterclass at Mrs Sippy, Double Bay (8 Nov 2012)

37 Bay Street, Double Bay NSW 2028

http://mrssippy.com.au

Getting nuts with Frangelico

Thanks to Kalli Marshall from Trish Nicol Agency for inviting me to the Frangelico Cocktail Masterclass held at Mrs Sippy. I’ve always been a fan of Frangelico on ice with fresh lime but never knew of any other ways to enjoy it so was curious to see what cocktails could be created. Arriving to a full bar setup for each guest was quite intimating but we were in good hands with Frangelico Brand Ambassador Oliver Stuart who the intimate class through making each cocktail although he might need to improve on a couple of his jokes. Six cocktails later it was certainly party time without any food in the system. It’s hard to beat the classic Frangelico Lime and Soda but I also liked the Spiced Apple Highball. The Hazelnut Espresso Martini was a big crowd pleaser which Oliver noted 'the harder you shake the better the head' — dear oh dear. I’m tempted to include the Hazelnut Fresca for my next pop up bar at Sydney Food Bloggers Picnic which is pretty easy to make and can be served in a carafe for continuous serving. At the end of the cocktail making class much needed food came in the way of canapés and pizza. I thought the Crumbed swiss brown mushrooms with goats cheese were the best being so tasty and moreish. However I reckon the Wagyu beef crostini could have benefitted from some sweet onion relish to make it less dry. I didn’t mind the pickles with the Sashimi tuna skewers although I don’t think everyone would have been a fan of this flavour combo. The pizzas looked good but unfortunately I only managed to grab one piece which I thoroughly enjoyed — or was that the alcohol talking. I definitely needed more to counteract the 20% Alc. Vol. which isn’t too lethal unless heavy pouring is involved.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Enjoyable flavour for those who love hazelnuts, Apparently less calories than vodka, Quite refreshing cocktails that are quite simple to make

CONS: More expensive than your standard spirits, Tall bottle can make it tricky to fit in some cupboard spaces, Over-consumption of alcohol is not a good thing and temporary loss of memory is one of the side effects

MUST TRY: Frangelico Lime and Soda, Spiced Apple Highball, Hazelnut Espresso Martini
VERDICT: An enjoyable event to learn how to make a few cocktails although a few canapés before the class would have probably been appreciated to help line the stomach

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Frangelico Brand Ambassador Oliver Stuart

Masterclass cocktail menu

Frangelico Lime and Soda

SIMON FAVOURITE :-) 

45ml Frangelico 
Top with Soda 
Squeeze in Two Lime wedges
Serve in a tall glass filled with ice.

Spiced Apple Highball

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

45ml Frangelico 
15ml fresh lemon juice 
30ml cloudy apple juice 
30ml ginger beer to top with  
Shake the Frangelico, fresh lemon juice, and cloudy apple juice Strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Top with the ginger beer and garnish with a lemon wedge and fresh grated nutmeg over the top. 

Hazelnut Espresso Martini

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

45ml Frangelico 
15ml SKYY 
30ml espresso coffee 
10ml Illyquore  
Shake hard and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with three coffee beans.

Hazelnut Fresca

Carafe recipe 
200ml Frangelico  
200ml SKYY 
100ml fresh lime juice 
900ml ginger ale 
5 lime wheels 5 orange wheels  
Stir all ingredients in your favourite carafe with a little ice. Serve with ice filled glasses, garnished with an orange and a lime wheel.

East West Iced Tea

Carafe recipe 
240ml Frangelico 
500ml cold & strong green tea 
4 lemon wedges squeezed in 3 mint sprigs 
Add all ingredients to a 700ml carafe  Stir all ingredients in your favourite carafe with a little ice. Serve with ice filled glasses, garnished with a pert mint sprig 

Sparkling Italian Punch
Carafe recipe 
400ml Prosecco 
120ml Frangelico 
30ml lemon juice 
5 mint sprigs 5 lime wheels 
300ml soda water  
Stir all ingredients in your favourite carafe with a little ice. Serve with ice filled glasses, garnished with lime wedges 

Affogato with Frangelico

Shake it like you mean it

This one should do me for a while

Alvin Quah does an impressive high pour cocktail move

We make, we drink, we tweet

Frangelico ambassadors in training

Sashimi tuna skewers

Crumbed swiss brown mushrooms with goats cheese

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Wagyu beef crostini 

Tartlet with pulled pork, hoisin sauce, cucumber

My only slice of pizza but was very nice

Last sip and tweet by Natasa Colo

Phoebe Sheahan (Diaries of Bella) passes the cocktail class with flying colours

Last guests standing

Official photographer shot

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