MADRID LAB

I guess you couldn’t pick a better place to host a Media dinner then at a place called the Pressclub!

There were 2 reasons for me being back in Australia last month, the first one was an invitation to come and cook with my old friend George Calombaris and second was of course to be the Celebrity Chef on MasterChef Australia.

George invited me to come and do a dinner with him where we would showcase our 2 very different styles in the one menu for Media and invited industry VIP’s. I immediately said yes as I love to see the result of the merging of 2 styles.

We ended up with 20 guests of which half were media and the other half were some of Australia’s best Chefs and people whom I respect very much.

So both George and myself went about drafting our own parts of the menu so they would flow 1 after the other for 22 courses, this was all done from our opposite sides of the world (Madrid & Melbourne). So after a month or so of preparing the menu on paper so we didn’t have any repetition of ingredients or techniques we were finally ready to come together to prepare this dinner!

Once in Australia I prepared the menu for 4 days before the dinner with the very professional team both front and back of house in the Pressclub.

On the night we served the whole dinner at a Spanish pace, this means there was not more than 3-5 minutes in between each course. The most important thing about serving menus of this size is Rhythm, if you delay for too long between courses the guest becomes tired as the food is already starting to digest. It is also a technique used to keep up the energy during the meal as you are constantly being stimulated by something new and exciting

You can see the menu below, The Courses in Red are those of George Calombaris and the ones in Black are from me.

Welcome Drink –  Rambutan and Finger lime Martini sorbet

Salty soccer nuts (in a test tube and you shot them)

“Mushrooms on toast” (dehydrated feta)

“Seafood sand castle” (octopus, white anchovy on a stick, edible sand over top using tapioca etc)

Salmon & Salmon (Salmon skins and Taramasalata mousse)

Lobster-pop (Lobster pop with rice vinegar gel & Nori)

Choco-gras aero (Bitter chocolate and foie gras fat)

Bubble tea Greek salad

Szcecuan tendon (Braised tendon & Spicy broth)

“Lemon taramosalata” (tarama ball depend in lemon gel, snow pea shoots, potato salad, potato glass)

“Tuna” sashimi (Tinned Tuna, dashi and wasabi flavors)

Carrot salad, olive oil cous cous, Kalamata olive caramel, black olive sponge

Rice Yoghurt risotto (Yogurt, Cummin and lemon)

“Inspirations from Sea Satin” (cured king fish, Attiki dressing)

Miso Salmon with horseradish sorbet (Miso, Salmon & Horseradish)

Lamb neck, smoked yoghurt, seeds, pulses and grains

Teriyaki tongue (Teriaki sauce, Celeriac puree)

“Avgo rhubarb”  (baked egg white, rhubarb centre, candied fennel seeds, tomato and champagne consommé)

Caprese (Heinz Ketchup, Mozzarella, Vanilla)

“Aphrodite”  (served with soil scent at table) we need smaller mould for this dish

Apple crumble “Cru (Apple, crème Anglaise, sable)

Zen Garden (Fruit salad and Yogurt)

Since yesterdays MasterChef Celebrity Chef challenged aired yesterday I have been very surprised by the impact!

For the most part I have been very humbled by the reaction, its not everyday that you get 900 messages in 1 day, plus my website came very close to crashing due to unprecedented amount of traffic in such a short space of time!

1 thing I would like to say which has surprised me a little is, if you spend your life looking backwards then you will miss the beauty of evolution and everything which is amazing in the future. There have been some people who have reacted badly to the dish I chose to present and have been making negative and baseless comments. The dish is not one which I am preparing today but actually an adaptation of one which I was doing 5 – 6 years ago. I chose this dish as it was going to be a good learning experience for both the contestant and also the viewing public, I was hoping to expose you to some new techniques and to give you an insight into what is happening at the moment outside of Australia. Please keep in mind that the dish was never supposed to be one which you could prepare at home, let’s leave those kinds of dishes to Jamie Oliver and let me show you what I as a fellow Australian do.

I love spirited conversation when food is concerned as I also study the Psychological and design side of food as well. But since when did people start thinking if it’s not to their taste then it is bad?

As I mentioned before, I have had an amazing amount of support from viewers and I hate to focus on the negative but I feel it’s my duty to explain the situation.

What I demonstrated was how 1 flavor (the pea soup) could be prepared in different textures and temperatures in a non confrontational setting by using 2 very humble products, Eggs and peas. If I was to come with a dish which was full of new techniques and also a radical flavor combination then this would alienate the consumer as they have nothing to reference this experience to. This is a rule I always follow without exception. It also demonstrates the importance of the base as if the soup wasn’t right then the whole dish would be wrong.

There were many comments on the combination of egg and peas………………… Was that really the hardest part of the dish to understand? How many people have actually tried Eggs, Peas and Fresh truffle? Normally I would smoke the egg for 24 hours using grape vines but I didn’t have this kind of time during the filming, how would you of reacted to a smoked egg? I can tell you first hand, this is a delicious combination and one which makes a lot of sense the moment it hits your palette.

My second is to address the people who thought Green was unappealing and artificial looking. I am not sure how to tell you this, there are a large majority of vegetables which are green and if cooked correctly they will also be bright green. So as we prepared the peas correctly they were a florescent green, if it was brown then this would be overcooked. I think thats enough said on that point.

In regards to the use of Chemicals, I didn’t use any chemical in what I prepared. All the food additives which were used are all extracted from natural products such as Sodium Alginate which comes from seaweed and Gellan which comes from another type of seaweed. Gelatin is widely used in the food industry and it is taken from the hoofs and cartilage of animals, which one sounds more natural the one which comes from animals or the one which comes from seaweed? How many of you have eaten Burger king onion rings? Did you know these are actually onion puree which gets formed back into perfect rings via the use of the same Alginate and calcium reaction which you saw on the show? Would this stop you eating them? Of course not!

I like to think as Chefs we have the responsibility to help our guests understand what we dedicate our lives to and make them more knowledgeable about what they are consuming and how it got to the state it is in, the consumer needs to have an open mind or else the most beautiful part of the dining experience will be missed.

Thank you for all the amazing feedback you have given through all types of social media and emails, I hope this post didn’t come across as negative, my aim was to take this as an opportunity to give you a little insight into why I did the dish I did and the thought process which goes into all creations

How boring would it be if we all spent our lives watching things on TV which we already knew how to do? Hollywood blockbusters would be a thing of the past as people would want to watch a movie which is full of characters just like themselves living ordinary lives. Food can be another form of escapism yet more emotional due to the sensory reaction which you have with every bite, thats if you are open enough to enjoy the journey.

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Today the episode of MasterChef Australia aired where I was the Celebrity MasterChef, So now I can finally talk about it!

I would like to first start by saying how much of a pleasure it was to work with such a professional and friendly crew! I have done Tv all over the world yet I have never felt so at ease from the very first moment like with the cast and crew of MasterChef!

The lady I cooked against (Claire) did an amazing job at being able to follow the recipe I gave her to prepare and I take a little bit of pride from the fact she was able to complete the dish in the set time. This took some amazing focus from Claire and had she not been such an articulate person the job would of been much harder.

When I was first approached by MasterChef to do this Celebrity challenge I was unsure how I could find one of my dishes which was able to be prepared in less than 90 minutes from start to finish. So I started looking back over my previous years of work and I found one I was preparing 5-6 years ago which would fit the task (with a few minor modifications). What I create these days can take up to 7 days in preparation, or there are other that can be prepared in just moments, I believe the Green Peas and Egg dish was the most educational and controversial which is why I chose it, to incite conversation.

So as you may of seen today, the dish we prepared was a “Simple” dish of Peas and eggs.

Eggs and Peas to me is an obvious combination and not one which requires much debate, but after today I will never use the word obvious again as there seem to be an amazing amount of people commenting on this combination all over the internet.

I chose to try and show the viewers of MasterChef as well as my competitor that the same base can be made into many different variations. It is also a great lesson about texture and the use of balancing temperatures and accuracy.

I am very happy at the outcome of the episode, there really seems to be an outpouring of support and more importantly intrigue towards my style of Cuisine.

Remember, all great things start from Curiosity. If you are too afraid to venture out of your comfort zone then you will miss all of the best experiences in life!

If you are wondering what this title is all about I will not be able to fill in the blanks for another 2 months

Over the last 12 months I have been creating a concept for my own TV show in which I aim to educate people about a new way to look at food. I am pleased to say that after my recent trip to New York I now have an amazing developer on board who has a proven track record in the American Television industry and has been nominated for an Emmy Award as an Executive producer. We are now going to work together to bring this dream to reality.

Both the name of the series and the exact concept of the show will be announced once negotiations have come to a conclusion and a network has been confirmed.

What I can tell you is that it will be pretty much be a “Fly on the wall” account of what happens in my New York Lab everyday.

Stay tuned for more details……………………………………………….

I have spent the last 3 months travelling around the world doing dinners, Conferences and getting some projects off the ground.

In these travels I have discovered some amazing things and discussed some monumental projects. I am now home in Spain for the next 3 weeks before my next trip to Sicily, so during this time I will be updating you on all the things which have been going on in the last 3 months.

Stay Tuned!

I have just updated the page “Ikea Project” with all the latest developments. Just click on the above tab to see where the project is currently at.

Stay tuned for possible global developments which are currently being discussed.

For those of you who are in Australia, Tomorrow (Tuesday) nights episode of MasterChef will be the episode where I am the Celebrity MasterChef.

Once it has aired tomorrow I will give a full breakdown of the whole experience, which hopefully you had the chance to see. If not I know you can buy it on iTunes

I will post all the details of this fantastic experience tomorrow,

Watch this space……………………….

Adam Melonas Consulting

Last week I had a business meeting with so partners for my Manhattan Project, so I suggested no other than my friend Wylie’s WD-50.

As always the food was amazing!

There were a few stand out items…………..

The best of which is in the photo below (sorry for the poor quality, it was taken using my iPhone), it is effectively a sponge made from Foie Gras terrine. It is a technique using the vacuum machine to aerate and set the mix. It is a technique which is now widely used but never in this format from what I have experienced. It was technically perfect with an even bubble pattern throughout the whole terrine.

Another was a small bowl of what looked like fettuccine but infact it was scallops which had been fussed together using Transglutaminase. I was a little annoyed as I had done exactly the same technique 2 years ago but I never thought of cutting it into fettuccine. I used mine to make a Rubiks cube when I was helping to coach the Spanish team for the Boccuse d’Or.

Of course Wylies False Sorbet Bagel is always a winner, the shock of the sorbet fools people everytime!

To finish a great meal with desserts from Alex Stupak is always a pleasure! I love his false tarts which are so convincing that you find yourself chopping at the plate as you assume the pastry on the outside is hard when in fact it’s very soft. The tart he prepared this time was hazelnut with coconut, chocolate and Chicory.

The boys both front and back of house did an amazing job to make us feel welcome, comfortable and very satisfied!

Tonight we went to La Esquina for dinner,

For those of you who do not know about the restaurant in New York, let me fill you in………………..

Back in the day it used to be “The Place to Be”, with entry only possible once you have proven you know the right people and even then with a long wait.

It’s a regular taco stand to the unsuspecting passer-by, but to those in the know, it’s a clandestine restaurant hidden in the basement behind a grey door. Once you go down the stairs it is necessary to pass through the kitchen and into the dark restaurant.

The menu is modern Mexican with a few unique touches, but for the most part it is pretty standard Mexican.

Unfortunately it is now very touristic and has suffered the same fate of those restaurants that used to be the fashionable place and are now surviving on that “Used to be” reputation. The food was good, but not spectacular and unfortunately nothing memorable enough to write about.

If you are up for a tourist attraction it’s worth a visit, but if you are looking for a gastronomic experience………………… Eat elsewhere.

Today I went for lunch with one of my business partners to David Chang’s Ma Peche. It is the latest restaurant in his Momofoku empire that is now 4 restaurants strong. It only opened a month or so ago and was the only one of his restaurants which I had not been to, well now I have.

First we tried to call to see how busy they were as they do not take reservations and we wanted to know if it was worth the walk, they would not tell us if it was busy so we would have to come and see for ourselves. Little did we know that had they answered our question they would of told us it was very empty.

The room itself is pretty amazing with very high ceilings and an interesting use of material and light to give the place a unique feel for very little cost.

We started with some American oysters with a Vietnamese mignonette, they were small but very very tasty! Next we had a selection of starters such as some Fluke fish with strawberries which was a really great combination, something that was dissapointing was the boiled shrimps (which were bought frozen for sure) with a dipping sauce which was way too powerful for the bland shrimps.

For the main courses we had items such as: Rice pasta with pork mince and corriander which was beautiful, pork ribs which just melted off the bone, Pork sausage and snails which sounds like an unlikely combination but really worked, and a few other dishes.

Overall we had a great meal but I must admit that it is not as good as his other places…………………..

Another worry is that it was only half full for a wednesday lunch, this is never the case with his other eateries.

In a little street named Stanton in New Yorks fashionable district of the Lower East side is a food concept that seems to be on everyones lips (litterally).

In a City which seems fixated on finding the next fad eatery, the meatball shop ticks all the boxes.

When we arrived we were told the wait would be and hour and a half, and up to two and a half on weekends! So we decided to take a drink at the bar to begin with. Once inside, if you were not hungry before you arrived you certainly would be once you step inside this place of prayer for meatball lovers. The smell was almost overwhelming yet comforting!

We couldn’t wait for our table, so we decided to eat while standing up and using a small table in the corner.

The title of the restaurant is exactly what it is! Many different ways to eat meatballs!

This us not a place for vegetarians, that’s for sure!

We decided the beat meatballs were the Spicy pork and the best side dish was the creamed polenta. The traditional tomato sauce was also a great way to eat them. They also do Sliders (which is apparently a fashionable way to eat mini burgers, but with just 1 meatball and sauce in a bun), so we had to of course try these as well. We made the rookie mistake of ordering too many sides and eating too quickly, so we were pretty much destroyed by the time we left.

A very simple concept done very well!

Last night after a large dinner with my friends Monica and Nick we decided a whiskey would help ease the pain in our stomachs!

Being in New York no ordinary whiskey bar would suffice, so Nick suggested The Brandy Library in Tribeca. When we entered I was supprised at the extent of their collection, it seemed to just go on forever. I spent the whole time trying to spot repetition of bottles, but could not seemed to find one which was doubled up.

While being extravagent they still kept the most important part if any whiskey bar intact; intimate, dark and comfortable.

The waiter asked me what Whiskies I normally drink then said he will make a suggestion. This was the best decision of the day as his choice was purely spectacular! I mentioned I was a Chef so he would suggest something interesting in flavor instead of just something old. He found a combination of the 2. It was a 13 year old Balblair from the North of Scotland. It had such strong aromas of Toasted coconut that it truly surprised me, then what surprised me more was how long that flavor lingered!

A truly remarkable whiskey in a memorable place, well worth the trip if you are in New York!

On my recent trip back to Australia I was fortunate enough to be invited by a friend of mine Professor Russell Keast to visit him in the Food Science department of the Deakin University. Russell was kind enough to give me a full tour of the university and showed me all the current testing that is taking place.

I will be reporting on several things which I observed over the next few posts.

One of the tests which Russell gave me was a taste sensitivity test, this test was using a compound called: n-6-propylthiouracil, or PROP. This is a compound which not many people can taste and others are born with a genetic sensitivity to. I was instructed to place the strip of paper in my mouth and leave it for a few seconds on my tongue. I didn’t know what I was expected to taste or feel but after about 1 second I had to take it out of my mouth as it tasted 100 times more bitter than grapefruit peel. After eating a chocolate I could finally get rid of the awful taste. Russell told me that when he puts it into his mouth all he can taste is paper, this is the same for most people. There are a lot of things which people can’t taste and this just demonstrates how obvious this can be, one of those things is namely truffle. I read a study about truffle where it said more than 40% of women and 50% of men can’t actually properly taste truffle, yet it is one of the most expensive ingredients. So a large % of these people are paying for Truffle without getting the full effect.

As this is a Genetic thing I took 2 tabs home to test both of my parents to see which one I got it from, the great news is that they both detected the compound, so I got a double dose

I will be in New York from tomorrow (22nd of June) to the 3rd of July.

This trip will be to put all the wheels in motion for my planned Manhattan restaurant and my proposed US TV show. No doubt there will be PLENTY to report on upon my return (like hopefully dates and confirmations).

For those of you who don’t already know, I will be opening a restaurant and Bar in Manhattan in 2011. The concept will also include a TV series which I am planning to shoot in my basement Laboratory.

The trip will also include spending a day with some of the most brilliant minds in the world of Food and sensory science.

Stay Tuned…………………………