E'cco - Valentines day cooking masterclass

http://www.eccobistro.com/

E'cco Bistro is one of the finest and most awarded restaurants in Queensland.  I have been many times and written about it previously (you can read the post here).  Leading up to Valentines Day, I was invited to attend a cooking masterclass by E'cco Bistro, which was an offer too good to refuse.  How often do you get the opportunity to get some instruction from a professional chef on how to prepare a three course meal?  The answer for me is never!!

The event was staged in the E'cco bar area just under the restaurant and walking into the bar area, I was a little apprehensive and did not really know what to expect.  Entering the bar there was a huge table set up with an impromptu kitchen area set up at the front.  Milling around, all looking slightly uncomfortable was a heap of men of all ages sipping on some beers and wine.

Philip Johnson

This event was pitched as a masterclass for the 'blokes' to learn how to cook a romantic three course meal for our loved ones for Valentines Day, with the main idea that it's not that hard to do!  All up there were 16 of us and E'cco Head Chef Norman Harvey was to be the maestro for the evening.  Not only would Norman show us how it was done, we would also be given copies of the menus to follow along with, then take home to practice for the big day (Valentines Day!)

It was time for Norman to start cooking, but before he kicked off Philip Johnson made the introductions giving a bit of background about E'cco, his food philosophy and a tale about how he met Norman and how he came to be the Head Chef at E'cco.  Norman was working at Anise at the time and Phillip was eating there, that meal must have been a beauty as Norman was working at E'cco not long after!

Right, to the cooking.  First thing I want to say is that Norman makes cooking a three course meal look ridiculously easy.  We were warned up-front that multi tasking is the order of the day and Norman did it with ease while talking to us about what he was doing.

Norman starts on the Carrot puree

It's really quite easy!

Scallops do not take long to cook!

First course was half shell scallops, carrot puree and jamon crumbs.  If you wondered why purees always taste better in fine dining restaurant, wonder no further.  The secret is sugar, not just sugar but caramalised sugar, which was the base of the carrot puree.  The other secret is to make sure you have all of the ingredients laid out neatly and ready for use.  The smells emanating from the first course were amazing, especially when Norman added some prepared carrot juice to some caramalised sugar. When the carrot juice hit, a cloud of pure delight wafted over the group.  A quick flick of a knife and the scallops were prepared, then into a hot pan for what seems like 30 seconds and they were ready.  There are a lot of processes in the first course and Norman ran through them with ease, assuring us that we can do the same.  Before we knew it, it was time to plate up the entree and suddenly a very elegant looking entree was on the table!

While Norman was showing us how to prepare the entree, the Kitchen upstairs was busy preparing the restaurant version for us to enjoy while the prep for the main course was under way.  We set about devouring the scallops and getting to know each other better.

The finished product

The restaurant version looked a little more elegant 

With wine and beer flowing the conversation started to heat up and a couple of Kiwi's in the group started to give Norman some gentle ribbing about his background.  Norman is a Kiwi and started his career as a 14 year old at Timothy French fine dining in Wellington, which contributed to his love of French inspired food.

The Gnocchi was easy to prepare, but it needs to be cooled down straight away

In the Pan.  Our version was not quite ready to pan fry, so it stuck a bit

The Main course was parmesan and nutmeg gnocchi, king brown mushrooms and truffle cream.  I always thought gnocchi would be difficult to prepare and cook, but this too seemed pretty easy when prepared by a professional chef.  Norman called up a couple of volunteers to help him prepare and roll out the gnocchi, just to prove that it was in fact easy!  We were told that there are three different types of gnocchi but Norman prefers the fluffy pan fried variety.  Again, before you know it, the mushrooms were cooking, the truffle sauce, rich with cream was just about ready and the plating up began.  The gnocchi was a very simple looking dish and smelled amazing.  There was something special about watching and smelling the meal, it was almost intoxicating and I am reminded why I love eating in fine dining restaurants.

The finished product, the restaurant version

An interesting side note.  While preparing the gnocchi we accidentally set off the fire alarm and before too long the there was a fire truck out front with a fireman inside having a bit of a chuckle about the event.  I'm not sure if E'cco will be fined for this, but it gave Norman a great idea to do it again on 'Ladies' night.  Nothing better than a room of inebriated women with a room full of firemen!

The mains were brought down from the restaurant and we all tucked into the gnocchi.  I have never been a huge fan of gnocchi, so I didn't enjoy this one as much.  I would really have loved more of that delicious tasting truffle cream sauce, the main was just a little dry without it.

As is normally the case with a group of blokes who have had a few drinks, the noise level increased and the conversation more daring.  I have to say that Norman is a great bloke and really engaged well with us and was happy to answer any question, both about food and his background.

It was time to focus on dessert and I was not very surprised to see a dark chocolate fondant with vanilla mascarpone and summer berries on the menu.  I have had a lot of Fondants recently and was keen to see how easy or hard it was to prepare one.  The most interesting thing was the way Norman prepared the chocolate, but throwing the chocolate into a pot of melted butter.  After watching so many cooking shows where people cook the chocolate slowly over a pot of boiling water, it was a surprise!  Norman assured us that the hot butter would not burn the chocolate and it would enhance the flavour nicely!  Watching the chef cook and prepare the Fondant with ease was fantastic but Norman continued to assure us that the menu that he prepared for us was in fact easy to cook.  I guess only time would tell with that!

Its all about preparation & there was a lot for the Fondant

By the time the fondant was completed, we had our 'restaurant' versions delivered.  There was little visible difference between the restaurant version and the 'home' cooked version from the recipe provided.  The fondant was wonderful, gooey centre and rich, beautiful chocolate.  The mascarpone cream was a perfect match for the hot chocolate and a bit of tartness from the berries meant that dessert was perfect!

Waiting for the fondant to cook, plate at the ready

8 minutes in the oven and the finished product 'restaurant' version

This was a fantastic experience and I would recommend if you get the opportunity to do it some time, give it a go.  Yes, Norman made it look very easy, but watching him in action and then reading through the menu at the same time give a great frame of reference to do it yourself.  Being a great bloke, Norman offered the group his phone number and a genuine offer to call him for advice when cooking the meal for our loved ones.  I think he will have a few drunk Kiwis calling him on Valentines day seeking out some help!

The masterclass at E'cco normally costs about $120, which inclues the masterclass as well as a three course meal.  I was along as a guest of the restaurant, so on this occasion did not have to pay, although after experiencing one of the classes, I have a bit more of an 'appetite' (pun intended) to get along to more masterclasses and try to improve my cooking skills (which don't exist).

E'cco is not only one of the best restaurants in town, they want you to be the best home cooks in town!

@FoodMeUpScotty