Christmas in July pudding making workshop at The Langham

Disclosure: I attended this event courtesy of The Langham and Media Moguls.

So it’s July, and you know what that means, don’t you? Time to think about Christmas! Okay, perhaps it’s not quite time to plan for Christmas, but it will be right about the corner before you know it. Isn’t that a scary thought?

Last week I headed to the Langham with several other food bloggers and food media for a Christmas in July event. I was particularly excited by the fact that we would be having a Christmas pudding making session.

After a series of canapés and glasses of bubbles (I didn’t take pictures of the canapés, but check out some of the other bloggers linked below for details), we put on aprons and chefs’ hats and headed down to the pastry kitchen. Being a food geek, I was very excited at taking the big elevator down and checking out the commercial kitchen. Oooh. It was so shiny! And clean! And bright! And shiny! Plus you should have seen the massive commercial mixer – ahhh. It was almost as tall as me – which is not saying much, to tell you the truth. I wish I had thought to take a photo of it!



We were split into two groups and into two different kitchens. My group were introduced to pastry chef Zara, who talked to us about tempering chocolate and about chocolate truffles.



Zara dipped pre-filled truffles in melted white chocolate, and showed us how to make the spiky pattern – by rolling it around on the rack with a fork. Easy! Well, she made it look easy anyway.

The white chocolate truffles were filled with elderflower liqueur and raspberry ganache. I always say that I don’t really like white chocolate... but I made an exception for these truffles! They were delicious and the sweetness of the white chocolate really highlighted the elderflower and raspberry.




Zara had also prepared some rum balls that she dipped in Lindt milk chocolate and decorated with cocoa nibs. She confessed that she put rather a lot of rum in them. She certainly did! Wow wee. They were great!




And… can you believe she told us we were free to taste the items on this bench?!



I would have loved to have spent more time listening to Zara but we had to move on. We swapped with the other group and headed into the kitchen next door to make pudding. Chef Anthony Ross was in charge of this session, and he started things off by tipping a large amount of butter, almond meal and hazelnut meal on to the bench.



He told us to get our hands into it and start rubbing the butter into the almond/hazelnut meal. (Yes we washed our hands first!)





After the butter and almond/hazelnut meal were well mixed, the fruit was tipped in. The fruit had been prepared earlier, and had been macerating in a brandy mixture. When it was tipped out, a heady scent of brandy and spices wafted around the room. It smelt amazing!



After more mixing, it was all piled up and a well was formed in the middle, into which liquid was poured – I think it was a combination of juice, milk, eggs and spices.



Plus a couple of cans of stout and a touch more brandy.



After more mixing, we had pudding! Well – almost.




We each selected a charm to put into our puddings (the charms were wrapped in tinfoil for hygiene reasons) and then the pudding was placed on top. For some reason I selected a ballerina (?!).



And look – all the puddings ready for steaming! They were taken away to be steamed for a couple of hours, and we’ll receive our puddings in about five months time. Pretty cool, huh? I’ll let you know how it tastes in December!

For more posts see:

Sarah Cooks
Iron Chef Shellie
I Eat Therefore I Am
Addictive & Consuming

The Langham
1 Southgate Avenue
SOUTHBANK 3006
Phone: 03 8696 888
Web: The Langham – Melbourne

Chocolate High Tea at the Aria Bar, The Langham

Disclosure: I attended the Chocolate High Tea courtesy of The Langham and Nuffnang.

Last month I was invited to a food and fashion bloggers’ chocolate morning tea at the Langham, organised by Nuffnang. I don’t normally stuff myself with cakes and chocolates for breakfast – but you know what they say about not turning down an opportunity.

When I arrived, I walked past this table and thought, “Ooooooh is that for us?” And what do you know – it was! We were introduced to the German pastry chef, Chef Markus Bohm, who talked us through the various treats on offer. All of the items used a different type of single origin chocolate (apart from the Lindt and Callebaut) with the cocoas from places like Yucatan, Costa Rica and Madagascar. We'll take a closer look in a moment.




Our table was prettily set up, with napkins and mad hatter napkin rings, silver sugar pots, flowers and delicate plates under an LCD TV showing an image of a roaring fire. It was a shame it wasn’t a real one, because it was freezing. Never mind, a bit of tea helped warm me up!




We were asked if we would like tea or coffee – I requested Earl Grey, which came out in a cute little silver teapot and a little biscuit on the side.




Let's check out some of the food. These little cakes were the Langham torte, a marizpan and almond-cake covered with two different kinds of chocolate.




These little strawberry tartlettes with a white chocolate shell were one of my favourite items. They had a fresh creamy strawberry filling, with the tartness of the berries helping offset the sweetness.




The lemon, lime and bitters curd tarts were also favourites of mine. Aren't they just gorgeous? They had a very smooth, tart curd, and were topped with a blueberry.




On the left we have Jaffa chocolate shots. To be honest, I'm not a fan of chocolate and orange together, but they were very well done - smooth layers of jelly and mousse topped with a raspberry.

And on the right are Amarascata roulades with cocoa nibs. I really liked these too. They looked gorgeous, with the cherries encased with cream and a light sponge.




On the left we have the Chocolate marquise gateau with passionfruit mirror glaze. Beautiful, isn't it? It took a while before anyone dared take a slice of the cake - it was too perfect! Inside was a smooth chocolate mousse, with the passionfruit glaze providing a bit of tartness.

On the right were warm rich chocolate puddings. They were delicious - rather rich, but not too sweet because they were so dark. I would be super happy to produce a chocolate pudding like this.




Somehow I seem to be missing detail shots of several of the other items! On the left, you can see almond florentines, made with caramelized almonds and dipped in milk chocolate at the front.

On the right, behind the strawberry tarts, are granola clusters with Lindt milk chocolate. I don't think I managed to try this item.

Other items I didn't get a shot of were hazelnut chocolate éclairs, mixed nut biscotti dipped in Michel Cluizel chocolate, and the Alpine rocky road made with Lindt white chocolate. Not sure what happened there - can I blame too much sugar?




But WAIT. In case all of that wasn't enough, THERE WAS MORE. Chef Markus Bohm started cooking up individual passionfruit and chocolate chip souffles in a little portable oven. And out also came several tiered trays of scones and sandwiches.




Let's have a closer look at the scones. There were plain and fruit versions, served with jam and clotted cream. They were pretty good scones, with a firm crust and fluffy insides.




One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn't belong. Can you tell which thing is not like the others by the time I finish my song? Oops! Sorry, trip down memory lane there. But yes, being the only savoury items, the sandwiches were the odd ones out. They were certainly welcome though! There was an assortment of flavours: smoked salmon, tomato and goat's cheese, chicken, plus cheese and prosciutto, and they all tasted fresh and looked appropriately dainty.




And finally, let's have a proper look at the souffles - oooh ahhh. Sadly, by the time I received the souffle I had eaten far too much and could only manage a couple of spoonfuls. This was the only thing I found a bit too sweet for me, which is pretty good considering all the decadent sweet treats on offer.

I really enjoyed the morning tea, although I wouldn't recommend eating such a decadent, indulgent breakfast every day! It's normally an afternoon tea, which to my mind and stomach is much more reasonable. It would be a very nice way of spending an afternoon. Although I must add that I would have loved a few more savoury items - so the poor sandwiches didn't feel so left out and to counteract all the sweet stuff!

For other posts of the morning, see:

Sarah Cooks
Melbourne Hot or Not
Addictive and Consuming
Nuffnang
Violet Le Beaux
Much Love

Aria Bar & Lounge
The Langham Melbourne
One Southgate Avenue
Southbank 3006
Ph: 1800 641 107

Nobu Melbourne

The other month, we headed to lunch at Nobu. Truthfully, I had heard so many mixed reviews about Nobu, combined with reports about how expensive it is, that I had never been that keen to go. But when I found out that they do a deal at lunch time for $57, which includes an entrée, main with miso soup, rice, and dessert, I figured it was worth a shot. So I roped in Maria and Daz from the Gourmet Challenge and off we went.

The menu for Nobu is long and it’s not terribly descriptive, so Bro and I pored over the menu beforehand to ensure that we weren't caught out on the day (don't you hate being in a restaurant and ordering hastily and then having food envy when the food arrives?). For the lunch deal, not everything is included – premium items like wagyu, lobster, and the signature black cod with miso aren’t available for example – but that still leaves plenty of choice. The menu isn’t specifically set up in categories like entrees and mains, but we assumed that the first section - "special appetizers" were entrees and the rest of the menu were considered mains.

Alastair ordered the sashimi tacos with yellowtail tuna, salmon, lobster and crab. I'm not sure what the tacos were made out of, but the crispy shells were filled with fresh sashimi and quite tasty.



Bro and Maria both ordered the beef fillet tataki, with onion ponzu and garlic chips. This was really nice, the thin slices of rare beef just seared on the outside and served in a sharp, tangy, salty sauce.



I had the tuna tataki with tosazu. Like the beef, it was just seared on the outside, and the thin, tender slices of tuna were in a vinegary soy sauce.



We also received a bowl of miso soup, which was pretty standard.

For mains, it wasn’t immediately clear what we could order. I assumed that everything past a certain point was considered a "main" and was part of the deal, barring the exceptions. Turns out, the waiter wasn’t entirely sure as well, but assumed what I assumed!



Alastair had the soft shell crab kara age. It looked really good, and I didn't hear any complaints from him about it. I really liked the way it was presented - look at that mushroom!



Maria had the tempura baby tiger prawn with creamy spicy sauce. This photo cracks me up - when I went to take a photo, Maria flashed the peace sign without warning me. Naturally, I had to include it in this post! Maria's prawns were cooked really well, and tasted great with the creamy sauce.



Daz had the wagyu gyoza with goma ponzu. Normally $37, could they be the most expensive dumplings in Melbourne?! I didn't try any, but they did look and smell good.



Bro had the wagyu intercostal with seasonal vegetables and wasabi salsa. I think this was the best dish of the day - the beef was super tender with a bit of smokiness and the wasabi salsa gave a nice kick to the dish. It smelt so amazing too. Bro ordered very well!



And I ordered something from the grill menu – beef sirloin steak. There was a choice between three choices: teriyaki, wasabi pepper or anti-cucho sauce. I selected wasabi pepper.



I requested it medium rare. It was cooked really well, but it wasn't as tender as I thought it could have been. I did really like the sauce though, but it was quite a lot of meat for one person and I did end up trying to foist slices on to the others!

The menu at Nobu is really designed for sharing – but with the lunch deal we all ordered our own dishes (tasting one another's of course). So the timing of dishes, particularly the mains, was off – mine was the last to come out and it was at least 15 minutes after everyone elses. The waiter explained that this was due to the fact that Nobu had seven different kitchens (orly?). If we had been sharing the dishes,we might not have noticed the timing issue, but since we weren't it really made us wonder about the seven kitchens.



For dessert, Daz and I both ordered the green tea trifle mousse layered with vanilla brûlée, almond and coconut meringue and milk chocolate ice cream, with lime and vanilla foam. I loved the way it was presented, and I enjoyed it. It wasn't too sweet, or not too rich, and I found the green tea mousse nice and smooth with the almond and coconut meringue providing some crunchy contrast. I didn't really eat the toffee, but it was very pretty!



Alastair had the Suntory whisky cappuccino layered with crunchy coffee cacao, coffee crème brûlée, milk ice cream and Yamazaki whisky foam. His dessert was very small compared to the other ones, and looked just like a coffee.



Bro had the tofu cheesecake with green tea crumble, berry compote and tuile. When the dessert arrived at the table, the compote was presented in a separate bowl. The waiter, noticing that we were taking photos, offered to pour the compote on top of the dessert for us so we could get a good shot. We all stifled giggles as the compote just plopped on to the dessert in a big blob. Not sexy at all, but points to him for trying!



Maria had the warm chocolate satandagi filled with pistachio and chocolate ganache in a Japanese bun and served with caramelised pistachios, berry coulis and almond ice cream. They looked like big balls with a chocolate filling!

I thought the lunch deal was good value - but only if you order carefully. I wouldn't mind going back to Nobu again for lunch. There is a $45 bento box that I noticed other tables ordering that looked good, but I doubt I will ever eat there at dinner time. It is expensive. When I go to a restaurant, particularly a fine dining one, I realise that prices on items are going to be higher because I'm also paying for service, the fit out, etc. And that's fine - it's part of the experience. However, there is a point where a mark up just seems to be taking the piss – and Nobu reached that point for me. $40-$50 mains can be okay, but when a bowl of miso soup costs $6.50, a bowl of rice costs $4.50, or a milk coffee is $5.70, as it is at Nobu, it just seems ridiculous. But maybe that's just me!

See what Maria thought of the meal.

Nobu Melbourne
6 Whiteman St
Southbank VIC 3006
Phone: (03) 9292 7879