London Cooking Club and how to make rillettes

Amongst the wave of supper clubs cropping up in London, the London Cooking Club is one with a difference. Hosted by the fantastic Luiz and Dr G the emphasis is firmly on participation with each attendee bringing a different course of dinner. The whole thing takes place in Luiz and Dr G's town house in Islington which is beautifully and eclectically decorated and full of every kitchen implement you could ever need to finish off your dish once you get to the house. Each evening is based on a different cook book and having previously attended the Ottolenghi cooking club a few months ago I was quick to put up my hand to return for the Elizabeth David evening of using her book French Provincial Cooking (£5.98 on Amazon).

Rillettes served wtih toasted baguette and cornichons

Although it is now 60 years after David's first book was published she has been described as a "gastronomic deity" in England. With my Australian upbringing, David's influence had largely passed me by but I was keen to try out one of her recipes and see if I could master it. I decided to make the first dish of the night, duck and pork rillettes. The problem with David's recipes is that compared to modern recipes they are quite vague in places. In the recipe for rillettes she references a bouquet of herbs and a ladle of water without giving detail as to exactly which herbs to use or how much water precisely. Other attendees at the cooking club admitted they had similar problems and almost everyone had "cheated" by using another recipe in conjunction with David's. However, in other ways David is quite direct, rather than just suggesting seasoning the rillettes to taste she firmly instructed: "rillettes are insipid if not seasoned properly." Yes sir!

The cooking club for the Elizabeth David evening - after about seven courses. Thanks to Benn Glazier for this picture.

Despite some of the reservations of the cooking club attendees, all the recipes turned out brilliantly. The menu started with the rillettes and continued to poached eggs on cream of salted cod, Normandy cream of fish soup, whole baked salmon trout, boeuf bourguignonne, cassoulet, endives served in butter, celeraic and potato purée and pears cooked in red wine. Quite a feast! Each attendee matched their course with a different French wine and we also all brought a French cheese to create the most amazing cheese platter to add to our French provincial feast.

The meat and bouquet garni ready to start cooking

Keep an eye on Luiz's blog, The London Foodie for when he announces the next set of dates for The London Cooking club as it is really a unique and memorable experience. Attending a cooking club is almost like getting to host the most amazing dinner party but you only have to prepare one course and you get to have it at somebody elses house (thanks Luiz and Dr G!).

After four hours of slow cooking

As for Elizabeth David's recipe for pork and rabbit rillettes along with a few tweaks, it was a real hit. The rillettes were meaty and moist and could easily be kept in the fridge for a week before serving. Feasting on the rillettes on top of toasted baguette and teamed with cornichons is one of the easiest ways to feel like you are truly in France.

Ingredients

900g rabbit meat with bones removed. Wild rabbit is best

1.8kg pork belly, with bones and rind removed (keep the fat on).

A couple of sprigs of thyme, rosemary, parsley and bay leaves

3 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper to season

1. Preheat the oven to 140c.

2. Cut the pork belly and rabbit into little strips and place it in an oven proof dish like a Le Creuset stock pot.

3. Add 300ml of water and create a bouquet garni by tying the herbs in a bunch with string. Bury the bouquet garni in the meat along with the garlic cloves and season with salt and pepper.

4. Put a lid on the dish and cook in the preheated oven for 4 hours. By this time the meat should be very soft and swimming in limpid fat. Taste to see if more salt and pepper is needed as remember rilletes are insipid if not properly seasoned.

5. Turn the contents of the pan into a wire sieve placed over a bowl so the fat drips through. When well drained set aside the fat and shred the pork and rabbit using two forks until it is almost like a paste.

6. Pile lightly into glazed earthenware containers and then pour the fat over the top of the rillette completley filling the container.

7. Rillettes should be served at room temperature so if they have been refrigerated they should be removed a couple of hours prior to serving.

Serves 12 as a pre dinner snack.

Essentials

Details: The London Cooking Club, Islington

Damage: Such a bargain even my mother would approve. There is no cost in attending the London Cooking Club, however you must bring one course of the dinner and wine to accompany it.

9/10

Thanks to the talented Benn Glazier for his photograph of the whole Cooking club, all other photographs my own.

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my review of two other supper clubs The Underground Restaurant or of The Old Hat club.

Crillon le Brave - Gourmet Chick in France

There are tiny scratches at the hotel Crillon le Brave in Provence left by my fingernails as they dragged me out of there when my stay was over. I just did not want to leave. The setting itself is picture perfect, the hotel occupies an ancient hill side town in Provence which dates from Roman times. There are panoramic views over the valleys filled with vineyards below and the snow capped mountains above from the crumbling stone buildings which date from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Entrance to Crillon le Brave

Once inside, the rooms themselves are enormous with every modern luxury. Our room (No. 35) was almost the size of our two bedroom apartment in London. The bed was so comfortable and large that you could easily lose your husband or boyfriend in there. A handy feature if ever there was one! Everything you could need was on hand, free unlimited wifi, a well stocked mini bar, flat screen TV, Bose sound-dock and DVD player. The bathroom was also palatial with a fantastic rain shower and bath, soft white towels and a plethora of L'Occitane products.

View from our room at Crillon le Brave

Once you leave the cosy confines of your room there is a swimming pool looking out over the valley a bar and sitting area with board games. Here you can have a pre dinner drink and start studying up on the wine list. The list presents an exhaustive tour of the surrounding regions and there is no better introduction to the local wine than through Cédric Demeneix the sommelier. Each night he guided us towards a fantastic bottle of wine and intuitively knew to suggest an option within our price range. He also introduced us to the makers of Domaine du Tix an amazing small family winery which makes the most brilliant, crisp Viognier from 2009 (€12.50 a bottle direct from the winery) and a peppery nuanced Syrah, the 2009 Bramefan (€13 a bottle direct from the winery). We loved it so much we went to visit the winery and bought two cases to bring back to London.

Legs of lamb slow cooking over the fire in the restaurant

Make it past the bar and you are in the restaurant proper which is like a cellar with vaulted ceilings and exposed grey stone walls. It is moodily lit in the evening and at one end a huge log fire burns with legs of lamb hanging over the flames to slowly roast. The lamb has been slow cooked for five hours and can be ordered off the menu (€23) served with a hearty ratatouille in a tiny Le Creuset casserole dish. It is a typical meal from the kitchen which has a heavy emphasis on seasonality while still turning out food cooked with accomplishment and finesse.

Pumpkin soup

There are some stand outs on the menu including the creamy, thick pumpkin soup (€20) which is laced with chopped hazelnuts and topped with a cloud of egg white. Better still was the duck breast, sliced and served with sweet black figs and artichoke hearts cooked to a point of softness (€24). However, a puff pastry tart of ceps, topped with rocket and a crispy disc of Parmesan (€16) erred on the dry side.

Duck breast

The sweet end of the meal is also strong. The chocolate fondant (€13) is a master class in how to a chocolate fondant should be, rich and runny. Masterchef eat your heart out. There is also a large cheese plate which you can choose from or for the indecisive (that would be me) you can go for Madame Vigier's selection of three cheeses (€9) which includes two goats cheeses, one coated in ash and a firm, nutty and slightly sweet Comté.

Salmon ballotine with scallops and truffles

On our final night at Crillon le Brave we were served a special truffle menu which was made up of six courses all featuring truffles. In some courses this worked brilliantly. In particular, the earthy truffles shone when paired with a delicate king prawn bisque and when they were nestled in mashed potato and teamed with beef fillet. However, truffles and dessert seemed to me to be a step too far and so by the time it got to the sixth course of a duo of chocolate served with a truffle sauce I was officially truffled out. Very spoilt of me I know, but we had just eaten a five course lunch of truffle dishes as well. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing.

Duo of chocolate - featuring more chocolates

Crillon le Brave is between head chefs at the moment so while the food is very good, it didn't live up to the absolute perfection of the rest of the hotel. Still, Crillon le Brave has to be one of the most amazing places I have ever stayed and this is coming from a girl who nearly bankrupted herself and her husband on her honeymoon with an addiction to luxury boutique hotels. If only I had grabbed on a little harder with my fingernails perhaps I would still be there.

On the road to Crillon le Brave

Essentials

Details: Crillon le Brave, Place d'Eglise, 84410 Crillon le Brave, France (Ph +33 (0) 490 65 6161)

Damage: Budget Breaking

9/10

Gourmet Travel Tips

• To get to Crillon le Brave from London you can fly to Marseille or take the more relaxing option and travel by train. The Eurostar goes from London to Avignon direct during summer which takes less than six hours and return fares are from £109. During Winter you catch the Eurostar to Lyon and you can change there to catch the TGV to Avignon. Crillon le Brave is 30 minutes from Avignon. Tickets cost around £300 return.

• We visited Crillon le Brave for a truffle and wine weekend which included three nights accomodation, breakfast and dinner every day, a class in how to cook with truffles, wine tasting at Chateauneuf de Pape and a morning truffle hunting followed by lunch. We were guests of the hotel but usually it costs €1,130 for a couple for the weekend. If you go on a normal weekend or weeknight rooms are usually €230 to €470 a night.

• While in Provence spend some time browsing through the antique stalls and market at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue or head to Aix-en-Provence to visit Cezanne's studio and eat callissions.

Gourmet Chick was a guest of Crillon le Brave and Eurostar.

A tour of our room at Crillon le Brave

Links

If you liked reading this you should read my review of our adventures truffle hunting in Provence as part of the truffle and wine weekend.

The Table

Beware of the lunch time rut. If you are eating at your work canteen because it is too cold to go outside or if the main variation to your lunch time food is in when Pret brings out its Christmas sandwich, you are in a rut. Fearing I was getting into a monotonous lunch time routine myself I ventured out to some place new for my allocated one hour break and discovered The Table cafe. Just behind the Tate Modern in London The Table is attached to an architects offices. Those architects must know their stuff as the cafe has clean simple lines, with long wooden communal tables and industrial looking polished concrete floors.

Portobello mushroom and cheddar tart

As soon as you walk in you can spy a large salad bar with all kinds of lovely salads inside for you to help yourself to from £1.45 for 100g. The salads are seasonal and change daily but on my visit there was a Lebanese cucumber salad, lentil salad and one featuring deep red, ripe tomatoes.

They take their food seriously at The Table and all the meat is organic, the eggs free-range and the packaging environmentally friendly. They don't hit you over the head with their philosophy though, instead there is a helpful list of suppliers on The Table's website. Even if you didn't care about these things you would be sure to taste the difference once you got to the hot food which ranges from a simple pasta of the day (£7.50) to specials such as roasted oxtail on polenta or roasted free range chicken (£9). I couldn't go past the tart of the day though which was mushroom and cheddar (£3.75). Crumbly soft pastry sagged at the seams as it held together fat, juicy portobello mushrooms and a lovely soft eggy, cheese filling.

Now that's what I call a salad bar

There is also a great selection of desserts with tempting looking mounds of brownies and trays of cupcakes. I opted for the mini cheesecake (£2) which had a crumbly biscuit base and a silky smooth finish topped with fresh fruit.

Mini cheesecake

The only real downside of The Table is the queues to get served are so long at lunchtime. However, I hear it is open for breakfast as well so perhaps I should head there to get out of my breakfast rut.

Essentials

Details: The Table, 81 Southwark street, Southwark SE1 0HX (Ph 020 7401 2760) Tube: Southwark

Damage: Reasonable

7/10

Links

Good lunch options in the area include Tsuru or you could go the whole hog and dine at Roast.

Truffle hunting in Provence - Gourmet Chick in France

"Allez! Allez!" Cried our truffier, Eric Jaumard, to his dogs as we wandered through the woods near Mont Ventoux in Provence. We were hunting for truffles. These earthy delicacies are considered a luxury around the world thanks to their unique taste and high price. During the truffle season which runs in Provence from November to March, Eric takes his dogs hunting for truffles a couple of times a week, carefully combing the area beneath the oak trees on his farmland.

Eric leading the truffle hunt

I was invited by the hotel Crillon Le Brave on a truffle hunting weekend in Provence. We spent three nights learning how to cook truffles, tasting wine that would accompany truffles and now we were at the main event, the hunt for the truffles. The main truffle from this part of France is the tuber melansoporum, the truffles grow just underneath the surface of the soil so they are very difficult to find without a dog or pig to sniff them out. Eric told us that while pigs were traditionally used to find truffles the pigs liked the truffles to much so dogs were a safer bet as they were less likely to try and eat the truffles. "Also it is easier to talk to a dog than a pig", laughed Eric.

The dog digging for the truffles

Hunting for truffles really did feel like we were searching for buried treasure. Every now and again the dogs would stop and start sniffing the ground with particular interest, "Allez!" Eric would cry. The dog would dig into the earth towards the truffle and then Eric would take over with a small pick to uncover the precious delicacy. There was a great bond between Eric and his dogs and it was a privilege to see them working together to find the truffles.

Goats cheese salad dressed with truffles

When Eric felt satisfied we had found all the truffles we could for the morning we wandered back to a large kitchen and dining area Eric has set up on the property for what Eric describes as a "rustic" lunch. There were truffles with every course. They appeared unadorned and thinly sliced on thin slices of toasted baguette as we drank an apertif outside. They were swirled through thick, creamy pumpkin soup to add depth and earthy flavour. They were scattered over a rich goats cheese salad. However most memorably the musty truffles were layered in soft folds of scrambled egg which was served with jamon and toast. It was perhaps the ultimate brunch dish.

Truffle laced scrambled eggs

The truffles did not stop there though. We also had truffles with our dessert, scattered like confetti on the créme anglaise with the combination of earthiness and sweet making the whole concoction taste almost like a strong blue cheese. I am still not entirely convinced by truffles in a dessert! Of course, truffles were not limited to the food alone and our truffle feast was accompanied by a truffle wine, a robust Terres de Truffes red which was produced from vines that grew next to a truffiere. Eric is currently working on a truffle liqueur so even the last drink of the day can have a touch of truffle to it.

Dessert with truffle creme anglaise

Essentials

Details: Crillon le Brave, Place d'Eglise, 84410 Crillon le Brave, France (Ph +33 (0) 490 65 6161)

Damage: Budget Breaking

10/10

Truffle wine

Gourmet Travel Tips

• To get to Crillon le Brave from London you can fly to Marseille or take the more relaxing option and travel by train. Catch the Eurostar from London to Lyon and change to a TGV to Avignon. Ticket prices are around €300 return.
• We visited Crillon le Brave for a truffle and wine weekend which included three nights accomodation, breakfast and dinner every day, wine tasting at Chateauneuf de Pape and a day and lunch truffle hunting. We were guests of the hotel but usually it costs €1,130 for a couple for the weekend. Rooms are usually €230 to €470 a night.

The fields next to the truffiere

Part two coming soon with details of my stay at Crillon le Brave and more truffle feasting.

Gourmet Chick was a guest of Crillon le Brave and Eurostar.

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in previous posts on Provence - the market in Aix-en- Provence and dining at Le Passage.

A video of the truffle hunting experience

Gourmet Giveaway
Thanks to everyone who entered the Gourmet Giveaway to win a Hotel Chocolat luxury Advent Calendar. The winner is Vicky chosen using random.org. Vicky, your prize will be winging its way to you shortly thanks to Hotel Chocolat.

Barbagallo Trattoria e Pizzeria

Restaurant now closed.

Sometimes a new restaurant springs up that looks and feels like it has been there forever. Barbagallo opened in Melbourne while I have been living in London but it already seems to be a bit of an institution. It has that particular sleek Euro-Melbourne style which is so typical of my home town. The large space which houses the restaurant is elegant with good bones, a marble counter bisects the high ceilinged dining room. If you walk past the high round tables where people sit eating and drinking at bar stools and the open kitchen with its flaring grills you reach the big dining room at the back. Here you can have 15 people or so easily all around the same huge table which is perfect for a party or just communal style eating.

Fennel and sausage pizza

Perhaps the reason Barbagallo seems so entrenched in the Melbourne dining scene already is because the man behind it has been for years. Pietro Barbagallo is famous in Melbourne as the man behind the stalwart pizza restaurant i Carusi and now he has re-emerged with his own self named restaurant. The classic Italian menu reads beautifully in its simplicity. To start, bowls of warmed black olives slick with oil ($9) and perfectly rounded spheres of arancini ($13) oozing cheesy rice beneath their crisp breadcrumbed coating. I could complain and say the batter on the calamari ($16) was a bit tough but the calamari itself had the perfect amount of bounce and spring.

Arancini balls

The main event though is the pizza, Barbagallo spent years honing his magic touch with pizza i Carusi and now with his name above the door, it is all about the dough at Barbagallo. It is thin based but with a bit of weight to it and cooked on stone in an electric oven to a smoky crisp. The iconic pizza on the menu is the slow roasted pumpkin which almost melts into the toasted pine nuts and rocket that are layered on top ($19). However, as is often the case the best topping we tried was the simplest with concentric layers of thin potato with onion caramelised to a point of sweetness draped over it ($19).

In fact, we had so much pizza that we had no room for dessert save for coffee or tea. While there may be a lot of contenders for the crown of Melbourne's pizza king, Barbagello's has certainly got a claim on the title. At Barbagello's it is the classic Italian cooking which makes you feel that you are in safe, expert hands.

Essentials

Details: Barbagello Trattoria e Pizzeria, 103 Lonsdale street, Melbourne 3000, Australia (Ph +61 3 9639 6222)

Damage: Reasonable

7/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my top ten Melbourne restaurants or for great pizza in London try Pizza East.

The Fish Place

The Fish Place is so brand spanking new that you can almost smell the paint on the walls. Even right in the middle of the new build apartment blocks in Battersea this restaurant stands out as being particularly new. In fairness, The Fish Place has only been open for a week when I visit and our amiable waiter Ahmed tells me it only got its liquor licence the day before. This goes some way to explaining why on a Saturday lunchtime there are only two other diners.

Seafood linguine

We take advantage of the liquor licence and order two glasses of an almost creamy Portugese white wine and settle in. The restaurant is still so new and shiny with lots of granite, hard lines and pops of bright lime green and purple that it lacks a cosy, welcoming feel. However, given the amazing views over the Thames from almost every seat, you don't have to spend much time looking around the restaurant.

The outside of The Fish Place

All the fish served is from Cornwall and while there are some non seafood options on the menu, why would you bother ordering them in a restaurant called The Fish Place. The menu encourages you to order up with the dinner menu offering two courses for £37.50, three courses for £45 or a six course tasting menu for £55. However at lunch there is a much more purse friendly deal of £15 for two courses.

Inside The Fish Place

To start, Cornish crab claw and all on a salad of water cress, avocado and a tangy brown crab mayonnaise. The dish pops with freshness. Equally luxurious is the celeraic soup which is dense and creamy and finished with a flourish of finely sliced truffles.

Crab

Sea bream fillet is pan fried to a crisp skinned finish and sympathetically teamed with herby crushed potatoes dressed with olive oil. It's a simple and honest dish. Less successful is the clam and prawn linguine which is packed with plenty of seafood but suffers from a greasy finish.

Celeraic soup

On the sweeter side of the spectrum, the desserts are great and cost an extra £8.50 each. The caramalised fig cheesecake tastes as good as its name sounds with the bitter caramel sauce contrasting with the soft, creamy cheesecake and super sweet figs. However it is the apple and cinnamon souffle that draws the most gasps with its billowing clouds of air which crumble upon contact with the accompanying tart strawberry sauce.

Sea bream

The Fish Place lacks a bit of atmosphere at the moment and conversation can feel stilted over the movie theme tune musak which the restaurant plays. However, the food is fantastic and an absolute bargain if you eat at lunch time.

Caramalised fig cheese-cake

Essentials

Details: The Fish Place, Bridges Wharf, Bridges Court Road Battersea, Battersea Sw113GY (Ph 020 70950 410)

Damage: Reasonable

7/10

Gourmet Chick was a guest of The Fish Place.

Apple and cinnamon souffle

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my review of more seafood restaurants - Kensington Place in (where else?) Kensington and The SummerHouse in Maida Vale.

Gourmet Giveaway and Gourmet Chick Sponsors

I hate when people start talking about Christmas too early. I know Christmas gifts are in the shops from about July but that is far too early to talk about Christmas. Still, it is almost halfway through November now so I think a little Christmas talk is allowed in honour of the latest Gourmet Giveaway which is the most amazing advent calendar you have ever seen. The main reason for the amazing nature of the calender is that it is filled with chocolates. And not just any chocolates. We always used to have chocolate advent calendars when we were kids which I loved but the problem was that the chocolate in the calender was cheap and nasty. There's no such problem with this advent calendar though because it is from Gourmet Chick sponsors Hotel Chocolat. Perfect for gourmet children or chocaholic adults.

The ultimate advent calendars

I got to test out the Ultimate Hotel Chocolat advent calendar (£17) and as you can see from the photos it is pretty slick. The chocolate is all wrapped in foil to keep it fresh and was so tasty that I may have eaten the first five days of advent already. The one up for grabs in the Gourmet Giveaway is even better though because it is the Luxury Truffles Advent Calendar (£22). It is better because first of all it is bigger, and secondly it contains enough chocolate truffles for two people. Eat it yourself or use it as the ultimate early stocking filler.

Breaking into the advent calendar

Entry to the competition is open to all and you can enter in a few different ways.

Remember

1. To enter the competition leave a comment below, if you don't have a blog please leave your email address or you can email it to me at missgourmetchick[@]gmail[dot]com. One comment per person

2. And if you want you can also tweet a link to this post using the hashtag #hotelchocolat. You can do this a maximum of once a day for the duration of the competition. Each time gets you an additional entry.

3. And if you want you can also blog about the Gourmet Giveaway (and send me the link so I know) this gets you three entries.

4. Competition closes at 5pm London time on Sunday 21 November.

5. The winner will be drawn using random.org and will be announced on 22 November on Gourmet Chick.

Good luck!

The chocolates in the Ultimate Advent Calendar are all different shapes

COMPETITION CLOSED

How to make macaroons - The Waitrose Cookery School

Just opened on Monday is the brand, spanking new Waitrose Cookery School above the Waitrose store in Finchley Road. It is certainly the slickest cookery school in London with a bar area, theatre for demonstrations and a large kitchen where you can learn in a hands on way. There is high end equipment like Kenwood Cooking Chefs and Le Creuset pots galore and the whole set up has clearly had buckets of cash thrown at it.

Mulled wine macaroons

I was invited a special preview night at the school where we had a master class in macaroons from James Campbell, a Michelin star pastry chef who was previously head pastry chef for Gary Rhodes and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (seriously all the teachers at the Waitrose Cookery School have the most amazing backgrounds). Macaroons are a notoriously fickle sweet to master, and there is reams on information on the internet and various cookbooks about the importance of technique rather than just following a recipe. This site shows particularly helpful examples of how you can go wrong.

Amazing set up at The Waitrose Cookery School

James's main tip for success with macaroons was to make Italian style macaroons. These don't need to be left to rise before baking and so are not subject to as many vagaries as the French style macaroons. He then demonstrated the technique to us before carefully hovering over our shoulders with helpful hints as we tried out the recipe for ourselves. What can I say, the recipe worked like a dream and my first attempt at macaroons was a success. I am giving all credit to James's recipe and all the additional advice he gave us so I have tried to include as much as possible in this recipe for orange marmalade macaroons. Overall, I thought the new cookery school was just brilliant, my only hesitation is the steep prices which are admittedly reflective of the calibre of the chefs involved and the amazing set up.

James stirs the paste mixture while sous chef Eleni Tzirki looks on

Orange marmalade macaroons

These macaroons are Italian style, so not quite as tricky as French macaroons. This recipe creates the ultimate macaroons - a perfect amount of crisp outer shell, crunching through to light and fluffy meringue inside. As for the filling of orange marmalade butter cream, it is truly a taste sensation. The important things you will need are a good set of scales, electric whisk, piping bag and a sugar thermometer. This is serious baking.

Ingredients

Meringue

187g caster sugar

75ml water

62g egg whites (roughly two egg whites)

5ml orange food colouring

Paste

187g ground almonds

187g icing sugar

62g egg whites (rougly two egg whites)

Filling

180g milk

80g sugar

40g egg yolks

300g butter, diced

100g orange marmalade

The mixture folded to the perfect consistency, ready to be piped

1. Preheat the oven to 140C.

2. For the meringue, in a small saucepan add the sugar and water and mix until there are no lumps. Add the food colouring and place the saucepan over medium to high heat and heat until it reaches 114c.

3. Once the temperature gets to 112c start whisking the egg whites on a slow speed. Once the temperature gets to 114C pour the sugar mixture into the egg white mix, taking care to pour the mixture down the side of bowl so it does not touch the whisk or whisk attachment.

4. Whisk at high speed for around five minutes and the meringue mixture should be glossy and soft, with peaks in it. James described it as "having the consistency of shaving foam".

Piping the mixture. James is holding the bag steady with one hand and controlling the pressure on the mixture with the other

5. To make the paste mix the remaining egg whites, ground almonds and icing sugar and mix with a spatula until combined.

6. Now combine the meringue and paste mixture. James suggests adding the mixture in thirds for the most chance of success so add one third of the egg white mixture and mix vigorously until well combined. Add the second third, being careful not to overmix and then the final third. The key is not to over mix the mixture and knock too uch air out. The mixture is combined when it will drip slowly off the back of a spoon rather than running.

7. Prepare two baking trays to pipe the macaroon mixture onto. Secure the baking paper to the tray using a dob of the macaroon mixture in each corner, don't grease the baking paper as this will cause the meringues to flop.

The meringue halves once they came out of the oven

8. Fill a piping bag half full with the macaroon mixture and then pipe small circles, not much bigger than a 50p coin, with sufficient space between the meringues for them to spread slightly. To pipe the mixture, hold the piping bag nozzle about one centimetre above the service you are piping on to and squeeze the piping bag carefully to release some of the mixture while holding the nozzle firm to get evenly sized macaroons.

9. Before putting in the oven, bang the bottom of the tray on your kitchen work top to allow the macaroons to settle slightly.

10. Bake for 12 mins and then remove from the oven and leave to cool. The macaroons are cooked if they have risen, without browning and you are able to remove them from the baking paper without too much sticking.

11. For the filling heat the milk over a medium heat, in a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar together.

12. Once the milk comes to the boil add some of the milk to the egg mixture and mix with a spatula, then transfer the mix to the saucepan of milk. Continue to stir over a low heat with a spatula until the mixture starts to coat the back of the spoon then remove from the saucepan and mix in an electronic mixture or using a hand held mixer at a high speed until the mixture starts to cool.

13. Once the mixture has almost cooled add a third of the diced butter, mix at a high speed for three minutes and then add the remaining two parts of butter separately. The butter cream should become thick and creamy.

14. Add the orange marmalade to the butter cream and mix on a low speed until combined.

15. Once the macaroon halves are totally cool, pipe a small amount of the orange marmalade butter cream mixture onto half of the macroon halves then top with the alternate halves like tiny sandwiches.

My completed meringues

Essentials

Waitrose Cookery School, (Ph 020 7372 6108) A half day or evening macaroon mania class costs £105, full day classes at the school are £175 and there are also demonstration only events for £65.

Gourmet Chick was a guest of the Waitrose cookery school

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my review of other cookery classes at Leiths Cookery school and at Food at 52.

Movida Aqui

One of the most difficult questions you can ask a Melburnian who is passionate about food is which Movida is their favourite. The original Movida tapas bar has spawned Movida Next Door and now Movida Aqui, each with their own distinctive character, atmosphere and menu. I was a big fan of the first Movida when I lived in Melbourne, and when I was back in February this year I discovered and loved Movida Aqui as well. I liked it so much that I suggested a meal there to celebrate my Dad's birthday two weeks ago.

The view from the outdoor terrace at Movida Aqui

It was a beautiful sunny day so Movida Aqui suited us perfectly with its big outdoor terrace overlooking the Supreme Court. You can't book at the terrace but we were able to get a table fairly easily arriving just before 1pm. It was certainly a much easier feat than trying to get a table at Movida itself. Inside, the restaurant is fairly industrial looking with polished concrete floors and brightly coloured plastic milk crates decorating the bar area. Outside there is timber decking, great views and bright red umbrellas to shade you from the sun or rain depending on Melbourne's tempermental weather.

Patatas Bravas

Before MTV boyfriend, there was meat-and-three-veg Dad, but following a meal recently at Brindisia in London, Dad has become more adventurous and converted to tapas so we ordered a selection from the raciones and tapas section of the menu to share. There were other options on the menu besides tapas, including larger dishes from the grill, a la plancha and from the charcoal fire a la parilla. However, it was hard not to start with the bombas ($4 each), crisp bread-crumbed balls filled with soft mashed potato and flecks of chorizo. They were a tiny taste sensation and the perfect bar-snack to accompany our jug of chilled sangria ($39).

Tortilla

There was more potato to come in the form of cubes of crunchy patatas bravas with a deep, backpacker tan ($11) drenched in spicy bravas sauce and some wedges of meltingly soft potato and egg tortilla ($4.50 each). An iceberg salad ($14) with fennel and salad onion is a refreshing foil to the heavier dishes.

Slow cooked lamb - it looked just as amazing as it tasted

But it is in the slow cooked lamb shoulder that Frank Camorra and his team's mastery of technique and flavour can be best found. The lamb falls easily from the bone and is slow cooked almost to a point of sweetness. If it wasn't Dad's birthday there would have been fights over who got to lick the bone. The only fault in the meal was the bistec of aged Angus rump ($19) which was served with parilla peppers. The meat, while not overcooked seemed tough and fairly flavourless. It was certainly lacking the wow factor of our other dishes.

The Bistec

We did order the boccadillo de calamares ($6.50 each), a favourite of mine from my last visit. The bocadillo featured a crusty roll, stuffed with strips of grilled calamari and topped with a zesty, creamy mayonnaise. However, our waitress forgot the order and in the end we were too full anyway so decided to forget about them. I think I am still regretting that decision as they really are the most fantastic combination.

The interior of Movida Aqui showcasing the open kitchen

Movida Aqui is a stylish, but at the same time supremely casual bar and restaurant, serving some of Melbourne's most flavoursome and skillfully cooked food. Thanks to Movida Aqui, we now have two tapas converts in the family in the form of Mum and Dad. So, book a table at Movida and join the Spanish revolution.

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Essentials

Details: Movida Aqui, Level 1, 500 Bourke street (access via Little Bourke street), Melbourne CBD 3000, Australia (Ph +61 3 9663 3038)

Damage: Pricey. Dad paid on his own birthday. That was naughty of him, but thanks Dad.

8/10

Links

If you liked reading this you might be interested in my updated list of my top ten restaurants in Melbourne, or you can read my review of Frank Camorra's cookbook, Movida Rustica.