casa e cucina

Since 1998, The Essential Ingredient Cooking School Prahran has held over 725
classes presented by 228 chefs, artisanal producers and culinary writers.
The tradition continues this year with classes on topics as varied as sourcing
ingredients, refining classic techniques, and preparing food for family and friends.
With over 40 presenters- chosen for their ability to share knowledge with passion
and inspiration- 2012 offers one of the most comprehensive programs to date.
This year’s schedule features hands-on workshops including how to prepare a quail
ballotine, liver parfait and three different kinds of terrine, as well as curing
pancetta, with Dwayne Bourke (Pure South). We also see the return of Peter
Kuruvita (Flying Fish) for two classes in which students work together in small
groups to cook the spicy cuisine of Jaffina and dishes from the East Coast of Sri
Lanka, including string hoppers, egg rolls and a fragrant Jaffina crab curry.

In 2012, The Essential Ingredient gets back to basics, rediscovering “forgotten”
kitchen skills of the past such as preserving fruit in season with Rosa Mitchell’s class
‘Preserving the Autumn Harvest’. In this hands-on workshop, Rosa will preserve a
variety of mushrooms, olives and chestnuts from north-east Victoria.
Andrew O’Hara, who has guided the growth of Phillippa’s to become one of
Melbourne’s leading providores, presents two hands-on bread-making classes this
year. From the creation of the ‘mother’ through to the final aromatic bake,
participants in his sourdough bread making class will take home a newly-made
starter to continue creating loaves at home. He also shares the fundamentals of
yeasted breads, guiding students through the bringing together of dough, including
understanding flours and yeast, proving and the knocking-back process in his
yeasted bread making class.
Alternatively, students can learn traditional charcuterie techniques passed down
through the generations of Bernard Jurcan’s (Istra Smallgoods) Croatian family.
Participants are encouraged to roll up their sleeves and join Bernard in making
chorizo in this interactive tutorial.
Chef’s Table events also return for another year. In these intimate events,
prominent award-winning chefs such as Sydney’s Brent Savage (The Bentley) and
New Zealand’s Martin Bosley (whose award-winning restaurant has been hailed as
one of New Zealand’s top 10, as well as being voted Cuisine Magazine’s Restaurant
of the Year) will demonstrate the preparation of their dishes, served as a sit-down
meal with wine.
The Essential Ingredient Cooking School Prahran focuses on demonstrating
techniques and conveying a deeper understanding of ingredients, their origins and
their applications. Rather than simply presenting recipes, classes are held in a
relaxed format encouraging presenters and attendees to discuss techniques and
allowing our impressive list of 2012 presenters to share their recipes, philosophies
and enthusiasm as well as their passion, ideas and experience