William Angliss Patisserie Advisory Board

Both Ian Burch & Darren Purchese have been invited by William Angliss TAFE to form part of the first Patisserie Advisory Board. Aimed at helping to ensure the future pastry chefs graduating have the best possible grounding and education, the board was started by Ron Smith and Angela Tsimiklis, both Senior Educators at the institute. A panel of industry leaders including Darren and Ian has been established and the first meeting took place at the college today. The current syllabus was discussed and feedback from the industry experts was given to the educators. Burch & Purchese are committed to helping the industry and believe confidence, knowledge and enthusiasm should be passed on to the pastry chefs of the future to secure the future of individuals and the industry as a whole. Darren & Ian welcome the opportunity to help Ron & Angela in their work and look forward to future events as members of this important board.

Burch & Purchese Dishes 1 - Rose Crumble v.1.1

We created this dish as a homage to Heston Blumenthal. In his book he describes his rose bush, rose petals are delicately crystallised and topped with freeze-dried raspberries, freeze-dried apple and toasted coriander seed. We have taken this and replicated the petals and used them as a component for this plated dessert. The explosion of flavours from the roses is sensational and we have tried to balance a this dish with some other interesting elements. First a freshly baked almond cake is cut artfully and placed onto the plate. Next a 'swipe' of rose fluid gel is added and topped with freeze-dried raspberry pieces. Toasted coriander seed is put onto the plate in a neat mound and a black olive caramel is applied to add a savoury/salty contrast. The almond cake is topped with an apple sour sorbet and the rose petals top this. We believe this dish contrasts salty, sweet and sour flavours to tremendous effect and the fragrant roses are a delightful component.

East, West Chocolate's Best Dishes - Darren Purchese

ULURU - SCORCHED EARTH : Burnt Orange Cream, Chocolate Clay

East, West Chocolate's Best Dishes - Ramon Morato

SPRINGTIME : White Chocolate Ice-Cream, Essence of Ylang Ylang, Orange, Rose & Mint

East, West Chocolate's Best Dishes - Ian Burch & Darren Purchese

FLAVOURS OF THE EAST : Ginger Ice-Cream, Lychee & White Chocolate Jelly, Szechaun Foam, Frozen Chocolate Powder & Sushi Energy Bar

East, West Chocolate's Best Dishes - Ian Burch

CHOCOLATE WALNUT: Tarakan Chocolate Mousse, Walnut Cake, Mastic Jelly & Lemon Cream

East, West Chocolate's Best 22nd March 2009

Burch & Purchese in association with The Press Club and Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, hosted a dessert degustation dinner in Melbourne.

Guest chef for the night was Ramon Morato, and the three combined to produce a wonderful night. The evening was hosted by Press Club chef George Calombaris and involved four desserts, all incorporating chocolate. The desserts were preceded by each chef taking to the stage to introduce and inform the capacity audience of the inspirations behind the creations. First dessert of the evening was a creation by Ian Burch, the influences and flavours of Greece were the theme and it was well received and enjoyed by all. Next up for the evening was a talk by Christina Tantsis of Sisko Chocolate, Christina created a spectacular chocolate centre piece and explained her inspiration behind it. We would like now to thank Christina for her contribution and wish her and Sisko continued success.

The second dessert for the evening was a collaboration between Darren and Ian and featured the flavours of the east. Chocolate was paired with wasabi, szechaun and lychee for a unique flavour combination which had the audience raving. An interesting sake completed this course and it was on to Ramon to present his dish. There was much excitement at Ramon's dessert, designed exclusively for his trip to Australia. 'Springtime' included a delicious white chocolate ice-cream as well as a ylang ylang crush. Other components celebrated the freshness and fragrance of Spring and included, mint, orange and rose. This truly was a beautiful dessert and Ramon seemed very happy with the response.

For the final dessert of the night the diners were treated to a unique dessert from Darren Purchese, 'scorched earth' was an interpretation of the climate and terrain of Australia. Flavours included burnt orange, bitter chocolate and was a real highlight. The dessert looked like Uluru and provided an interesting end to a fantastic night. Burch & Purchese would like to thank George Calombaris and The Press Club, Sisko Chocolate, The Cocoa Alliance, Adriano Zumbo and Ramon Morato and his team.

Tubular Gels

We are also interested in photography, this has led to many days in the pastry studio taking shots of different dishes and components. Food is such an interesting subject to capture on film and is very difficult to master. Burch & Purchese employ professionals to do most of our food shots but we enjoy trying our hand as well. Here are a couple of shots we thought were interesting. It is of blood orange agar/gelatine solution which we have set in tubes. The acetate is removed and the gels are arranged next to each other and cut with a sharp knife. We thought they were fun shots!

Burch & Purchese Pastry Training 1 - Fondant Handling

A NEW SERIES OF HINTS & TIPS IN THE PASTRY KITCHEN BY BURCH & PURCHESE

1. FONDANT HANDLING

Task

1. Take fondant out of the container with a knife cutting only the portion that is to be used.

2. Replace the fondant neatly back into the container making sure it is covered with the plastic packaging.

3. Place the fondant into the pan with a little sugar syrup.

4. Begin to heat the fondant on the gas stove on a medium flame mixing to make it smooth with a stiff plastic spoon.

5. The correct temperature to reach before using the fondant is 36°C same as blood temperature.

6. The way to check the temperature is to use the back of the finger once the correct temperature is reached take off the heat. Or use a thermometer.

7. To get the correct consistency sugar syrup should be added slowly as not to make the fondant to thin.

8. Once the correct consistency is reached the heat should be brought back to 36c.

9. Now the fondant is ready to use.

10. After finishing with the fondant the side of the pan should be scraped down and the sides wiped with a wet cloth to remove the hard fondant.

11. Store in designated area covered.

12. To re-use the fondant it should first have a little water put on top of the fondant for a short time to soften the fondant then disregards the water then follow the above steps to use again.

Industry VIP Day With Ramon Morato 19th March 2009 - Images

Darren and Ian had the privilege to watch top Spanish patissier and chocolatier Ramon Morato at work for the day in the kitchens of William Angliss TAFE here in Melbourne. Ramon invited an intimate gathering of industry professionals to promote the Selvatica range of chocolates and to pass on some of the vast experience he has gained over an illustrious career. Ramon presented six gateauxs from start to finish, all with a chocolate base and all with different flavours, finishes and techniques. A lot of information was shared in a full day of interaction and education and it was extremely good to see everyone taking notes and obviously enjoying the occasion. Ramon was assisted by chef Adriano Zumbo from Sydney and Adriano has since become a friend of Burch & Purchese. Adriano has his own successful patisserie in Sydney and it is well worth checking out whenever you are in the harbour city. Watching Ramon working with chocolate was enlightening and Ian and Darren took lots of positive information from the course. The day was organised by The Cocoa Alliance and Chocovic and both of the links to these companies can be found at the foot of this blog. Burch & Purchese have already put into practice techniques learnt on the day and look forward to showcasing them to the Australian public. Check out this link to the image gallery http://gallery.me.com/darrenpurchese#10053

What Would You Like Darren & Ian To Investigate, Answer Or Write About??

Let Darren and Ian help you with any pastry related questions. The queries could relate to recipes, methods, books and technologies to name a few. With a wealth of experience between them Burch & Purchese would be delighted to help any serious individual. After all the sharing of knowledge and ideas are key to the evolution and advancement of our industry. Please leave a comment and they will get back to you as soon as possible.

Ian Burch Moderates Ramon Morato's Masterclass 21st-22nd March 2009

Ian had the unrivaled opportunity to work closely with celebrated pastry chef Ramon Morato. Ian was chosen from a select few to help Ramon produce a stunning display of cutting edge patisserie at the Langham. Ian helped Ramon in his preparation and provided insightful questions and feedback which ensured the audience fully appreciated the talent of the Catalan. Ramon wowed the crowed with his audacious 'chocolate truffle' and educated and entertained throughout. Ian said it was a tremendous pleasure to work with such a craftsman and all were happy with the outcome and feedback.

Chef Heston Blumenthal's Mission Statement

We were fortunate enough to meet up again with Chef Heston Blumenthal at The Melbourne Food & Wine festival, his philosophy on cooking is inspirational, here is his mission statement outlining his desire to promote the industry and to encourage sharing ideas in the belief this will stimulate professionals. We believe he is a world leader in technique and philosophy and this mission statement in collaboration with Ferran Adria & Thomas Keller is a guideline for us all.

Great Feedback From Food Blogger - http://www.bellygood.net/2009/03/15/piggys-wicked-adventures/

Thanks to 'Piggy' for her valued feedback, we all enjoyed the day!

http://www.bellygood.net/2009/03/15/piggys-wicked-adventures/

More Photos From Wicked Sunday 15th March 2009

Burch & Purchese Range Of Jams
Ian Burch Explaining His Dish
Burch & Purchese Retail Product
Gaudi Inspired Easter Eggs
Darren, Ramon & MC Cam Smith

Wicked Sunday 15th March 2009

Burch & Purchese had a stall at 'Wicked Sunday' on the 15th March 2009 as part of the food and wine festival. A celebration of all things chocolate was held in the Atrium at Federation Square. The Cocoa Alliance, Chocovic, Sisko and Ganache were all represented among others on a fantastic day in which the cocoa bean was the star. Burch and Purchese produced their signature artisanal products including chocolate piggy banks, chocolate chooks and a range of spreads and tuiles. A fun but exhausting day was punctuated with live demonstrations on stage at the BMW edge from some of the leading pastry chefs in Melbourne. Ramon Morato was a guest presenter and his chocolate hamburger went down a storm. Ian Burch and Darren Purchese were also on show and provided the enthusiastic audience with secrets into some of their creations. In all Burch & Purchese had great feedback from the public and Ramon seemed to enjoy himself as well. Above are photos of some of Ian & Darren's creations! Looking forward to next year.

Ramon Morato visits Australia

In March this year we were treated to the arrival of celebrated Spanish pastry chef Ramon Morato. Ramon was over promoting the Selvatica range of chocolate from Chocovic of which he is a director. He was also involved in the Melbourne Food & Wine festival and we were lucky enough to work closely with such a friendly and humble individual. Among the events in which Burch & Purchese collaborated with Ramon, were the popular East, West Chocolate's Best dessert dinner at The Press Club, Ian Burch moderating Ramon at his Masterclass at the Langham, and Wicked Sunday. More details on all of these events will be posted later but we just wanted to thank Ramon and his team Nuria and Marta, they were a pleasure to work with.