The End Of This Blog! COMING SOON: The NEW look!

Well it has been over three years since I started this blog and with the growth of Sweet Studio and all of the other things associated I believe it is time for a revamp!!

Thanks for reading and commenting and please keep checking back here and on our Facebook and twitter pages as well as www.burchandpurchese.com for news on the new blog.

Facebook and Twitter will be more active and the new blog will tie in with an exciting new website being built now which will incorporate online shopping!

Please email info@burchandpurchese.com if you want to be included on our newsletter which will be providing information on our upcoming events including our Sweet Studio sessions (dessert bar nights) in store very soon.

Get ready for a mega Spring!! Darren & Cath & The team at B&P xxx

Book Now For This Years 5 Chefs Dinner In Melbourne

This year I’m proud to be taking part in the Starlight Five Chefs Dinner in Melbourne on Thursday 14^th June at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre.  This prestigious event raises money to support the work of the Starlight Children’s Foundation and brighten the lives of seriously ill and hospitalised children across Australia. 

At the Starlight Five Chefs Dinner guests will enjoy the ultimate dining experience through a five course degustation menu with matched wines, wonderful chefs and top class entertainment. All this peppered with stories of inspiration and hope - it is a night that truly makes a lasting impact. I’m donating my time and support and I’d love you to join me on the night .

 Visit www.fivechefs.org.au for more information, or contact Chris DiPetta at Starlight on 03 9468 2024. 

Afternoon Tea At Langham Melbourne

Myself with Gorgi Coghlan, Chef Tsang (Langham Hong Kong) and Langham Melbourne Exec Chef Anthony Ross at the media launch for my afternoon tea series

Mini Chocolate, Mandarin & Salted Caramel on the menu

Dessert Table at the launch

Another angle

Even the GM can't resist!

Langham are taking bookings now

It was very exciting for all of us at Sweet Studio today as it was the first in my three exclusive afternoon tea sessions at the beautiful Langham Melbourne Hotel.

I have teamed up with this prestigious hotel to present some of my signature flavours in miniature to be enjoyed in the opulent surroundings of their fabulous Melba restaurant. I am pleased to say the feedback was excellent today and from the media launch last month and it was fully booked out today.

On the menu today were our famous Chocolate, Mandarin & Salted Caramel cake, our NEW tube dessert: Explosive Raspberry, our decadent Black Forest Eclair and a few more of our sweet favourites including our passionfruit clouds. All this accompanied by the Langham's famous sandwiches and scones.

Don't worry if you missed out on todays event as there are still a few tickets for the event on the 4th May and tickets are also on sale for the last confirmed date on the 1st June.

Click here to go to the Melba website to find out more or to book.

Darren

"The Sweetest Thing" Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Event 2012 IMAGES

Getting ready for the first course of dessert

'Recycled Dessert' thanks to SecondBite

Great night in store

Dessert nearly ready to go

Finishing touches

Dessert is served

85% of the ingredients were destined for the rubbish

2nd dessert course from Mr Hive's Daniel Fletcher "White Chocolate Creameaux, Coconut, Mango & Basil 

Pierre Roelofs prepares his "Caramel, Apple, Brie, Dried Apricot & Hazelnut"

Guests enjoying the unique surroundings of Joost's Greenhouse

Having fun!

Luke Whearty from Trink Tank/Der Raum executing his "The Berry And The Bee"

I really enjoyed working with these talented pastry chefs on the night

On the 14th of March this year I was invited to produce a course for an exclusive dessert dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. "The Sweetest Thing" was held at Joost's amazing recycled restaurant project The Greenhouse and involved some of the most talented pastry chefs in town.

The Greenhouse is a truly inspiring project that has really taken off in other cities in Australia and you can read more on this here. As the theme was recycling I decided to take a different approach to my dessert course. I have done work with the excellent charity SecondBite before at last years Masterchef dinner at St.Kilda Mission and I enlisted their help to try and raise their profile on the night. SecondBite collect unwanted food from all sorts of places including supermarkets and distribute it to missions and organisations who are able to process the produce to feed people who need it. I asked them to bring some of their produce to me to create a dessert from and they were happy to do this for some exposure.

I recieved some amazing produce that was deemed not good enough for the supermarkets due to blemishes etc, I was amazed at the quality of plums, nectarines, peaches and lemons and was happy to get some free range eggs and other bits with which to work with. I produced a "Recycled Dessert" consisting of plum sable, nectarine compote, lemon curd, peach jelly and a honey mousse made from Rooftop bees. It was served on a recycled mini cake stand which was designed to be served on recycled timber and eaten from the stand. All of the left overs including the stand and cutlery was dumped in the compost at the end of the course to continue the theme. I was happy with the guests reaction and proud to say that 85% of the dessert was recycled food and material and I have to thank SecondBite for all of their support.

In all it was a fantastic night and an honour to work with such great chefs in unique surroundings while helping out a worthwhile charity.

Thanks also to Amanda Fordyce for the fantastic photography of the event.

Darren

A Short Video on Burch & Purchese by Milkbar Magazine

Burch and Purchese from Milk Bar Mag on Vimeo.

I really enjoyed collaborating with the guys at Milkbar Magazine for the first video on a series of Melbournians doing interesting things.

The scenes are beautifully shot and I hope viewers get to understand a small part in the construction of my desserts and get a feeling of the special creative space that we have all worked hard on and are proud of, namely our Sweet Studio.

We are honoured to be the first in this series and I hope you enjoy the video and look up Milkbar's excellent site as they will be capturing other interesting and creative locals on their site very soon.

Sorry For The Lack Of Posts……………..

Langham Melbourne Masterclass Chefs 2012

Myself with Langham Melbourne General Manager Ben Sington and Gorgi Coghlan from Channel 10 at the media launch for my afternoon tea

Sweet Studio turns into a dessert bar for 'Sweet Revolution'

Dessert buffet at the Langham Hotel

…………I have been so busy! Phew!! What a month or so, Sweet Studio has been buzzing with Food Festivals, visiting chefs, external events and exciting news.

Apologies again for the lack of updates I am behind on all levels of social networking, even Twitter and Facebook has proved difficult to keep up. I am happy now to reveal that even though we are in full chocolate easter egg production I will have time to post on all of the past fantastic events that we were lucky to be a part of. I will update our social network accounts and thank all our new followers and 'likes'.

In the coming posts I will expand on and review the following subjects:

• Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Events - including 'Sweet Revolution', 'The Sweetest Thing', my Langham Masterclass and the excitement of having the talented Rosio Sanchez from Noma working at Sweet Studio 

• My exclusive residency at The Langham Hotel for afternoon tea and the media launch of that event 

• The launch of a fantastic series of videos from those clever people at Milkbar mag including a feature on dessert making at Sweet Studio 

• Update on exciting news from inside the studio including the launch of our 'Sweet Studio Sessions' a series of dessert nights held inside our Studio as it is transformed into a licensed dessert bar!!

Thanks again to all of my readers for your patience and continued support and I hope to see you at our Chapel Street store very soon.

I will leave you with this elegant video produced by Melbourne Food & Wine which reviews the past few weeks.

Darren

International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science - Link To 80 Pages Of Free Research

I read and favourited a tweet from Martin Lersch earlier today and have just now had time to check it out. He gives a link to some free food science research and I am in turn publishing this on my blog. Fascinating stuff and FREE!

Great articles on different culinary subjects from sous vide to hydrocolloids and dry ageing beef from some of the most forward thinking chefs including Alex Atala, Andoni Luis Aduriz and many more.
http://tiny.cc/o342d

Love Is In The Air At Sweet Studio This Weekend!

From this weekend through to Tuesday next week we are planning a very special and seductive Valentines sweet studio. We have everything you need to show your loved one that you really care.

Our sweet chocolatier Stacey has been busy preparing lots of special chocolate gifts and treats and we are planning a romantic cake cabinet with desserts for 1, 2 or more!

Among the items available are chocolate heart lollipops filled with salted caramel, a NEW cookie called "Never Say Never Again" complete with chocolate lovehearts, a beautifully handcrafted chocolate heart piece available in dark 75% chocolate and white 31% chocolate all finished in chocolate velvet spray. Also we are happy to announce that we have limited edition 'Love Box Hampers' this will show someone that you REALLY care. Click here for additional details on all of our regular and special Valentine's Day products.

Also we have had the lovely Lauren Phillips in store for a fun segment for the new season of 'Postcards' due to air on Channel 9 this Saturday evening.

Hopefully we will see you at Sweet Studio this weekend, thanks. Darren xx

EXCLUSIVE! Afternoon Tea Sessions At Sweet Studio

I are extremely happy to announce that we are now taking bookings for the most exclusive afternoon tea in town. One table only, one session only on Saturdays and Sundays here at Sweet Studio.

Traditional afternoon tea will be turned on it's head with an adventurous set menu blurring the lines between savoury and sweet.

The experience includes a tour of the studio, beautiful tea and mineral water and of course exciting and delicious tastes from a menu designed by myself. Ideal for treating someone special or for a birthday or other event.

We can accommodate a table of up to four people on both days.

For more details click here or book now to avoid disappointment by emailing us at events quoting afternoon tea in the subject header you can also give us a call on 03 9827 7060.

I hope to see you here for the hottest ticket in town!

Constructing chocolate building blocks

A few images of the construction of our chocolate building blocks, they are back in store due to huge demand.

Flavours are Raspberry (Red), Lime (Green), Mango (Yellow) and Blackberry (Blue), all of the blocks have been topped off with the appropriate jellies and finished with our signature chocolate velvet spray.

Matheus, one of our senior chefs, is pictured putting the finishing touches to these desserts which are sold as a minimum block of four. For more information on these fun cakes and details on how to order please see our party cakes range by clicking here.

A couple of new desserts available now at Sweet Studio

Summer is in full swing here at the Studio and Christmas and New Year seems so long ago now, we have been working hard to create some special desserts for your summer entertaining.

Stone fruit have been sensational this year and to celebrate we have come up with a double peach and wild strawberry cake paired with our ever popular and versatile pistachio cake.
The sketch above shows the construction of the slice with moist pistachio sponge as a base and rose petal and strawberry jam is then applied before a layer of yoghurt sponge. Both of the sponges have our home made marzipan incorporated and the aroma when baking is amazing.

We try make this dessert in the smallest size batches as possible to ensure that the pastry kitchen has a regular supply of amazing baking smells for us to pump out into the retail area.

The yoghurt sponge is topped off with a luscious white peach set cream and then we puncture the cream with domes of blood peach & peach schnapps mousse. This is all then topped off with a silky smooth wild strawberry and white chocolate mousse and rippled for effect before finishing with our white chocolate velvet spray. The cake is then portioned and topped off with some strawberry clay and a peach and wild strawberry macaroon.

The sec on new dessert that seems to be very popular in the short time it has appeared in our cabinet is our Pineapple, Mango & Chocolate dessert. We are blessed here in Australia with the best of both worlds especially in Victoria in the summer as we have an abundant supply of berries, stone fruit and other summer treats. We also have the supply of exotic fruits from Queensland which include, unbelievable mangoes, pineapples and bananas.

This dessert highlights the exotic varieties of fruits using mango, pineapple and pairing them with coconut and chocolate.

I have discovered a really cool trick a while ago concerning preparation of pineapples. I have found that when making my spiced pineapple jam it is easier for the pineapple chunks to break down in the pan if the fruit has been frozen first. This technique has also brought about a surprising and versatile by product. After the pineapple has been cut into chunks it is placed into a non metallic container and frozen down in the deep freeze for a minimum of 24 hours. After this time it is removed from the freezer and placed into the fridge to defrost, this usually takes 36 hours depending on the quantity of pineapple flesh (I do around 25 pineapples at a time). A huge amount of clear pineapple liquor then appears from the defrosting fruit and I have to say it is an amazing ingredient to work with. The juice is very clear and has a great flavour to it, quite strong. I use the juice to make pineapple cream and jellies which garnish the dessert above. The construction of the dessert is as follows:
Coconut Sponge
Spiced Pineapple Jam
Mango Mousse
Quenelle Chocolate Mousse 64%
Burnt Pineapple Cream
Mango Curd
White Chocolate Velvet Spray
Pineapple Jelly
Chocolate Eyelashes
Mango Jelly Spheres
Fresh As. Freeze Dried Pineapple Chunks

We are working on more delicious desserts and now starting to test recipes for our dessert dinners in March as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine festival http://www.burchandpurchese.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-now-for-exclusive-dessert.html which is getting very close now. Hopefully you can stop by and have a sample of our desserts if you are on Chapel Street. See you soon, Darren

Book Now!! For an exclusive dessert degustation at Sweet Studio

We are very pleased to announce two very special dates for your diary. As part of this years 20th Melbourne Food & Wine Festival we are holding an exclusive dessert degustation dinner here at Sweet Studio on consecutive nights.

The night includes four of my newest dessert creations, matching champagnes from Gosset and a few surprises along the way. The studio will be reconfigured to allow seating in our kitchen with full view of myself and my team creating and plating some special dishes. We will be using fresh, seasonal ingredients and modern techniques that fuse "science with sweetness" and the menu will run from less sweet creations to a fuller dessert experience towards the end.

The night is intended to be informal, educational, fun and of course the most enjoyable food experience of the festival.

Number are limited to 40 per night and we encourage you to book early as quite a few seats have already been sold for both nights.

More information on this event can be found at the Melbourne Food & Wine page http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au/event/2873 but enquiries and bookings should be emailed to events@burchandpurchese.com with 'Sweet Revolution' in the header, alternatively you can call our direct line on 03 9827 7060

Dates: Monday 12th March & Tuesday 13th March 2012

Venue: Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio, 647 Chapel Street, South Yarra, Melbourne 3141

Price: $160 pp inclusive

Time: 8.30 pm until late

Dietary: Please note that due to the nature of the dishes created for these evenings, strict vegetarians or vegans cannot be catered for. Gluten free dishes can be created if we are notified at the time of the booking.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you at Sweet Studio on one of these very special evenings.

Darren