New Interactive Foodpairing Tree: Avocado

Here is another interactive tree this time focusing on 'Raw Avocado' as the ingredient of which you can match flavours. This tree and the data attached inspired our popular Avocado, mint, apple and cucumber dish available in at Sweet Studio. Have a look at the tree and see how we came to this conclusion.

New Interactive FoodPairing Tree: CUSTARD APPLE

Starting this year I will be uploading interactive FoodPairing trees from our friends at foodpairing in Belgium. As you may be aware I have been using this very helpful tool for some of my dessert and dish constructions. I am very happy to announce that I will be holding classes at Sweet Studio later on this year focusing on foodpairing and the possibilities in cuisine of using this tool. For now have a look at the ingredient matches for Custard Apple and start your own unique combinations. 

Cool video of Chef Jordi Roca presenting 3 of his desserts on Masterchef UK

Being from the UK I have been watching Masterchef for most of my life, it was no surprise when the phenomenon caught on over here in Australia (although the format was a bit different at the time). My parents back home keep me up to date with the UK version and I had to search for this piece of video when she mentioned Jordi Roca from El Cellar de Can Roca was on making some of his desserts. I have been lucky enough to have sampled all three and I can tell you they are amazing. 

REOPENING UPDATE - REVISED

Sorry! Whoops, we are now not reopening this Friday (06.01.12)!! A few unexpected jobs have come up for us since our post yesterday and because we are a small team we have decided to delay our opening to THURSDAY 12th JANUARY. We are sorry for anyone who was planning to visit but we promise to make it up to you xx

See you next week, and thanks - Darren & the team

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of our friends

Well the holiday season is now over and the doors to my Sweet Studio are reopening to the public this Friday (06.01.12). We will be running a limited cake cabinet for a couple of days as I try to get some new ideas and flavours together. I hope you all had a fantastic time over Christmas and I wish all friends of Burch & Purchese a Happy and healthy 2012.

This year is shaping up to be a very exciting time for myself and my team with the following events already in the pipeline:

• We will be holding dessert degustation dinners at Sweet Studio during certain times of the year, each with a theme or special surprise so keep an eye on this blog, twitter and Facebook for updates.
• A sell out Masterclass during the biggest Melbourne Food & Wine Festival yet
• The publication late in the year of a new book with some of the recipes, tip and tricks from Sweet Studio
• A complete redesign and new look of this blog with more interaction, recipes, photographs and stories
• Reworking of classic recipes and desserts in a new range of desserts in store, look our for new eclairs and choux - could be the next BIG thing?

All this and lots more, so while I get back to the kitchen to prepare for our reopening I hope you will keep an eye on this page and tell your friends about us.

See you all soon at Sweet Studio and have a Happy New Year!! 

2011 Christmas Hampers Now Ready To Order

We are now taking pre orders of our fantastic Burch & Purchese hampers for this coming Christmas. The collection of sweet treats make this a truly memorable gift for that special someone! We have two tiers of hamper on offer this year and each one will have a signed certificate from Darren Purchese explaining the contents and a uses for some of the products.

ORDER YOUR CHRISTMAS HAMPERS NOW

email - info@burchandpurchese.com 

phone - 03 9827 7060

or in store - 647 Chapel Street, South Yarra, 3141

AVAILABLE FOR COLLECTION FROM THE 1st OF DECEMBER 2011

Our trademark B&P gift boxes are crammed packed full of our most delicious and decadent creations

THE SWEET STUDIO CHRISTMAS GIFT BOX $120

CITY HONEY HONEYCOMB – 100 g

Try our wonderful homemade honeycomb made with honey from our very own roof top bees.

BURCH & PURCHESE GOLD BULLION BARS – PKT OF 6

Our famous salted caramel encased in dark Spanish chocolate finished with golden lustre

PISTACHIO, LEMON & WHITE CHOCOLATE PERSUADERS – PKT OF 12

The name says it all…this is a deliciously persuasive biscuit.

STRAWBERRY, MINT & WHITE CHOCOLATE RUBBLE – 150 g

Freeze dried strawberry & mint in Spanish white chocolate pieces….Christmas is here.

CANDIED SEEDS, NUTS & COCOA NIBS – 180 g

Delicious to eat on their own…..outstanding with fruit and yoghurt….’off the charts’ in salads

RASPBERRY & DRAMBUIE JAM – 250 g

Last summers raspberries with a generous tipple of Drambuie make the perfect holiday spread

CHRISTMAS PUDDING – 500 g

Our secret recipe pudding is going to turn heads this year

SALTED CARAMEL 250 g

One little jar – one hundred uses! Heat gently for a spectacular caramel sauce, roll through ice cream for an instant sundae or smear between layers of your favorite chocolate cake

CANDIED GINGER & DARK CHOCOLATE BAR – 100 g

Generous chunks of crystallised ginger

THE SWEET STUDIO EXTRAVAGAZA $160

CITY HONEY HONEYCOMB – 100 g

Try our wonderful homemade honeycomb made with honey from our very own roof top bees.

BURCH & PURCHESE GOLD BULLION BARS – PKT OF 6

Our famous salted caramel encased in dark Spanish chocolate finished with golden lustre

PISTACHIO, LEMON & WHITE CHOCOLATE PERSUADERS – PKT OF 12

The name says it all…this is a deliciously persuasive biscuit.

STRAWBERRY, MINT & WHITE CHOCOLATE RUBBLE – 150 g

Freeze dried strawberry & mint in Spanish white chocolate pieces….Christmas is here.

CANDIED SEEDS, NUTS & COCOA NIBS – 180 g

Delicious to eat on their own…..outstanding with fruit and yoghurt….’off the charts’ in salads

POPCORN & HONEYCOMB RUBBLE – 15O g

This scrumptious concoction is bound in milk chocolate…BEWARE it’s wickedly addictive.

RASPBERRY & DRAMBUIE JAM – 250 g

Last summers raspberries with a generous tipple of Drambuie make the perfect holiday spread

SWEET STUDIO BRITTLE – 175 g

Generous slabs od toffee & nut brittle dipped I dark chocolate

CHRISTMAS PUDDING – 500 g

Our secret recipe pudding is going to turn heads this year

SALTED CARAMEL 250 g

One little jar – one hundred uses! Heat gently for a spectacular caramel sauce, roll through ice cream for an instant sundae or smear between layers of your favorite chocolate cake

CANDIED GINGER & DARK CHOCOLATE BAR – 100 g

Generous chunks of crystallised ginger

SWEET STUDIO LOLLIPOPS x 2

White & dark chocolate lollipops studded with surprises

Darren Takes Part In Masterchef/Second Bite Dinner

Darren with George, Matt, Gary and the Victorian Premier Hon. Ted Baillieu

Darren's dessert

Visit www.secondbite.org for more info

Presenting the dessert course

85% of the dessert course was food saved from waste

All guests took away a gift from Sweet Studio

Main course is served

The menu

I was very flattered to be asked to take part in a prestigious fundraising dinner last month for a charity called Second Bite. Second bite are an organisation that reclaims and receives donations of food destined for landfill and they then pack up and distribute this to organisations that help the less fortunate. You can find out more about Second Bite by clicking here www.secondbite.org/about_us/

The dinner was held at the Sacred Heart mission on Grey St, St.Kilda here in Melbourne. The mission are one of the grateful recipients of perfectly good food donated by the Second Bite team and it provided the perfect setting for this event.

Masterchef Australia's Matt Preston, George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan were on board to take part and they asked of my assistance for the dessert course. The canapés were designed by Matt, the first course cooked by George and his team from The Press Club and main was cooked by Gary Mehigan and his team from Fenix. The brief from Second Bite was to ensure that as much food as possible cooked on the evening was food destined for landfill, this was to highlight the obscene amount of perfectly good food that goes to waste every year. I am happy to say that we filled the brief and a staggering 85% of all of the food served on the night would have gone to waste.

On a personal level, I was extremely impressed with the work that Second Bite do and the work that St.Kilda's Sacred Heart mission do to help those less fortunate than us and I am happy to say that 90% of the food I used in the dessert was saved from Second Bite.

I produced a dessert that seemed to be well received by the guests including the Victorian Premier himself and his charming wife. The dessert was Banana, Caramelised White Chocolate, Avocado, Coffee and Passionfruit. I must say thanks to my chocolate sponsors Chocovic for the generous donation of chocolate that only had two weeks left on the best before date.

The night produced a stunning result for Second Bite and enough money was raised to provide 200,000 meals to the local community. Here at Burch & Purchese we now donate any of our unsold cakes to Second Bite and we are confident that someone deserving appreciates our efforts.

Thanks to the following for helping make the night a success

George, Gary & Matt
Sacred Heart Mission St.Kilda - www.sacredheartmission.org/
Peter Jones Events (especially Eliza) - www.pjse.com.au/
Bright Young Things - www.brightyoungthings.net.au/
Donna Le Page Communications    
Chocovic - www.cocoaalliance.com/
Rachelle Davey Photography