Monday, June 14, 2010

The Great Beef Gumboot Off

Infected by Masterchef-fever, two teams of intrepid wannabe chefs (with floating entree-creator Shari as moral support) embarked on the Great Beef Wellington-off last weekend. Or in Australian, Beef Gumboot.

True to the show: product placement


Recipes were laminated, girls pitched against boys, Jenny's kitchen was commandeered and beers were opened in readiness.

Chopping herbs


Team Boy got off to a good start, barricading themselves in the kitchen while the girls loitered in the bedroom talking tactics, but we were soon neck and neck.

Beef Wellington is a pretty convoluted recipe so we began by dividing up the tasks and preparing the different elements: crepes, mushroom pate thingo, seared beef etc.

Team Girl crepes


Team Boy crepes


Mushrooms in a blender


Meanwhile some of us chipped in to help Shari make some delicious chorizo and potato bombas. YUM.

Hiding the chorizo in the potato


Mmmm... Bombas


Replenishing our energy with Bombas


After pausing for our starter we got on with the task of assembling the Beef Wellington. First the seared beef was basted with mustard. Then it was wrapped in the mushroom layer encased in proscutio.

Sarah places the beef on its bed of mushrooms


Encasing it in crepes


"What shall we do?" "I dunno, let's copy the girls." (Note product placement of Handee Ultra in the foreground)


After popping it in and out of the freezer, wrapping it in crepes, pastry and making a little 'valve' for the top, they were ready to go into the oven.

Before cooking. The lopsided cut of beef on the left is Team Girl


Fresh out of the oven. YUM!


It looks just like it did on the telly!


It was about 11.30pm at this stage so we were pretty hungry. We'd also neglected to find an impartial judge to decide on the winner, so instead we each had a slice of the boys' and the girls' beef wellington. To be totally honest with you, they were both delicious, and we were too full of pride in our achievements to declare an overall winner.

Team Boy on the left, Team Girl on the right. Both delicious.


Not to do things by halves, the girls also prepared dessert: chocolate cake with raspberry coulis, whipped cream and raspberries dipped in melted chocolate.

Dessert


V glad we made the effort


Roll on the next SRF Masterchef challenge!

cx

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