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Monday, October 19, 2009

Slow Food lunch at Becasse

Canape: Goat's curd, olive and thyme biscotti sandwich

Becasse Restaurant's Producers Lunch Forum today was dedicated to all things slow - slow raised wagyu cattle, slow grown vegetables and slow seafood.
The lunch honoured Slow Food Founder Italian Carlo Petrini who was in Sydney for the Sydney Food Festival. The Guardian newspaper named Carlo one of the 50 people who could save the planet and Carlo is living up to those expectations. Encouraging people to take time to eat properly and care about how their food is grown is part of his mantra. Here in Australia Carlo weighed into the fight over the ban on raw milk cheese production saying if we could import Italian and French raw milk cheeses does this mean 'their bacteria is safer than Australia's?' Stupido! Here, here, Carlo!

Freshly baked Becasse Bread: Pumpkin brioche, stout epi and garlic rosemary Auvergne

Olive oil spread with black sea salt


olive oil on a piece of stout epi

2008 Freeman Rondo rose

Spring Bay Scallop with organic radish stems, green chilli and balck pepper

Sping Bay mussels, abalone with braised periwinkles, bouillabaisse mousseline and sea urchin jelly

Roast rib of Gundooee organic grass fed wagyu beef with osso bucco of shin, broad bean puree, and crushed Bauer organic Dutch cream potatoes

accompanying wine

Sutton Grange Organic Farm Holy Goat la Luna with caper and raisin puree, baby beets and fresh almonds

Becasse deconstructed orange carrot cake

2007 Vinden Estate Botrytis Semillon

Slow Food Founder Carlo Petrini with a pathetic fan

6 comments:

  1. Oh you lucky! So many people went?! I saw him yesterday and I'm so inspired.... his words, intent, message is so powerful. Something I have felt passionate about for some time, it was wonderful to see the world coming together behind it, but it needs a lot more of the message to get out - to Mums especially who are the major decision makers out there in regards to purchase of produce.

    Reading the book now 'Slow Food Nation' which I was lucky enough to have signed by him too.

    Swooning...! :)

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  2. Good lord...reader envy is starting to permanently feature as a character trait now i've taken up reading your blog! My lunch consisted of 2 day old tiger bread spread with avocado on one slice and Maggie Beer's warmed fig paste on the other, ham off the bone and slices of vine tomato...A poor subsitute for your lunch, especially when my 'wash it all down' beverage was Dilmah's extra strong English Breakfast tea! LOL You get to have your picture taken with Carlo Petrini while I sit in the backyard watching my herbs grow while my labrador rubs against my leg shedding his winter coat all over me! ...food envy; it's an ugly thing ;P LOL

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  3. Hi Liss,
    lovely to think we were both at the
    Opera House together listening to Carlo's inspiring words! I'm looking forward to reading Slow Food Nation... Indira
    Hi suziwong66,
    Your lunch may not have been flash but it sounds delicious. If you ever get a chance to dine at a Justin North eatery - do!He is doing some exciting things and he is a passionate slow food advocate. Indira

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  4. The Spring Bay Scallop...how delicious does that look!!??! I'll have two thanks :-)

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  5. Great work - as long as that is not apathetic fan.

    I left my camera at home, but now I can really make the wife sorry that she didn't catch the plane up for lunch.

    Again - congratulations on your MasterChef stint - bloody hard gig.

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  6. Hi Amanda,
    the scallop was delicious but for me the standout seafood were the mussels - little pillows of exposive brine and cream all at one!ummm Indira
    Hi Thermomixer,
    Lovely to meet a fellow Becasse Producers lunch disciple! And yes your wife missed out big time. Hope to see you both at the next one. Indira

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