From Farm to Fork

MCEC pastry chef Alessandro Bartesaghi getting our award entries ready for delivery

MCEC’s award entries are signed, sealed and been delivered to the Melbourne Showgrounds.

Our pastry chef Alessandro Bartesaghi was busy packing eskys (chilly bins or cool boxes if you are outside Australia) full of our house made ice cream flavours for judging in the Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards.

We’re entering a range of our ice creams, sorbets  and labna. This is the third year we’ve entered, and with a swag of medal wins and champion yoghurt trophy under our belt, wish us all the best for this year’s awards!

MCEC and Valhrona pastry chefs

We are all about Victorian produce but when it comes to chocolate our pastry chefs create our award-winning desserts, ice creams and pastries with the French chocolat Valrhona - one of the leading producers in the world.

So it seems fitting MCEC were host of the manufacturer’s launch and tasting of two new varieties: Dulcey (caramelised white chocolate) and Kalingo (single origin). Our team kindly offered up the kitchen to Valrhona pastry chefs leading up to the event and assisted the guys where possible.

A Valhrona chef adds the finishing touches to some chocolate canapes

Serving up a taste of Valhrona

A table filled with Valrhona chocolate – new and current varieties

The pastry team were inspired after the Valhrona launch and have already trialled some new desserts with the newly released chocolates. And they look incredible!

Dulcey chocolate caramel and honey salted tart

The chocolate caramel and honey salted tart is made with the Dulcey variety and the caramelised honey and the citrus jam dessert below with the Kalingo.

We will be creating variations of the latter as part of our miniature dessert selections for gala dinners. The dessert below was crafted especially with dietary requirements in mind and is gluten free, dairy free AND vegan.

New dietary dessert the team are trialling (dairy and gluten free + vegan). Kalingo chocolate sphere filled with a coconut and chocolate mousse and orange almond cake, a raspberry consommé and small coconut agar jellies.

 It’s a tough one but which new dessert would you be most tempted by? We’d be interested to hear.

Visiting the Sher Wagyu farm. L-R Andrew (The Woodhouse), Tony (MCEC), Nick & Vicki Sher, Julian (MCEC), Paul (The Woodhouse) and Lee (Sher Wagyu)+ dogs

Last week we rugged up in thermals (well, Tony did anyway) and drove out to visit one of MCEC’s producers Sher Wagyu in Ballan, central Victoria. Owners Vicki and Nick Sher are at the helm of this 21-year business, developing, breeding and feeding Wagyu cattle for some of the best Australian and international restaurants.

Sher Wagyu features on MCEC’s menu and our chefs  serve brisket, rump, outside flat and sirloin at our dinners and lunches, and even on some of our sandwiches.

Vicki & Nick Sher

When we arrived at Sher, Nick showed us an interesting presentation on the genetics of the Japanese (Wa = Japanese, Gyu = beef) breed and history of the farm’s breeding program.  

The Shers were the first in Australia to produce Wagyu X Holstein, the traditional Japanese F1 which yields the renowned beef with that high level of marbling. All cattle are fed on natural ingredients so they’re free from antibiotics and growth hormones.

We learnt all about beef grading and the scoring before taking a drive around the scenic 700 acre property.

Wagyu heifers (and bull in the middle)

Taking in the beautiful valley view on the farm

From their first three calves born in 1992, they now have a Fullblood herd of 750; F2-F3 herd of 2500; and Wagyu X Holstein F1 herd of 4500 across both the Ballan and Tallangatta Valley properties.  

It’s not every day you dine on Wagyu so thank you to the Shers for treating us to a lovely lunch in your home!

The Shers, Tony and Paul chat Wagyu and marble grading

Nick slices some Wagyu

Enjoying a lovely lunch (thanks Vicki and Nick) in the Sher’s home