It’s been three years since our first Chef Challenge and so we figured it was time to up the stakes (or ‘steaks’, if you’re that way inclined) with Josh Pelham & Flo Gerardin.
2016 is the year of Chef v. Chef – double the chef, double the recipes, double the tremendous opportunity to see how a pro works with seasonal market ingredients under the same conditions as a regular home cook.
And even though it may seem like a competitive environment (with the odd friendly heckle and riff) the real winners are always going to be us.
For February, long-time friend of the market, Prahran local and Chef of the Year finalist Florent ‘Flo’ Gerardin of soon to be opened Oter went up against Young Chef of the Year winner Josh Pelham, who gives you not one, but two reasons to cross the bridge Northside for ESP and The Estelle.
We let the chefs shop for ingredients, chow down on a ’shroom burger and get generally acquainted, then watched them weave midweek magic on stage, using the ingredients they found.
Interestingly (but unsurprisingly) both Flo and Josh chose to work with sustainable seafood, new season mushrooms and the addition of some easy-to-recreate sauces and dressings, but what worked marvellously was seeing how their own culinary styles came out of the pans.
If this month’s match-up is anything to go by, we’re in for some absolute corkers.
Keep an eye on dates for upcoming challenges here, but without any further ado…….
Josh Pelham & Florent Gerardin Recipes:
Fig and Bresaola Cups– Gorgeous in-season figs really shine in this recipe.
Wild mushroom, prosciutto, runny egg– Breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Nectarine and Elderflower Granita
Flounder with Cauliflower – Flounder is the star of this dish and the cauliflower matches perfectly.
