Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Homemade Fine Foods, Tempe

Miss Piggy and Niecy Poo attended the Master the Mousse class courtesy of Merna Tauok from Homemade Fine Foods. Thanks Merna!

Recovering chocoholics are advised to look away now...this post contains A LOT of chocolate, really really tasty chocolate.

A big thank you to Merna and Pierre from Homemade Fine Foods in Tempe who invited me (and a plus one) down to their factory in Tempe to participate in Merna's Master the Mousse class. I was a bit worried that my lack of cooking skills (especially in the dessert department) would reek havoc in the factory, but lucky for me the class isn't overly hands on -- we all get a chance to pitch in however and also to pick Merna and Pierre's brain on all things dessert...and dairy.


The class begins with a little something to drink (Moscata for the grown-ups and the kids are offered a flute of Country Valley Milk - priceless).  The morning tea is a a great idea - lining our stomachs with something savoury before we pass through the doors into the factory proper and start gorging on chocolate.  There is a HUGE pad of Pierre's salted Pepe Saya butter on hand, and I urge Niecy Poo to make the most of the opportunity to indulge to her hearts content (which we both do of course). The Small Cow Farm cheese is out of this world - well definitely be hunting this down at the local farmers market.


The sight of enormous bowls filled with chocolate buttons greets us when we enter the factory. It's too much for most of us to bare and a taste of each type of chocolate we'll be working with is handed out - a white chocolate, compound chocolate 17%, and a darker 70% couverture - too bitter for my immature tastes buds but the "grown ups" in the room loved it.

So let's get down to business some mousse people! 

Step 1: Melt the chocolate over a water bath, drool at the delicious smell of aforementioned melting chocolate.  Sneak a spool full of melted chocolate when Merna and Pierre aren't watching.
Step 2: crack open a pile of eggs (free range of course) separating the yolks from the whites.  Look longingly back at bowl of melted chocolate.


Step 3: The egg yolks are added into the mix. The heat of the chocolate in effect pasteurizes the eggs making sure they are good to go and don't contain any nasties - very important when you're making food for commercial sale and consumption!  Bat your eyelids at chocolate hoping for another taste.


Step 4: Egg whites go into a mixer bigger than my car and are whipped up into lush French Meringue!


Step 5: The meringue gets mixed in with the chocolate/egg mixture.  Miss Piggy starts drooling again! Surely a taste test is coming up soon.
Step 6: Add in a pile of Country Valley cream - taste test of cream allowed!



Step 7: Mousse making is really tough business, we take some time out to try some of Merna's other creations. The Sticky Date Pudding is amazing, so rich and indulgent.


Step 8: Merna shows us how to decorate the inside of our take-home containers with some tempered chocolate. She makes it look really easy, but I (of course) make a total mess of it and end up with a blob of chocolate smeared up the size of my container.
Step 9: Fill your container to maximum capacity to take home and enjoy! I've frozen our white and compound chocolate mousse - we were told it lasts really well like this. You eat it frozen, a bit like a mousse ice-cream (and it's bloody good)!


Homemade Fine Foods and Pepe Saya are at Unit 4, 3 Wood Street, Tempe.  Phone them on (02) 9519 2793.

22 comments:

  1. oh wow the mousse looks so good~!

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  2. It was delicious! thanks for sharing it ;_)

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  3. Master the Mousse class looks fabulous, Merna sounds like she really knows her stuff! P.S: Must get hands on that divine looking Sticky Date Pudding.

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  4. Oh wow...how good is that! Looks like delicious fun :)

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  5. looks like u had fun! the mousse looks fab! yum!

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  6. What a spread of food, followed by mousse!

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  7. Sounds like a great day of snacking. Dessert-heavy, but no complaints from me on that score.

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  8. The class looks awesome! Is it wrong that 40% of me just wants to go for the butter and cheese beforehand?

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  9. Thank you! It was amazing, the 70% dark chocolate just hit the spot before going to the gym! make more please :-)

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  10. Love the coverage of this! That mousse looks heavenly *tries to lick screen*

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  11. Oh Im heading over in April. Cant wait now :D looks delicious!

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  12. Oh, just look at that morning tea! I am so sorry we weren't able to do this when we visited!!! Delicious, Mel!

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  13. The mousse looks divine, I am still wanting to get there to buy some butter!

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  14. looks like you had fun! that mousse looks amazing!

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  15. I'm looking forward to trying this class too, great review! Great photo of Pierre and Merna - they are such lovely people (and talented too!)

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  16. What a yummy day! I would kill for that loaf of bread with a huge schmear of Pepe Saya butter! Oh, and a big fat spoonful of the mousse of course ;)

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  17. The class looks like so much fun.
    The cheese looks amazing! You did a brilliant job with the Mousse.

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  18. Oooh wow! Looking forward to the class - going in mid April :)

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  19. OMG OMG OMG I am so so so jealous :D It looks like an amazing class learning how to make all the good desserts ~ that looks so delicious ~ Thanks for sharing! Hope I can drag my friends to go do this class with me one day hehe

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