The annual Flavor Experience in Newport Beach is always a highlight of the summer, with top-flight presenters, trend information and of course, the food. It’s not always pretty behind the scenes, but the dozens of chefs from all over the country crammed into the hotel’s kitchen whipping up dishes from every corner of the globe never fail to impress with mind-blowing creativity, presentation and sheer deliciousness.
This year, your mates at Meat & Livestock Australia rocked it pretty well ourselves, courtesy of our Chef, Adam Moore of Charlie Baggs Culinary. Here’s a small sample of our Chef’s creations:
- Blue Moon Spiced Australian “Lambstrami” Reuben Melt with cumin cider sauerkraut, 1000 Island dressing and melted Swiss cheese on butter-toasted marbled rye
- Masala lamb kabobs – spiced lamb and pearl onions, skewered and served with Greek yogurt and lime dipping sauce
- Braised Lamb Shank Mac n Cheese with cheddar-scented crispy onions
- Espresso-Rubbed Short Rib – slow braised lamb short rib rubbed with espresso and served over parsnip banana puree, fried kale sprouts and amarena cherries
- Spit Roasted Australian Lamb Wraps – cooked on an autodöner; thinly shaved (with an electric carving knife!) lamb leg and shoulder meat wrapped in warm naan with tikka masala hummus, tzatziki yogurt, cola pickled onions and paneer
- Gochujiang-Honey Glazed Australian Lamb Noisettes served atop kimchi fried rice
- Harissa-Marinated Australian Grassfed Beef Top Sirloin with sweet and spicy Peri Peri Compound butter
In the brief interludes between eating occasions, Aussie Grassfed Beef was part of a session entitled “Can Healthier Foods Be Craveable? …Naturally!” with Stanford University Dining Executive Chef Chandon Clenard, discoursing his program’s decision to serve exclusively grassfed beef from Australia, and the lessons he and his team learned about how to prepare and serve it to the discerning palates at Stanford. Among the learnings:
- Grassfed beef cooks as much as 30% faster, so care must be taken to not overcook
- Braises must be done low and slow to achieve tenderness and flavor appeal – speeding things up does not work!
- It takes time and training for cooks to get used to working with grassfed beef – it’s not a simple substitution for grain-fed beef
Grassfed Beef Bottom Sirloin