Cooking For The Fine Food People

28 Feb 2011 – Sometimes I really love what I do. I went to the headquarters of the international gourmet food suppliers, Classic Fine Foods in Puchong today to interview them for an article on Australian gourmet items. 

I’ve written glowingly about their Marketing Manager Evelyn Lee, and my fun experience at the Coffee University. Today I met two other nice people, Agnes Ng, Director of Operations and Frederic Carriere, Sales Manager. After I interviewed them, we went into their showroom and kitchen to try one of the products I was writing about – Pronto antipasto. Agnes brought out this catering size platter of assorted antipasto and we dug in with relish. Somehow the conversation turned to how much better it would be with pasta, and before I knew it, I was overseeing the preparation of some truffle oil pasta. 

We actually ate the bulk of this gigantic tray of antipasto!

Then Agnes took out a packet of foie gras. It was a few hundred Ringgit worth, but she casually told me to go ahead and cook it up. I blanched. I love foie gras but have never cooked it before. It’s not one of the things you can experiment with if you’re still paying off a mortgage and planning for a kid’s education! 

Truffle oil spinach pasta with antipasti.

Agnes swore it would cook from frozen, and she was so blasé about it that it relaxed me to the point that I was in the zone and managed to get out passably nicely caramelized goose liver infused with clove oil, dusted with nutmeg and paprika. 

My first try at foie gras left me very chuffed!

Managing Director of Classic Fine Foods, Jacques, said it was done well. It may have been his polite style, but I am hoping his Frenchness would just not let him lie about food! 

A lovely illy cappuccino to end a lovely day.

Kit and I spent close to half a day at CFF, but it was one of the best days on assignment that I’ve enjoyed in my six years with this particular magazine!