Being a past and current graduate of the NSW TAFE system I know all too well the exacting standards that TAFE teachers expect from their students.
The alpaca showcase dinner at Ryde TAFE that Sydney Scoop was lucky to attend, was testament to that.
Led by an ex graduate of the Ryde TAFE culinary school, David Campbell of Wharf Rd Restaurant & Bar, Nowra and Hungry Duck Modern Asian Cuisine in Berry, a brigade of current culinary students presented a delightfully varied and twisted classic seven course degustation matched with wines.
Helping out on the floor were a bunch of calm hospitality students showing us what it means to provide smooth service as a waiter.
To begin the evening, the spokesperson for Illawarra Prime Alpaca who had supplied the exquisite produce for the evening, gave us a brief run down of why alpaca meat is the way of the future.
A few of the redeeming features of this somewhat exotic livestock includes the fact that their water per day intake is considerably less than beef or sheep, it is the leanest known meat going (even leaner than kangaroo) and most importantly the taste is quite light and not what you would consider gamey unlike kangaroo or venison.
So once we knew how environmentally and health friendly alpaca was, the courses began to appear.
Proceedings began with an amazing show stopper of a first course worthy of any hatted restaurant - carpaccio alpaca back strap with white BBQ sauce and parmesan. David Campbell described it as a hybrid/fusion dish that works and has evolved to highlight the universal nature of alpaca. The light tender alpaca carpaccio was prepared in the Japanese style, dressed up with an unlikely combination of Parmesan and a whiteTexas BBQ sauce and a dash of truffle oil. The end result was a colourful Dublin tasting first course sensation. This was matched with a glass of a lovely light botanical sauvignon blanc whose quality was so good, I'd definitely think about changing to a whites girl. The wine is Australian - De Bortoli Deen Vat2 Sauvignon Blanc 2017.
The second course was a huge contrast in style to its predecessor. The reason for this as explained by David Campbell, was to help showcase the many different cooking styles that alpaca lends itself to.
We ate a tasty katsu bun with a crumbed alpaca hind quarter served with a little shredded slaw and a pickle. The only thing missing was a flavoursome aioli to counter the dryness of the bun and crumbed patty. The hind quarter was used as it provided the opportunity to introduce the neck cut. This was also where we started drinking lots of the Illawarra Prime longneck shiraz 2009 that went well with all the other courses. David explained that courses two and three were about taking classics and mixing them up by using alpaca meat, particularly neck cuts.
Going with that theme we found ourselves munching on a tiny alpaca empanada of neck for course number three. South American tastes were mixed with Japanese flavours with the use of Nori Mayo to create a favourite dish with a twist. The alpaca suited the dish very well. Not overpowering but with a unique taste.
Course number four gave a nod to that family friendly Chinese favourite of san choi bai. A nice sticky sauce coating a stringy flavoursome meat served in a iceberg lettuce cup served with kimchi and a flourish of spicy sriracha as a sauce garnish in the shape of a tick (heart foundation) to remind everyone of the extremely low fat content of alpaca meat.
The piece de resistance of the dinner proper came at course five. A glorious beer marinated alpaca shank was served to all with the accompaniment ofa Peruvian potato salad and salsa Criolla. The shank was so tasty and less intense in flavour than a lamb shank which made it an absolute pleasure to eat, as sometimes the slow cooking of a lamb shank really brings out almost overpowering flavours. This was not the case with the alpaca shanks. It was just perfectly cooked and combined with the freshness of salsa criolla to take the dish from a gastro pub staple to a fine dining dish. The Peruvian potato salad was also a revelation as it looked like mash but retained all the characteristics of a crisp potato salad that bounced off the flavours of the shank very well.
We finished off the night with a Peach Melba buttermilk pudding and as a final palate cleaner mini toffee apples were served. The fresh crunch of the apple contrasting nicely with the sweetness of toffee.
Overall, the Alpaca Masterclass Dinner was a huge success for TAFE, the culinary and hospitality students as well as for the producer, Illawara Prime Alpaca, and David Campbell in his role of kitchen mentor and a way of highlighting the versatility and delectabilty of alpaca meat. Everyone should be proud to have participated in such an event, and most importantly this shows why TAFE is a worthwhile vocational institution that helps create tomorrow's master chefs and other trade professionals