Ben & Andy cooking for Australian ambassador in Mexico

Ben & Andy reached the last part of the last part of their Mexican odyssey when they left the pacific coast & came back where the journey all began: Mexico city. & here they faced one of the toughest cooking challenges of their lives....they cooked dinner for the Australian ambassador to Mexico & 14 other food critics!! Yes, you read it right!!!!! After quite a number of changes, the final menu looked like this: 

Starter: Ceviche of Prawn Cucumber Granita Picante

Entree: Hot smoked salmon, Beetroot puree, Tzatziki & Pumpkin Flowers

Main: Pressed Lamb Shoulder & Lamb Backstrap, Cauliflower puree, Bacon, Cos & Mustard Jus

Dessert: Lemon Curd, Pepper Meringue, Goats Cream & Fruit.

& everyone was so impressed with the food Ben & Andy prepared. See it to believe it.

Mexican Makeovers for Ben & Andy!!

The penultimate episode of Ben & Andy's Mexican Odyssey sees the boys buying fresh fish straight off the boat in Puerto Angel & then making super-fresh breakfast ceviche with them. Then they headed off to the state of Chiapas & here they visited a local Mexican family & got to taste the most amazing Tacos made of the simplest of ingredients. & you simply can not afford to miss Ben & Andy trying out the traditional Mexican costumes & joining a bunch of locals for a bit of street basketball. Watch the full episode here. The last episode of this amazing 'Andy & Ben Do Mexico' will be out next Thursday.

 

Ben & Andy explore Pacific coast..

Episode 3 of  'Andy & Ben Do Mexico' is out now!! Here they are seen exploring the Pacific coast of Mexico. The place is unbelievably beautiful. The boys enjoyed an epic day of fishing. They caught a 2m Sail-fish & a few Mahi-Mahi (Dolphin fish). They also showed how to make an amazingly fresh sashimi with a very few ingredients. Far away from the hustle & bustle of city, Ben & Andy relished every minute of the relaxing & laid-back atmosphere of the place!! Check it out here.

Keep an eye out for Episode 4 next Thursday.

BANDY moves to Puebla and Oaxaca

So, episode 2 of ANDY & BEN DO MEXICO is out!! & here they move from the hustle & bustle of Mexico city to the state of Puebla. Here they visited one of the most renowned restaurants of the country 'El Mural de los Poblanos' & the menu card of this restaurant is a cooking lesson in itself.

Here they got a taste of Agave Worm Tacos & Chilli Poblano- a juicy, slow-roasted, sweet Poblano chilli, stuffed with a mild soft goat's cheese on a bed of rich tomato sauce. They also paid visit to the city's 'Sweet Street' & tasted some traditional sweets.

From Puebla they moved to Oaxaca, the food capital of Mexico & took part in a cooking class. Here they tasted foods like Chapulines (grasshoppers tossed on a clay cooking surface with garlic, lime juice, salt & the extract of agave worms), Chicatanas (full bodied flying ants, fried - wings, eyes & all), Mezcal (traditional drink of Oaxaca) & 6-hour lamb hungi & A KILO OF MEAT, EACH!!!! Watch it here

 

The rest of the three episodes will be out on Andy's youtube channel every Thursday till 19th June. Don't you dare to miss out!!!!!

All set to start filmimg for Ben's Menu

 

Work has begun to build the set of celebrity cooking star Ben Milbourne's new north-west (Tasmania) based tv show. The set will be built at Ben's new house at Spreyton, Tasmania. Executive producer for the show John Hatcher, Creative Media CEO, wants to create a modern, yet rustic and warm, setting.

"I don't want to make it look like the other [cooking show] sets which are very modern & very cold. " he said.

The set, to be built inside a former apple packaging building surrounded by paddocks with horses & cows, will feature throughout the 90 episode first series which will be broadcast on national television. Mr. Hatcher aimed to have the set ready by mid July, & outdoor segments will be shot before then. Much of the program will be recorded on the road & during visits to North-West & other Tasmanian food producers, focusing on regional fresh & seasonal produce.

Mr. Hatcher also said he would like 10-13 episodes of Ben's Menu to be broadcast internatinally. He hoped Masterchef hosts & contestants would also feature on the show.

(Source: The Advocate newspaper)

Ben Milbourne talks Mexico

 

As we have already posted here, Ben Milbourne is leading a tour to Mexico with MasterChef Travel. Here is a little chat on how he first fell in love with cooking and his favourite city for food culture.

Tell us about the highlight of your MasterChef journey?

The Masterchef Journey was amazing, and there were plenty of Highlights but the most lasting is defiantly the friendships I have made, with not only other contestants but the judges and crew.

The experiences I had, friendships I made and people I met during Masterchef have been some of the most influential interactions I have had in my whole life. Everybody talks about life changing events and Masterchef was definitely one of those events for me.

Have you watched the MasterChef series that you were on?

I have watch a few episodes of my series but its hard watching yourself on TV and I want to remember the experience as I saw it, felt it and lived it.

Did you watch last year’s series?

I used to watch Masterchef religiously until I was on it and now I just don’t have time, I watch a few episodes of last years but I am very rarely home at that time anymore. Life has really changed.

Where did your interest in cooking come from?

I have loved the social qualities of cooking since I was a little boy and I would cook with my Nan. From there it stuck with me until I went to University and started teaching. Spending time in the kitchen and cooking were ways for me to relax and be creative after work.

How do you feel about leading the MasterChef Travel tour to Mexico in 2014?

I can’t wait to get back to Mexico and lead this tour, food is what drives Mexican culture, it is engrained in the lives of the people. We will eat food that has been perfected over generations and stuff so fresh that it can’t be perfected on. I will share with you the Mexico that I know and love and the reasons it’s been may favourite cuisine for over half my life.

Which cities do you recommend as the best for food culture?

Oaxaca is the biggest foodie city in Mexico but your going to find great food everywhere, the coast is amazing also the food is simple, fresh and loaded with seafood which is great for me.

What foodie experiences do you recommend?

Eating a ceviche on the beach by the waves is a definite must, Tostadas in a market and Tacos on the street are also pinch yourself moments. You have to try grasshoppers and you have to have a mole.

Andy and Ben Do Mexico (Part 1)

So the wait in finally over!! The much awaited and much anticipated ANDY & BEN DO MEXICO is up & live on Andy Allen's youtube channel. The episode 1 starts with both of them arriving in Mexico & straight away they went on to explore the place. First of all they visited a local flower market, known as Jamaican market. Next they went to some other local food markets where they tasted 'fruits with chilli' & 'Half lime half orange Hybrid fruit'. They tasted various things out there including the HOTTEST CHILLI of Mexico & Huarache. They had their lunch with some local Bankers at San Juan Market where they happily gorged themselves with Ceviche & Aguachile & you will also find them downing on some tequila as well. For dinner, they hit a taco-stall somewhere on a street. No, that's not all. To know the rest do yourself a favour & go have a look here!! You are going to love it for sure :)

Episode 2 of Ben & Andy's Mexico Adventure will be out on May 28, 2014. Get ready for some more Mexican fun!!