Sprouts Play an Integral Role in Creative Cuisine

Sprouts inspired the culinary taste buds of 500 food enthusiasts recently at the Savour New Zealand Master Class for Food and Wine Lovers held in Christchurch, May 6-8.

A mouth-watering gourmet tart featuring crunchy sprouts under melted feta cheese and a spicy sprout salad provided the Master Class delegates with a sumptuous sample of how sprouts can play an integral role in creative cuisine. The sprout and feta tart was served as the main course of a gourmet lunch sponsored by SproutMan and was well received by a discerning group of diners, including noted international chefs and food writers.

The three-day Savour New Zealand event is held every two years to celebrate the best in local fare, and inspire the participants with new culinary flavours and ideas. Sun Sprout Ltd Managing Director, Stephen Dench, says the event provided a perfect platform to demonstrate the versatility of sprouts in terms of taste and texture, and show how they could add an exciting touch to almost any meal.

Tina Duncan, Savour New Zealand organiser and co-owner of Christchurch’s White Tie Catering, believes people need to think outside the square with sprouts.Tina uses them a lot in her catering and says the variance in flavours and textures provided by the different types of sprouts makes them very interesting and versatile to work with.

She says, “There’s a lot you can do with sprouts. For instance, most varieties have the same lovely peppery tang that watercress has and are wonderful tossed through crispy noodles or served on the top of some Asian style salmon. The onion combo is great sprinkled over pizza after it comes out of the oven, and I wouldn’t dream of doing a stir-fry without mung bean sprouts because I adore them. You just toss them through at the last minute. Sprouts are also terrific in finger food.”

Tina encourages people to experiment with sprouts and says they can definitely play a part in gourmet meals.

Savour New Zealand is holding their next Master Class for Food and Wine Lovers in 2007. For more information visit: www.savournewzealand.com or email: astrid@savournewzealand.com