Gninethree | bake.capture.dine.travel

As part of her Fresh Flavours with Anna Olson – A Canadian Culinary Adventure tour across five countries in Asia, celebrity chef Anna Olson was in Singapore a month back to host a series of dinner events which featured live cooking demonstrations for participants while dining on a 5-course meal. Tickets for the first dinner which was opened to public registration went for $180++ per pax and were fast sold out.

Recognised internationally for her culinary television shows such as Bake with Anna Olson, Sugar and Fresh with Anna Olson that aired on on Asian Food Channel, StarHub Channel 435, this extremely talented pastry chef also has more than six publications and cookbooks under her belt.

I was certainly very privileged to be invited for a cooking demonstration with Chef Anna Olson at the AFC studio and it was an amazing afternoon with the very charming and friendly Canadian chef who showcased three of her signature recipes during the demonstration.

Dublin-born Rachel Allen is a household name for many homecooks. Author of four bestselling cookbooks, which includes Rachel’s Favourite Food at Home and Rachel’s Food for Living, Rachel Allen is also a familiar face on BBC Lifestyle where she hosts her own television series.

Recently, Rachel was in town for Starhub’s Hubalicious- The Heritage Food Trail and while I was not lucky enough to get a place at her ‘An Irish Love Affair‘ dinner, I did get invited to take part in her Masterclass at Palate Sensations. As Rachel is currently promoting her new hit series- Rachel Allen’s Easy Meals, we were offered a glimpse into some of the recipes which she will be featuring during the episodes as well as how to whip up a quick 3 course meal that is both easy to prepare and still delicious to eat.

It was a hands-on session with Rachel first giving us a step-by-step demonstration at the front before we returned to our stations to experiment on our own. Seeing Rachel Allen in person was rather surreal after watching her on TV all the time and I certainly enjoyed how down to earth and patient she was with all of us, especially in explaining why some of our tarts or focaccia did not turn out the way it was supposed to be. Definitely an enriching experience learning from the popular Irish chef who was indeed knowledgeable and such a keen teacher.

Read on more for the recipes of the dishes we learnt how to make that day!