Peruvian Brunch: Gourmet Safari with Maeve O'Meara

Maeve O'Meara's Gourmet Safari is about the food experiences you just can't get anywhere else.  Take her Peruvian Brunch, it's an experience you won't be able to find yourself - this experience was at a home of gracious hosts Carmen and Luis Almenara.

Maeve, Luis, Carmen (L-R)

So it was, at 11am on Sunday 24th October about 60 foodies gathered in Gordon for a unique and enchanting experience.

We were greeted with a glass of Pisco Punch, a delightful but very potent drink that was said to be first served in San Francisco in 1893 and has been written about by many travellers including Mark Twain.  In From Sea to Sea, Rudyard Kipling described this drink as being "compounded of the shavings of cherub's wings, the glory of a tropical dawn, the red clouds of sunset and the fragments of lost epics by dead masters."  And it did taste heavenly.

We eased ourselves in with the first course of choros a la chalanca: callao-style mussels cooked and dressed with limes, coriander, onions, tomatoes and corn.  Which, we were told, should be eaten in one gulp.

Next was humitas - el pan de los incas: spiced corn "bread of the Incas" wrapped and steamed in corn husks.

Locro: slow cooked pumpkin, potatoes, sweetpeas, corn and goat's cheese, garnished with prawns and coriander.  The pastry was flaky and light as was surprisingly the filling.

We were then served with generous plates of yuca frita: deep-fried cassava.

The final savoury dish was lomo saltado: beef tenderloin sauted with an array of herbs and spices served on freshly baked bread bun.  So simple, yet so wonderful.

Dessert was generous and delightful. We started with suspiros a la limena, a rich caramel-like melt-in-your-mouth base covered with whipped cream.

This was followed by alfajores: variations of shortbread biscuits.

We ended the brunch with special Peruvian coffee and Tejas, hand crafted chocolates made by Carmen herself.  Tejas are a unique fusion of Australian fruits and nuts and manjarblanco, covered in luscious Belgian chocolate. 

Wonderful hospitality, intimate surroundings, like minded foodies, Maeve's effortless professionalism and ethusiasm - that's why Gourmet Safari is such a rich, wonderful and unique experience.  Highly recommended!

Gourmet Safari is run by tv personality and author, Maeve O'Meara.  There are safaris in Sydney, Margaret River, Kangaroo Island as well as overseas including Vietnam Safari and Greek Island Safari.

Tejas can be purchased from Carmen Almenara at Tejas del Solar.

The other wonderful desserts above and below can be purchased from Rosanna Spiers Cordova from Suspiros by Spiers.

This Noodlies sydney food blog experience was courtesy of Gourmet Safari and the wonderful Maeve O'Meara.

My previous Gourmet Safari.