For the second year running, Hard Rock Café (HRC), Shiro and California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) are back with a special menu inspired by MasterChef Australia’s current season on TV. While the CPK is offering dishes such as roasted tomato and arugula pizza, creamy artichoke penne and five spice lemon garlic baked basa, Shiro is bringing in pan Asian flavours such as chilli popcorn chicken, steamed fish in banana leaf, prawns with kaffir lime and prawn Thai curry. The HRC is creating the desserts MasterChef style with choices such as fruit and chocolate tulle or cheesecake and vanilla pana cotta with macaroons.
California Pizza Kitchen is celebrating MasterChef Australia (MCA) season five by bringing to its patrons, the best of MCA dishes. With a special menu addition, it is serving specially crafted dishes that you might have seen in the immunity challenge or the invention test of the ongoing season of MasterChef Australia. Guests are being invited to relish the exotic Italian preparations such as Roasted Tomato and Aragula Pizza, Creamy Artichoke Penne and 5 Spice Lemon Garlic Baked Basa that will be served right from the CPK MasterChef kitchen till December 2013.
Here are some recipes from Master Chef Australia inspired dishes at California Pizza Kitchen which Chef Jai of Indiranagar branch in Bangalore showed us:
ROASTED TOMATO AND MUSHROOM PIZZA
| Ingredients | Station Measure |
| Dough | 120 gm |
| Sundried tomato marinara | 30 ml |
| Grated Cottage Cheese/ ricotta cheese | 30 gm |
| Mozzarella Shredded | 1/2 cup |
| cherry tomato halves sautéed | 1/2 cup |
| sliced mushroom sauteed | 1/2 cup |
| Garnish | |
| Aragula / Rocket leaves | 1/2 cup |
| parmesan shaved | 1/2 cup |
| Method: | |
| 1. Roll the dough on a floured surface to a 9†base2. Mix the sundried tomato marinara & grated cottage cheese and spread it all over the pizza base till the edges. | |
| 2. Add the mozzarella cheese and top the pizza with the cherry tomato & mushroom mix. | |
| 3. Use the standard pizza cooking procedure until the pizza is crisp & bubbly. | |
| 4. Remove from the oven, slice into equal pieces and garnish with aragula, parmesan and olive oil | |
CREAMY ARTICHOKE PENNEÂ
| Â | |
| Ingredients | Station Measure |
| Pre-Cooked Penne | 200 gm |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil | 30 ml ladle |
| Sliced Onions | 1/4 cup |
| Chopped garlic | 1 tbl |
| Red Chilli Flakes | 1/2 tsp |
| Pasta cream | 200 ml |
| Sliced Artichokes | 1/2 cup |
| Lemon Zest | 1 tsp |
| Soya sauce | 1 tbl |
| Grated Parmesan | 1 tbl |
| Parsley Chopped | 1 tbl |
| Crushed Pepper | 1/8 tsp |
| Method: | |
| 1. Heat a frying pan over medium heat & add the extra virgin olive oil. | |
| 2. Add the onions, garlic and chilli flakes and saute on low heat. Add cream. | |
| 3. Add the artichokes and lemon zest and cook further. | |
| 4. Re-Blanch pre-cooked pasta for 30 seconds. Drain pasta for 30 seconds. | |
| 5. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss through. Add lemon juice, chopped parsley, grated parmesan & crushed pepper & fold through. | |
| 6. Transfer to a warm pasta bowl and garnish with a parsley sprig and lime wedge | |
5 SPICE LEMON GARLIC BAKED BASA
| Â Station Measure | Â Ingredients |
| 240 gm | Basa Fillet |
| 1/4 tsp | Salt |
| 1 tbl | Unsalted Butter |
| 1 tbl | Minced Garlic |
| 1 tsp | Five Spice powder |
| 1 half | Lemon Juice |
| Garnish | Â |
| 1 sprig | Parsley Sprig |
| 1 half | Fresh Lemon |
 Method
| 1. In a bowl mix the unsalted butter, salt, lemon juice, five spice powder & minced garlic. |
| 2. Using gloved hands apply this mixture on both sides of a basa fillet. |
| 3. Transfer the marinated fish to a non-stick pan and cook the fish in the pizza oven for 5 min. |
| 4. After 5 min, check the doneness of the fish and cook for another 1 min if required. |
| 5. Also, check the internal temperature of the fish with a thermometer to ensure that the fish is cooked. |
| 6. Once done carefully place the fish on one side of  plate. Garnish with half a lemon and parsley sprig. Serve with appropriate sides. |
It was great to also try our hand at making some of the Master Chef Australia inspired dishes with help from wonderful and friendly chefs from California Pizza Kitchen.
It was a wonderful afternoon to try out amazing dishes with great company (including families) of food connoisseurs from Bangalore!
