THE CORNER depot: 05/12/10

We were excited to have a workshop with Dirk Geleit of Meat Tender - the "butcher" - as he visited this month to give his expert advice about everything meat. Gourmet Depot carries top-grade Australian meats so we had the Ausmeat certified expert tell us more about how to buy top quality products and get the most out of every cut.

The butcher says "Make sure that there's not much excess blood in the bag when buying meat."

Samples from Gourmet Depot show all meat items individually packed and vacuum-sealed.

On the proper way to thaw... "the secret is to not leave it out overnight in room temperature. From the freezer, put it in the fridge and it will be ready the next morning."

Then, Chef Marco showed us how to cook the premium quality meats with 5-minute recipes that will bring out the meat's natural flavor and tenderness.

With a good piece of steak such as this, you'll only need salt and pepper to taste and less than 5 minutes on each side of the grill, says the chef.

He got these ready-to-use products at Gourmet Depot to whip up a few variations. Brookfarm Macadamia oil, the Chilli Factory Chili Sauce, Ferguson Lobster Oil, and naturally pink salt flakes from Murray River

One of which is this piece of Grass-fed Tenderloin with Pronto Y Fresco Semi-dried Tomatoes, baby bell pepper, artichoke and blue cheese.

Next, we had Sam di Virgilio, the Antipasto expert,

and we sampled Pronto E Fresco products with Banrock Cabernet Sauvignon and Angove Long Row Shiraz

these semi-dried tomatoes are the fresher alternative to sun-dried tomatoes. With their brighter red color, great texture and flavor, it could be used for pastas and other recipes that call for the sun-dried variety.