Have you eaten? by Billy Law – Recipe testing

3 July 2012
by Phuoc

“You have 2 hours to create a three course meal with these following ingredients. And your time starts…. Now!”

I have mentioned before that I’m just not cut for Masterchef, despite what others may think; I would never be able to cope with cooking under immense pressure or being scrutinised in front of millions watching the show. I’d probably be one of those contestants that everyone hates because I’d be constantly crying!

One person that we all know that has achieved this is fellow food blogger Billy of A Table For Two. He was the favourite to win the show but of course we all know that the favourites don’t end up winning. It was hilarious watching him on tv though, cheering him on as he cooks through each pressure test and immunity/team challenge and being glued to the edge of our seats awaiting the verdict had never been more nerve wrecking. Since then Billy has been busy developing his cookbook, Have you eaten?, a book which he has placed tremendous effort and hard work into; from writing, cooking, testing, styling and shooting all the 110 recipes in the book.

Earlier in the year, there was a call for recipe testers. I had put my hand up for it and was assigned three delicious recipes to test. I had to constantly remind myself that I needed to follow the recipes to a tee as I tend to veer off and make my own adjustments along the way. The recipes I tested were straight forward and thankfully didn’t involve ingredients that weren’t too hard to source. While I won’t be able to completely reveal the recipes I cooked, I’ll just have to show you what I made so you can guess instead and then you’ll just need to purchase the book to find out.

My favourite recipe has got to be the jamón croquettes, which I’ve made twice now for my and Ant’s family and they both loved it. I mean, what’s not to love with jamón?! Uber crispy on the outside with a little surprise in the centre. The sauce that accompanied these croquettes was amazing as well!

Now you can’t possibly pass up a pork belly dish when it comes to Billy. I was excited to discover that I got to test out of one Billy’s signature pork belly dishes. Having never made roast before oh wait there was a time when I destroyed a roast beef I was quite pleased about how this turned out even though it wasn’t perfect (that was mainly due to my mishaps) but I’d happily make this dish over and over again.

Hailed as the Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert, during his time in Masterchef, Billy has always been known for creating amazing desserts. Underneath this silky smooth chocolate pot de crème is something that, in my opinion, pairs perfectly together with chocolate. Digging into one of these was like digging into a sea of chocolately goodness to find a pool of hidden treasure.

The cookbook is due to be on the shelves on 1st of September 2012. Check out this link for more information.

17 Comments

  1. Tina @ bitemeshowme

    Ohhh if that’s what to come in Billy’s book then I’ll be interested in getting a copy. I always liked Billy’s dishes and what he came up with on Masterchef. Just felt like it came naturally to him. Wee excitement!

  2. Miss Piggy

    Sounds like a fun task & good on Billy for going ahead and quickly getting his cookbook on the shelves. I love that he’s done all of the work himself on the book….

  3. Sara (Belly Rumbles)

    All three dishes you tested look great and sound scrumptious. How lucky were you scoring on of Billy’s pork dishes to try, he is the porkmeister after all. So excited for him and can’t wait to see his book on the shelves!

  4. Nic@diningwithastud

    Cant wait for it to come out!! Everything looks fab!

  5. Tina@foodboozeshoes

    Whoa – the pork belly looks like a winner! 🙂

  6. billy @ A Table For Two

    Gorgeous photos Phuoc! Now I feel like some jamon croquettes…..
    Thank you so much for testing the recipes and had fun with them 🙂

  7. Helen (Grab Your Fork)

    Helloooooo pork belly! Nice work on the recipe testing and your pics are looking awesome! I almost thought they were publicity shots 🙂 Shexy!

  8. Christine

    Gorgeous food shots… You’re making me hungry!! Looks like there are some great recipes in there 🙂

  9. Jacq

    Wow the food looks great! That pork looks like a definite winner – I can’t wait for Billy’s book to come out so I can have a go at it myself!

  10. Tina

    Miam Miam, you definitely got the best 3 to test 🙂 all 3 of them are awesome!

  11. Maria @Epicuriously

    Well done Billy! And lucky you Phuoc!
    These 3 recipes are a tease, and you had me at jamon croquette. Will keep my eyes peeled come September =)

  12. Heather

    I can’t wait to try the recipes YOU made! Thanks for checking out my post too 🙂

  13. Phuoc

    Tina: I’m really excited to see the book too! It will be good.

    Miss Piggy: Me too! Not many cookbook writers can say that they worked on every aspect of their book; he really did pour his blood sweat and tears, and that alone is something to be quite proud of.

    Sara: Pork belly is magically, especially when crackling gets factored in.

    Nic: It should be a great book.

    Tina: No matter how pork belly is cooked, it’s a winner in my eyes 🙂

    Billy: Cheers! Those jamon croquettes are freaking amazing, I want some more too…

    Helen: Ngawww thanks! * blushes *

    Christine: Thanks. Knowing Billy is the brain power behind it all, it’ll definitely be awesome!

    Jacq: I’m excited too, the sneak peeks of his book look great already!

    Tina: Yeah they’re pretty awesome.

    Maria: Oh man, you gotta try those jamon croquettes when you get the book, it’s bloody amazing!

    Heather: Cool, I think you’ll love them too 🙂

  14. Peter G | Souvlaki For The Soul

    I am so looking forward to Billy’s book…lucky you for getting a preview!

  15. Phuoc

    Peter: It was fun being a recipe tester, the sneak peeks that Billy has been showing look great! I can’t wait too!

  16. Trini

    I love Billy’s cooking especially his desserts.. will look out for it when i became available.
    Thanks for sharing

  17. Phuoc

    Trini: Cool, I’m sure it’ll be good 🙂

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