Book review: My Last Supper.

Compiled by Melanie Dunea with introduction by Anthony Bourdain.

Published by Bloomsbury.

``WHAT would your last meal on earth be?’’

This is the age-old question that chefs ask each other after hours when the diners are safely out of earshot.

This magnificent book by award-winning photographer Melanie Dunea answers the question in the most brilliant way, with 50 of the world’s most famous chefs sharing their fantasies with us.

Luminaries such as Gordon Ramsay, Tetsuya Wakuda, Ferran Adria, Charlie Trotter, Nobu and Anita Lo tell us who they would prepare their last meal with, where it would take place, who would be invited, whether there would be music and of course, what the dishes would be.

Intimate portraits accompany each interview and recipes and these capture the essential spirit of the chefs.

My Last Supper is a culinary Who’s Who and here are some morsels:

Alain Ducasse

What would be the setting for the meal?

I would choose to go to Mars for my last supper, but not because I have become bored with terrestrial pleasures.

This is because I have been commissioned by the European Space Agency and the French Space Agency to prepare the special event meals for the astronauts of the International Space Station.

What would be your last meal on earth?

I would begin with a caponata, a Sicilian specialty of peppers, tomatoes and zucchini, flavoured with honey and almonds, for a definitive Mediterranean start to the meal.

I would then have roasted quails in a Madiran wine sauce.

Then would come smooth celeriac puree with nutmeg whose delicate lightness would complement the quails marvelously.

I would finish with ``melt in the mouth’’ apple slices.

These dishes are some of those we created for the astronauts and we call them food for extreme pleasure.

What would you drink with your meal?

I would drink a Flower Power, an alcohol-free cocktail created by Thierry Hernandez from the bar at Plaza Athenee in Paris, Earth.

This is a flower flavoured water, enriched with oxygen – a futuristic thirst quencher.

Would there be music?

Fly Me to the Moon, immortalised by Frank Sinatra. Can you hear it?

Who would be your dining companions?

I would have three companions: Takayama Tatsuhiro, chef of a tiny restaurant called Tout Le Monde in Osaka, Japan, Jean-Paul Veziano, an inspired baker in the authentic Provencal tradition, and Joseph Minocchi who grows outstanding herbs in northern California.

They embody various manners of eating well and responsibly.

Who would prepare the meal?

Alain Souliac, the chef at Ostape, the country inn I opened in the French Basque region two years ago.

Who else could it be?

Acclaimed chef Vimal Dhar said the music at his last supper would be a light duet of sarangi and tabla.

``In between I would play a cassette tape of my family’s chuckles and some melodious songs sung by them.’’

His last meal would be prepared by his wife Sangeeta and himself.

Try Vimal Dhar’s recipe for Chowk Wangun (tangy eggplant)

1 large eggplant

1/4 cup (60ml) plus 3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cloves

1/4 tsp hing (asafetida)

4 tbsp roasted fennel powder

1 tsp ginger powder

2 tbsp dry mango powder

1 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder

2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp water

1 1/2 cups finely diced tomato

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the eggplant and cut it lengthwise into 4 pieces. In a large sauté pan, heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat.

Add the eggplant slices and cook until they are soft, turning once during cooking, about 3 mins on each side.

Set aside.

In a separate pan, heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil over low heat.

Add cloves, hing, fennel powder, ginger powder, mango powder, turmeric powder and water.

Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to avoid burning.

Add tomatoes and cook for 7 to 8 mins or until soft.

Add eggplant slices, toss with tomato and spices and cook until eggplant is warm throughout.

Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste.

My Last Supper, compiled by photographer Melanie Dunea, is about 50 great chefs and their final meals, with photographs, interviews and recipes.

Chefs Jonathan Waxman, Fergus Henderson Vimal Dhar will join local chefs Neil Perry, Guillaume Brahimi and Philippe Mouchel at

Crown in Melbourne for the world premiere photographic exhibition, titled My Last Supper, from now until March 31st.

These chefs will be based in Crown restaurants to showcase their cuisine as part of Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

Bookings and inquiries: 136 100 or www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au