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Monday, January 31, 2011

salmon escabeche with black garlic


Escabeche is a wonderful meal and one that suits these hot summer days, when it's 43C and rising! I used salmon instead of swordfish or tuna and found it almost better, but it is a very 'rich' dish. The black garlic, my new addition to this pre-published recipe, offset the pink flesh of the salmon and complimented the flavour beautifully. Click here for my escabeche recipe and for information on black garlic

Monday, January 24, 2011

kangaroo, kumara & macadamia galettes with wild pepper berry sauce

Coming up with something out of the ordinary for Australia Day on 26th January is no simple matter. Although sweet potato is readily available worldwide, I always think of it as very much an Australian vegetable, where a roast dinner would not be the same without it. Kangaroo, native pepper berries and Macadamia nuts on the other hand are most definitely Australian and the combination of all four make this dish a truly Australian meal and certainly one not in the least bit ordinary!

Kumara is a variety of sweet potato and native pepper berries grow wild along the eastern coastline and in Tasmania. Substitute green peppercorns for these if necessary. Pine nuts can replace Macadamias. Exported kangaroo meat is available in some countries otherwise use venison.

Oven to 220˚C

Ingredients:

1 x 250g Kumara (sweet potato)
½ red onion, finely sliced
1 egg
25g plain flour
1 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoons mint, finely chopped
Pinch nutmeg
100g macadamia nuts, roughly chopped and lightly toasted
Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 (550g) kangaroo fillets marinated in 20ml olive oil (for one hour before cooking)

Method:

Peel and grate the kumara into a large bowl and mix in the other ingredients.
Grease six egg rings with olive oil, place them on an oiled griddle or in a lightly greased frying pan and fill each one with the kumara mixture.  Cook on a moderate heat until the mixture in each ring is set, carefully remove the rings and turn the galettes over. Turn again if necessary or until they are nicely browned and cooked through.

Serves: makes 6 galettes

Kangaroo is lean and must be cooked very quickly on a high heat, then rested for the same amount of time it was cooked.

Heat a heavy based pan on high to smoking point, sear the kangaroo fillets for 65 seconds first side then 75 seconds second side. Reduce the oven to 200ºC; place the seared fillets in the oven for five minutes. Transfer to a clean, hot plate and keep warm.

The Sauce (use the same pan, unwashed)

1-tablespoon pepper berries drained, rinsed and dried
Splash of sherry
50ml cream
100ml veal stock

Method:

Heat the pan, add the berries and heat them through for a minute or two, tossing them in the process so they do not burn. Add the sherry and set it alight. When the flames subside, add the stock and simmer until reduced by half and slightly thickened. Add the cream and keep the sauce warm.

Slice the kangaroo fillets on an angle. Place a spoonful of sauce on each place; place a galette in the centre of each pool of sauce. Place two or three slices of kangaroo on top of each galette. Garnish with a little parsley.

Adapted from a Cordon Bleu recipe.

seared kangaroo on kumara and macadamia galettes with wild pepper berry sauce 


Sunday, January 9, 2011

cured salmon with star anise and white burgundy


For a special occasion, cured salmon makes an elegant first course. Delicately perfumed with star anise and flavoured with dry white wine and a touch of sweetness this dish is delicious and very simple to prepare. Give yourself a two day head start otherwise it’s plain sailing!

Ingredients:

2 x400g-1kg fillets of salmon, skin on
(Do not remove pin bones from the fish until it is ready to slice – this keeps the fillets tightly intact and gives a better slicing result)
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or a few chervil sprigs, to garnish

For the court bouillon:

500ml dry white: Burgundy, Chardonnay or Chablis
500ml water
20g sea salt flakes
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
2 level teaspoons sugar
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 3mm slices
1 small leek, white part only, cut into 3mm slices
1 fresh bay leaf
1 clove garlic, skin left on and mashed
1 clove
2 star anise, smashed into pieces with a pestle and mortar

Sherry Vinaigrette

100ml extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons walnut oil
2-3 teaspoons aged sherry vinegar
Salt and ground white pepper

Serves: 8-10

Method:

Place all the court-bouillon ingredients into a 3-litre non-aluminium saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, skim froth and simmer for 20 minutes on a low heat. Allow to cool completely to room temperature.

Select a non-aluminium pan dish deep enough so the salmon lies flat and submerged by the liquid – it should be a snug fit. Sterilize the dish with boiling water then allow the dish to cool completely before placing the salmon into it – skin side down first but turn once a day after sealing well with cling film and refrigerate for 48 hours.

Make up the sherry vinaigrette by whisking together the ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the fish and discard the court-bouillon. Remove the pin bones and thinly slice the salmon, beginning at the tail/or narrowest end, with the knife at a 30c angle. Arrange the slices on a serving platter and moisten with the vinaigrette. Garnish with chopped chives or/and chervil and serve with lightly toasted unbuttered bread cut into triangles.

Note:

Reduce the fish by half for less serves but use the same liquid measurements. Reduce the proportions in the vinaigrette too in this case but use only a tiny amount in any event as it is there to simply moisten the fish not to change its delicate flavour.

This recipe is from the region of Burgundy in France – the above is adapted from Damien Pignolet’s fabulous book: French.


cured salmon with star anise and white burgundy printer friendly version:
 https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/cured-salmon-with-star-anise-and-white-burgundy