Honey Madelines

Madeleines seem to be inexorably glued to one of the most annoying and anodyne clichés in literature. As soon as madeleines are mentioned some arse will say, ‘Ah, Proust!’ –
I think it makes them feel clever or maybe they are just being polite and inclusive. Anyway, whatever...while they are banging on you may get on with the job of delivering these beauties hot from the oven. Delicious by the dozen

nb: basic rule (if you want that fat little belly and a lovely golden colour [hint - you do] - the smaller the madeline the hotter the oven and vice versa

• 125 g salted butter

• zest of 1 lemon (Meyer for preference)

• 3 eggs (60 g)

• 130 g caster (superfine) sugar

• 30 g leatherwood honey

• 150 g plain (all-purpose) flour

• 5 g baking powder (fresh is best)

1. Melt the butter with the lemon zest and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs, sugar and honey until pale.

3. Sift the flour with the baking powder two or three times. Add it to the mixer and beat at high speed until very pale.

4. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the melted butter in a slow steady stream.

5. Transfer the mixture to a piping (icing) bag and refrigerate for at least 12 hours (preferably 24) before use.

6. Preheat the oven to 190°C *

7. Lightly butter a non-stick madeleine tin and dust it with flour, tapping the mould on a work surface to remove any excess.

8. Pipe each ‘shell’ two-thirds full. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 5–7 minutes until the centres rise like little volcanos and turn golden. 

9. These are best served immediately.

* Larger 8 cm madeleines cook best at 190°C and petite 3 cm madeleines are better
at 210°C but cooked for less time, which will give them a golden crust but not dry them out.

Kingfish Ham

‘You had me at ham’

This fish, indigenous to the coastal waters of Australia, is properly known here as the yellowtail kingfish. But, in Australia, where nothing is called by its correct name, it’s also known – depending where you are from – as albacore, bandit, hoodlum, king amberjack, kingfish, kingie, silver king, southern yellowtail, Tasmanian yellowtail, yellowtail, yellowtail amberjack and hiramasa.

I don’t particularly think this fish cooks well**, but it is superb as sashimi, crudo, ceviche, tartare (I could go on) and for this type of application. 

This is beautiful with slices of ripe melon.

NB: the cold smoking method described below was for a kitchen with commercial ventilation. At home I suggest ‘the smoking gun’ or any one of the smokers now available for the domestic market.

** the collar and head are delicious exceptions to this statement

• 1 × 3–4 kg kingfish

• 100 g course salt per kg

• 80 g brown sugar per kg

• wood chips for smoking (hickory for preference)

1. Fillet and pin-bone the kingfish, leaving the skin on.

2. Mix the salt and sugar together in a bowl.

3. Take a tray the length of the fish and line it with plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang on all sides to wrap the fish. Place the two fish fillets on the tray side by side and cover each fillet with the salt and sugar cure.

4. Put the fillets on top of each other and wrap with the plastic wrap. Ensure that the fish is very tightly wrapped – another layer of plastic wrap may be required.

5. Leave the fish to cure in the refrigerator for 5–7 days, turning it each day so that it will cure evenly.

6. Once the fish has cured, carefully rinse it under cold running water and pat dry. Cut down the centre line to produce four fillets – two shoulder, two belly.

7. Put the fillets, flesh side up, on a wire rack over a tray and put on the top rack of a cold oven. Leave the oven door open.

8. Fill an old ovenproof frying pan, which will fit in the oven, with wood chips. Place the pan of wood chips over high heat until they catch fire. Once alight, carefully shake the pan to disperse the chips and allow even burning. Once all the wood chips are burning, carefully put another ovenproof pan of the same size over the top of the first pan to snuff out the flames.

9. Put the pans inside the oven on the bottom shelf. Remove the top frying pan and quickly close the oven door, trapping the smoke inside. Leave for 5 minutes or until all the smoke has dissipated. Repeat this process three times using fresh wood chips each time.

10. After smoking, wrap the fish in muslin (cheesecloth) and refrigerate on a rack for 7–10 days. The belly hams will cure first due to their thickness. Use over the following month. They will also freeze well. Slice thinly before serving, if desired.

Chocolate Tart

This Chocolate Tart is based on one of the great tarts in the tart lexicon and originates from his eminence, Chef Joël Robuchon R.I.P. His recipe is a lesson in simplicity and elegance. I have changed the traditional pastry to a very short chocolate crust. Why? Because I think it’s better and that’s how cooking works.

The chocolate does the heavy lifting in texture and flavour. It should only be eaten freshly prepared, for its lustre is tarnished by time and refrigeration will render the filling as hard as a landlord’s heart.

makes two tarts because this is a time when too much chocolate is barely enough.

TART SHELL

• 150 g salted butter, softened

• 75 g caster (superfine) sugar

• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

• 125 g plain (all-purpose) flour

• 50 g rice flour

• 50 g best quality unsweetened cocoa powder (Valthona, Callebaut)

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

FILLING

• 200 g best-quality chocolate (72% cocoa solids) (Valthona, Callebaut) etc

• 190 ml pouring (single/light) cream

• 80 ml milk

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

1. To make the tart bases - put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until pale and creamy.

2. In a bowl, sift together the salt, flours and cocoa powder.

3. Using a spatula, fold the flours into the butter mixture until just coming together.

4. Do not mix them using the electric mixer or you will overwork the dough with the risk of shrinkage.

5. Tip the rough contents onto a work surface and, using the heel of your hand, press down and away from you to spread the dough in a fluid motion. Repeat three times.

6. Scrape the dough together and divide it into two balls. Flatten each ball slightly and wrap individually with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

7. Roll one ball of dough into a circle about 5 mm (1⁄4 in) thick. Place a 22 cm
   (83⁄4 in) tart ring on the dough and run the tip of a knife around the inside of
   the ring. Remove any excess dough. Remove the tart ring. Repeat with the second ball of dough.

8. Place the tart bases on a baking tray and refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).

9. Bake the tart bases in the oven for 10–12 minutes until the dough is dry. It will firm up once it cools.

10. Lightly beat the egg and use a pastry brush to paint a thin layer across the cooled bases. Return to the oven for 3 minutes to set the egg. This will prevent the base from going soggy once the filling is added.

11. To make the filling, coarsely chop the chocolate and place it in a medium heatproof bowl.

12. Bring the cream and milk to the boil in a small saucepan. Pour the hot milk mixture over the chocolate and stir until melted.

13. Whisk in the egg until fully incorporated.

14. Reduce the oven temperature to 100°C (210°F).

15. Place the two tart rings back over the baked bases. Pour the filling evenly between the two rings. Bake for 8–10 minutes until the filling is just set. It should still have a slight jiggle. Leave to firm at room temperature for 1 hour.

16. Serve at room temperature within 2–3 hours.

ANZAC Biscuits

Anzac Day, April 25th, is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. Specifically it marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War where some 60,000 Australians and 17,000 New Zealanders perished.

The army ration biscuit, also known as an Anzac wafer or Anzac tile, is essentially a long shelf-life, hard tack biscuit, eaten as a substitute for bread. Unlike bread, though, the biscuits are very, very hard. Some soldiers preferred to grind them up and eat as porridge.

Mine is the traditional sweet recipe made from ingredients that could survive the two-month journey sent from loved ones to soldiers on the front line, they were originally called Soldier’s biscuits and renamed following the Gallipoli landings.

The Australia and New Zealand Army Corps or ANZACs as they came to be known are remembered by these simple sweet biscuits that we bake on this occasion. Lest we forget.

• 90 gms steel-cut oats

•  75gm plain flour

•  100 gm wholemeal flour

•  150 gm raw sugar

•  30 gms desiccated coconut

•  5 gms salt

• 40 gms golden syrup (or light treacle)

•  1/2 tsp Baking Soda

•  60 mls water

•  125 gms butter

  1. sift flours, salt & baking soda together

  2. add oats, sugar & coconut

3. place butter, water & golden syrup into a pan & heat gently until just melted.

4. stir into the dry ingredients & work lightly until amalgamated

  5.moisten your hands and roll into small, walnut sized, balls & place onto a paper lined baking sheet

 6. allow 10 cm between each as they spread

7. bake at 170C until golden. around 35 min for chewy, 45 for crunchy 

Roast Duck with Snake Beans and Radicchio

I once went to Beijing to cook and, not being particularly sharp and the recipient of a simple country education, it took me a while to remember that the city was formerly named Peking. A little while later the penny dropped and I thought this was probably the home of Peking duck and that was why it was served with wheat pancakes, as it is in the North. The only version I had eaten was in Cantonese restaurants – definitely rice territory. One of the finest was had at Da Dong. Chef Dong Zhenxiang roasts his in brick ovens fuelled by fruit wood, including persimmon. [this was 2012]. Most recently I had a sublime experience at ‘The Country Kitchen’ at The Rosewood Beijing where the duck is properly served with a sweet tian mian jiang dipping sauce, made from fermented soybeans – not hoisin plum, which is a corruption. (don’t @ me)

Having said all that here is my inspired version. Yes, I know what I did there.

• 1 x 1.8-2kg free range duck  

• 1 leek 

• 2 carrots

• 1 head garlic 

• 2 star anise

• 1 tsp juniper berries 

• 1 tsp all-spice 

• 1 tsp Sichuan pepper 

• 1 tsp white peppercorns 

• 1 tsp coriander seeds 

• 30g sea salt flakes 

• 2 mandarins

• 1 dessert spoon Tamari

• 1 dessert spoon sesame oil

• 1 cup red wine

• 1 dessert spoon of corn starch 

1. Rinse the duck under cold running water. 

2. Pat dry with paper towel

3. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the spices together with the sea salt flakes

4. Using a food processor, blend the whole mandarins, then add the spices

5. Spread the spiced mandarin paste evenly into the cavity of the duck. 

6. Seal the cavity with a stainless-steel skewer

7. Take the leeks and remove the dark green tops. 

8. Wash well under running water and slice finely 

9. Peel the carrot and finely slice

10. Break the head of garlic into cloves

11. Here we can do the long way or the shorter version:

12. the long: Bring 3 litres (101 fl oz/12 cups) water and 100gms fine salt to the boil and add 100mls vinegar. Roll the duck in the water to tighten and set the skin, then place the duck on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate for 2 days, uncovered, to dry the skin. 

13. the short: Using a portable butane torch or high gas flame, rotate the duck to shrink and dry out the skin (this gives your duck a good shape and crispy skin) 

14. Brush the skin with the tamari and sesame oil 

15. Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan forced)

16. Lay the vegetables on the bottom of a deep roasting tray, then place the duck on a wire rack over the tray

17. Cook for 25 minutes on 200°C, then reduce the heat to 160°C and cook for a further 45 minutes

18. Drain the excess fat (and retain for other uses)

19. Once cooked, remove the duck from the oven and rest it for a minimum of 20 minutes.

20. Remove the skewer and drain the juices and fat from the cavity and retain for the sauce

21. Place the roasting tray over a burner and brown the vegetables thoroughly if they don’t have enough colour

22. Add the red wine and retained juices and cook quickly for 2 minutes. Add a cup of hot water and simmer for 5 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve into a small pan, pressing on the solids. Discard the solids

23. Return the pan to the heat and add the corn starch (mixed with a little water) and cook until the sauce thickens. Adjust the seasoning if required

Snake beans with basil

• 1 bunch snake beans

• 1 bunch Thai basil

• 50 mls sesame oil

• 25 mls light soy 

• 1/2 tsp freshly ground kampot pepper

1. trim the slack end of each bean

2. cut into 10cm lengths

3. pick the leaves & flowers from the basil

4. heat the oil in a wok until smoking

5. add the pepper & then the beans

6. toss frequently until the skin of the beans blister

7. add the basil & toss well

8. add the soy

9. toss well & serve immediately 

Radicchio Salad 

• 2 heads radicchio 

• 100 gms Hazelnuts 

• 50 mls Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

• 20 mls Apple Cider vinegar

• 1/2 tsp Murray River Salt

• freshly ground black pepper 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c

2. place the hazelnuts on a roasting tray & cook for 10-15minutes until the skins blister & the nut is a light caramel colour

3. Rub the nuts in the folds of a clean tea towel to remove the skin 

4. roughly chop the nuts

5. use a small utility knife to remove the radicchio core

6. Remove any wilted outer leaves

7. separate all of the leaves & put into a large salad bowl 

8. dress with the oil, vinegar & salt

9. toss well

10. finish with a good grind of pepper & the hazelnuts 

Steak and Mushrooms

This timeless combination of perfectly tender, melt-in-your mouth steak and juicy mushrooms is great for any night of the week. Getting there can be fraught. Buy the best steak you can afford. I know it’s out of ‘fashion’ (amongst my peers anyway) to enjoy fillet steak.  I do. For some reason, what used to be the most expensive cut, is now a reasonable value buy from the supermarket. You know what else? I like it cooked to medium. Judge me or run at me.

A few tips to lift your steak game

• Cut: Other than fillet, try ‘butcher cuts’ like flank or hanger, or a Scotch fillet or a well-aged tenderloin are great options. Try to support a quality butcher because they will be able to recommend the best cut, age and breed to suit you.

• Steak temperature: Always cook meat from room temperature because it will allow the steak to cook more evenly and quickly. Take the steak out of the fridge 1-2 hours prior to cooking for the optimal frying temperature. There are many ‘techniques’ for judging the internal cooking temperature of meat. I rely on one. The digital thermometer.

  • Rare 60c

  • Medium Rare 60-65c

  • Medium 70c

  • after that any sign of pink will elicit cries of "of oh my god it’s still alive”

• Seasoning: With most home cooks under-seasoning their food, a ratio of 2 grams of salt per kilo of steak should be used as a guide (use an accurate digital scale to weigh the salt). Soft flaked salt is best as it has an inherent sweetness, whereas fine cooking salt is too aggressive. It’s also important to always season before cooking, keeping aside a third of the total amount to use for seasoning during and after cooking. For me, a good grind of fresh black pepper is the only other thing required.

• Pan temperature: The thinner the steak, the hotter the pan and vice versa. It is a balancing act between the caramelisation of the protein on the exterior to develop maximum flavour, and perfect doneness on the interior. Start with a high heat so the steak can sear, form a nice golden crust and start to caramelise. I prefer to cook my steak on the presentation side for around two thirds of the total cooking time and then flip it over once to finish cooking. Cooking on one side allows a lovely caramelisation and also allows you to see what is happening to the meat as the heat gradually rises through the steak. Don’t be a flipper!!

• Resting time: Always rest your steak for approximately the same amount of time it was cooked to let the fibres relax and the juices spread. Slice it across the grain to render a tender chew.

• Added flavour: Brush the steak lightly with olive oil instead of putting the oil in a pan, as it also helps your seasoning stick. Season with freshly ground black pepper in addition to soft flaked salt. If you like the flavour of butter with your steak, brown it first with oil then finish with a good amount of butter towards the end. Spoon the foaming butter over the steak to stop it burning and to allow the butter to cook the steak evenly and impart its flavour. 

• 4x 180 gm fillet steaks

• 400 gms mixed mushrooms - shiitake, Swiss brown, oyster

• 200 gms baby spinach

• 2 cloves garlic chopped finely 

• Spring of fresh thyme 

• 1 tsp salt flakes

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 20gms butter

• 20mls sesame oil 

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

Method 

Steak

1. Brush the steaks with sesame oil (I love it for the flavour) or use olive oil cooking spray

2. Season steaks liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Heat your pan according to my previous tips and the cut of your steak. Once the steak is cooked to your liking, place into a low oven at 50°C to rest and stay warm while you prepare the accompaniments.

Mushrooms

1. Cut the mushrooms into large even sized pieces.

2. Add the remaining sesame oil and butter.

3. Add the garlic and cook until just golden 

4. Add the mushrooms.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Add the sprig of thyme.

7. Sauté until golden.

8. Add the spinach and fry until it just wilts.

9. add the mustard and toss through

To Serve

• Place the steak on four warmed plates. Spoon over the mushrooms and any pan juices

CASARECCE WITH CHICKEN DUMPLINGS

This is from a recipe adapted for the March 2020 issue of Selector Magazine You can replace ingredients if needs be, just be sure to replace apples with apples (if you know what I mean).

Serves 4-6

This is a delicious comfort dish. It seems traditional but it is really an amalgam of several dishes. The pasta idea was from Alain Ducasse, the meatballs are meatballs, bit of Jewish bit of Chinese, bit of French, the cheese addition is Cacio e pepe like, the lemon juice was when we cooked a version at Pei modern. Matt Germanchis (head chef) said it was like Avgolemono.

I have been cooking variations of it for many years. An interesting thing is cooking the pasta like a risotto. It is a technique I first came across in Nice and it is reasonably common in the French and Italian Rivieras. The starch from the pasta thickens the sauce and also gives an incredible texture. Cararecce originates from Sicily, and are short twists of pasta, which appear rolled up on themselves. Possible substitutes are Strozzapreti (or ‘Priest Stranglers’) or Penne. Any of the shorter pastas with some structure to hold up in the cooking process. In regards to brands, I have my preferences such as Benedetto Cavalieri the important thing to look for is that the pasta is made of hard durum wheat semolina, is usually extruded with bronze dies and is not kiln dried. Nothing against the shiny, yellow, kiln dried supermarket pastas but they just don’t give the same result.

If you are at all squeamish about the included offal. Feel free to leave it out. No judgment but its all chicken .

INGREDIENTS 

• 80 ml virgin olive oil 

• 100g butter 

• 300g casarecce 

• 700ml chicken stock 

• 150g Parmigiano Reggiano 

• Juice of 1/2 lemon 

• Freshly ground White pepper 

CHICKEN DUMPLINGS 

• 600g chicken breast 

• 4 chicken livers 

• 1 egg

• 180ml pouring cream

• 10 chicken hearts 

• 1/2 nutmeg

• 1 cup panko crumbs 

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper 

  METHOD

  1. To make the chicken dumplings: use a kitchen knife to separately chop the chicken breast, livers and hearts into small pieces.

  2. Transfer half the chopped breast and egg to a food processor and process until quite fine. 

  3. Add the cream in a thin stream and continue to process to form a mousse. 

  4. Add the chicken heart, liver, and remaining chicken breast, nutmeg, panko crumbs, teaspoon salt and the white pepper to the food processor and pulse to combine. 

  5. Cook a small spoonful in simmering water until firm to test for balance of flavour and texture. Adjust the seasoning to taste. 

  6. To make the casarecce: put the olive oil and 40g of the butter in a heavy- based saucepan over low heat. Add the pasta and stir to coat it evenly. 

  7. Add the chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. 

  8. Using a dessertspoon, make small balls of the chicken dumpling mixture and add it to the pasta (approximately 3–4 balls per person). 

  9. Cook for a further 10 minutes. 

  10. Remove the pan from the heat and finish with the finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano and the remaining butter. 

  11. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and stir (with a wooden spoon) to emulsify the sauce

  11. Finish with a generous grinding of white pepper. 

  Serve with a simple salad of green and bitter leaves dressed with Olive Oil

  Photography: Rob Palmer, Styling: Emma Knowles, Food Prep: Sarah-Jane Hallett

Snapper Hot Pot

This is from a recipe adapted for the March 2020 issue of Selector Magazine You can replace ingredients if needs be, just be sure to replace apples with apples (if you know what I mean).

Serves 6

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 1 brown onion, sliced into thin strips

• 1 teaspoon salt flakes

• 1 teaspoon sansho pepper

• 1 litre Chicken Stock

• 2 small parsnips, peeled and diced

• 1 small celeriac, peeled and diced 

• 2 small turnips , peeled and diced

• 3 kipfler potatoes, peeled and diced

• 75ml mirin

• 75ml sake

• 100ml Japanese white soy sauce 

• 2 teaspoons muscavado sugar 

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

• 100g plain flour 

• 6 x 180g snapper fillets, skin off, pin-boned

• 50g butter

• 3 fresh shiitake

1. Add sesame oil to a large frying pan over medium heat.

2. Add onion, salt and sansho pepper and cook until onion is translucent.

3. Add Chicken Stock, parsnip, celeriac, turnip, potato, bring to the boil, 

4. skim to remove any froth that has floated to the top.

5. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

6. Stir in mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar. 

7. Taste and add more salt if needed.

8. Place eggs in one bowl and sift flour into a second bowl.

9. Cut each snapper fillet into 3 pieces.

10. Dip the fish into the flour then the egg 

11. Heat butter in a non-stick frying pan and fry fish for about 2-3 minutes, until golden on both sides.

12. Sprinkle lightly with salt, then add to the soup and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, 

13. Meanwhile, pour the remaining egg into the frying pan to make a very thin omelette.

14. Turn over then turn out onto a board, cut into thin slices and add to the soup.

15. Serve immediately