The Analytical Kitchen » Canapé/Hors d’œuvre

Spring GM Menu

ben — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 23:15:24 +0000

Amuse for Sparkler

(Photo ©Cam Wheeler)

Plain and Vegemite gougère

Vegemite and cheese just works as a combo, although I think most diners believed the plain gougère were superior.

Surf, Turf ‘n’ Garden

(Photo ©Cam Wheeler)

Barramundi, bacon, peas, asparagus, lemon butter

Barramundi and bacon sandwiched together with transglutaminase (“meat glue”) and baked (slightly over-baked in this case). The lemon butter includes ultra-fine shavings of lemon zest to give freshness and lift.

“Steak”

(Photo ©Cam Wheeler)

Watermelon steak, feta, mint

Slow baked watermelon in Sherry and butter, akin to this rendition. The mint can be overpowering, but otherwise an interesting interlude. There was much discussion on a potential wine matching here, and we concluded that a rosé or a rosé Champagne might be a suitable match.

Braised pork belly, galangal-scented salad, Szechuan pepper toffee

(Photo ©Cam Wheeler)

Braised pork belly, galangal-scented salad, Szechuan pepper toffee

Voted the favourite dish of the menu by the diners. The pork belly is braised slowly with Chinese flavours (soy sauce, rice wine, garlic, ginger, spring onion, brown sugar). The concept behind the salad was that the diner would experience the ethereal aromatic lift of galangal. Unfortunately, IMO, galangal is too hot-spicy to achieve this aromatically without burning and overpowering the diner’s palate. In the end, the galangal was simmered with mirin, and sugar added, to take the edge off the heat. Flavour-wise, this worked successfully, although the resulting salad dressing was perhaps a little too sweet.
Nevertheless, this is a dish I am happy with: the Szechuan pepper adds spice aromatics, the salad of shaved capsicum (bell peppers), carrot and fennel add colour and crunch, and both compliment the tender sweet-savoury pork belly and (braising liquid) reduction-sauce. This style of dish harks back to the days when I focused heavily on flavour impact.

Lamb fillet, eggplant purée, mint salad, rosemary lamb jus

(Photo ©Cam Wheeler)

Lamb fillet, eggplant purée, mint salad, rosemary lamb jus

I prefer fillet to backstrap (eye of loin) for this dish, and it is ideally BBQed. The eggplant is baked then flame-charred for a smoky flavour before it is puréed. A little yoghurt is then added and it is reduced and seasoned. I prefer baby garden mint (Mentha sachalinensis) leaves, but when caterpillars decimate…

Manchego, Comté/St Agur, poached pear, croutons, spiced walnut

(Photo ©Cam Wheeler)

Manchego, Comté/St Agur, poached pear, croutons, spiced walnuts

My standard kind of cheese course – you might call it a signature dish.

Lavender icecream, Manuka honey, scorched almonds

(Photo ©Cam Wheeler)

Lavender icecream, Manuka honey, scorched almonds

Salted Caramel and Peanut Truffles

A modification of David Everitt-Matthias’ Salted Caramel and Peanut Truffles (see Beyond Essence, 2013) – I simply omit the layer of chopped peanuts that surrounds the salted peanut caramel core, instead rolling the salted peanut caramel core in milk chocolate before a final cocoa powder dusting. But I still wonder, do we ever truly appreciate the truffle after so many preceding dishes?

Early Spring Menu

ben — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 13:06:56 +0000

Starter

Toasted Lebanese bread, eggplant/aubergine puree, dukkah

The Tapanappa Pinot Noir 2010 from Parawa, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, had a nice nose of very dark cherry, some dry brown leaves, a touch spice (cinnamon-like). I’d like to see more texture on the palate (which was also a higher acid style and a little short) but this has pleasant flavours (with enough interest). Good for the price, and without meaning to damn with faint praise, would present well as a “lunch wine”.
These are eight year old Dijon clone vines that are close-planted (1.5 m by 1.5 m) on a north-facing slope of sandy loam and clay overlying a laterite at 350 m above sea level. Even if this “only” received 1283°C days over the growing season, it still smells like “sweet” ripe fruit – so much for “cool climate” Australia. Looking at the final analysis, the slightly disjointed acidity makes sense: a TA of 5.8 g/l (as tartaric) with a pH of 3.65 is just too much (highly buffered) acid IMO – but perhaps my palate just isn’t Aussie enough? .

Lamb, Med and spring veg

Lamb, eggplant purée, zucchini, brocollini, peas, jus

Lamb: BBQed eye of rib.
Eggplant/aubergine: baked with soy sauce and tarragon-flavoured white wine vinegar, puréed with a little yoghurt.
Zucchini: sautéed in butter with marjoram.
Brocollini and peas: blanched.
Jus: mire poix-dominant, lamb rack and herb (thyme, bay) reduction.
Chervil and mint.

The brocollini was a little out of place. The lamb/eggplant/zucchini/marjoram/chervil/jus combinations worked very well.

Not a bad combo with a Henschke Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 from Eden Valley, South Australia. It’s 70% Cab Sauv, 15% Merlot and 15% Cab Franc and smells of very pure ripe, sweet blackcurrant, polish, a touch of tar and wild spearmint. It is well integrated, even if the acid is verging on the high side, and feels more elegantly structured than many of it’s SA cousins (as the rep goes) even if it does lack length. Easy drinking but not particularly interesting and I still have trouble with the value for money (even at new-release prices).

Cheese

Poached kiwifruit, Tasmanian Heritage Red Square, roasted cashews, kamut croutons

The kiwifruit was poached in white wine, sugar and lemon juice from immediately after the syrup had been taken off the heat. This resulted in the fruit’s flavour being completely altered to something akin to plum or greengauge – not something I’d do again, but interesting.

Citrus sorbet
Orange, mandarin, grapefruit. The madarin adds a background even if its unique flavour is drowned out.

Sulawesi coffee

Sulawesi Toraja roasted into second crack

The 2009 Sulawesi Toraja again (a wet processed bean with screen size 17/18 and grade GR 1), but here roasted a little further into second crack.

I used to like the idea of a heterogeneous roast yielding flavour complexity (because of the broadened flavour spectrum) but now I’m thinking the pro roasters might have more reason than consistency in aiming for a homogeneous roast: the slight burn here bothers me.
Nevertheless, this was very robust in the cup (and therefore great as an after dinner coffee), with masses of dark chocolatey cocoa flavour, almost golden syrup-like dark sugar, and some rainforest floor with a slightly animally note.

March 2006 menu

ben — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 13:54:02 +0000

Haggis balls with whisky broth and neep powder
It wasn’t Burns Night, of course, but reinterpreting (at least a little) a Scottish classic was fun. The balls were deep fried (of course, this is Scottish fare!), the swede dehydrated and crushed, the broth was a basic beef stock with Whisky added.

Haggis balls with whisky broth and neep powder

Sweet potato and coriander soup with rouille
It’s a great flavour combo. I did a garlic and herb rouille IIRC.

Green salad with honey-mustard vinaigrette

Salad prep

Green salad with honey-mustard vinaigrette

Prawn and salmon wontons in prawn bisque

Back in the days when Keiko reported more cooking than photography on her Nordljus blog, I was inspired by a Salmon and prawn tortellini in ginger prawn bisque dish she created. I made slight tweeks, but it’s essentially the same concept: salmon, prawn and basil filled wontons; the bisque is made with roasted prawn shells (very important) and the usual suspects (including a decent hit of ginger).

Wonton prep

Prawn and salmon wontons in prawn bisque

Smoked tofu and Guinness pie, crispy rice squares and spiced red lentils

This menu required an ovo-lacto vege main option (which I often think of anyway). This is my vege take on the classic beef and beerstyle pie, with a kind of spicy red lentil sauce instead of ketchup.

Rack of venison, poached pears, wilted greens, celeriac purée and chocolate oil

This is a John Campbell (The Vineyard, Stockcross, UK) dish. I thought the dish an interesting composition (particularly with the inclusion of the pear) but taste-wise I wasn’t sure I was entirely convinced.

Wilted greens

Rack of venison

Selles-sur-Cher cheese with warm beetroot salad

I love goats cheese and I think it works well with beetroot. I was very pleased with my presentation development on this dish. The cheese is accompanied with roast beetroot batons, beetroot powder, lolla rossa (one of my fav lettuces) and a balsamic glaze.

Selles-sur-Cher cheese with warm beetroot salad

Pink grapefruit sorbet with gin and vanilla jus

Rob Feenie’s concept, and an absolutely fantastic combination! I like to throw in some candied peel for extra zest. This is made without pith (of course); simmered for 30 secs, chilled – repeated about 3 times; then finally simmered with sugar until reduced to desired coating.

Pink grapefruit sorbet with gin and vanilla jus

The French Laundry’s Île Flottante

This is a superb reinterpretation of the classic. The meringue is slow baked (in steam) so it’s extremely light. It’s then filled with chocolate mousse. The accompaniments are the classic crème anglaise, a chocolate tuile, bitter sweet chocolate shavings with salt, and mint oil.

The French Laundry’s Île Flottante

Wine matching dinner

ben — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:00:50 +0000

The menu for a wine matching dinner with fellow wine geeks (February 2006) comprised:

White truffle custard with mushroom ragout

Based on the French Laundry’s, but with a mushroom ragout instead of their black truffle ragout. I like it this way because (i) mushroom and truffle is a natural combo for me that works well, (ii) it’s ovo-lacto vegetarian friendly, and (iii) mushrooms are cheaper than black tuffles but still taste great.

Pan seared scallops with a creamy soy-Madeira sauce, nori rice and spicy glazed vegetables

Caesar salad with creamy mustard dressing

I like to see Cos, crispy British bacon and well browned croutons.

Braised shin of beef on roast parsnip mash with melted leeks and Brandy beef-reduction

Brandy works so well in a reduction of shin of beef braising liquid.

Braised shin of beef on roast parsnip mash with melted leeks and Brandy beef-reduction

Roast pheasant with a beetroot-mulled wine reduction, chestnut sauce and braised cabbage

The pheasant was barded and stuffed (largely with sausage meat, which can be seen in the photo below). It’s so important to keep it moist while roasting. The chestnut sauce is basically sauted mire poix with Sherry and roast chestnuts added, then slightly thickened.

Roast pheasant with a beetroot-mulled wine reduction, chestnut sauce and braised cabbage

Chocolate tranche of Earl grey cream over bitter-sweet rich chocolate-orange Marquise over chocolate sponge with hard-caramel date

Assorted cheeses

Since this was a wine matching dinner and there were (going to be) a few dessert wine options, I wanted to offer a variety of desserts for diners to experiment with: fruit and toffee, creamy fruity mousses and rich dark chocolate.

Spiced poached apple and pear with toffee sauce

Marbled white chocolate and raspberry mousse with black pepper tuile

This has dried lemon and raspberry powders on top which add a nice piquancy. Black pepper provides an interesting combo with raspberry.

Chocolate tranche of Earl grey cream over bitter-sweet rich chocolate-orange Marquise over chocolate sponge with hard-caramel date

Dessert