' MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !'

Warm Fig Bread pudding , Bourbon and butter sauce , Drunken sultanas , Blood orange marmelade , Bourbon glazed walnuts , Chantilly cream , melted chocolate and mint leaves.

        First off I just want to wish everyone a very merry and safe Christmas and New Year and thank you all for your support and kind words over the past few months, will be back to blogging in the new year. This is a little take on things christmasy and with the alcohol makes you warm and festive.
       For the fig bread pudding I poached dried figs in red wine, thyme and sugar until soft. The figs were then blended to a puree before adding cream, milk and sugar. In a large bowl I cubed white bread and poured the mixture over the bread and allowed the bread to soak up the liquid. I then spooned the bread mixture into greased muffin tray inserts and baked in a 180 deg.c. oven for about 25-30 minutes. In a fry pan I dry roasted some chopped walnuts adding to this butter and sugar, coating the walnuts. I then poured in some bourbon and simmered allowing the mixture to reduce and thicken to a syrup. The nuts were then removed and set aside. The cream was simply whipped thickened cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract. The marmalade was made by simmering down blood orange juice, zest and sugar to a jam consistency. The sultanas were steeped in Jim Beam bourbon overnight and this was the bourbon used to make the bourbon butter sauce.
        To plate I placed the bread pudding in the centre of the plate spooning the bourbon butter sauce over the top of the pudding and pooling the sauce around the base of the pudding. I then piped some chantilly cream on the pudding and on the plate at 11 o'clock, 2, 5 and 8, each dollop of cream received a mint leaf. Next I placed the candied walnuts to the left of each cream on the plate following with the melted shaved dark chocolate then the marmalade and finishing with the drunken sultanas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

' DRAGON-FRUIT & PASSIONFRUIT .' dessert

Dessert of Passionfruit Tartlet , panna cotta , gelato , fruit pulp & fruit leathers , Dragon-fruit Chiffon cakes , sorbet , fresh red and white fruit , Shortbread crumble , Chantilly cream and micro mint leaves. 

                    This is a little fruit demonstration uses just 2 fruits as apposed to the two 16 fruit medley posts earlier on. But in this I have demonstrated 3 or more preparations for each fruit varying the textures and visuals in each to keep the diner from straying. Both these fruit grow in my backyard and the passionfruit  used for this dessert is backyard harvested, frozen from last season. About 5 or 6 years ago, quite a large tea tree on the side of our property snapped in half during a summer storm. The bottom half of the tree plays host to some staghorns and fortunately the tree kept growing and from that day on the tree was not only host to staghorns but a rouge panama gold passionfruit vine. Never knowing the origin of the vine or even where the vines root system is, to be able to water it. The vine continued to grow and engulf the tea tree giving us seasons of gold large full fruit. That is until a year or so ago the vine died off and now we may get the odd fruit here and there. So the pulp used for this dessert was he last harvest from the mysterious panama gold vine. Our dragon fruit cactus were grown and reared from seed about 8 years ago, they've recently been transplanted outdoors from out of the green house they haven't given us any fruit just yet, so the red and white varieties you see on this plate have been store bought.    

                    The preparations for this dish are listed below in order of method.                                            
  Passionfruit Tartlet :- First in a food processor I brought flour, butter and sugar together to form a fine crumb, to this I added egg yolks and chilled water processing to a dough of which I turned out on to a floured work bench and rolled out to about 3-4 mm thick. I then placed the pastry disc between two sheets of baking paper and placed into the fridge for 30 minutes. While this is in the fridge I made a custard of egg yolks, sugar and cream, this was simmered while whisking until the sugar dissolves and the mixture coated the back of a spoon. I then added to this passionfruit pulp mixing to incorporate. The pastry was then removed from the fridge and circles were cut out using an upturned glass, the pastry was then used to line the inserts of a greased muffin tin. The filling was then poured into the pastry liners and the tarts were baked at170 deg. c. for about 20-25 minutes before being allowed to cool.                      
  Passionfruit Panna cotta :- I brought milk, sugar, passionfruit juice and agar agar whisking to dissolve the agar and sugar this was then poured into a greased tubing with a stopper on the end and placed in the fridge to set before being un-molded and sliced in portions to serve.
  Passionfruit Gelato :- In a saucepan I brought milk, cream, eggs and sugar to the simmer for about 15 minutes whisking to dissolve the sugar, the custard was allowed to cool before adding passionfruit juice and mixing to incorporate. This was then poured into a glass bowl and placed in the freezer for about 8 hours, forking the gelato every 2-3 hours to churn it.
  Passionfruit Leathers :- Simply passionfruit juice and sugar reduced over a low to medium heat then poured onto a baking paper lined tray and placed in a 100 deg.c. oven to dry for around 3-4 hours.
  Dragon-fruit Chiffon :- In a bowl I beat egg yolks and caster sugar until pale and fluffy before adding dragon-fruit pulp, corn oil and vanilla essence and mixed to incorporate. To this I gradually added some self raising flour and a little corn flour, lightly mixing in. In a separate bowl I beat egg whites, caster sugar and cream of tartar until fluffy and thick. I then gently folded the dragon-fruit mix into the egg whites and poured into a muffin tin lined with cup cake inserts and baked at 170 deg.c for 10 minutes, before turning the oven down to 150 deg.c. and baking for a further 20 minutes.
  Dragon-fruit sorbet :- In a saucepan I brought water, sugar and glucose to the boil reducing to a simmer, whisking until all the sugar has dissolved. Removed from the heat and allowed to cool before adding lemon juice and dragon-fruit puree mixing to incorporate. In a separate bowl I whisked egg whites lightly and added this to the sorbet mixture before pouring into a glass container and freezing for about 3-4 hours, forking the mix every hour for a silky finish.
  Shortbread crumble :- Simply pulverised macadamia nut shortbread with toasted sesame seeds and mixed with a little olive oil.
  Chantilly cream :- Whipped thickened cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract.

' SMOKED WAGYU PIE & HEIRLOOM CARROTS .'

Hickory smoked Wagyu Beef pie & fillet , Red wine & plum reduction , Orange & Purple heirloom carrots , Crumble of Panko crumb & Dorrego pepper leaf , Carrot & ginger sauce , Purple carrot & plum gel and fresh thyme sprigs.

              Wagyu meaning 'Japanese cow' is a stand out in table beef in my eyes, no other breeds can match that natural marbling which enhances its taste and tenderness. This wagyu cut came from my regular deli and was the end cut of a Kobe Wagyu rib roast. The carrots came from the green grocers section of the same shop and all in all this is a pretty easy dish with few ingredients. Light but packed with grounding flavours of smokey and earthiness paired with the sweetness of the three sauces, makes this dish a winner for taste and with a different approach from being plated the pies could be served as buttlered or stationary hors d'oeuvres.                                                                                                            
              The first thing I did was prepare the meat for this plate. With a 50/50 mix of sea salt and sugar I rubbed the piece of meat placing it into a ziplock bag with the curing mix of salt and sugar and placed the bag into the fridge to cure, turning and shaking every hour for 3-4 hours. Once the meat was partial cured I rinsed the curing mix off the meat with cold water and pat dried. Placing my smoking vessel over the barbecue burner to heat up, I then made a boat from tin foil and wet some hickory shavings, squeezing all the water out I placed the shavings in the boat and put the boat at the bottom of the smoker. Once the vessel was full of smoke and hot I placed the wagyu meat basted in oil on the rack in the smoker. Closing the lid I smoke the meat for 4-5 minutes each side with the heat . I then turned the flame off smoking the meat for a further 8 minutes turning half way. The smoked wagyu was then pan fried for a further 2 minutes each side and then allowed to rest before carving a thin slice to plate and cubing some more into 4mm cubes to go in the pie filling. Next I made a simple meat gravy by melting butter in a saucepan, to this I added plain flour to form a roux to which I gradually added veal stock. Whisking while gently simmering until the gravy becomes thick and velvety, this was then added to the chopped meat pieces and the filling was set aside. To make the savoury shortcrust pastry I started by combining flour, butter and salt in a food processor to make a fine crumb. To this I added egg yolks and chilled water and processed bringing together a dough before turning the pastry on to a floured work bench and rolling out to a 3-4 mm disc. This was then covered between two sheets of baking paper and placed in the fridge for 30 minutes. Greasing muffin tins I then cut circles using an upturned glass out of the pastry and lined the muffin inserts. I then spooned the filling into the pastry liners and cut circles for the lids, making slits in the pie lids for the pie to breath I then brushed the pies with beaten egg and placed them into a 170 deg. c oven for about 20-25 minutes, re-glazing the the pies with egg wash again half way through cooking. Once cooked I removed the pies from the muffin tray and set aside.
               The carrots were simply prepared in different shapes and sizes then blanched in salted boiling water before being placed into an ice water bath to stop the colours leaching. The crumb is a mix of Japanese panko crumb, olive oil and the Aussie bush pepper leaf from Dorrego. The three sauces were next, firstly the Red wine sauce was a reduction of Barossa valley Shiraz with thyme and plum juice, this was used to dress the pie and the wagyu fillet. The orange coloured sauce is carrot and ginger juice, sugar and a little xantham gum to thicken. And the purple gel is purple carrot juice, plum juice, sugar and xantham gum. These sauces were used to imitate carrots on the plate, giving sweetness to the dish.

' DORPER LAMB CUTLET & FENNEL .'

Grilled Dorper Lamb cutlet , Braised Fennel , Brined mustard seed , Honey turmeric yoghurt , Persian cucumber , Mint leaves and fennel fronds. 

           When a mate of ours that lives over the highway from us started rearing sheep it was a small project and a few years on, his flock is now healthy and large. With a couple of breeds in the paddock Warren went for a breed called the Dorper, which is a long haired sheep rather than a fleece like most sheep. This breed comes from South Africa and I've tried samples of the Buchanan s dorper produce over seasons now and its a fantastic strong flavoured, good quality lamb. How ever this lamb was purchased at a shop, also the Dorper variety and sparked the making of this dish in honour of Warren and his fathers quality animal husbandry.                                                                                                      
            To make this I first grated some fennel into a saucepan with olive oil and cooked the fennel down until soft, adding a little caster sugar and cooking further more until the fennel showed colour. The braised fennel was then removed from the heat and set aside for plating. In a small bowl I mixed together plain yoghurt, turmeric powder and honey to form a sauce. Next I prepared the persian cucumber into three preps the tight ribbon scroll, the loose ribbon loop and brunoise, of which were dressed in olive oil, salt and lime juice. In a small saucepan I put equal parts of water and rice wine vinegar with a little sugar, salt and black mustard seeds. These were simmered on a low heat for about 40 minutes until the seeds were soft before being strained and set aide for plating. Last of all on hot grill I cooked the Dorper cutlet for roughly 5 minutes each side in olive oil, and seasoned with Himalayan salt and cracked black pepper. Once cooked the lamb was rested for 5 minutes before plating.                  
              To plate this dish I spooned the braised fennel in a mound in the centre of the plate, I lent the dorper cutlet on top of this. I spooned the yoghurt in circles on the plate accompanying each with various preparations of cucumber, a spoon of brined mustard seed, mint leaves and fennel fronds. The cutlet was garnished with a small teaspoon of brined mustard seed and micro mint leaves.

' OX HEART , RED WINE & PIGS BLOOD .'

Beef Heart pan seared , Parsnip & Horse radish puree and a Bloodwurst & Shiraz reduction (red wine & pigs blood).

               This ones bound to raise a few eyebrows being so vivid in presentation, but believe me once you know what your eating on your plate is a beautiful rich sauce made of pigs blood sausage and sweet, spicy shiraz wine . This rare offal cut scene on the household table, has fantastic strong beef flavours and paired with the sauce and the sweet, earthy and pungent puree its a match of delicacy. I've seen this dish done by a Pennsylvanian chef before using the actual wine named 'Bulls blood' and the dish had the edition of some marrow of which I've unusually run out of.                                                                    
               I first made the puree by peeling and chopping some parsnips. In a pot of water I brought the parsnip pieces to the boil before reducing the heat and simmering the parsnip until soft and tender. The parsnip was then drained and placed in a blender with a little cream and horse radish paste, this was then blended to a puree, spooned into a bowl and set aside to plate. Next was the reduction sauce of which I cut up a bloodwurst sausage and fried off cubed pieces of the pigs blood and pork fat three parts to one, in a little butter until completely broken down. To this I added some good quality shiraz, some sugar and salt simmering on low stirring until reduced to a thick dark blood red syrup. This was then removed from the stove poured into a small glass and set aside for plating. Last was the heart of which I rinsed and pat dried before trimming into a 12 mm thick, 4 cm square steak. This was then pan fried in a very hot pan with a little olive oil, cracked black pepper and sea salt for about 2-3 minutes each side. the heart steak was then rested for 5-6 minutes before being cut into wedges to be plated.      
               To plate this a spooned some puree just off centre of the plate, placing the two wedges of heart on top of that and finishing the plate to resemble splattered blood I flicked and dressed the plate and the heart fillets with the pigs blood and red wine sauce. The heart of an ox and the blood of a pig.

' 16 FRUIT MEDLEY .' #2

Sixteen fruits all individually prepared in a modernist take on a fruit platter.

         This is the second in the 16 fruit series this time a modernist take on a fruit platter with all fruits individually prepared. Like the first in the series some of these fruits have been backyard harvested
(magenta cherry, passionfruit, rosella, green papaya, native raspberry and the cedar bay cherry). Below is a list of the fruits used and their preparations beginning with the rosella calyx at twelve o'clock and working in a clockwise direction.                                                                                                                                  
     Native Rosella calyx (1) - two calyxes, one calyx inside the other.
     Tahitian Lime (2) - topped with black grape slice and salt, piggy backing Native Raspberry (3).
     Dried Fig (4) - poached in shiraz, thyme and sugar topped with cinnamon myrtle leaf.
     Kiwi Fruit (5) - cut with melon baller topped with cinnamon myrtle flower.
     Passionfruit (6) - passionfruit panna cotta topped with vanilla cream, passionfruit pulp & mint leaves.
     Black Grape (7) - black grape topped with grape slice & piggy backing Native Magenta Cherry (8).
     Pink Grapefruit (9) - topped with grapefruit zest and curry herb.
     Banana (10) - banana brulee.
     Jackfruit (11) - topped with mint leaf and cypress black sea salt.
     Black Plum (12) - diced and presented stacked.
     Granny Smith Apple (13) - cube seasoned with black salt & piggy backing Cedar Bay Cherry (14).
     Green Papaya (15) - centre piece : slice of green papaya topped with diced ripe papaya & tarragon.
     Strawberry (16) - gelee made from strawberry coulis, used as the base of the platter.
All fruits were tossed in olive oil, lime juice, pink Himalayan salt and palm sugar before being plated.

' 16 FRUIT MEDLEY .' #1

Sixteen fruits individually prepared in a modernist take on the fruit salad.

                    This my take on a sixteen fruit modernist salad with all the fruits individually prepared and some of the fruits have been gathered from the backyard in particular the berries, cherries and native bushfoods. So in a list starting from the back row and working left to right in order as you see them.          
      Native Sandpaper Fig (1) - topped with dill frond.
      Calypso Mango (2) - wedge topped with white grape slice, olive oil leaf herb & black cypress salt.
      Red Dragon fruit (3) - cut with melon baller and piggy backing Native Lime berry (4).
      Rockmelon (5) - shaved and rolled in a scroll and topped with lemon balm and black cypress salt.
      Watermelon (6) - piggy backing Inca berry (7) and mint leaf.
      White Grape (8) - seasoned with black cypress salt and oregano leaf.
      Blueberry (9) - blueberry mousse, fresh blueberry and Midgen Berries (10) & wild rocket flower.
      Stella Red Cherry (11) - Pitted.
      Mulberry (12) - garnished with cinnamon myrtle flower.
      Brazilian Cherry (13) - Pitted.
      Apricot (14) - Stuffed with cream cheese and topped with chia seeds.
      White Dragon fruit (15) - cut with a melon baller and garnished with kaffir lime leaf slithers.
      Honeydew Melon (16) - This was juiced and made into a gelee and sits under the fruit.
 All fruits were dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and palm sugar before being plated.                          

' BLOOD ORANGE & BEETROOT TARTLET .'

Blood orange & Beetroot Tartlet , Beetroot panna cotta , Persian cucumber , Asparagus , Hummus , Swiss cheese , Rocket , Red oak , Blood orange and edible flowers.

               This is a dish put together with left over ingredients making their way to areas of the fridge that don't see light, out of sight out of mind the saying goes, but not this time. I made use of these awol. veggies before it was to late and they become food for my worm farm. It came together quite well considering, the ingredients are slightly random but surprisingly works together and this would make a fabulous light lunch, brunch type deal. Next time I would just add a bit more beet juice to the panna cotta to try and achieve a more purple, maroon beetroot coloration rather than the strawberry looking one I've made.      
                The sweet shortcrust pastry was the first preparation for this meal, starting by combining flour, butter and sugar in a food processor to make a fine crumb, to this I added egg yolk and chilled water and processed bringing together a dough before turning the pastry onto a floured work bench and rolling out to a 3-4 mm thick disc. This was then covered between two sheets of baking paper and placed in the fridge for 30 minutes. Greasing muffin tins, I then cut circles with a glass out of the pastry and lined the muffin inserts. In a bowl I grated beetroot and mixed with blood orange juice, sugar, egg and a little flour, this was then spooned into the pastry shells and placed into a 170 deg.c. oven and cooked for about 25-30 minutes until the filling was cooked and the pastry just  browning. These were then removed and allowed to cool before serving. To make the panna cotta I simple heated in a small saucepan milk, cream, sugar, beetroot juice and agar agar at 2%. This was then brought to a simmer whisking to dissolve the sugar and agar powder, this was then poured into a 10 mm plastic tube and set in the fridge. I poured the remaining mixture onto a flat tray and placed it in the fridge to set. While these were setting I prepared the asparagus by washing, trimming and blanching asparagus spears of which were then steeped in an ice bath to stop the cooking procedure. The cucumber was shaved using a veggie peeler, trimmed and dressed in olive oil and seasoned. The lettuce greens were simply tossed in seasoned olive oil before being plated. I then made a hummus by placing chick peas, tahini, garlic, olive oil, cumin and lemon juice in a blender and processed to combine adding a little water and blending to make a smooth paste.                                                                                                                          

' INCA TRUFFLES .'

Inca Truffles (clockwise from front left)- Inca berry & milk chocolate , Pure cacao & kola nut , 85% Dark chocolate & bee pollen , White chocolate & pistachio nut.

            I have a deep passion for peru and especially the times of the Incas, Their complex management of crops, the growing, storage and distribution were systems well before their time. They had an ability to store large amounts of crops (maize, quinoa and potatoes) mainly in storage facilities which took 5 years in the making, these were built throughout their empire. The crops were then distributed from the centre of the city. Crops and meat were dried to ensure there was enough food all year round. They were different from the mayans and aztecs as they were the first of their kind to farm animals (lama, alpacas and guinea pig) to eat. The incas innovative growing systems of terraced garden beds gave them micro climates within the one area allowing themselves to grow crops of a broad spectrum almost all year round. Many of their foods introduced to the new world by the Spaniards have been the foods of our tables for many centuries, for example the humble potato and more recently quinoa. To make these truffles I've used some of the foods that were the staple diet of the incas including the Peruvian ground cherry ( inca berries), cacao (chocolate), kola nut and pistachio nuts. These truffles don't have the delicate mouth feels of your more modern day chocolatiers, but a more natural taste and feel of the raw ingredients used to make them.                                                                                                          
              To make these truffles I first prepared all the ingredients starting by grinding separately pistachio nuts and inca berries in a coffee grinder and set aside to be used as coatings. Next I placed in a blender sultanas, pistachio, apricots, inca berries, honey, salt and vanilla essence and blended to form a paste. This was then divided into portions and rolled in to balls using the palms of my hands, the balls were then dipped in melted milk chocolate and then rolled in the ground inca berries before being placed on a tray and into the fridge to harden. In a small saucepan I brought full cream to a gentle boil, this was then divided into two bowls. In one bowl I mixed the cream with melted white chocolate and in the other bowl I mixed the cream with melted 85% dark chocolate. Both bowls of genache were then placed into the fridge to harden before being rolled into balls. The white chocolate balls were then rolled in the ground pistachio nuts and the dark chocolate genache balls were dipped in melted 85% dark chocolate and topped with bee pollen. The last truffle was made from homemade chocolate using pure 100% peruvian cacao, melted cocoa butter, sugar and a little soy lecithin to emulsify. These were mixed into a paste and rolled into balls before being placed in the fridge to set. Once set I rolled the balls of cacao in a mix of cocoa powder and ground kola nuts. Kola nuts are high in caffeine and were once used in the original recipe for coca cola, it can be very hard to obtain, my kola nut was sourced from a herbal shop.                                                                                                                                          

Inca berry and milk chocolate.

85% Dark chocolate and bee pollen.

Pure peruvian cacao and kola nut.

White chocolate and pistachio nut.

' BREAKFAST of BLUEBERRIES .'

Breakfast of Blueberry Bagel & Mousse on a Granola of shortbread , rolled oats , chia seeds & honey served with Blueberry coulis & gelee , Creme cheese , Cinnamon myrtle flowers and fresh blueberries.

               At my work a section of the warehousing has recently become a storage facility and north side   Brisbane distributor for a well known bread company. So we pick orders for all sorts of bakehouse products including bread, pizza bases and bagels. Amongst their range of bagels they have a blueberry flavoured bagel of which has often been my breakfast of a morning. Sitting their at smoko with my warm buttered bagel and coffee has lead me to think what would I be wanting with this bagel right now if I could. Which to cut a long story short became the process of thought behind this breakfast dish. The bagels I've been eating for smoko is the bagel I used for this dish.                                                                                            
               The blueberry mousse was the first of the preps for this dish and to make this I heated some cream to the boil before removing from the heat and adding melted white chocolate, crushed blueberries and a little agar agar powder at 1%, this was then brought back to a gentle simmer whisking to dissolve the agar powder. Once the powder had dissolved the mix was then spooned into a greased plastic tube, three quarters of an inch in diameter and 3 inches long, this was then wrapped in clear film and placed in the fridge to set. The granola was made by mixing crushed shortbread biscuit, chia seeds, rolled oats and honey, this was then spread on a flat baking paper lined tray and placed into the oven at 160 deg.c. for about 10-15 until the granola was starting to brown. It was then removed from the oven allowed to cool and crumbled into 5-6 mm pieces. I made the coulis by placing crushed berries, lemon juice, sugar and a little water in a saucepan and simmering until all the sugar has dissolved and the fruit was collapsed. This was then strained and pushed through a sieve and set aside. The gelee is a combination of water, blue and red colouring, blueberry coulis and agar agar powder at 2%, brought to a simmer in a small saucepan while whisking to dissolve the powder. This was then poured on to a flat tray and set in the fridge. Once set using different sized biscuit cutters I cut circles from the blueberry agar gelee.          
                  To plate this breakfast I placed the gelee circles on to the plate, on top of these I spooned the granola which acted as a base for the mousse which was pushed out of its tube moulding using my thumb and cut into serving sized pieces to go on top of the granola. Each was accompanied with creme cheese, fresh blueberries, torn pieces of bagel and topped with blueberry coulis and edible flowers.

       

' MEDITERRANEAN ENTREMET .'

Roulades of Tartufella & Buffalo milk mozzarella wrapped in roasted capsicum & eggplant skins served with Caper berries , Spanish green olives , Lemon zest , micro mint leaves and sun-dried tomato oil.

                This plate came about as a by-product of the preparations of another dish in which I needed oven roasted peppers and eggplant. From this I salvaged the colourful skins of the red pepper and the Graffiti varietal eggplant. Using ingredients to match from my stores I came up with this quick and eye pleasing entremet. This plate takes you right to the mediterranean, packed with Italian punch. And right in the heart of the dish, the centre of the roulade fillings is Tartufella, a product that my mother brought back from Assisi during her trip to Italy. The heart and soul of the entremet, pungent in flavour.                  
                 To make these little roulades I oven roasted the capsicum and eggplant in a little olive oil and  smoked Cypress sea salt at 200 deg.c. for about 20 minutes until just starting to blacken in places. They were then removed and placed in a plastic bag to sweat, making it easier to remove their skins. The skins were removed and trimmed to size placing a spoonful of buffalo mozzarella at one end of each skin, I then put a small spoon of the tartufella (mix of mushrooms, truffle, truffle oil & olive oil) in the centre of the cheese. I then rolled the roulades by starting from the filling end and rolling away from myself, placing a dab of cheese on the end of the skin to act as glue to keep the roulades rolled.                  
                 To present I poured some olive oil in the centre of the plate placing the two different roulades in the oil topping with sliced pitted spanish green olives and some caper berries. I garnished this with micro mint and lemon zest, to finish I mixed sun-dried tomato oil into the oil on the plate swirling to mix or marble the two different oils.

' APPLE WOOD SMOKED CHICKEN .'

Apple wood smoked Chicken , Fava bean puree , Granny Smith apple , Radicchio , Mustard green , Creme fraiche , Sesame crumble , Cinnamon myrtle flowers and Jasmine petals.

     
          This dish came about by a late spring clean, sorting through some boxes I found a container of apple wood chips I had purchased a good 2 or so years ago at a camping store up the road. The chips came in 4 or 5 different smoke flavours and I got the hickory and apple. Like a lot things time passed on, they never got used and ended up in a box in a pile of other boxes.                                                          
           To smoke the chicken I first made a mix of brown sugar and sea salt, rubbed the fillets and  placed the chicken and the curing mix into a ziplock bag before placing in the fridge for an hour. The chicken was then removed and rinsed before being pat dry. I then set up my smoker over the bbq. burner allowing the kettle to heat up. The apple wood shavings were then soaked in water and squeezed dry before being placed in the bottom of the kettle. When the kettle was full of smoke I placed the chicken fillets on the rack inside the smoker and smoked the meat for 5 minutes with heat and then a further 5 minutes with no heat. The fillets were then removed and allowed to cool, then torn into bite size portions. To make the fava bean puree I simply shelled the bean pods, steamed the beans for 6-8 minutes before adding to the blender with a little water and seasoning, this was then blended to puree. The Granny Smith apple was sliced thinly skin on into 2mm slices, dressed with some olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt. For the greens I washed and cut circles using a biscuit cutter out of a mustard green leaf and a radicchio leaf, these were dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. To make the crumble I mixed crumbled savoury biscuit and sesame seeds together with a little olive oil.                                                    
          To plate I spooned a dollop of puree on the plate placing the stack of apple slices next to this. On each, a lettuce round was placed on topped with creme fraiche and a cinnamon myrtle flower. Between the two stacks I arranged a pile of the torn smoked chicken pieces scattering the sesame crumb on top of the chicken and garnishing with jasmine flower petals.

' FUME FROIDE CAVIAR NOIR .'

Fume froide caviar noir , Confit de pomme de terre , Concombre prepare en brunoise et rubans , Sesame miette , Creme de dijon , Dill frondes et Wild Rocket fleur.

Translates- Cold Smoked black caviar, confit of potato, cucumbers prepared brunoise and ribbons, sesame crumb, cream of dijon, dill fronds and wild rocket flowers.                                   

                  

         This preparation is an easy take on modernist French cuisine and came about when I had some smoke still going from remaining apple wood chips so I though I'd try cold smoking the caviar so I didn't melt the precious little eggs. In this case the Lumpfish black caviar was placed into a small ramekin in a metal bowl filled with ice, the bowl was then placed on the rack in the smoker and cold smoked for 10-12 minutes. The potato was peeled and sliced into batons 8 mm thick, these were cooked at 85 deg.c. in olive oil for about 6-8 minutes before being finished in a pan of butter to make then golden and crispy. The sesame crumble is basically a mix of savoury biscuit crumb, sesame seeds and a little olive oil. The cream of dijon is a combination of dijon mustard and creme fraiche.
        I garnished the plate with some diced (brunoise) and ribbons (rubans) of cucumber, some dill fronds and tiny wild rocket flowers.