' MUSHROOMS , MARROW & DATES .'

Grass-fed Bone Marrow in Swiss Brown mushroom stems, Charred Dates, Balsamic reduction and Vegemite paste. 

                Another really simple little dish to make and tastes sensational, the mushrooms have a rich meaty flavour and an almost steak like texture, the dates were pounded to a thin rectangle, adding  sweetness and a roasted flavour. The accompaniments of the balsamic vinegar reduction gives a distinct sweet acidity to balance the marrow out and the Vegemite paste adds a savoury streak for both the eye and the palate. Exquisite grass fed beef marrow has been stuffed into hollowed swiss brown mushroom stems to replicate marrow bones and sauteed in rendered marrow.                                                                
              I started this dish by placing some dried dates on to a tray and into a 180 deg. c. oven for about 20 minutes, until some parts were starting to char. The dates were then removed and placed between two sheets of silicon paper and rolled out to about 2 mm thick. I then made an outline of the rectangle shape using a ruler and marker on to the top sheet of silicon paper before cutting the shape out and setting aside for plating. Next I removed the stems from large swiss browns and hollowed the middles out with a cutter. Scraping some of the raw marrow from the bones I gently filled the stems, these were then placed in the fridge to set. In the mean time I placed a little mandarin juice and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and brought to a gentle simmer, reducing the vinegar to a thick syrup before removing from the stove and setting aside for plating. The Vegemite was simple thinned with a little olive oil and to finish the dish I sauteed the mushroom stems in a little rendered marrow just before plating.