' poached CHICKEN with PINK AUTUMN SALAD .'

Poached Chicken tenderloin, Garlic chive & yoghurt mayo, Salad of Purple Kale, Red onion, Detroit Globe Beetroot, Purple carrot, Heirloom Radish and Radish baby greens.

                       This dish was solely inspired by our Autumn garden harvests, now thriving the cold nights have come and the greens are crisp and fresh. We will have purple, green and tuscan kale growing perpetually for most of the winter now and radishes are coming on with stagnated plant outs of a few different heirloom varieties. All this action in the garden has prompted me to put together a pink and purple accented salad for an accompaniment to poached chicken for a light lunch. Vegetables that are purple in colour like the original carrot have a pigment which is very high in anti oxidants, not to mention have great vibrant colourful appeal.                                                                                            
                       This was a fairly simple dish to throw together and to begin with I placed a pot of chicken stock on a low to medium heat adding to this chopped onions, bay leaf, carrot and celery. Once heated I added some chicken tenderloins and poached them in the stock for about 15 minutes. They were then removed and placed into the fridge to chill. To make the yoghurt mayo I first started by making a whole egg mayonnaise by blending whole eggs, white vinegar, mustard powder and salt until it had combined, I then drizzled olive oil, while blending on a medium speed to form a creamy consistency. Once the mayo was ready I spooned the mayo into a small mixing bowl adding a little greek yoghurt and some finely chopped garlic chives, this was then placed into the fridge to chill. To make the salad I prepared the vegetables, firstly I peeled the beetroot and pickled the beet over a low simmer in equal parts rice wine vinegar and water with a little sugar and a pinch of salt until tender before draining a cutting the beet brunoise. The carrot was sliced to thin julienne and radishes cut into wedges and slices. The red onion was sliced thinly and the kale and baby radish greens washed. All vegetables except the beetroot was tossed in a little olive oil and some of the yoghurt mayo before serving. To plate I arranged the pink autumn salad on the plate, placing the chicken on top. I then spooned the yoghurt mayo over the chicken, seasoning with cracked back pepper.

 

                                                            plated without the purple kale

' CARAMELISED CAULIFLOWER CUSTARDS .'

Caramelised Cauliflower custards served with Garden Pea greens dressed with Barrel aged Fish sauce & Lemon oil .

                     This is a simple little taster dish to put together and a really good little way to showcase seasonal produce. The custards in this dish are extremely dynamic in that it has a great crust, are hot throughout and melts on the tongue like a decadent cauliflower puree rather than the firm set that it resembles. To accompany these I dressed assorted pea greens fresh from the garden in a little aged fish sauce and lemon oil.                                                                                                                                  
                     To make the custards I placed heavy cream, diced cauliflower, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon in a saucepan over a medium heat, I brought this to the boil reducing to a low simmer, covering with a lid. Once the cauliflower was cooked and tender I transferred the mixture to a blender and mixed to form a smooth puree, this was then placed into a small saucepan and brought to a simmer with 1.5% gellan gum whisking to dissolve and disperse the gum. The the puree was then removed from the heat and poured into a plastic mould and placed in the fridge to set. At this time I dressed the pea greens with a little barrel-aged fish sauce and some olive oil mixed with lemon. I kept the pea greens fresh and not cooked to give the dish a little fresh crunch to cut the rich creamy custard. The greens were then plated and ready for the the custards to be re-heated and caramelised. In a medium hot pan I added some olive oil, removing the custard from its mould I sliced the custard into bite sized cubes of which I lightly pan seared one side of the cube before immediately arranging them on to the plate with the pea greens and seasoned with smoked sea salt to serve.