' CUCUMBER and MELON TERRINE .'

Terrine of Cucumber, Watermelon & Honeydew with Horseradish , Persian cucumber , Melon balls , Lime slice , Water hyssop , creme fraiche , fennel fronds , wild rocket flowers ,  lime vinaigrette & cypress black salt. 

                      This is another classic pairing, the summer fruits of cucumber and melons, this little dish served ultra cold makes a perfect refreshing appetiser. This dish gets the gastric going and the saliva flowing with hints of zesty flavours from the lime vinaigrette, the salty sweet taste of the different melons and the little bite from the radish, rounded off well with the delicate flavours of fennel fronds and water hyssop herb. Melons are in full season at the moment as are cucumbers and I wanted to incorporate the two in a dish that was light, colourful and refreshing. The herbs come from the garden but the rest of the ingredients come from the Italian grocery store I frequent in the inner suburbs.
                     I started preparing this dish the night before beginning with the terrine, which consisted of first chopping, deseeding and pureeing separately in a blender cucumber, honeydew and watermelon. Placing each puree into a separate bowl, they were seasoned with salt and pepper and measured out before being separately simmered in a small saucepan with 1% agar agar, whisking to dissolve the agar. Each was removed and layering one at a time beginning with the cucumber I poured the mix into a greased plastic mould. Placing the mould in the fridge between layers to set them faster I then followed with the watermelon and in order honeydew, watermelon and cucumber last. The whole terrine was then placed in the fridge over night to fully set before being turned out and sliced the next day. To make the cucumber spirals I simply sliced a thin strip of cucumber using a peeler, trimmed the ends and rolled it up tight before pushing from the bottom using the back of a spoon to unravel the roll into a spiral, filling the bottom with a dab of creme fraiche to hold it together and dressed with vinaigrette. I cut the melons simply using a melon baller and these to were dressed with vinaigrette and finished with a sprinkle of black cypress salt. To prepare the the horseradish I just peeled them before thinly slicing and dressing them in the vinaigrette and sprinkled black salt for contrast. The vinaigrette was a simply blend of lime juice with extra virgin olive oil. The additions to the plate also were creme fraiche, fennel fronds, a lime slice, fresh water hyssop and tiny little yellow edible wild rocket flowers.

' 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.