' FIG LEAF CIGAR .'

Caramelised fig & Ashed goats cheese rolled in a Toasted fig leaf , Dipped in honey , Cinnamon sugar and Fig leaf ash.

                    Another from the team at 'moto' and makes a perfect pre dessert dish experimenting with fruit and cheese with the smokey, caramel notes of the toasted fig leaf. This dish is surprisingly yummy and upon first glimpse for one, looks like it shouldn't be eaten or two belong on the dining table. This is a great example of playing with food and like its name sake makes the perfect dish to be served as the smoke break in a long 8 or so course degustation menu. The goats cheese provides the perfect amount of tanginess to the plate where as the caramelised fig gives the sweet, smokey charred flavours.                
                    This was a very simple dish to make and I first cut some figs in half, sprinkling them with a little panela and placing them under the grill until soft and caramelised. I then removed the figs from the grill allowing to cool. I then harvested and washed some medium sized fig leaves. I laid one leaf out vein side up, smooth side down and placed a length of one cm. diameter rolled cheese along the length of one side of the leaf. Spooning the fig alongside I rolled the cheese and fig in the leaf to form a cigar shape, tying string around both ends to hold its shape, I placed the cigar under the grill and toasted the outside of the rolled leaf until dark brown in colour. The cigar was then removed from the heat and the strings cut away for serving purposes. To make the ash I toasted fig leaves and crumbled them with a little cinnamon sugar. To plate I dipped the end of the cigar in honey and the fig leaf ash and placed the cigar and ash into an ash-tray in the centre of the plate for presentation.

' FIGS .' fresh & baked

Figs served fresh & baked , Fig sap Ricotta fresh & baked , Mulled Red & White wine syrups and Toasted Fig leaves .

                I've been itching at doing this dish, but having to wait and show patience. It was around early december that figs started surfacing at the shops but if I remember at a hefty price of AUS $ 59.99 / kg. A couple of days ago after work, I went to the same grocers and picked up 4 for $5 and the quality is outstanding, beautiful purple tinged plump fruit, the time was right. The ricotta in this recipe has been made by curdling the milk with fig sap, I've done this cheese in the past and I must admit with better success. This is an old method used by herders, one would travel light with just provisions of water, a chunk of bread and a small pot to make tea and cheese. At meal time the herders would boil the milk from their flock with either stinging nettle or a freshly broken fig branch to make the curds for their bread. My Fig tree is yet to bear fruit and was looking very tall and in need of a prune and with the warmer weather the sap is running free and perfect for using in this recipe. Toasted fig leaves is something else and when toasted right imparts flavours and aromas of figs with caramel, marrying both the flavours of the fresh fig with the baked fig, plus the enhancement of textural crunch to the dish.          
                The ricotta was the first preparation of this dish and was done the night before. I first heated cows milk in a saucepan gently until just before the boil and then added three pieces of 3 inch long stem that had been nicked all down the length to allow more sap to run. Once the curds started to separate from the whey I removed the pot from the stove stirring gently. The curds were then ladled into a cheese cloth lined colander to drain. At this stage I reserved some of the curd for presenting as is, before tying the four corners of the cloth and hanging for about 1-2 hours. The cheese was then re-wrapped and pressed into a mould with a 1kg weight on top, this was placed into the fridge overnight and the next morning turned and pressed for a further 2-3 hours. The cheese was then un-moulded and un-wrapped, brushed lightly with olive oil and baked in a 160 deg.c. oven until golden in colour. The baked ricotta still fragile while warm was allowed to cool before being sliced into small wedges for plating. The baked fig was simply cut in half and sprinkled with panela (evaporated sugarcane juice) before being placed on to a tray and baked at 160 deg.c. until the panela caramelises and the fig collapses. The leaves were simply toasted under a grill until caramel in colour and deep in aroma. To make the syrups I used a dessert white from Crete, Greece which is made from brandied grape must and thyme flavoured honey. This was reduced with lemon peel and sugar to a thick syrup, to make the red syrup I used a young shiraz from the Barossa along with cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and sugar.

' 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 !