' 58 deg .C LAMB with CARROT DEMI-GLACE .'

58 degrees C. Sous vide cooked Lamb loin medallions with Caramelised Carrot Demi-glace , Asparagus & Leek Risotto , Asparagus spears , Sauteed Leek and parsley sprigs .

                Back out with the sous vide water oven for another week, as I'm eager cook these fab looking lamb loin fillets (msa grain-fed). I think the one hour, 58 deg. c was perfect for this cut and thickness of lamb but I left the lamb on hold for another 20 or so minutes extra before I got to taking them out and in hind sight a hot skillet when searing with a quicker searing time as well. I accompanied this dish with a Demi-glace and not the average one either. A traditional Demi-glace in french cooking is a rich brown sauce used by itself or as a base for other sauces. The term is from the french word 'glace' when used in reference to sauce means icing or glaze. Made by combining veal stock and espagnole sauce and reduced by half. My version for this is a very simple vegetarian version that is made with carrot juice and soy sauce, reduced and thickened with arrowroot flour. The result is amazing, a rich, complex sauce velvety and deep in flavour that resembles a sauce derived from protein. To this all I added a sauteed asparagus spears and a leek filled with a creamy asparagus and leek risotto.
                To make this plate I started with the lamb loin fillets placing them into food grade plastic pouches along with a little butter, cracked pepper, salt, garlic paste and a parsley sprig in each. These were then vacuum sealed and placed into a 58 degree c. sous vide water bath and cooked for one hour. During this time I prepped the risotto and the Demi-glace, beginning with the risotto I heated some butter in pan until foaming and added thinly sliced leek and sauteed for 2-3 minutes until soft. I then added some chopped asparagus and sauteed for another 2-3 minutes before setting aside. In a large stock pot I brought some chicken broth to the boil before reducing the heat to very low, so the broth was kept warm but not simmering. In a high sided large pan I heated a little olive oil to this I added a two cups of arborio rice and stirred cooking the rice for about 3-4 minutes before adding a cup of dry white wine and stirring for a further 3-4 minutes until the rice had absorbed the wine. I then added two cups of broth to the rice and kept stirring until all the broth was absorbed, to this I added another cup, continuing to stir. I repeated this until 5 cups had been absorbed and on the last cup I added a little saffron threads soaked in milk and the sauteed leek and asparagus. Once all the broth was absorbed I removed the pan from the stove and added some grated parmigiano-reggiano. This was spooned into a casing made buy blanching a one and a half inch leek ring in boiling, salted water before dunking in an ice water bath and then lightly sauteed in a skillet, this was then topped with sauteed asparagus spears. To make the Demi-glace I juiced some baby carrots and ran the juice through a muslin filter, I added 200 g of this to a saucepan with 50 g of good quality soy sauce. This was brought to the boil before being reduced to a low simmer for about 20 minutes until reduced by half, skimming the froth at times. I then removed some of sauce and mixed it with a level table spoon of arrowroot flour to for a paste. This was then added to the sauce and mixed before being removed from the heat and set aside. At this stage the lamb was ready and I opened the pouches and seared the fillets in hot pan until browned all over and then I removed the meat and allowed it to rest for 3 minutes before carving medallions for plating.

  

' 54 deg .C KALE ASH encrusted RIB EYE .'

Grain-fed Beef Eye fillet cooked 54 deg.c sous vide & encrusted with Kale ash seasoning served with Potato & horseradish puree , Mushroom & Malt/Rice beer reduction , Green onion , Nasturtium leaves & kale ash seasoning . 

                   This dish has been inspired by the purchase of our new sous vide & vacuum sealer, we got a great deal on the relatively new Sunbeam package with the two machines in one deal. The actual dish is an adaption of the chefs at Food Republic, who use a short rib which is slow cooked sous vide for 3 days. I've opted for the one hour version using a quality cut of grain-fed beef. This dish has only taste in mind from the smoky, barbecue-esque flavour imparted by the burnt kale nestled in a thick veloute of potato and horseradish. Encircled by a sweet, earthy, umami mushroom syrup that almost smells like a faux miso paste its so umami. Even the young nasturtium leaves with a peppery flavour serve its purpose on this plate. And of course it starts from the thirteenth method of cookery 'sous vide'. This type of cooking was adapted in 1974 from commercial packaging applications, by Georges Pralus for use in his french restaurant. The method requires food to be vacuum sealed in food grade plastic and cooked at a constant temperature usually between 50.c and 60.c and for veggies higher, over longer periods of time ranging from 1 hour and in some cases 72 hours. This process allows the item to cook evenly without overcooking the outside and as the juices are trapped while cooking the item becomes more flavoursome and more tender. As this method never reaches the point of 'maillard reaction' or browning which occurs at temperatures well above boiling point. This has been done in a hot pan once cooked in the sous vide bath, to give the cut of meat the caramelised proteins that you get from searing.
                    To make this dish I started by preparing the food pouch by trimming the cut of beef of any fat and seasoned with salt and pepper before placing into the food grade plastic pouch along with a little butter, minced garlic and sprigs of fresh thyme. I then vacuum sealed the package and placed into the fridge until ready to use. Once the water bath had reached 54 degrees c. I submerged the package into the bath and set the timer for 1 hour. During this time I prepared all the other elements to the dish beginning with the Kale ash seasoning. For this I simply laid out kale leaves on to a baking paper lined flat tray and placed into a 180 degree c. oven until blackened and burnt. I then removed the kale and allowed to cool before blending with salt and pepper in a coffee grinder to a powder. Next I boiled some yukon gold potatoes and drained before blending with some melted butter, cream and a little minced horseradish to for a rich, creamy velvety (veloute) puree or sauce. This was reheated before plating. To make the reduction I caramelised some sliced field mushrooms in a heavy based pan before deglazing with some Budweiser beer, as the syrup thickened, I added a few sprigs of fresh thyme and some glucose syrup. The green onion was pan seared quickly all over before being steamed with sprigs of thyme until soft, sweet and tender. Once the meat was ready I cut open the bag and seared both sides of the steak quickly about 45-50 seconds each side to give the meat the crusty caramelised exterior. The meat was then allowed to rest for 2-3 minutes before coating both sides with the kale ash seasoning.
                    To plate I reheated the puree and syrup and spooned some puree in the centre of the plate, encircling this with the caramelised mushroom and malt/rice beer reduction. I then placed the 54 deg.c. rib eye on top of the bed of potato and horseradish veloute. The green onion then crowned the steak with nasturtium leaves scattered around and to finish a ring of kale ash seasoning.

' 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.