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Oyster and Scallop Tartare with Ginger Dressing

Posted in Cook, tagged , , , , on January 25, 2010| 50 Comments »

Tartare of Oysters, Scallops and Salmon with Ginger Dressing

Awhile back I told my husband – “You must have fed me something!”

“What do you mean?”  He asked.

“Well, you know I never used to like you…” I told him.

And I’m still scratching my head thinking about what aphrodisiac he must have fed me to make me fall in love.  Could it have been the daily belgian waffles he sent to my office? Or was Cupid’s arrow laced with the triple chocolate layered cake that he would drop off at my home after work?  Whatever his recipe was, it worked!

With Valentine’s a few weeks away, here’s a recipe has the three key ingredients to make  a sure fire aphrodisiac – oysters, caviar and champagne (vinegar that is!).  I have adapted this from one of my favourite cafes in Paris called Cafe Constant.   It is owned by Christian Constant who owns several restaurants on the Rue Saint Dominique.

Oysters, Scallops and Salmon

Recipe (Serves 4) – Adapted from Christian Constant

  • 12 fresh oysters, cleaned, shells reserved
  • 8 sashimi grade scallops, roe removed
  • 40 grams Sashimi grade Salmon
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
  • 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
  • Juice of 1/4 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil
  • Caviar, for topping

Seafood Tartare of Christian Constant

  1. Finely chop the oysters, scallops and salmon and set aside in the refrigerator.
  2. Mix the ginger, lemon  juice, champagne vinegar, chives, and olive oil in a separate bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
  3. When ready to serve (not any sooner!), mix the seafood with the dressing and place on top of the reserved oyster shells.
  4. Top with caviar.

Tartare Recipe adapted from Christian Constant

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In Search of Perfection… Lychee Perfection

Posted in Cook, El Comedor, tagged , , , on January 22, 2010| 38 Comments »

Lychee Perfection

In my younger years, perfection meant a number to me. For example:

4 – was the dress size I strove to become and so I ran every morning,  joined a gym and forced myself to eat oatmeal (although I hated it) for breakfast.

5 feet 5 inches was the height I thought was ideal for a size 4 – and so I took to wearing three inch heels everyday – even if  they hurt like hell.

10 was the number of guitar pieces that I wanted to know by heart – so that I could at least say that I could confidently play a whole set if asked.

28 was the age I wanted to get married.

And so my search for perfection went…

Lychees, rosewater, and cream jelly

As years passed and interestingly enough –  I didn’t feel the expected joy when some of these numbers I met and I didn’t feel as bad as I expected to when many of the numbers I didn’t achieve.  I’m not sure why – maybe I enjoyed the ride more than I did actually arriving at my destination.

And while I hate to admit it – I am still searching for perfection – although some of the things that mattered to me years ago – either I couldn’t care less about today, or have been adjusted to a more realistic number.  And then also, other numbers have taken priority.  You know what I mean?

That 4 dress size I so desperately wanted to achieve, well I’d be happy to fit into an 8 now!

I wear 2 inch heels instead of 3 now.

I’ve forgotten all the guitar pieces I know but no one ever asked me to play a full set anyway.

I did get married at 28!

And last night nothing pleased me more than to spend time with the Blog Monster as we searched for that 1 perfect lychee dessert.

Lychee Perfection

This dessert is really called Lychee Perfection.  It is a two layer jelly/mousse that is in my Grandmother’s cookbook.  I have adapted it by the addition of rosewater to the top layer.  Lychees are in season now and we are getting the most juicy and plump fruits you can imagine.  This is one of the best ways to celebrate them.  Don’t fret though if you can’t find fresh lychees – the canned ones are fine to use too.

Recipe

Bottom Layer

  • 1 envelope unflavoured powdered gelatin (7 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons boiling water
  • 1 can condensed milk (395 grams)
  • 200 grams cream, whipped

Top Layer

  • 1 envelope (7 grams) unflavoured powdered gelatin
  • 2 tablespoons boiling water plus 1 cup boiling water
  • 10 lychees peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rosewater
  • pinch of rose food colouring

Lychee Perfection

  1. For the bottom layer, mix the boiling water and the gelatin in a container and set aside.
  2. In a double boiler, mix together the condensed milk and the gelatin mixture.
  3. Mix the gelatin mixture and continue cooking over the double boiler until the mixture thickens, around 5 minutes.
  4. Allow the condensed milk mixture to cool.
  5. Once the mixture has cooled, whip the cream until stiff peaks and fold the cream into the condensed milk mixture.
  6. Pour into individual glass containers and allow to set.
  7. For the top layer, mix the boiling water and the gelatin in a contained and set aside.
  8. Place the water, lychees, rosewater and sugar in a sauce pan.  Add the gelatin and bring to a boil.
  9. Remove from heat, strain the liquid into a bowl and set the bowl over another bowl of iced water and allow to cool.  As the mixture cools, add a tiny pinch of rose food colouring.
  10. Cut the lychees into pieces and place them over the cream jelly.
  11. Pour the rosewater mixture over the lychees and allow to set.

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Chicken in Orange Sauce (Pollo a la Naranja)

Posted in Cook, El Comedor, tagged , , , on January 14, 2010| 36 Comments »

Pollo a la Naranja

We’re off! To Tasmania, that is! The whole clan is headed for a weekend trip and it’s going to be a blast! So if you don’t hear from me for a few days – you now know why! In the meantime, I’ll leave you with The Blog Monster’s quick and easy weekday meal. Pollo a la Naranja, literally translated, means Chicken in Orange Sauce.

When the Blog Monster is around (she stays in my house when she is on holiday), one of our nightly rituals is to sit down and discuss “what’s for dinner tomorrow”. Sometimes, as you can imagine, there is a long debate that ensues. We look through cookbooks, reminisce about recent meals in wonderful restaurants or talk about fine dishes we’ve had in the past. Sometimes, we nominate an ingredient and go over numerous variations before deciding on “the one”.

The other night we nominated chicken. It felt a bit like a game show where The Blog Monster would rattle off one dish that she thought would be great to make using the chicken and I would counter with another dish. The winner, would be the one who came up with the best dish.

“Chicken Imperial” (she said)

“Roast Chicken” (me)

“Chicken in Garlic Sauce (her turn)

“Fried Chicken” (mine)

…. and on and on… until she said “Pollo a la Naranja” and it just clicked!

When you try this dish you will understand why this was the winner. A deliciously braised chicken dish finished off with some white wine and the juice and rind of a few oranges. And of course, honey to give the sauce a richer flavour!

Chicken in Orange Sauce

Recipe (serves 4 to 6)

  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, sliced finely
  • 2 oranges
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper
  2. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and fry the chicken pieces until golden. Remove the chicken and set aside.
  3. In the same pan fry the onions over medium heat until translucent. Add the chicken back into the pan.
  4. Add the white wine into the pan and reduce until you have half the liquid
  5. Remove some orange rind and juice the oranges.
  6. Add the orange juice and simmer until the chicken is cooked and tender, around 20 minutes.
  7. If the sauce isn’t enough at this point feel free to add some chicken stock (maybe half a cup or so) Add the orange rind and honey and simmer a little longer until the sauce thickens.
  8. Test for seasoning before serving

Pollo a la Naranja

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The Blog Monster Strikes Again – Mango Jubilee!

Posted in Cook, tagged , , , on January 12, 2010| 54 Comments »

The Blog Monster Strikes Again - Mango Jubilee

Just a quick note to let you know I’ve been banned from my own kitchen as the Blog Monster has officially taken over kitchen duties.  “Trissa, you watch and take pictures while I cook” she told me.  As many of you would probably agree, being prohibited from cooking in your own kitchen is cause for distress and a major protest!  However, when the Blog Monster said she was making Mango Jubilee… I gladly caved in.

The Blog Monster's Mango Jubilee

This deliciously simply dessert consists of a scoop of ice cream topped with a mango-caramel like sauce, and finally flamed with some brandy.  Imagine spoonfuls of creamy and cold ice cream topped with a warm mango sauce – if Blog Monster made desserts like this every day – I would gladly give up my kitchen for it!

Also, an apology before the recipe.  There’s been a big heatwave that hit Sydney this week.  With temperatures hitting as high as 35c (around 95F), it’s been impossible to photograph the mango jubilee “properly”.  There were five servings of this mango jubilee that were made before we could take a half decent picture.  Luckily, there was no shortage of takers for the servings that were “un-fit” for the photo!

Mango Jubilee

Recipe

  • 2 ripe mangoes
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • splash of brandy
  • 2 scoops of best quality vanilla ice cream
  1. Slice the mango in the middle of the flat seed so you have two halves.  Scoop out the flesh using a melon baller.
  2. When you can’t make any more balls, scoop out the rest of the flesh with a spoon and it up using a fork or a hand blender.
  3. In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the sugar.  Cook until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the pureed mango and cook for another 2 minutes over a low heat.  Add the mango balls and cook another 2 minutes.  Set aside.
  4. Place a scoop of ice cream in a heat proof container and add the mango puree and balls.
  5. Place your brandy in a metal soup laddle and heat over a gas stove top.  When the flame has ignited, carefully pour the flame over the mango mixture.

Ripe mangoes, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and brandy - definitely cause to celebrate!

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“Huevos Rotos” (Broken Eggs)

Posted in Cook, El Comedor, tagged , , , , on January 10, 2010| 45 Comments »

"Huevos Rotos" literally "Broken Eggs"

Tapas, Chorizo, Fried Egg, Jamon Serrano

I have to admit things were not going smoothly Saturday morning as my Mum and I prepared breakfast.  There was some debate with the Blog Monster as to how this dish was really made.

“Jamon.” I said.

“Chorizo!” She answered

“Jamon!!” I replied

“Chorizo! This is what we used to do in the restaurant” she countered.

You see we were trying to cook up a tapas dish called “Huevos Rotos” – which literally means “Broken Eggs.” Imagine a fried egg presented over a bed of pan fried potatoes, garlic, chorizo (or Jamon Serrano depending on who was making the dish).  The egg is then broken and scattered all over the rest of the dish.  It’s wonderful with a piece of warm bread.  And, while we were having it for breakfast,  you can have it any time of the day.

I first tried a variation of this dish in a Madrid Restaurant called Casa Lucio.  They call it “Huevos Estrellados” and they are acclaimed worldwide for it.  When I first saw it served to me, I said to myself  “they’re just french fries with a fried egg on top”… but I have to admit – it was out of this world.  If you want to be extra indulgent, pay a little more and you get a some Jamon on the side.

You can imagine, two stubborn cooks in one little kitchen disagreeing about how to make a simple tapas dish.  Each of us was insisting that our own version was correct.

Huevos Rotos

In the end, we decided to put both… and it was amazing!

Recipe – Serves 2

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 chorizo, diced
  • 1 large potato, cut into 1 1/2 cm dice
  • 3 slices, Jamon Serrano, torn up
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and and the potatoes, cook on medium high until browned, around 10 minutes or until you can pierce the potato with a fork without resistance.
  2. Remove the potatoes from the pan and now add the chorizo pieces and fry until nicely browned.
  3. Remove the chorizo and add the garlic and lightly fry until there is some colour on the garlic chips.
  4. Remove the garlic and use the same pan to fry and egg.
  5. To assemble, lay the potatoes, chorizo and garlic on a plate, top with the fried egg and lay some torn pieces of Jamon Serrano on the side.   Serve with toasted bread.

Fried Potatoes, Chorizo, Garlic Chips, Jamon Serrano and a Fried Egg

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Learning From Mum… and Teaching Mum

Posted in Bake, Cook, tagged , , , on January 5, 2010| 61 Comments »

Mum's Cannelloni

Is it just me or do none of your family members comment on your blog as well?  I know they read it but no matter how much I bribe (“I’ll give you some cookies that I baked in exchange for a comment”) or  beg (“please, please leave a comment”) – still no comment.

It would probably be particularly difficult for my Mum who, to put in mildly, is technologically challenged.

When my Dad taught her to send e-mail he had written VERY detailed instructions which went something like this:

Step 1 : Turn on computer

Step 2: Go to “icon” that has a picture of envelope and says E-mail and “double click”

Step 3: To send a message click on New on the upper left hand corner of the computer screen

…all the way to…

Step 12: To close your E-mail, click on the white X surrounded by a red square on the upper right hand corner of the computer screen

Step 13: Go to lower left hand corner of the computer screen and click the windows icon

Step 14: Find the arrow to click “shut down”

We were so proud of her when we started receiving e-mails.  She had finally joined the 21st century!

It was only months later that we discovered that for each and every email she sent out – she would actually follow step one to fourteen.  So for instance if she wanted to send three different emails out in one sitting  – she would have to turn on the computer three times and turn it off three times as well!

So believe me, teaching her to leave a comment on this blog was another milestone!  I told her that at least she only has to do it ONLY once for every post!  🙂

It’s a good thing that Mum’s  much better at cooking than computers. As she is here from the Philippines for a short vacation, I am making the most of her time here by asking her to teach me some dishes.  Tonight she taught me to make her take on the Cannelloni, or what she calls Canelones in Spanish.  No one in my family can resist this dish.   It’s made of chicken, mushrooms, chorizo, and smothered in a rich bechamel sauce and topped with  mozzarella cheese…

Yes… I know.

I’m very lucky!

Cannelloni smothered in a rich bechamel sauce

Recipe

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 pieces of chorizo, chopped
  • 500 grams boneless chicken thighs, boiled and chopped (leftover roast chicken can be used in a pinch)
  • 1 handful of mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 jar (400 grams) of your favourite tomato based pasta sauce (we used Barilla)
  • 1 box cannelloni pasta
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Bechamel Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
  1. Cook the cannelloni as per instructions on the box.  Set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and saute the onions, then add the chorizo and brown them
  3. Next, add the chicken, then the mushrooms and cook until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated
  4. Add the tomato sauce and allow to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes
  5. Season with salt and pepper
  6. Allow to cool to room temperature

To make the Bechamel

  1. In a saucepan, melt the butter, once this has melted, add the flour
  2. Slowly add the milk, incorporating this into the butter and flour mixture a little at a time
  3. Cook out the mixture for around 5 minutes over low heat, making sure to stir constantly to ensure that the bottom does not “catch”
  4. Add the 1 cup of mozzarella cheese to the mixture and set aside.

To assemble

  1. Fill each cannelloni with the chicken mixture and lay these on a baking dish
  2. Top with bechamel sauce
  3. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese
  4. Bake in a 180 c fan forced oven for 30 minutes
  5. Garnish with parsley (optional)

Thanks for dinner Mum! It was lovely. 🙂

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Eggplant Ravioli and Second Chances…

Posted in Cook, tagged , , , on December 27, 2009| 35 Comments »

Eggplant and Taleggio Pasta

How often are you likely to give someone a second chance? More than two years ago I asked my husband if we could get another dog to keep Baci company during the day.  For those who don’t know, Baci is my four year old labrador.  At two years old I thought it was about time Baci got a companion.  So after some persuading, and some research we got a little labrador from a breeder.  Her name was Bisous.  As all labrador puppies are, she was adorable (and yes I am biased!) but other than that, there isn’t much that I can say about her  because I hardly got to know her.

For three days she was with us, I would take Baci for a walk very early in the morning (as I always do).   Bisous was too small to leave the house so I left her in the house while my husband slept.  Every morning as I started walking up the road I heard Bisous whimper and then she started yowling and I said to myself that she must be lonely but she would eventually stop after a few minutes.

Coming back around 30 minutes later, she would still be crying when I got home.

Pasta sheets

One day I got home and my husband met me at the door – he was frantic.

“Guess what” he said.  “Bisous has been crying the whole time”.

“Oh no…” I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst.

“The neighbor came, complaining.  They said if I didn’t make her shut up – they would!” he added.

I panicked.

To make a long story short, I called the breeder and asked her if she could take back Bisous for a few weeks and train her to be “more independent” – maybe teach her to be on her own a few hours a day so that when she came back to me she wouldn’t cry like she did that first morning. The breeder was kind enough to agree so that night my husband and I went to take Bisous back.

On the way home I was full of guilt and confusion about what I had done.  I started crying and telling my husband that we should have tried harder to train her, that he should have just woken up the same time I did every morning and kept Bisous company while I walked Baci.

Then, my husband said something that just made everything clear.

“Maybe we just weren’t ready.”

Truth was, I wasn’t.  We were working 12 hour days there was just no time for a new addition to the family.

The next day, I called the breeder who understood and was even grateful for my honesty.  But I really felt like I blew it.  I had lost my chance at getting a companion for Baci.

Six months later, my parents came for a two month holiday and I decided then that this was the right time to get a new puppy.  After all, my Dad was an early riser, he could keep the puppy company during the day and while I walked Baci (strangely enough, the new puppy never cried when we left her alone).  Again, after much persuasion (even more than the last time!), we got Bizou.

When I look back at the events that took place in order to get Bizou, I think “how stressful!”.   But then when I am sitting on the lounge, and she jumps up and lays by my side and rests her head on my lap – I know it is all worth it.  I am glad to have had a second chance.

Some recipes also deserve a second chance.  Like this one here.  When I first started blogging I wrote about how I learned to make this recipe after attending a class at the Council of Italian Restaurants in Australia.  This recipe was passed on by Logan Campbell, the head chef at Lucio’s restaurant.  Lucio’s is a two hat restaurant (awarded by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide) and one of Australia’s finest Italian Restaurants.

To be perfectly honest, I was not planning to blog about this pasta dish as I had already done so in the past.  But I made it tonight for a family dinner and I had to go back to my old post to look for the recipe.  I saw the old pictures and I thought I didn’t really do justice to the dish.  It is such a delicious recipe that I knew it deserved… a second chance.

Eggplant and Taleggio Ravioli

Recipe

Pasta Ingredients

  • 300 grams plain flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • pinch of salt

Filling Ingredients (you will probably have leftover filling depending on how you fill your pasta)

  • 1 large eggplant, diced
  • 1/2 bunch picked thyme
  • 100 grams diced taleggio cheese (I used Mauri Taleggio)
  • 50 grams parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 bunch chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper

To Serve

  • 125 grams butter
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • A few sprigs of parsley

Pasta

  1. Pour flour onto benchtop and make a well in the centre.
  2. Place the salt and add the eggs into the well and incorporate until the dough forms
  3. Knead for 5 minutes and rest covered for 1 hour

Filling

  1. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and let stand 20 minutes
  2. Rinse off the salt and drain
  3. Saute the eggplant in a little olive oil, add thyme and cook until eggplant is browned
  4. Allow to cool and then mix the eggplant with the cheeses, egg and parsley
  5. Season with salt and pepper

Ravioli

  1. Using a pasta machine roll out the dough until a thin sheet is formed. Brush with egg wash and place some the ravioli mix along the sheet 3 centimeters apart.
  2. Roll another sheet and place on top of the first, pressing down around the mix to remove any air pockets. Using cutters, cut the ravioli out removing excess dough around each one. Place on a floured tray and cover.
  3. Bring a pot of water to the boil.
  4. Melt the butter in a large frying pan.
  5. Blanch the ravioli for three minutes the drain.
  6. When the butter is brown and foaming, add the pasta, balsamic vinegar and walnuts.
  7. Garnish with chopped parsley.
  8. Toss and serve.

Buon Appetito

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The Sushi Party!

Posted in Cook, tagged , , , on December 21, 2009| 33 Comments »

Jack and Ben getting ready for the Masterchef Challenge... Itadaki-masu

One of my first memories in the Kitchen was watching my Mom cook.  I can recall asking her if I could help her.  Whether it be just to stir a sauce, chop an onion or peel a carrot.  The answer was usually that we should “just watch”.  As you know, “watching” isn’t half as interesting as  “doing” which is why we really didn’t develop that interest in cooking until much later on.

The latest range of Junior MasterChef products is a great way to encourage children to get interested in cooking at an early age.  When Kath from Be.Interactive and Fiona from Mark Communications offered that I test drive one of the kits available, I immediately jumped at the chance and asked for the Rice Kit.  Being Filipino, rice is very much considered a staple in our culture, as well as most Asian cultures.  I am glad that the new range also catered to all those that love rice!!

The Rice Kit contains a microwaveable rice cooker,  rice bowl, serving spoon, chopsticks, measuring cup and recipe cards.  I thought that it would be fun to get my nephew Ben and one of his best friend’s Jack to come over this weekend and road test the rice kit and have a sushi party!  The idea was to make the rice ahead of time and provide the boys with a selection of sushi fillings and get them to make their own rolls.

I was a bit apprehensive to use the microwave to make “sushi” rice but I am happy to report it turned out fine.  The technique I used to microwave the rice can be found here.  The recipe for the sushi dressing for the rice was given to me by Jack’s Mom (who is Japanese) and it was so simple to prepare and came out perfect – just like what I would have in any top Japanese restaurant.

Junior Masterchef Rice Kit

Recipe

  • 3 1/2 cups short grain rice, washed
  • 4 cups water
  • 3 inch square konbu (optional)

Vinegar Dressing Recipe

  • 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

When cooking the rice in the microwave, place the konbu on top of the rice.  Prepare the vinegar dressing by dissolving the sugar and salt on the rice vinegar over low heat.  Force cool to room temperature by pouring the hot vinegar mixture over the rice and place this on top of another bowl of water and ice.  Twirl the rice using the serving spoon provided until the rice comes to room temperature.

The fillings we used for the rolls were as follows – seaweed, salmon roe, tuna, king fish, salmon, cucumbers, prawns, tamago yaki (egg) and  crab sticks.

Sushi Roll Fillings

Recipe Tamago Yaki

Tamago Yaki

Put two five year olds in a room with some sushi rice, sushi roll fillings and a little bit of imagination and you get loads of fun !!  I asked Ben what the best part of the sushi party was and he said “putting fillings in the rice and rolling them up!”  Would he want to do it again?  “Yes please!” he said.

Ben and Jack with the Junior Masterchef Rice Kit

Clowning around before we got to cooking...

Okay... here we go!

"You mean we can put ANY filling we want? Do you have chocolate??"

"I'll have a prawn..."

"Rolling is fun!"

"This is soooo yummy!"

"Can I have one more?"

"Using chopsticks is easy!"

"We had so much fun!"

The end... Gochiso-sama

 

The Junior MasterChef kits are available to purchase from here.  They are also available at all the leading retailers such as Myer, K-Mart, Target and Big W. It’s the perfect Christmas present so hurry while stocks last.

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Kulinarya Club Celebrates Noche Buena

Posted in Bake, Cook, tagged , , , , , on December 20, 2009| 24 Comments »

Prawns Thermidor

Noche Buena is a traditional celebration in the Philippines.  Literally meaning “Good Night”, this usually entails families gathering on the eve of Christmas for a late family meal.  Growing up, I had two Noche Buenas.  The first one was celebrated with my Dad’s family and the second and later one, with my Mom’s. For Noche Buena with my Dad’s relatives we would spend each year in his sister’s house.  My Tita Bebe (my father’s elder sister) would prepare a fantastic feast but the one dish that really stood out for me were the Prawns Thermidor.  I’ve always associated this dish as being so decadent and festive.  She would prepare this dish by

  1. removing the prawn meat but keeping the shells whole
  2. preparing the thermidor sauce and adding  the prawn meat
  3. stuffing the prawn thermidor into the shells
  4. and finally baking them

You can imagine what a laborious process, especially when feeding her family and friends, but I guess she really only had to do it once a year!

Prawns Thermidor

When I moved to Sydney and was going to spend our first Christmas away from Manila, I immediately emailed my Aunt for the recipe.  Since then, it has been one of my staple dishes – it’s a sure crowd pleaser and if you are not inclined to stuff the prawns, just place it in a festive serving dish.  So here’s my favourite Noche Buena dish.  Enjoy!  And as we say in the Philippines – Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!)

Recipe (serves 5 as part of several main dishes)

  • 10 king prawns
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1 small carrot, finely diced
  • 1 celery stalk, finely diced
  • 1/2 red pepper, finely diced
  • 5 to 10 button mushrooms (depending on size), diced
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup cheese (I used parmesan and gruyere)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Remove the prawn meat from the prawns by placing the prawn on a chopping board (eyes facing upwards), cutting the prawns in the middle with knife, or use scissors.  Carefully remove the prawn meat, keeping the shells intact.

    Prawn Shells

  2. Once the meat is removed, cut into bite sized pieces.
  3. Heat the olive oil and saute the onion until translucent.  Add the carrot and celery stalk and cook until soft, around 5 minutes.
  4. Next, add the red pepper and saute until soft, around 10 minutes.
  5. Add the mushrooms and cook for around 5 minutes.
  6. Deglaze the pan with the while wine and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
  7. Add in the flour and cook out for 3 to 5 minutes.  Slowly add in the milk until the mixture thickens.
  8. Lastly, add the prawn meat and heat until just cooked.
  9. Cool the mixture and then stuff the prawn shells with the cooled prawn thermidor sauce (if you are not stuffing shells, just place in a serving dish)

    Prawn Thermidor Filling

  10. Top with cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 180c (fan forced for 15 minutes).

Prawns prior to baking

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!

Trissa, Kath and Trish

http://sugarlace.fragiled.net/

http://www.acupcakeortwo.com/

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A Day at The Kitchen of Quay Restaurant

Posted in Cook, Events, tagged , , , on December 16, 2009| 24 Comments »

Quay's Confit of South Australian Squid

If you were curious enough to read the About Me section (which needs some serious updating!), you would have seen I spend my days working in a bank and the rest of the time I like to think of myself as a frustrated cook.  Who would have thought that these two seemingly opposite interests would one day marry?  This is exactly what happened a few weeks ago when I was invited (along with two other coworkers) by an investment bank for the first ever private lesson with Peter Gilmore at the kitchen of Quay Restaurant!

Free Range Chicken cooked with Truffle and Early Spring Vegetables

Peter Gilmore is the executive chef of  Quay Restaurant and has been running the kitchen since 2001.  Recognized as one of Australia’s finest restaurant, Quay has been awarded Restaurant of the Year for two consecutive years by both the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and the Australian Gourmet Traveller for 2009 and 2010.  Additionally, they have been named as one of the world’s top 50 restaurants awarded by S. Pellegrino for 2009.

So you can imagine, being one in a group of only six people to watch Peter Gilmore cook  was somewhat like a child being invited to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory!

Confit of Shaved South Australian Squid, Garlic Custard and Roasted Squid Consomme

The first part of the class was a three hour session where Peter demonstrated three of his signature dishes.  The first dish was the his Confit of Shaved South Australian Squid, Garlic Custard and Roasted Squid Consomme.  I asked Peter how he got the squid so finely shaved.  Apparently they stack layers of squid, freeze them and then pass them through a slicer.  At this point, I am already adding slicer to my Christmas wish list!

I think this dish epitomizes Peter’s philosophy of looking to nature for inspiration and letting natural produce speak for itself.  Decorated with baby radishes and native violets, the dish is so beautiful I am hesitant to taste the finished product – but do anyway – and what can I say – it’s love at first bite!

The next dish up was the truffle poached chicken with early spring vegetables.  To prepare this dish does take some skill.  The first the skin of the chicken is removed, and then the dark meat is separated from the breast (the dark meat is not used in this dish), the skin is then laid on a flat surface and the breast meat and truffle butter is laid on top of the skin and rolled with cling film like a sausage.  The meat is then allowed to rest in the refrigerator for four hours to allow the protein to set.

Free Range Chicken with Truffles and Early Spring Vegetables

Once the chicken is ready, it is cooked in a temperature controlled water bath set at 68c for around 40 minutes.  Simultaneously, the vegetables are prepared and cooked in boiling salted water and dressed with butter.  Once the chicken is cooked and rested (around 5 minutes), more truffle butter is added and the chicken is finished in a moderate oven.

Plating the Chicken with Truffles and Early Spring Vegetables

If you are so inclined to try Quay’s signature recipe ( I am still working up the courage to try it myself!) here it is.

Gently Poached South Australian Squid, Garlic Custard, Baby Radishes, Native Violets, Roasted Squid Broth

Recipe (serves 4)

  • 1 kilo whole Southern squid
  • 2 Chinese red core radishes or 4 regular red radishes
  • 500 mls clarified butter
  • 16 small cherry bell radishes
  • 16 native violet flowers (optional)
  • 12 social garlic flowers (optional)

Garlic Custard

  • 2 small cloves garlic
  • 20 grams unsalted butter
  • 180 mls full cream milk
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 egg yolk

Roasted Squid Broth

  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 500 grams squid trimmings
  • 500 grams chicken wings
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 4 golden eschallots
  • 2 stocks white celery
  • 50 grams shitake mushrooms
  • 1 small carrot
  • 200 mls dry sake
  • 25 ml olive oil
  • salt

For the Roasted Squid Broth

In a heavy based saucepan heat the olive oil and add the squid trimmings, and chicken wings.  Roast in the oil until the squid and chicken wings are golden brown.  Moving them around with a wooden spoon as much as possible will help.  Once they are browned, finely chop all the vegetables and add them to the pot.  Saute for a further minute or two, add all of the sake to deglaze the pot and reduce until the sake has almost reduced completely.  Add the litre or chicken stock and simmer gently for 1 hour skimming any scum that comes to the surface using a ladle.  Turn the heat off and allow to infuse for 1 mor ehour.  Pass the broth through a fine muslin cloth lined strainer, discard the solids, keep the liquid, skim any remaining fat from the top, adjust the seasoning with sea salt.  You should have approximately  1/2 a litre or liquid left.  If you have more, reduce until you have 1/2 a litre remaining.  Place in the refrigerator until needed.

Garlic Custard

For the garlic custard, melt the butter in a small saucepan and chop the two garlic gloves roughly.  Gently sweat the garlic in the butter but do not allow it to colour.  Add the 180 mls of milk and bring the liquid to the point just before simmering (about 90c).  Remove the pot from the heat and allow the garlic to infuse into the milk for about 15 minutes.  Strain the milk and discard the garlic.  Season the milk with sea salt to taste.  When the milk has cooled sufficiently, whisk the milk onto the egg and egg yolk in a stainless steel bowl.   Place the egg and milk mixture into 4 ceramic containers, approximately 50 mls in each.  Cover the container with cling film and place in the refrigerator until needed.

Squid and Radishes

Clean the squid, removing all the guts.  Cut the tubes in half and with a clean kitchen towel, rub off all the skin.  Slice the squid tubes into 1 cm wide strips – put aside.  For the red core radishes, peel the radishes and slice into fine discs.  If you are using regular radishes do not peel them, just slice into fine discs.  Cut the tiny cherry bell radishes in half and put aside.

To Complete

Place the garlic custard ramekins into a steamer and steam on high for approximately 8 minutes.  In the meantime blanche the radishes for 1 minute in boiling salted water and in a shallow fry pan heat all of the clarified butter on a medium heat.  Quickly saute the sliced squid for less than 1 minute, you are just looking for the squid to turn opaque and slightly curled.  Drain the squid on kitchen paper.  Reheat the squid broth to just before boiling point.

To assemble, place the sliced radishes in a ring around each bowl.  Place a spoonful of each garlic custard in the center of each bowl.  Top the custard with the squid slices.  Garnish the squid with cherry bell radishes, native violets and social garlic flowers in using.  Pour the squid broth into a jug and pour a little onto the dish at the table in front of your guests.  The idea with this dish is that you have a spoonful of lush garlic custard, hot silky squid and roasted squid broth all at once.

The last dish was the Vanilla Mousse with Raspberries.  The recipe can be found here.

Which restaurant kitchen would you want to spend a day in?

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