Lunch at Vue De Monde

Just a very brief post of the lunch we were served at Vue De Monde. The service, food, wine & atmosphere were all excellent! We now know why it is one of Australia's best restaurants.

We decided on five courses (it was lunch after all), with wine perfectly selected for each course.
Starting with an appetiser of Lobster Mousse with Sea Urchin Air; Cauliflower "Risotto"; a palate cleanser of crystal clear Tomato Gazpacho (that looked like a science experiment from high school); Slow cooked Kingfish; Lamb done Three ways; and two desserts: a Passionfruit Souffle with Berry Dust; and a Deconstructed Pina Colada, we were left very satisfied.

I only had my phone camera to take pictures so the quality doesn't do the food justice (I didn't take many pictures anyway, I was enjoying the food too much!).
I'm not going to ramble on much more, just to say that if you're in Melbourne, you'll have to try the Vue experience for yourselves. Truly amazing!

The Passionfruit Souffle, Berry Dust and with Rasberry Sorbet

Deconstructed Pina Colada

and yes, this is Tomato Gazpacho!

Duck Fat Potato Chips

It was a wretched day, today. The skies were dark and purple with heavy rain, making the day unpleasantly cold. I love winter but I dislike the way the rain keeps us trapped in our homes and offices. But saying that, I like the way it brings us together too. Huddled inside for warmth, eating for reassurance and drinking red wine to keep our bodies warm.
For some eccentric reason, one food, which I crave to eat on days like these, is potato chips or French fries (as they are known in America). A good chip will be feathery and white on the interior, with a golden brittle exterior. Most people will associate potato chips with fast food chains and hamburgers. I don’t necessarily-although I must admit that most chips I do eat, are those mass-produced by the fast-food industry. However, I am also aware that one can produce first-rate chips at home. My mother often cooked them when we were children to accompany roast lamb, preferring to cut the potato into cubes. And as a young boy, my grandmother often treated us to a grand feast of potato chips and nothing else, save for that hideous red sauce known as ketchup. As a child, I loved this red sauce, pouring it all over everything I ate. Now I hate it. The thought alone makes me want to gag! Its funny the way our tastes and palette change, as we become older and learned.
The way I prefer to eat my homemade fries is just like my grandmother served them- as one grand solitary feast. And rather than you- know- what, I much prefer to build a creamy and voluptuous mayonnaise, to dip each crispy potato slice into. Fat on Fat. I know it sounds like too much but it works. Adding a touch more vinegar (or lemon juice) to your mayonnaise than usual will help to cut the all-prevailing fattiness (I am assuming everybody knows what mayonnaise is and how it is made. If you don’t, I suggest you pick up a classic cookbook from somewhere, or do a google search. You wont learn it here today, but if you ask politely I will post my own receipt. The stuff you buy in jars does not in the slightest resemble true mayonnaise. Make and savor your own and you will discover a new world of eating).
Your choice of potato and oil is of utmost importance. I am very lucky to live close by to Prahran Market, where I do most of my food shopping. There is a stall, which specializes in potatoes. The man who runs this stall has helped me on a number of occasions, to choose the appropriate type of potato for the type of dish I happened to be making (in fact this lovely man is like a potato, very friendly, humble and down to earth). For fried potato chips he recommends the creamy white Trent potato. If you don’t have a potato man like I do, then you had better do some research and find out which potato in your area is most suitable for frying, before you begin. Some people like waxy potatoes; others prefer the floury variety- ultimately the choice is yours. Unfortunately I haven’t cooked potato chips enough times to know the difference, although I have a feeling the waxy variety may be prone to sticking together.
Whereas I cannot inform you enough of potato varieties, I can on fat. Do not even think of reaching for your bottle of extra virgin olive. It will be wasted here because of its assertive flavour and its inability to reach the right temperature without burning. Instead I recommend either peanut oil or rice bran oil. Both are popular in Asian cuisine for deep-frying. They have a clean and light nutty taste and are able to withstand the high temperature needed for deep-frying. Apparently grape seed oil is good too (that’s another recommendation from Mr Potato). To this oil I would also add a very generous amount of duck fat or beef dripping. The addition of an animal fat here is for a couple of important reasons. It will provide a comforting background flavour and aroma that oil alone cannot provide (duck fat especially- its smells a bit like when you roast meat and that’s always comforting in the dead of winter). It will also enable your potatoes to fry to a wonderful state of golden crispiness. I don’t think I need to tell you how dreadful soggy, sodden French fries are to eat.
The whole operation will require a careful hand and watch. Have lots of paper towel at the ready and be prepared to clean up an oily stove- unfortunately this is unavoidable if you wish to make good fries. Also be aware your home may smell like a fish and chip shop for a day or two- make use of your exhaust fan, if you have one. I would also have a safety plan in mind, just in case your oil should catch fire (there is always the risk). And while I am on the subject, you may lightly burn yourself a couple of times from the fat spitting, and for this same reason- wear black when frying. Oil stains are hard to remove from your tailor made silk garments (keep dreaming).
Hindrances aside, you will be greatly rewarded for making your own chippies. Once they have all fried to perfection, pile them onto a plate, and sit on the couch with your mayonnaise and a cold refreshing drink close by (apple cider works here) and leisurely consume each golden crispy potato chip. I can assure you; you will have a big grin on your face as the cold rain plummets to the ground outside.

Ingredients
1 kilo Trent potatoes or other suitable potato
200 g duck fat or beef dripping
750ml peanut oil or rice bran oil
Sea salt
Homemade mayonnaise, to serve

Method
Peel your potatoes and rinse the starchy surface in water. Cut and trim your potatoes into chips about 1cm thick. Throw away any that are very different in size and shape than the rest. Unfortunately there is no room for the nonconformist chip- oddly shaped potatoes chips will require different cooking times, making the operation too stressful. From 1 kilo of potato you should get about 700g of perfectly cut chips. Lay them out on a couple of clean tea towels and allow them to dry thoroughly. The drier the potato, the less the oil will spit.
Frying chips is done in two stages.
Take a deep saucepan and heat your oil and fat together over a low heat. You need to heat the oil over a low heat to avoid “cool” spots. Give the fat a gentle stir to make sure it has heated evenly. Then turn your heat dial to medium/high. Fry the chips in batches for about 5 minutes. Do not allow them to colour at this stage. They should be pale but cooked through. Drain them on plenty of kitchen paper. Repeat until all your chips have been fried for the first stage. You may do this step in advance, and it is perfectly fine for the chips to become cold.
When you are ready to eat, heat your oil to high, again making sure the oil has heated evenly. The second frying is done at a higher temperature. Lower your chips in, again in batches. This time fry them until they become golden and crisp. It should not take more than 2 minutes. Drain them on kitchen paper and season with good quality salt.
Eat immediately with your homemade mayonnaise for dipping. This amount of potato should make a sufficient feast for two people.

Reconstructed Lamb Roast Deconstructed

Rebuilding or recreating an object that has been deconstructed sounds impractical. Especially when you intend to pull it apart into smaller pieces again. Complicated? There is method to my madness- trust me on this one.
Mike brought home some very fine lamb chops from the market, this weekend. The chops were from the loin and cut thicker than usual. My original plan was to remove the small bone and tie them with string to turn into “noisettes”. Which is what Mike did to them, upon my request.
But then, I became uninterested with the idea, and I couldn’t get the motivation or find enough inspiration to carry out cooking them. I had decided already to roast some red skinned potatoes, fennel wedges and rosemary stalks with duck fat to serve along side. I also planned to put together a lemony salsa verde to accompany the lamb. Both of those ideas still appealed to me. What wasn’t appealing to me was cooking the noisettes “a la minute”. What I was really craving to eat was a succulent lamb roast, not pan fried noisettes.
So, that’s exactly what we did. Well actually, it was Mike’s idea and he did all the butch construction work of tying together the individual noisettes to reform a loin roast. It was my idea however, to anoint the slices of lamb with salsa verde before rebuilding them together. It worked unexpectedly well. The outcome was juicy and moist lamb meat infused with citrus herbaceous-ness. The fat surrounding the meat was particularly excellent to eat- slightly crisp, meltingly tender and with an unpredictably clean flavour. I have to admit that of all the animal fats, lamb is not a favourite of mine- I often find it overpowering and pungent. But not the fat from this young creature.
I am aware this does sound ridiculous. Why would you buy individual lamb noisettes to then put back together, when you can buy a whole loin etc to roast? This was just one way out of a culinary predicament and it turned out to be an excellent solution. I am not one to usually play about with food. In fact, I hate fiddly kitchen tasks but this is an exception. I would be very pleased to do it again if the outcome was the same.

Reconstructed Lamb Roast with Herbs, Lemon and Nutmeg

Ingredients
5 lamb noisettes, about 600g (of course you can use any amount. That’s just what I had)
Cooking string
300ml rich, homemade meat stock
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice, to taste
A combination of the following fresh herbs, all finely chopped
Mint, Parsley, Rosemary, Rocket
Dried Greek oregano
Lots of freshly grated nutmeg
Sea salt
Freshly ground peppers, both black and white
A pinch sugar

Build your Salsa Verde. Combine the garlic with your chosen herbs. Use the proportions that feel right to you. You can use other herbs. I used this particular combination, because that’s what I had in the fridge and in the garden. Add an appropriate olive oil. It must be green and fruity and of excellent quality. Don’t use an aggressive, peppery oil- this oil is good for other dishes (like bean soups) and it will clash with the herbs in this receipt, making the sauce disagreeably bitter. Again let your taste buds guide you- you can have a thick paste or a fluid sauce. I prefer the fluid kind. Whisk in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt, two peppers and plenty of nutmeg. I like to add a pinch of sugar to my salsa verde. This is not usual practice, nor is the addition of nutmeg. But as the entire dish is a reconstructed /deconstructed affair, you may as well break the rules.
Preheat the oven to 220c.
Anoint the noisettes of meat with spoonfuls of salsa verde. Reconstruct the lamb roast by placing the noisettes together and tying with string. Spread salsa verde all over the reconstructed roast as well. The acidity from the sauce will help the fat to become crispy. Set aside any remaining sauce.
Weigh the roast and calculate the cooking time. For every 500g, roast for 15- 20 minutes. Add a splash of water to the baking dish before placing the meat into the oven.
Remove from the oven. Double wrap the roasted lamb with foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
While the meat is resting, combine the juices from the baking dish with stock, and reduce until you have a syrupy jus. Strain into a small jug or a sauceboat.
Unwrap the meat and cut the strings. Obviously the will be no need to cut the meat. Serve with the “jus gras” and reserved salsa verde. Enough for 2 or 3 serves.

Red on Red

It took a while for me to warm to rhubarb. Coming from a Latino background, I did not grow up eating it like the Aussie kids did and for quite a few years I thought the idea of cooking red sour stalks as a dessert, was just absolutely bizarre.
But I did eventually come to the rhubarb party, and now I wouldn’t say I love it, but I do enjoy it from time to time. During the wintertime, it’s comforting to have some in the fridge ready to go, to combine with apples and bake as a crumble.
This recipe came about as a way of using up some pomegranates, which were very ripe, and in immediate need of use. Red on red - it works for me. The result was deliciously tart and sexy.

Rhubarb and Pomegranate

Ingredients
1 bunch of rhubarb
Caster Sugar
Juice of 2 very ripe pomegranates
1 cinnamon stick

Method
Wash and trim the rhubarb. Cut the stalks into about 5 cm lengths.
Place them into a baking dish in one layer.
Pour over the pomegranate juice, plenty of sugar to taste and the cinnamon stick.
Bake at 150C for 30 minutes. Baking the rhubarb prevents it from turning into an unappetizing mush. Try not to stir the produce.
Cool and eat with rich cream to balance the acidity, or cinnamon infused crème anglaise.
Keeps for about 1 week, in the refrigerator.

Jamón vs Prosciutto

For my own pleasure more than anything, I thought I would hold a culinary competition.
Thankfully there was no appallingly dressed Japanese host biting into a yellow pepper with a demented stare, though Mike did try hard. Nor was there a line up of B grade Asian celebrities to critique. Nothing as ostentatious as “The Kitchen Stadium”.
Only some raw hams- Jamón Serrano and Prosciutto di Parma.
Yes, Spain versus Italy.
I also thought it would be a fine idea to accompany each ham with olives from their appropriate nations. Jamón Serrano with plump and juicy pimento stuffed green ones, and Prosciutto with a small and succulent black kind.
So, who’s pig reigned supreme?
I found “el jamón” to be saltier, sweeter and more concentrated in piggy-ness. The slices were smoother, almost oily. The Spanish ham was also firmer and more compact in texture than its Italian cousin. You can see the diffrence in texture in the photos, below. The scent was reminiscent of fresh pork with a yeasty overtone. This is going to sound terrible, but the smell remindered me of stock cubes (and yes, stock cubes contain yeast extracts). I wasn’t expecting this, as jamón is considered to be a very fine ham and can fetch up to $350 (or more) a kilo at retail prices. This one was only $160 per kilo and probably not the finest. Mike could not pick up on the hint of fermentation. He was suffering with the “flu”, so perhaps his sense of smell was not at its best. Possibly it was natural, but I couldn’t stop thinking that maybe this pig had been injected with a flavouring agent.

Now “il prosciutto”. The Italian version was less salty and slightly sour. It wasn’t as intense as the Spanish version, but it felt fuller in the mouth. The notes I wrote in my book at the time read “you can feel the grain of the meat against your tongue”. This is definitely true, and I am beginning to drool as I write this. I loved the rounded, supple feel of this particularly gorgeous prosciutto, which was priced at a slightly cheaper $120 per kilo. Prosciutto tends to be aged for a shorter time than jamón so perhaps this can explain the variation in saltiness and texture.

Even though the two hams were both very tasty, I preferred the milder tasting prosciutto because of its superior fleshy, buttery consistency. And also the fact that the jamón had a vague synthetic scent, won the prosciutto extra points. Oh, I wish I had some of that prosciutto right now! But who knows? As, I said previously, perhaps the jamón in this particular assessment wasn’t of top class. Unfortunately when I quizzed the shop assistant, he couldn’t really tell me much about either product. I was a little disappointed in the lack of knowledge. Especially as these two hams are imported luxury food items and are expensively priced.
I will keep my opinion open on this one- the game is far from over.

Chicken Story 3 - Spices and Chickpea

It being winter in my world also means influenza season is upon us. And unfortunately Mike was violently struck down last week. With the flu that is…

Which means one grumpy gay guy and another bitchy gay guy stuck in an apartment together, all day long. One is grumpy because he is sick; the other is bitchy because the grumpy one is getting on his nerves. And so the bitchy one just gets bitchier and bitchier. Get the picture. It’s a vicious circle. But, they love each other. Immensely.
The bitchy one decides to make a restorative chicken soup in the hope that the grumpy one will get better, and go back to work, leaving the bitchy one in peace. After five long and intense days, during which the bitchy one goes on several solitary shopping expeditions to escape the all prevailing grumpiness, the ailing grumpy one recovers and he returns to the workplace. The bitchy one is convinced the recovery had something to do with his delicious and magical broth. The grumpy one knows better, and pretends to agree. At last, all is well again…

I promise this to be the last installment of “The Chicken Trilogy”. There will be no “Revenge of the Supermarket Chicken”.

Spicy Chicken Broth with Chickpea Dumplings

Ingredients
For the broth:
1 kilo corn fed, free range, organic chicken wings
1 onion, peeled, cut into chunks
1 carrot, peeled, cut into chunks
1 celery stalk, cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, peeled but kept whole
Peppercorns- black and white
Cardamom pods
Cumin seeds
Fresh ginger, cut into slices
Saffron threads, a large pinch
Turmeric
Whole dried red chili
Sea salt
Fresh lime or lemon, juice and zest, finely chopped

For the dumplings:
I small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250g minced chicken
100g chickpea flour
All of the spices above

Method
Place all of the ingredient (except your chosen citrus) for the broth into a stockpot. I used about 5 grams of each spice, more or less. Find the balance you like. I also crushed the spices very lightly to release the aromas, with the mortar and pestle.
Cover with cold water. Bring just to the simmer, and cook very slowly for 2- 3 hours. I never boil my stock; I keep the temperature below a simmer. This keeps the stock crystal clear.

Strain when you are happy with the flavour and discard all the solids. You can season the broth with chicken stock cube instead of salt. There is nothing wrong at all with this practice- my grandmother does it, and so do restaurants I have worked in.
In the meantime, you can prepare the dumplings.Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil gently, for about 15 minutes to soften.

In a bowl mix together with a wooden spoon, the chicken, chickpea flour, the softened onion and garlic.

Add to the mixture, all of the same spices that went into the broth. Use only pinches of each one and make sure they are finely ground. Again find the balance you like. Season well with salt.

Roll them into small meatballs.

Poach them in simmering water for 15- 20 minutes or until cooked through. Drain them using a slotted spoon.
To serve: place the hot meatballs into a soup bowl, however many you like. Top with the boiling chicken broth. Sprinkle the citrus zest over each bowl and add a squeeze of the juice too. Delicious. Makes about 4 –6 serves.

Chicken Story 2 - A Sinister Stew

My recipe today is based on the classic French dish- Coq au Vin.
However, I shall refrain from calling it such out of respect for tradition. My adaptation deviates from the genuine formula on a few essential qualities. I have chosen to name mine: The Sinister Stew, after a divine inspiration from the late Jennifer Paterson, of “The Two Fat Ladies” fame.
My version is not made with a “coq”, which is French for rooster. I use the superb chicken of which I am currently obsessed (see my previous post). I am assuming roosters are unobtainable in this country, although I have never asked. You could use pieces of wild rabbit leg. I have a feeling their taste may be comparable.
Nor do I use the proper “vin”. The true recipe originates from Burgundy. Therefore one should use a wine from this region in France. I have utilized Australian Pinot Noir. Use whatever wine is appropriate to your country and personal taste. When I come to think of it, this dish may be good done with rosé wine. Pink meat with pink wine sounds good to me.
To thicken the stew, the blood is drained from the coq and added to the stew. I find this creepy practice too vampire-esque for my liking. Instead I take lead from acclaimed French chef Paul Bocuse, and use a puree of chicken livers to thicken and enrich the stew. Do not skip this step. It makes a considerable difference to the end result, both for flavour and texture.
I have been cooking this dish since I was a teenager. It appealed to me then, just as much as it appeals to me now, 20 years later. I read recently in the current issue of an Australian food magazine that this particular dish has come back into style after an extended hiatus. Really? I think this is nonsensical. Does anyone really care for food trends? I certainly don’t. The only trends I care for are ones to do with beauty and fashion. When it comes to food, the only thing, which matters to me, is how it tastes. A sinister stew, but a classical one.

Ingredients
1 kilo corn fed, free range, organic chicken (use thigh and leg, skin removed and cut into smaller pieces)
750ml Pinot Noir
Bay leaves, parsley and thyme
Flour, for dusting
100g pancetta, cut into 1 cm cubes
1 tbsp duck fat
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
50g chicken livers, cleaned
50ml cognac (I use brandy)
Fresh black pepper
10 pickling onions, blanched for 5 minutes in boiling water and peeled
50g unsalted cultured butter
1-2 tsp brown sugar
10 small shitake mushrooms (or use swiss browns)

Method
Firstly, you need to marinate the chicken pieces for 24 hours. Simmer the entire bottle of red wine for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the bay leaf, thyme and parsley stalks. Allow the herbs to infuse the wine, and cool. Pour the cooled marinade over the chicken pieces. I use a plastic container or a glass bowl. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Select a braising pan that will be able to accommodate all of the above ingredients. Over a low heat, fry the pieces of pancetta with the duck fat for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Add the finely chopped onion and garlic and continue to cook for another 10- 15 minutes until they too have gilded.
In the meantime, remove the chicken pieces from their wine and herb bath. The chicken pieces will be stained a dark shade of burgundy. Pat the pieces dry, dust the lightly with flour. Strain the marinade and reserve. Discard the herbs.
Remove the pancetta, onion and garlic to a small plate, and set aside. There should still be some fat left in the pan, if not add more duck fat. Seal the chicken and livers on a higher heat, about 1 minute each side or until lightly golden. Remove the livers once they are golden. Puree the liver with the reserved marinade in a food processor or blender.

In a separate pan, begin to caramelize the pickling onions in the butter. Do this slowly; it is vital the butter does not burn. The process should take about 30 minutes. When the onions are tender, add 1 tsp of sugar (towards the end). Set the caramelized onions and their golden fat aside. You can do this step earlier if it saves you hassle or stress.
In a tiny saucepan, gently heat the cognac or brandy. Set it alight and pour the flames over the chicken pieces. Return the reserved pancetta and onion mix to the chicken and brandy. Pour over the liver and wine mixture. Add more bay and thyme. Put in the mushrooms too. Season with pepper. Simmer gently until the chicken is tender, and beginning to fall of the bone. Towards the end, add the pickling onions and all their fat. It may seem like an excessive amount of fat to add to a dish, but it balances the acidity from the wine. Add more sugar if you think it needs it. The end result should be succulent chicken pieces in a dark and rather ominous looking sauce. Do not be deceived by the sinister appearance; the aromas and flavors are divine. Sprinkle with parsley to brighten the dish.

I don’t serve this dish with anything but crusty bread. I find the flavours too dominant and complex to go with anything else (even potato puree). Serve with the same wine, as used in the braise. Serves 4.