Nashi & Prosciutto Crudo

Select a crispy, ripened nashi pear. Remove the skin, cut it into thin wedges and slice away the center and seeds.
Toss the nashi wedges with a few drops of verjuice and a pinch of fresh black pepper. The verjuice will prevent the fruit from discolouring, whilst accentuating the delicate flavour of the pear.
Have ready thin slices of excellent quality proscuitto crudo.
Arrange the pear wedges and prosciutto slices on a flat serving dish.
Sprinkle with drops of the finest balsamic vinegar. Do not be tempted to use a cheap imitation product. The success of the simple dish relies on the application of the best ingredients. Failing balsamic vinegar you can use vincotto or another dark syrupy fruit based vinegar.
Eat immediately. I like to accompany this dish with a glass of pink wine.

Darkest Chocolate Mousse

Components:
150g first-rate dark chocolate (85% cocoa fat), broken into pieces
15g unsalted cultured butter
1 free-range egg
30ml amaretto, brandy, cognac, rum etc or other liqueur
or espresso coffee (freshly brewed)
2 free-range egg whites
50g authentic vanilla sugar (or caster sugar)
250ml cream (35% fat)


Process:
Over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter in the bowl you intend to serve the mousse. Do not allow the bowl to touch the hot water- chocolate is a very sensitive product and will burn if it becomes too warm.
Remove the bowl from the heat and blend in the egg and chosen liqueur or coffee.
In a separate bowl, pound the egg whites with a whisk until they form soft peaks.
Continue to whisk the egg whites, adding the vanilla sugar 1 tsp at a time, until all the sugar has been incorporated. The egg whites should be thick and glossy (i.e. meringue).
Fold a few spoonfuls of the meringue into the chocolate to soften the mixture, and then fold in the rest of the meringue using a large metal spoon.
Whip the cream in a separate bowl.
Fold the whipped cream very, very tenderly into the chocolate meringue. Do not overwork the mixture- the cream will turn to butter, if combined too aggressively.
Make even the surface of the mousse using a spoon or spatula, and wipe the edges of the bowl with a tissue.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Decorate the chocolate mousse as you wish. I like to adorn mine with excellent cocoa powder and rosettes of whipped cream. Serves four people.

Minestrone d'inverno

Lets get one thing straight, this is not an attractive soup. In fact, it is damned ugly to the eye. But do not allow looks to deceive you- it is beautifully sweet and full of flavour.
There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding as what constitutes “minestrone”.
In Australia people seem to think it’s a tomato flavoured broth with soggy pasta. This is so far removed as to what Italian minestrone is that I find it hilarious. Very simply, you choose the freshest of vegetables in season and simmer them with stock until you have a thick chunky soup. The result will be a delicious vegetable soup in which not one particular vegetable stands out. All the vegetables will be well cooked and almost falling apart, their flavours merging pleasantly.
Minestrone is prepared all year round. The time of year will dictate exactly what goes into the soup. Artichokes, asparagus, broad beans and spinach would go into a springtime minestrone. In summer you would make your minestrone with peas, new waxy potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini and serve it at room temperature with a spoonful of fresh pesto. During autumn you could use chestnuts, fennel, squash and wild mushrooms. And in winter you could try cavolo nero, leeks or savoy cabbage
I must admit I am not a fan of pasta in minestrone. I sometimes include rice (like they do in Lombardia) but this soup is so substantial, I often don’t. If you do decide to add rice, cook it separately and only mix it into the soup as you eat it. This way the rice will remain firm and wont become sodden left hanging around in the leftover soup.
And just one more thing, I have specified proper homemade stock in this receipt. Genuine stock will give the soup a luscious, velvety texture. I am not going to be a “Soup Nazi” and insist you use the real thing. You can use stock cubes- I promise I wont report you to the culinary police!

Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
40g unsalted cultured butter
100g pancetta, cut into small cubes
2 red onions
5 carrots, peeled
5 celery stalks, peeled
2 leeks, white parts only
5 potatoes, peeled
½ savoy cabbage
1 bunch silver beet, rinsed and stalks removed
Fresh sage, chopped
2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Fresh stock, enough to cover the vegetables
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Freshly grated Grana Padano, to taste

Method
Chop the vegetables into small cubes (about the same size as the cannellini beans). The cabbage and silver beet should be shredded finely.
In a large soup pot melt the butter with the oil over a low heat.
Begin by gently sautéing the pancetta in the butter and oil.
Add the vegetables to the butter, oil and pancetta in the order listed and sauté each one for a few minutes before adding the next vegetable.
When all the vegetables (except the cannellini) have been gently sautéed in the pot, add the sage, cover with stock and simmer gently for 1- 2 hours.
Add the cannellini and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
You can adjust the consistency to thicken, by pureeing a small amount of the soup, or by adding a touch of water to thin the texture.
Add Grana Padano to taste and check the seasoning. Serve in soup bowls, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and more Grano Padano.
This amount makes a big pot of soup, enough for many serves. You can leave out the pancetta if you are vegetarian. I like to add it because it adds a nice depth of flavour.

Porcini, Sage and Blood Orange Risotto

This risotto sounds bizarre in concept. But in truth it is soothing and comforting to eat and not unusual at all in flavour. I like to believe the flavours merge together quite harmoniously. Don’t think of this dish as orange flavoured. Rather think of it as orange scented. The porcini in itself is assertive, both in taste and aroma, with the orange part lending an agreeable subtle quality.
As for everything I cook, the quality of ingredients used in this dish is extremely important. Choose good meaty slices of porcini instead of small unidentifiable pieces. Yes, they are expensive, but a small amount will go a long way. It is more economical to buy a one-kilo bag instead of many small 10gram packs. The added advantage is you will have an abundant amount of porcini in the kitchen cupboard waiting to be used during the entire year. Somehow I don’t feel too guilty using an expensive product when I have a lot of it.
As for the oranges, I used a hybrid navel / blood orange I found at the green grocer. I didn’t think much of this pseudo breed. I much prefer the real thing. If you can get pure blood oranges use them. They have a distinctive and wonderful aroma.
Sometime ago I wrote in one of my posts that Arborio rice made a poor risotto, and that I preferred to use carnaroli or vialone nano rice for their superior grain. Since writing that post, I have experimented with one brand of Arborio produced in Italy. I am very pleased to now write that I have been producing excellent “risotti” with this particular product. I guess all Arborio rices are not of the same in quality. As patriotic as I am, Australian Arborio rice is terrible and I do not recommend it all. Do try out different brand names if you are not satisfied with the one you are using.
And on a final note, I am not going to pretend the unique idea for this dish is mine. It is from the renowned River Café in London. The original recipe is printed in their “River Café Cook Book Easy”. I have adapted the recipe to suit my own palate.

Ingredients
Homemade Italian style stock, 1-2 litre (stock cubes are unacceptable)
30g dried porcini
100g swiss brown mushrooms, quatered
Fresh sage leaves
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
200g arborio, carnaroli, or vialone rice
1 blood orange, zest finely chopped and juiced
Grana Padano to taste, freshly grated
Unsalted cultured butter, about 50g cut into small cubes.
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
In a small bowl, soak the porcini with enough boiling water to just cover, for 15 minutes. Strain the porcini, reserving the liquid. Rinse each individual porcino slice under a tap of running water. Porcini are notorious for harbouring dirt; taste a slice if you are unsure. Strain the porcini liquid through unscented tissue paper and add to the stock.
In a saucepan heat 1- 2 tbsp of oil over a low heat. Add the garlic; do not allow it to colour. Add the swiss browns and cook gently for about 10 minutes. Put in the porcini slices and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Set aside. Heat the stock in a separate pot, and keep it hot.
In the saucepan you have chosen to prepare your risotto, gently heat the remaining oil with the onion. Cook gently for 5 minutes. Do not allow the onion to colour.
Add the rice, turn up the heat and sauté for 1- 2 minutes, or until the rice has changed colour slightly.
Turn the heat back to medium and add 1 ladleful of hot stock. Stir the rice and season with salt, keeping in mind that the cheeses added at the end is salty.
When the rice has absorbed the stock, add another ladleful. Continue in this fashion until the rice is plump, al dente and creamy. It will take about 20 minutes. Use as much stock as you think it needs. I haven’t given a precise amount of stock needed because I have never measured it, preferring to cook with my eyes and tastes buds. At this stage you can stir in the reserved porcini/ swiss brown mushroom mixture.
Turn off the heat. Add freshly grated grana to taste, the butter, orange juice and zest.
Mix gently to combine. Add more stock if you think it needs it- risotto should be moist and wavy.
Check the seasoning and serve. Enough for 2.

Beef Sausages Baked with Potato, Onion & Bay

I am forever trying to come up with exciting ways to dish up the humble sausage. This is one method of many. It’s undemanding and just the thing for those nights when one starving, but not in the particular mood required for complex food preparation.
This dish will be one hundred times better if you use first-rate sausages. Purchase them from a fine butcher, and inquire as to what he puts in the sausages. If he is not sure, keep walking and try someone else. Needless to say, keep clear from supermarket sausages as well. My past experiences have proven them to not be worth the trouble cooking.
The same goes for the potatoes. I like King Edwards when it comes to roasting. Desirees are a good alternative. Baked potatoes tend to have more flavour if you leave the skin on them. Less effort for more flavour- seems like a good idea to me.

Ingredients
6 first rate beef sausages
5 small King Edward potatoes, halved
3 small onions, halved
4 bay leaves
Thyme sprigs
Duck fat
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
A few drops of Muscat vinegar
Dijon mustard, to serve

Method
Preheat the oven to 180c.
Place all the ingredients except the vinegar and mustard in a baking dish in one layer. Use the duck fat to anoint the individual pieces of sausage and vegetable.
Sprinkle the potatoes and onions with a touch of salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour.
During this time, turn the sausages and vegetables over as they brown, making sure everything cooks evenly.
Five minutes before removing from the oven, sprinkle a few drops of vinegar into the cut side of the onions.
Serve straight from the tin with Dijon mustard. Enough for 2 people.

Pheasant Roasted with Orange & Cumin

Pheasant tastes like very, very good chicken. I like to roast the exotic bird with orange and cumin in a scorching oven for a short moment until barely cooked. It will have retained the gloriously sweet juices when cooked like this, making it a delight to eat. The breast will be sweet and moist. The legs however will be a little on the tough side. Unfortunately that’s the nature of the beast. Chefs like to remove the sinews in the leg. I haven’t worked out how to do this so I simply leave them as nature intended.
Don’t worry too much if the pheasant hasn’t browned in the short amount of time required to cook. In this example, taste is far more important than appearance. Overdone pheasant is an offense against heaven.
I know the amount of butter stipulated may alarm those on low fat diets. However keep in mind that pheasant like most game birds is lean, and needs a generous amount of fat to remain moist and succulent.

Ingredients
1 pheasant, backbone removed and spatchcocked
100g cultured unsalted butter
Juice of 2 oranges
Zest of 1 orange, finely julienned
1 tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
1 fresh bay leaf, finely chopped
100ml dry sherry or other fortified wine
1-2 ladles pheasant stock
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Pat the pheasant dry with paper towels (the marinade will not adhere otherwise).
Melt the butter and combine it with the juice of 1 orange, the zest, cumin, garlic, rosemary, bay, salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture onto the pheasant; making sure to coat the bird completely. I do this part in the roasting tray so that none of the precious marinade is lost; it will form part of the sauce at the end.
Allow to marinade in the fridge for up 24hrs or at room temperature for a few hours.
When you are ready to roast the bird, turn your oven to the highest setting. The oven needs to be really hot- about 250c. Make sure the bird is at room temperature before roasting.
Roast the bird skin side down first, for 10 minutes. Turn over and roast for another 10 minutes.
Remove the bird from the oven and double wrap with foil. Allow to rest for 20 minutes.
Pour all the juices from the roasting pan into a small saucepan, along with the sherry, stock and remaining orange juice. Reduce until syrupy.
Check the seasoning- add more salt/ sugar.
Cut the bird into pieces or as you desire and serve with the “orange jus”.
Roast potatoes make a good accompaniment.
1 pheasant will serve 2 people nicely.

PS. Mike wanted to call this post: Pleasant Peasant Pheasant. Try saying that fast 3 times..

Cassoulet My Way

I’m having a hard time getting back to reality after the Vue De Monde experience. For the first time in a long time I can honestly say I felt calm and contented after our lunch. We did nothing but eat fine food and drink exceptional wine all afternoon whilst served by super attentive waiters. What really transported me to tranquility wasn’t the idle behavior that consumed the day, but rather, the sense of luxury that VDM conveys. Every detail has an opulent solution at this restaurant- sometimes extravagant, sometimes cheeky but always comfortable. The only problem I find with being exposed to excellence is that nothing else apart from excellence will satisfy.
As much as I would love to eat like that everyday (and trust me, I would if I could), there is no way you or I are able to produce food of the same standard as served by VDM. Unless of course, you were to employ a team of Michelin starred chefs. I don’t know I can afford that so I guess I’ll have to leave “haute cuisine” in restaurants were it belongs and get back to my “cuisine menagere”.
And so what does one cook after having eaten in arguably the best restaurant in Australia? It’s a hard one to decide because I want to still feel confident and competent in the kitchen. I decided it was probably best to not attempt any dish of superior lavishness, and instead go in the completely opposite direction. I’m sticking to rustic, for a while. Or at least until my very over-the- top expectations have worn off.

Ingredients
500g haricot blancs beans, soaked in water for 24 hours
2- 3 tbsp duck fat
250g pork belly, cut into chunks
3 pork and garlic sausages (use a French or Italian style. Keep away from English and “gourmet” sausages. They are wrong in this dish, as lovely as they can be)
2 duck “Maryland”, cut into thigh and leg pieces
½ large red onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot finely chopped
1 leek, finely chopped (use the white part only)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
250ml rose wine
Fresh bouquet garni made from bay, thyme and parsley
1 star anise
1 litre stock
1-2 tbsp tomato concentrate (optional)
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Melt 1- 2 tbsp of duck fat in a large saucepan over a medium high heat.
Brown the pork belly, duck pieces and sausages in batches. Set them aside on a plate.
Lower the heat and add more fat if you think it needs it.
Now you can gently sauté the onions, carrot, celery, leek and garlic for about 15 minutes. Do not allow them to colour- the flavours in this dish are gentle.
Add the wine. Turn the heat to high and allow it to bubble for a minute.
Add the bouquet, star anise, stock, drained beans, pork belly and duck to the pot. Add the tomato concentrate, if you are using that too. The only thing that should not be in the pot at this stage, are the sausages.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour. In the meantime cut the sausages into chunks and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180c.
Taste and season the beans with a touch of salt and some pepper.
Remove the bouquet.
Ladle the entire contents of the pot into one large baking dish, adding the sausages.
Bake for 1 to 1½ hours or until a brown crust has formed on the beans.
The final result should be tender beans with sufficient liquid to form a tasty, rich sauce and meltingly tender meat.
Sprinkle over with chopped fresh parsley if you like. Serves 4 – 6 people.
This is definitely a dish for the wintertime. It is rich and comforting and perfect for Sunday lunch or dinner. I don’t bother serving anything but bread and wine with this dish- I don’t think it needs it.