THAT’S A WRAP
Seal in the flavour and leave out the fuss – wrapping dishes in paper offers a perfect mix of ease and impact.
Seal in the flavour and leave out the fuss – wrapping dishes in paper offers a perfect mix of ease and impact.
Trumpeter with curry butter and leek
The beauty of baked fish in a parcel is that it cooks in its own juices along with whatever other liquid you’ve added – in this case lime juice. Blue-eye trevalla or silver perch make fine substitutes for trumpeter. Serve the parcels for your guests to open at the table.
Prep time 25 mins, cook 35 mins
Serves 4 (pictured p112)
8 kipfler potatoes (about 150gm each), peeled 16 baby (pencil) leeks (see note), washed and thickly sliced
4 trumpeter fillets (about 180gm each) 2 limes, halved
Curry butter
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground fennel seeds
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp hot paprika
¼ tsp coarsely ground black pepper 80 gm butter, softened
1 Place kipflers in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil, then cook until a knife can be inserted easily but the potatoes still retain some firmness (8-10 minutes). Remove potatoes and set aside to cool. Blanch leeks in the same water until bright green (2 minutes; see cook’s notes p177), then drain and refresh in iced water. Squeeze excess water from leeks and pat dry with paper towels.
2 For the curry butter, crush garlic and a large pinch of salt with a mortar and pestle. Add spices, and pound until finely ground, then add butter, pounding until smooth and combined.
3 Preheat oven to 180C. Place 4 large pieces of baking paper (about 40cm long) on a work surface. Thickly slice kipflers and arrange in rectangles about the size of the fish fillets in the centre of each piece of paper, season with salt and pepper, then top with a fish fillet and a quarter of the curry butter. Squeeze the juice of half a lime over each. Fold long sides of the paper over to enclose the fish, then fold the ends over a few times, tucking them underneath to enclose. Roast on an oven tray until the fish is just flaking (20-25 minutes; you’ll need to unwrap a parcel to check). Serve hot.
Note If baby leeks are unavailable, blanch the white part of a large leek and thickly slice it.
Wine suggestion Spicy pinot gris.
Baked camembert with confit garlic and white wine
Serve this snack or entrée with skewers for dipping the croûtons fondue-style into the molten cheese.
Prep time 15 mins, cook 40 mins
Serves 6
1 camembert round (200gm)
1 rosemary sprig, torn
60 ml aromatic white wine, such as pinot gris
Confit garlic
150 ml olive oil 16 garlic cloves
Garlic and herb croûtons
¼ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley ¼ cup coarsely chopped basil
200 gm day-old crusty white bread, chopped into large cubes
1 For confit garlic, place oil and garlic in a small saucepan over very low heat and cook until garlic is pale golden and very tender (18-20 minutes). Cool in oil, then drain and reserve garlic and oil separately.
2 For herb croûtons, blend herbs and garlic oil in a bowl. Add croûtons, toss to coat and season to taste.
3 Preheat oven to 190C. Place 2 sheets of baking paper about 35cm long on a bench. Place camembert on top, scatter with rosemary and confit garlic cloves and pull up sides of paper to form a cup shape. Pour wine over cheese, then wrap, tying securely with string. Place camembert in an ovenproof dish and bake for 10 minutes, then scatter croûtons on an oven tray and bake until camembert is hot and melting and croûtons are golden and crisp (15 minutes). Serve hot. Drink suggestion Rich Normandy cidre.>