PRÊT À PARTY
Fresh fare and glam ikebana – get ready for dinner and show
YELLOWTAIL CEVICHE WITH AVOCADO PURÉE, RADISH AND TEMPURA OYSTERS
SERVES 4 For the maple soy dressing 2T premium maple syrup 1T apple cider vinegar 1t wholegrain mustard 1T reduced-sodium soy sauce 4T extra-virgin olive oil
For the avocado purée 2 ripe avocados 1/2 to 1 lemon, juiced
Maldon salt and black pepper, to season
2T crème fraîche
For the ceviche and marinade
1/2 cup mixture of equal parts lemon, lime and orange juice 1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup coriander leaves and stems, finely chopped
500g skinless, boneless yellowtail fillets, cut into 1/2 to 3/4cm thick slices a pinch of Maldon salt
For the garnish 6 baby radishes, thinly sliced and immersed in ice water until ready to serve 2 jalapeños, sliced thinly
(leave seeds in, or deseed for a milder effect)
100g shelled edamame beans a handful of coriander leaves,
stems left on, washed
For the tempura oysters 4 fresh oysters, shucked sparkling water a handful of tempura flour a pinch of Maldon salt oil, for frying
1. To make the maple soy dressing, combine all the ingredients except the oil, then gradually whisk in the oil until emulsified. Set aside.
2. To make the avocado purée, combine the avocado, 1/2 of the lemon juice and the crème fraîche. Mix until smooth and pass through a sieve for a silky finish. Season and add more lemon juice if desired.
3. To make the ceviche and marinade, combine the citrus juice with the onion and coriander. Pour the marinade over the sliced fish spread out in an appropriately sized tray
to ensure the fish is immersed in the marinade, and season. allow the fish to marinate for 3 to 5 minutes – the longer, the more it ‘cooks’. remove the fish from the marinade and plate.
4. garnish the fish with the sliced radishes and jalapeños, edamame beans and coriander leaves, and spoon dollops of the avocado purée onto each plate.
5. Just before serving, prepare the tempura oysters. Loosen the oysters from their shells, and clean and dry the shells. gently whisk enough sparkling water into the tempura flour to form a medium-thick batter, and season. dip the oysters into the batter one by one, then deep-fry them in hot oil until crisp. remove and place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. season. return the tempura oysters to the shells and place one on each plate. drizzle over the maple soy dressing.
LAMB SHANKS WITH POLENTA, PAK CHOI AND TRUFFLES
serves 4 For the lamb shanks 4 lamb shanks (hind quarter) 30ml vegetable oil 8 cloves garlic, crushed 1 large onion, diced 3 large carrots, chopped 1 large leek, sliced
3 bay leaves
4 sprigs rosemary a handful of thyme 400ml red wine
2 litres chicken stock
For the gremolata bread 8 slices of stale ciabatta (or
similar type of bread) 2 lemons, zested 3T chopped parsley 5T butter
20ml olive oil
Maldon salt, to taste
For the polenta 250g polenta
700ml to 1l full-cream milk
30ml olive oil
50g Parmesan cornflour, to coat vegetable or canola oil, for frying
To serve 4 heads baby pak choi
30 to 50g preserved truffles,
sliced finely
200g Grana Padano, shaved
1. Preheat the oven to 80 to 90˚C. season the shanks generously with fine salt. heat the oil in a heavy-based pan to a medium heat and seal the shanks evenly until they’re golden. remove the meat from the pan. Brown the garlic, chopped vegetables and bay leaves in the pan, using the same oil, then add the rosemary and thyme. deglaze the pan with the red wine, then reduce the wine by half and remove from the heat. 2. Place the shanks in a deep baking tray or oven-proof casserole dish. Pour over the wine and vegetables, scraping out any bits from the pan as well. Cover the meat with chicken stock and season. Cover the tray with a double layer of tinfoil and roast for about 10 hours, ideally overnight (check after 9 hours – the meat should pull away from the bone easily and feel butter soft). allow the shanks to cool in the liquid. once at room temperature, gently pull the meat off the bone and set aside in an oven-proof dish. 3. using a fine sieve, strain the leftover liquid from the oven tray. Place the strained stock in a saucepan and reduce to sauce consistency over low heat, using a ladle to skim off the fat that rises to the top. Take off the heat and set aside. Before serving, add a dash of cream to the jus and blitz with a hand blender.
4. To make the gremolata bread, dice the stale bread into small blocks. heat the olive oil in a pan, melt the butter in it once it’s hot, then reduce the heat. add the bread and toss to fry evenly until golden brown and crunchy. remove from the pan and place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. once the bread has cooled, scatter over the parsley and zest, and season. set aside.
5. To make the polenta, line a medium-sized dish with a few layers of clingfilm. heat the milk in a saucepan, and add the polenta to the hot milk. allow to thicken over low to medium heat, while whisking continuously. add more milk if need be. season with salt to taste, and add the olive oil. once the polenta is stiff yet still pourable, add the Parmesan and mix through. Pour into the lined tray and level out with a spatula. allow to cool down, then refrigerate. once completely firm and set, flip the polenta slab onto a cutting board. slice into portions using a sharp knife and keep aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 160˚C and place the shank meat in the oven to warm up. Warm up the lamb jus on a low heat.
7. When you’re ready to serve, coat the polenta portions in the cornflour, dusting off any excess, and deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown. Place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil and keep warm in the oven.
8. Blanch the pak choi in boiling water for 20 seconds.
9. Plate the lamb and pour over a little jus. scatter over the gremolata bread, followed by the truffles. spoon some jus next to the meat and place the fried polenta and pak choi alongside the lamb. garnish with the grana Padano.
CHARRED MIELIE CAKE WITH YOGHURT CRÈME AND ORANGE SAUCE
serves 4 For the butter tuile 50g softened butter 50g icing sugar
50g egg whites
35g cake flour
For the mielie cake 3 eggs 1/2 cup full-cream yoghurt 1/2t vanilla extract 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup caster sugar 1/4 cup grapeseed oil 1/2t sea salt
cool and break into shards. set aside. 2. To make the mielie cake, grease and line a cake or bread tin with baking paper. slice the mielie kernels off the cobs and keep aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk the wet ingredients by hand or using a mixer. Whisk in the dry ingredients and combine well. add the mielies and fold through. spoon the batter into a baking tin and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted near the centre comes out clean. remove from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack. 3. To make the yoghurt crème, combine all the ingredients and whisk. refrigerate.
4. Just before serving, make the orange sauce. Combine the orange juice, sugar and grand Marnier in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. over medium heat, whisk in the butter, incorporating one cube at a time. allow the sauce to thicken, then season and serve warm. 5. To serve, slice and plate the cake. spoon over some orange sauce and top with the gooseberries and tuile. add a dollop of yoghurt crème on the side.