Daube de boeuf Provençal

The daube is a dish whose origins are not limited to Provence and spread across the whole south of France. However, the Provençal version of the dish is perhaps the most distinctive and flavourful. The daube is not just a dish, it is a way of cooking that utilizes a particular kind of casserole type vessel called a daubiere. See below for an image of the vessel which is usually layered with meat at the base and vegetables and aromatics at the top. I don't feel like this is a barrier to you making this dish at home. A heavy based casserole dish or dutch oven will more than suffice.



Ingredients that are found commonly in the Provençal daube might include beef or lamb, usually a tougher cut that lends itself to slow cooking. I have read that you should always use two different cuts of meat in the dish and I would recommend cuts such as chuck, blade, round and shank to get the best results. Vegetables and aromatics that could find their way in are carrots, onions, tomatoes, olives, fennel, bay leaves, garlic, cloves, thyme, peppercorns, oregano, parsley, rosemary, chervil, basil, orange and cinnamon. The abundance of fresh herbs in the region often leads chefs to use anything at hand. The inclusion of ingredients such as orange and cinnamon is another interesting aspect of this dish illustrating the influence the Arabs had during their occupation of the region. Daube is also commonly served on macaroni which may be unusual in other regions, but the proximity to Italy once again shows its influence. The other key ingredient is of course wine and you should ideally use a Côtes du Rhône, however any full bodied red can be used such as a shiraz. Do not use ultra cheap wine - it will ruin the dish as the flavour of the wine will carry throughout.

Although this dish is essentially a peasant dish it is not an everyday dish. Generally it is reserved for special occaisions and this may be because of the length of preparation time. Marinating can take 1-3 days, then the dish is slow cooked for 3-4 hours and then left to sit for the flavours to develop further. While not a technically complex dish it does take time so I suggest preparing during the week for a feast on the weekend. The recipe below is adapted from one published in the LA Times.


Ingredients (serves 4-6)

Bouquet Garni
1 orange peel, pith removed
3 to 4 bay leaves
4 sprigs parsley
6 to 8 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon

Wrap the above ingredients in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string.

Daube
2 pounds chuck or round steak
1/2 pound piece smoked bacon
1 (2-inch) slice beef shank (about 600g)
3 medium onions, cut into eighths
3 large carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut diagonally in 1/2 -inch slices
2 medium bulbs fennel, tops trimmed, cut in eighths
1 bottle (750 ml) red wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1kg tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (2 1/4 cups chopped) or 1 3/4 cups diced canned tomatoes, drained
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup brine-cured black olives
1/4 cup chopped parsley

1. Cut the beef into 1 1/2 -inch cubes. Remove the rind off the bacon and cut in lardons.

2. Line a large ovenproof casserole with the bacon rind and place the beef shank on top. Add the cubes of beef, lardons, onions, carrots and fennel, and pour in the bottle of wine.

3. Add the bouquet garni and submerge into the ingredients until covered. Drizzle over the olive oil so the vegetables on top do not dry out. Cover and refrigerate for 1- 3 days.

4. Heat oven to 400F/205C degrees. Remove the daube from the refrigerator while the oven is heating. Sprinkle the daube with the garlic and chopped tomatoes, add 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and pour in enough water to almost cover the vegetables. Place on a lower shelf in the oven and cover and cook until the broth is almost simmering, about 45 minutes.

5. Stir the meat and vegetables. Add the olives. Reduce the heat to 300F/150C degrees. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a cube of beef can be easily crushed between your finger and thumb, 2 1/2 to 3 hours more. The vegetables will be very tender.

6. Take the pot from the oven and lift out the slice of shank. It needs to be tender and falling off the bone, so will probably need more cooking: Put it in a medium saucepan and ladle in enough broth from the daube to cover the meat. Cover and simmer until the meat is almost falling apart, 30 to 45 minutes longer.

7. Remove the shank with the bone, and let cool until tepid. Return the broth to the casserole and discard the bouquet garni. Taste the broth. If the flavor is thin and needs reducing, ladle as much as possible into a saucepan and boil until the flavor is concentrated and the liquid is reduced by about half, to about 4 cups. Meanwhile, pull the meat from the bones of the shank and cut it into 1-inch pieces. Stir the meat gently into the casserole, with the marrow from the central bone. When the broth is reduced, stir it back into the daube, taste and adjust the seasoning.

8. If possible, prepare daube a day or two ahead and keep it, in its pot, in the refrigerator. Reheat it in a 350-degree oven, allowing at least an hour and probably more for heat to penetrate to the center. Just before serving, stir in the chopped parsley and check the seasoning again. Ladle the daube directly from the pot into shallow pasta bowls.

Niçoise salad

A debate lasting over a century based solely around a salad may seem absurd to some, however the French could never be accused of not being passionate about their food. Named after Nice, the city of its origin, the salad’s ingredients have never been agreed on. Ingredients used in the salad include: tuna (canned and fresh), olives, anchovies, potatoes, lettuce, green beans, peppers, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, boiled egg, capers, cucumber, basil, shallots, garlic, oil, vinegar and dijon mustard. Almost every one of these ingredients has been argued by purists not to be true to the original dish aside from beans and olives.

Although not adhering to any strict guidelines I will show you how I like to make a salad Niçoise. No doubt if I had a French purist looking over my should while preparing, they would undoubtedly roll their eyes and shake their heads profusely. To infuriate them more this is adapted from a Gordon Ramsey recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4)

Salad
450g potatoes either new potatoes (You could also use kipfler)
300g green beans (preferably haricot vert, which are a French green bean)
24 cherry tomatoes, halved
24 black olives (do not skimp on cheap olives, they need to be soft and full of flavour)
2 tbsp capers
16 anchovies (I would also aim for a quality anchovy as this flavour is key to the dish)
2 banana shallots finely sliced
2 baby gem lettuce or perhaps cos, separated into leaves (Do not use fancy lettuce you need the cool crunch of these varieties)
4 tuna loin steaks, about 100g each (it is more classic to use a tinned tuna so feel free to use either)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 large eggs
Few basil leaves
Salt and Pepper

Vinaigrette
1 tbsp sherry vinegar (or you can substitute red wine vinegar)
40ml extra virgin olive oil
40ml olive oil
1 tbsp groundnut oil (peanut oil is also fine as it has little taste)
Juice of ½ a small lemon

Preparation:
1. Boil the potatoes for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Drain well then halve.

2. Trim the beans, then cook in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in iced water. Drain well once more and pat dry with paper towel or a clean tea towel. It is important not to overcook the beans or skip the refreshing step, as they need to maintain a crisp texture. Classically the beans would have been served uncooked however I prefer a light blanch.

3. Mix the potatoes and beans with the tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovies and shallots.

4. Whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Toss the tomatoes, olives, anchovies and capers in some of the vinaigrette.

5. Place the eggs in to a pan of boiling water and cook for 7 minutes (for a well set white and soft yolk). Plunge the eggs into iced cold water to prevent them from cooking further. Once cooled, roll the egg on the work surface, gently applying pressure so the shell begins to crack, then peel off the shell.

6. Place 3 of the larger lettuce leaves on each serving plate then divide the salad between them.

7. Heat a large non-stick frying pan until it is hot when you place your hand over it. Add 1 tbsp of the oil then lay in the tuna steaks. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side; you will be able to see how they are cooking as the colour rises up the sides. You are aiming for a seared outside but still a decent amount of colour in the centre. Remember that fish continues to cook off the heat so remove just before you think they are ready. Deglaze with the balsamic vinegar. Season and lift out of the pan. Cut each steak into thin slices and place onto the salad.

8. Cut the eggs in half to reveal the soft yolk and place the on top of the tuna. Be careful not to lose all that delicious yolk when you slice them open. Scatter with basil leaves then serve.

Provence-Côte-d'Azur, France

So the Egg and Spoon is back after an extended Christmas and New Year break. I didn’t stop eating and cooking over the last few months but the holiday season always makes it hard for me to keep focused. There is also one more slight change heading into 2010. Instead of focusing on the food of a particular country for a month, I will now be focusing on the food of specific region of a country each week. As the food from any particular country can be so wide and varied, I thought this would make more sense. This means I also don’t get stuck eating food from one country for a whole month which I hate doing.

The first region on the list is Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in south eastern France. Provence borders Italy to the east and stretches along the Mediterranean. The region encompasses cities such as Nice, Marseille and Avignon. The French Riviera, which stretches south west along the coast from Nice, has been a vacation hot spot location for royalty and the rich and famous since the 18th century. The coast is also a major yachting destination hosting 50% of the world’s super yacht fleet every year.

Aside from the excesses the region has become so well known for, it is also home to some of the best regional food and wine in France. A combination of climate, geography and history has helped Provence to develop a uniquely distinctive cuisine.

Olive oil is perhaps the most commonly used ingredient in Provencale cuisine. Olives were brought to the region two and a half thousand years ago by the ancient Greeks and now the region produces some excellent oil which is used widely in kitchens across the region. Olives also form the base of Tapenade, a paste made from olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil, which originated in Provence.

Garlic is also another ingredient that is used widely in dishes and has been labelled “the truffle of Provence”. The abundance of sunshine and fertile soils also provides an agricultural dream for produce, with some vegetables producing up to three crops a year. Tomatoes, aubergine and courgettes, as well as a plethora or fresh herbs such as thyme, lavender, fennel, rosemary and basil, are all readily available and used extensively in dishes. These are often sold in street markets across the region, which are some of the best in Europe.

A close proximity to the ocean means that seafood also commonly takes pride of place on plates in the region. Fish such as the rascasse and loup de mer feature often as well as squid and octopus, mussels, langoustine and crabs. Also popular are preserved fish such as anchovies and salt cod.

Cheeses in the region are generally made from goat and ewes milk, with two excellent cheeses being produced are Banon and Picadon. The region also produces excellent world renowned chocolate such as Valrhona and almond sweets called calissons and delicious nougat.

The region produces an excellent Rose and is responsible for the production of nearly 50% of the Rose made in France. It is also home to the famous wines from Châteauneuf du Pape. A sought after wine which is made from a blend of up to 13 grapes but generally featuring the grenache grape. Aside from wine however it is pastis that is an institution in Provence. Pastis is an apertif that has a predominate aniseed flavour however contains a range of spices including cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and pepper. Although produced in different forms around the world the most famous pastis from France is Pernod Ricard.

It is time to cook, eat and drink and whisk myself off to Provence this week, I am looking forward to it.

The Ingredients - Pimentón de La Vera

Christopher Columbus brought the pepper back to Spain after discovering it on his second voyage to the Americas. The story goes that he served it to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who had found it too spicy. However, the monks of Guadalupe took a liking to it and spread it throughout Extremadura and then across Spain. They were planted in many regions including Murcia which has a warm and sunny climate which allowed these peppers to be sun dried after harvest before being ground. In Extremadura however it was prone to rain around harvest time so they developed a different drying method. They laid the peppers on a fire and dried them using wood smoke. This is what gave the pimentón from this region its distinctive rich, smoky flavour. Today the peppers are dried on racks above an oak fire and are turned manually by hand every day for about two weeks. Next they are taken to the mill where they are slowly ground using stone wheels into what is Pimentón de La Vera.

There are three varieties of Pimentón: Pimentón Dulce which is sweet and mild, Pimentón Agridulce which is slightly hotter and darker in colour and Pimentón Picante which is hot and made from several different peppers. Pimentón de La Vera is held in such high regard that its production is controlled by a denomination of origin. Pimentón and paprika are essentially the same, being made from ground peppers. However, the smoke drying process used to make Pimentón de La Vera imparts such rich, deep smoky and earthy flavours that the two should never be interchanged. Pimentón is used widely in Spanish cooking from adding the spice to chorizo sausage and other meats, as well as being used commonly in a wide range of dishes from across the country.

In the Kitchen - Pintxos

Today in the kitchen I am going to put together a small selection of pintxos. I am going to make a range of modern and more traditional bites to illustrate the versatility of presenting food in this way.

Gilda

Gilda translates as lollipop and the classic Gilda is made from a combination of guindilla (Spanish pepper), an anchovy and an olive spiked onto a toothpick. This is perhaps the easiest pintxo to make and the saltiness of the anchovy pairs well alongside the flavour and texture of the olive and the mild warmth of the guindilla pepper.



Charred Tomato with Black Pudding Topped with Chèvre with Balsamic and Honey Vinaigrette

If you have not tried black pudding before I insist that you do. People are put off by the fact that it is a sausage made from blood, but the flavour and texture are a fantastic addition to a range of dishes. In this pintxo the smokey flavour from tomatoes blackened on the grill is layered with the rich mildly spiced sausage and soft tart chèvre and brought together with a slightly sweet honey vinaigrette.



Ingredients (makes 4)
1 tomato
4 slices of black pudding
4 thin slices chèvre (soft goat's cheese)
Sesame Seeds
Honey
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Preparation:
1. Cut the tomato into 2cm slices.
2. Place under the grill and cook until soft and slightly blackened. Removed and place in bowl for later.
3. Cut the black pudding into slices and fry off in a pan.
4. Place a small spoonful of tomato onto a plate then carefully place the black pudding and a similar size piece of chèvre on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6. Prepare the vinaigrette with two parts oil and one part balsamic vinegar, and honey and salt to taste. Drizzle lightly over the dish.

Onion Confit Stuffed Baby Squid with Roasted Aubergine

This dish pairs the sweet onion confit with lightly grilled squid and earthy aubergine flavours. The key to making this a successful dish is getting the correct balance of sweetness in the confit and being careful not to overcook the squid as you need to be able to bite through it easily as the dish should not require cutlery.



Ingredients (makes 4)
4 baby squid, cleaned and tentacles removed.
1 red onion
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ aubergine
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 lemon
Baguette
Olive oil
Parsley

Preparation:
1. Peel the aubergine and cut into 2cm rounds. Sprinkle with salt and roast in a 180C/350F oven for 15 minutes or until soft.
2. Slice the onion finely and fry with a splash of olive oil until the onions change colour and start to caramelize.
3. Add the sugar and vinegar and stir through until the onion softens and thickens into a jam-like texture. Check the flavours and adjust vinegar and sugar if necessary.
4. Let the mix cool slightly before stuffing the onion confit into the baby squid. Use a toothpick to hold the filling in the squid tubes.
5. Cook the squid tubes on a hot grill or pan for about 30 seconds on each side.
6. Slice the baguette and lightly toast the rounds.
7. Place some roasted aubergine onto each round and place a stuffed squid tube on top.
8. Sprinkle with parsley and top with a few drops of lemon juice.

Roasted Red Pepper, Anchovy, Leek and Cream Cheese Tart

These small tarts are very easy to make and taste great fresh out of the oven. To get the most out of the ingredients the leeks need to be slightly caramalized, the peppers need to have that rich smokey flavour and the anchovies should be of a decent quality.



Ingredients (makes 4)
1 leek, white portion only
4 anchovy fillets, drained of oil
1/2 small red pepper, roasted, peeled and cut into 4 strips
4 10cm squares of puff pastry
100g cream cheese

Preparation
1. Preheat to oven to 180C/350/F
2. Cut the leek in half and boil until tender.
3. Transfer the leek to a hot frypan and colour each side of the leek.
4. Cut 4 squares of puff pasty and place an anchovy, slice of red pepper and 1/4 of the leek onto the square. Make sure you leave some room around the sides of the pastry so it can puff up.
5. Place in the oven on a roasting tray until the pastry puffs and starts to brown.
6. Remove from oven and place a small teaspoon of cream cheese on top of the tart.

Prawn Brochettes with Red and Green Pepper Vinaigrette

Prawn Brochettes are a classic Basque pintxo. This version adds the sweetness of peppers with the tartness of sherry vinegar for a clean, light finish. The prawns are the stars of the dish here so make sure you don't overcook them.



Ingredients (makes 4)
8 prawns, peeled and deveined
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 spring onion
Sherry vinegar
Olive oil
Baguette

Preparation
1. Very finely dice red and green peppers and finely slice spring onion.
2. Prepare vinaigrette using two parts oil to one part vinegar.
3. Combine vinaigrette with peppers and let sit for 5-10 mins.
4. Grill or BBQ prawns until just cooked through.
5. Place two prawns on a slice of fresh baguette and lightly drizzle over vinaigrette.

Chèvre with Membrillo and Candied Walnuts

This is a sweeter pintxo with the tartness and soft texture of the chèvre being offset by the sweetness of the membrillo and crunchy candied walnuts.



Ingredients (makes 4)
Membrillo (quince paste), preferably in block form
Baguette
Walnuts
Maple Syrup
Chèvre (goat's cheese)

Preparation
1. Thinly slice baguette and fry off in a pan with some butter until crisp and brown.
2. Chop walnuts and add to a hot pan with some maple syrup and move around until nuts are coated and maple syrup has thickened, then remove and allow to cool.
3. Take a thin slice of baguette and top with a slice of chèvre. Top with a similar size piece of membrillo and then a few candied walnuts.

The History - Pintxos, the tastes of Donostia-San Sebastián

Donostia-San Sebastián, or San Sebastián as it is commonly known, is a small city of less than 200,000 people located on the Bay of Biscay on the northern coast of Spain, situated within Basque country. Although not large in stature this seaside city is often thought to be the jewel in the culinary crown of Europe. San Sebastián boasts seven three-Michelin Star restaurants, and chefs leading the way internationally with inventive modern cuisine. However it is not the Michelin star restaurants that draws the most foodies from around the world to flock to this seaside city. Pintxos are Basque style tapas that have developed into small gastronomic delights, that at the top bars have become more akin to an amuse bouche than a simple bar snack. In San Sebastián the locals eat Pintxos as part of a Txikiteo, which is a pre dinner or lunch bar crawl in which you might meet friends, have a small glass of local txakoli wine and one or two pintxos, and then move to the next bar. However many a gluttonous tourist has been compelled to graze over a much larger selection. Pintxos can range in price starting from two dollars and although traditionally are served on bread, can include any small bite. They can comprise of a simple combination of olive, pepper and anchovy through to a a less traditional combination of foie gras and apple. Pintxos literally means 'thorn' or 'spike' and refers to the toothpick that is a part of many pintxos. They can be used to hold food together, but also can be used to identify different prices and varieties of pintxos. Traditionally the pintxos are laid out across the bar and you take what you like, and upon finishing your bill is tallied using the honour system or by counting the toothpicks.

The Ingredients - Manchego

Manchego is a sheep's milk cheese made from the La Mancha region of Spain which is also home to Don Quixote. It is made exclusively from the milk of the Manchega sheep and its production is protected by the Denominación de Origen. This restricts the production of this cheese so that the milk used to make the cheese comes only from the Manchega sheep, as well as being aged for a minimum of two months. The cheese is pressed together with wooden boards which leave a distinctive floral style pattern on the top and bottom of the cylindrical cheese. The sides of the cheese are recognizable by the cross hatch pattern which comes from the molds, that are made from mat weed or esparato. Today some industrially manufactured cheese have this pattern engraved on their molds. Manchego is sold in different stages of maturity ranging from two months to one year. The young cheese is milder and softer, firming to a texture similar to Parmesan and with the nutty peppery flavours increasing in intensity with age. Manchego is perhaps the greatest of all Spanish cheeses and is perfect served with some cured ham, olives and a glass of Manzanilla sherry. It is also often served with quince paste which is an excellent match.

The Ingredients - Jamón Iberico

Spain is the producer of what is arguably the finest ham in the world. Jamon Iberico is made from the Black Iberian Pig. This species came about when pigs brought to the Iberian peninsula from the Eastern Mediterranean bred with wild boars. These pigs are unique in their ability to store large amounts of fat under the skin, as well as having fat marbled through their muscle tissue. This marbling gives a wonderfully rich flavour and buttery texture to the hams that are made from these pigs. The best of these hams is Jamon Iberico de Bellota. Bellota translates to acorns and refers to the acorns the pigs feed on almost exclusively for last few months before they are slaughtered around January every year. This special diet gives these hams a unique and complex flavour that makes the cured hams so sought after. Once the pigs are butchered the hams are cured for 24 to 48 months. This ham is not only the best in the world but also the most expensive, reaching prices of up to $180 a pound outside of Spain. The Spanish have an impressive love for ham, with on the bone cured hams being found readily in tapas bars across the country. You will find this ham served thinly sliced by hand and it is often eaten along with some thinly sliced Manchego cheese.

Spain

The first stop on this new format Egg and Spoon, is Spain. A likely place as any to start and a good chance to uncover some of the secrets to this highly renowned cuisine. Perhaps the first thing to understand about Spanish cuisine is the influences that have brought it to where it is today. One of the biggest influences was brought with the occupation of the Iberian peninsula by the Moors from 711 until 1492. The Moors brought with them spices such as saffron, cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as rice. One thing that the Moors can not lay claim to is the cured pork and ham, as the Moors were Muslims and did not eat pigs. Christopher Columbus brought back vanilla, chocolate, tomatoes, beans, peppers and potatoes from his journey to the New World. As well as these, the Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans all influenced modern Spanish food in one way or another.
Geography also plays its part in Spanish cuisine with each region of Spain offering dishes with their own unique flavours and textures. From Gazpacho in the south to hearty stews in the Meseta region, through to delicious Pinxtos in Basque country. Spanish food can range from simple peasant dishes through to the many Michelin-starred restaurants around San Sebastian. Over the next month we will take a journey through the regions, produce and dishes that make Spanish food irresistible.

The Egg and Spoon Returns

The Egg and Spoon has returned after what was an altogether too long absence. This was fueled by a relocation to Vancouver and the setting up of a new kitchen in which to cook. Having to start a kitchen again from scratch, including buying new cookware and restocking the pantry, can take some time. With the return of regular posts also comes a slight change in direction for the blog. There will still be posts relating to food history as well as photos and descriptions of the dishes I cook. However, over the next year I will be exploring food one cuisine at a time. I will focus on one cuisine a month, exploring the key ingredients, cooking styles, history, iconic and lesser known dishes. There will now also be recipes for everything I cook so you can replicate anything you read about. I think that this new direction will be a great way to discover the food of the world and also help you to understand what drives each of these different country's food culture. I can't wait to get started so please continue to follow - send the blog to anyone who loves food or who you think needs a subtle nudge in that direction. Please feel free to comment or ask me any questions.

Goat's Cheese Pannacotta with Beetroot Sorbet, Chocolate Macaron filled with Dark Chocolate and Orange Ganache and Walnut Praline

For the last dish of the week I went out on my own and created this dessert as the grand finale. As with the previous dish the three key flavours were beetroot, goat's cheese and walnuts. In addition to these I added two more flavours that I believe work amazingly, and perhaps somewhat surprisingly, with beetroot - orange and chocolate. With the goat's cheese pannacotta it is important to balance the sweetness with the tartness of the goat's cheese. It is also important to use the right amount of gelatine so it holds together but is not rubbery. I would definitely advocate the use of leaves as opposed to powder. As with the pannacotta, the sweet balance is vital to the sorbet. I did add a dash of red wine vinegar, but also a decent amount of sugar to help bring beetroot into the realm of dessert. The macarons themselves were not a roaring success which was disappointing after making a perfect batch a few weeks ago. However, the chocolate orange ganache was sublime. I added a healthy amount of orange rind to the cream, while heating the cream before adding 70% cocoa dark rich chocolate and then refrigerating until thick.

I absolutely loved this dessert with everything working so well together - far beyond what I expected. I started each mouthful with a bite of the slightly chewy macaron, with the rich chocolate orange ganache oozing out. Then combining a spoonful of the ever so slightly tart goat's cheese pannacotta, crunchy walnut praline with the ice cold, smooth rich beetroot sorbet I put all the flavours together. As they swirl around your tastebuds each flavour links with another all working together contrasting and complementing each other. All thoughts of that beetroot-stained, greasy burger with the lot were wiped out and forgotten with every last morsel in my mouth.

Beetroot Risotto with Goat's Cheese and Walnuts

For the final two dishes of the week I am going to try and illustrate the versatility of beetroot as an ingredient. It blends with an amazing array of flavours and two of the best matches are goat's cheese and walnuts. I am going to carry these across the two dishes, but with two very different outcomes. The first dish of risotto with goat's cheese and walnuts is a visually spectacular dish, the bright red of the beets stains the rice and sits in contrast to the creamy white of the scattered goat's cheese. This dish is a great step away from a more traditional risotto. The beets are wrapped individually in foil, along with a dash of olive oil and salt. Once they are tender they are peeled and diced. A handful can be processed and added to the stock, which gives the risotto that brilliant red. The remainder are cooked for a few minutes with some red wine vinegar and white sugar in a pan to enhance the beets' sweetness and acidity. Once the risotto is nearly done, stir the remaining chopped beets through the risotto and scatter the goat's cheese and roasted walnuts across the risotto. The key to this dish lies in the delicious sweet explosions of beetroot alternated with the tartness of the goat's cheese. The crunch and nutty flavour of the walnuts sets off perfectly against the creamy risotto. Go easy on the parmesan if you usually use it, as the goat's cheese needs to shine through for this dish to work.

Borscht

This classic eastern European dish can be served both hot and cold. There are many variations on a theme, however the essential focus in many of the versions is the balance of the sweetness of the beets with acidity from lemon juice or vinegar. This version was finished with a spoonful of sour cream which added a touch more acidity, and set it off visually against that brilliant rich red from the beets.

Rotolo of beetroot leaves and ricotta

So the first dish of the week is going to use a part of the beetroot which you may never have tried. The leaves of beetroot are also known as Swiss chard, which is from the same family as what we know as silverbeet. With a taste similar to spinach it works with cuisines in many of the same ways. However, the slight difference in flavour provides a new twist on well worn flavour combination. This was my first attempt at a rotolo, which is cooked in an interesting way by wrapping in a tea towel and poaching in a baking dish filled with water in the oven. The ricotta is lightly browned in the oven before adding to the filling, bringing a wonderful caramelized flavour to the dish. There is a large amount of marjoram in the dish which I was cautious of initially. However, its wonderful floral scent marries perfectly with the nutty brown butter sauce and hint of nutmeg, drawing you in to have a taste. Then its slightly sweet taste brings out the earthy flavours of the chard though the rich ricotta. The recipe is in the comments section courtesy of Tobie Puttock.

Beetroot

This week's ingredient is...BEETROOT! Ok, so I may have lost half the audience with the first sentence, but stick with me. Beetroot to many Australians is the iconic ingredient in the local takeaway classic - burger with the lot. A slice of bland, over-sweetened beetroot slapped between a Tip Top bun along with an overcooked dry meat pattie, some wilted ice burg lettuce, a slice of plastic cheese, slimey tasteless tomato and a slightly blackened, horrendously well-done egg whose smell reminds you of that childhood trip to Rototura all those years ago. Along with the burger with the lot, tinned beetroot somehow found its way onto our sandwiches where it turned your white bread pink around the edges making it impossible to swap, but an incredibly dangerous playground weapon.

After tasting fresh beetroot I wondered why we were forced to endure the tinned version of what is such a wonderfully flavoured and versatile vegetable. An ancestor of the sea beet, which is found throughout the Mediterranean, Europe and India. The beetroot has been cultivated for thousands of years, back into the second millennium BC. The plant was first domesticated along the Mediterranean before it spread to Babylonia by the 8th century BC and east to China by 850 AD. Used in cuisine both for the leafy chard, which is similar to spinach, and the rich dark red root. Beetroot appears in dishes crossing Europe, Africa, America and of course in the world renowned Australian burger with the lot.

This week I am going to hopefully shut out the beetroot crimes of the past and inspire some to stain their fingers, and possibly half their kitchen, pink in the pursuit of beetroot bliss.

Goan Fish Curry

The Portuguese also traveled to the Americas and occupied parts southern India, and there is evidence to suggest they were responsible for the introduction of chillies to the region of Goa, which occupies part the south western coast of India. Having traveled through India and Goa I have had the chance to taste some of the fantastic food the subcontinent has to offer.

All through Goa you can buy this delicious fish curry, often made with Pomfret, though any firm white flesh fish will do. The beauty of Goan cuisine is its diversty of influences. Unlike other parts of India, the major religion here is Christianity which means people are free to eat beef and pork, which are off limits to many Hindu and Muslim Indians. Along with this, the influence of the Portuguese has meant you can find spicy Goan sausage and other Portuguese influences scattered throughout menus. Finally, the climate and location mean that tropical fruit and coconut trees grow well here and these in turn find their way onto your plate.

This fish curry combines the fish with a simple spice blend, a strong sour note of tamarind and thickened with fresh coconut. A really simple curry that really took me back to lazy days along the beaches of Goa.

Bacalao al ajo arriero

As the Spanish spread through the Americas they too discovered capsicum and chilli and brought it home to Spain. Today capsicum and chilli play a pivotal part in Spanish cuisine, particularly through the use of pimenton, or Spanish paprika. Pimenton is made from dried ground bell peppers and has a distinctive smokey flavour and is used in a variety of Spanish dishes, and is used to spice sausages such as chorizo.

The dish I have chosen to make is quintessentially Spanish. The combination of salt cod, or bacalao which is a key ingredient throughout Spain and Portugal, along with roasted capsicum and combined with tomato and smokey pimenton, is perhaps the antithesis of the mole poblano in terms of simplicity, but definitely partnered in terms of balance. A close tie for dish of the week, this dish illustrated what I believe to be the simple essence of Spanish cuisine. The peppers were roasted and blackened in the oven, which develops their sweetness and brings out their innate smoky flavour. Salt cod has a wonderful strong fishy flavour and firm texture and while it is soaked and rinsed many times, still holds a salty taste. The acidity in the tomatoes cuts this saltiness down and the addition of good quality pimenton lifts this dish to another level. The addition of freshly chopped parsley brings a freshness to the dish which completes the balance. This dish is a real winner and was quick and easy to prepare and will definitely find its way back onto our menu.

Picadillo

The second dish I have chosen, which is also from the Americas, is one which we should be familiar with but not by the same name. Picadillo is derived the Spanish work "picar" which means "to mince" or "to chop" and is a made from minced beef which is spiced and can be mixed with vegetables. In the US this dish is often just referred to as "chilli" and in Australia we often use it to fill our tacos. Across the Americas you will find it served up on rice or even as the filling for empanadas. The recipe I used was relatively dry compared to the Australian version and the spice came from jalapenos which provided a more pepper like hotness than using dried chillies or powder.

Oven Roasted Chicken Maryland with Mole Poblano

Researching the history of the capsicum really opened my mind up to the history of what is definitely one of my favourite ingredients. I am going to refer to bell peppers as capsicums and chillies as chillies this week so as not to confuse you - or myself for that matter. Since chillies originated in the Americas, at least as early as 7500 BC and have been cultivated there since 6000 BC, it is fitting that I choose a dish to match. The first dish out of the kitchen this week is a Mexican classic, chicken with mole poblano. Now, for most Australians we have only been exposed to the "Tex Mex" served up at establishments like Montezuma's with nachos, tacos and burritos. However true Mexican cuisine is far removed from these dishes.

Mole poblano - what a fantastic sauce which is like nothing else I have tasted! The incredible depth of flavour in this sauce stems from the use of chillies. I used three types of chillies, and over 10 chillies in all. However before you envisage your face turning a bright red and steam pouring from your ears like a Warner Brothers cartoon from one spoonful, think again. Two of the types of chillies I used were very mild. I used dried mulato and pastilla chillies which have a rich, complex taste and intoxicating fragrance. I paired these with a habenero chilli which is incredibly hot, but equally fragrant when cooked. The sauce also contained tomato, almonds, raisins, spices such as cinnamon and cloves and a small amount of dark chocolate. The sauce is a perfect example of building depth in flavour. Like the construction of harmonies in music, each flavour strikes a different note and the experience in your mouth starts with the scent of spice and chilli, then moves to the spice and nutty sweetness on the palette and finishes with a warm heat from the chilli and touch of bitterness from the chocolate. Roasted or smoked chicken is the perfect match for this mexican culinary masterpiece.

Capsicum

This week's ingredient is...CAPSICUM. So here in Australia use the term capsicum to describe one variety of capsicum which are generically called bell peppers. The term capsicum actually refers to a whole genus of plants native to the Americas but is now cultivated and used widely in cuisines around the world. The genus includes what we commonly know as chilli, jalapenos, cayenne pepper and a range of others ranging in taste from sweet to very hot such as the habenero. Capsicum has been part of the human diet since at least 7500BC. In 1493 Diego Álvarez Chanca, who was a doctor aboard Columbus' second voyage to the West Indies in 1493, brought the first chillies to Spain. Around this time the Spanish, who occupied Mexico, traded heavily with Asia and it was through this trading that chillies spread to India, China and the rest of Asia. Chillies are also thought to have been spread by the Portuguese to who occupied the southern states of India. Today capsicums of all varieties are used across the globe in a stunning range of cuisines and used in many varied ways. This week I am going to only be able to showcase a minuscule amount of dishes that use this phenomenal ingredient. In truth I could take you across the globe with chilli - its penetration is so deep and ingrained today in so many dishes.

Individual Egg Custards with Cinnamon Soldiers

With eggs as this weeks ingredient I couldn't wait too long before heading to desserts. This dessert was inspired by Melbourne-based chef Shannon Bennett, who I believe does something along the same lines. This dish is a play on my earliest memories of eating eggs - soft boiled in an egg cup with little "soldiers" of toast. I loved this as a kid, there was something so satisfying about dipping the toast in the cracked open egg and lifting it out covered in rich steaming yolk. To make this into a dessert I filled some cracked open egg shells with a rich steaming custard made with fresh eggs, sugar, vanilla bean and milk, and slowly heated over a low heat until it coated the back of a spoon, and sprinkled with a touch of nutmeg. I then made french toast with double cream and dusted it in a cinnamon sugar. This was a terribly moorish dessert and one that the heart foundation will never give the tick to.

Trio of Omelette

Sifting through the way eggs are used in different cuisines one thing was evident and that was that so many of them had their own version of what we would call an omelette. I decided to showcase this by choosing three of the more famous variations. The first version had to be the classic French omelette. There seems to be a lot of discussion on what makes a true French omelette, but from my research this omelette is only just cooked and when folded over often is still a touch runny on the inside. I did choose to fill this omelette which may stray form the classic style but is an accepted addition. I mixed through a blend of parsley, chives and tarragon to start with and filled it with a light layer of ashed chevre. The second of the three was the stalwart and icon of the Spanish tapas menu, tortilla patatas. This omelette has a layer of potato and onion at the base and is cooked in the pan and finished off under the grill. I added a slice or two of chorizo sausage to add a little spice. It really is a great simple Spanish dish and the key is not over cooking the potatoes so they hold their form and cooking evenly by finishing off under the grill. The last omelette is the Japanese Tamagoyaki, a rolled omelette flavoured with soy sauce, mirin and sometimes dashi. The key to this dish is definitely technique. The Japanese use a square pan and pour a little of the mixture down and then roll to one end of the pan and repeat this process rolling the new omelette into the previous one until you have a roll with many layers. I topped this with freshly grated daikon raddish and a sliver of shittake mushroom. I would not ever serve these three together in a restaurant as their flavours vary so much, however it was very interesting to sample these different takes on the humble omelette.

Bacon and Eggs

I thought I would start off this week with an egg dish that so many of us enjoy as a treat on a Saturday morning - bacon and eggs. I couldn't just whip up the usual though, so I decided to add a touch of class to this everyday dish. To start with, instead of regular hens' eggs I chose some fresh quail eggs. Next the bacon is gone and is replaced with a delicious prosciutto and even the toast had a face lift being traded in for a butter rich brioche. To add another dimension I whipped up a classic french hollandaise which is made from an emulsion of egg yolks, a lot of butter and vinegar or lemon juice. It really is the perfect sauce for eggs and is well worth the effort. To finish off the most decadent bacon and eggs I have ever made, a light sprinkle of truffle salt added a beautiful earthy smell and taste to finish it off.

Eggs

New week and a new ingredient, and this week it's Eggs. Although commercially hens' eggs are by far the most widely eaten in the world there are many different edible varieties. Duck, goose, quail, ostrich, guineafowl and gull eggs all appear in dishes across the world and avian eggs are the most commonly eaten. However in some cultures turtle and crocodile eggs are also considered a delicacy. Perhaps a delicacy that you may not immediately associate with eggs is caviar, which is the eggs or roe from a fish, usually the sturgeon or salmon. The most sought after caviar is that of the Beluga Sturgeon with some varieties reaching prices of up to $25,000 per kg. Needless to say, this will not appear in any dishes this week. The French use egg yolks in their classic sauces such as hollandaise, the whites beaten to soft peaks and used in souffle and of course the whole egg used to make a classic omelette. The Chinese use eggs widely in a variety of dishes including Fu-Yung eggs and the intimidating century egg which is preserved for several weeks to months until they turn dark green in colour. The Japanese use egg in classic dishes such as Okonomiyaki, a type of savoury pancake and Tamagoyaki, a rolled omelette. In Morocco you will undoubtedly find eggs cracked and cooked on the top of your kefta tagine. Wherever you are in the world eggs will find their way onto your plate in one form or another.

Falafel

Next stop on our chickpea journey is the falafel, a dish that many have eaten and is popular around the world. Israel claims the falafel as its national dish, but the Palestinians may disagree. Originally made with fava beans, the falafel is a common street food across Israel where it is served in pita bread with salad and a range of condiments including hummus, tahini and hot sauce. You can even find street vendors including fries into the pita sandwich.

These falafel are made from a spiced chickpea batter rolled into balls and fried in hot oil for 3-4 minutes until they are browned and crisp and crunchy on the outside. We served these in a pita with hummus and a salad of tomato, cucumber, capsicum, mint, parsley, green onion and lemon juice.

Channa Masala

Chickpeas play a role in cuisines across the Middle East, but perhaps feature most prominently in Indian dishes. The Indian dish I have chosen to cook this week is a Punjabi favourite, Channa Masala.

The dish itself consists of Indian style chickpeas, or Kala Channa, which are darker in colour and slightly nuttier in flavour than the chickpeas we are used to eating in Australia and in the west. Tomato, onion, ginger and garlic are added as well but as with most Indian dishes the heart of the dish lies with the blend of spices. I made my own garam masala with whole spices, but you can use a pre-mixed spice. In addition to the garam masala, channa masala is also added. I bought this from an Indian grocer rather than making it as it contains some rarer ingredients such as salt dried mango and ground pomegranate seeds. These ingredients add a tartness to the curry that makes it zing when it hits your tongue and really set this apart from many other curries I have eaten. I served this dish with Indian roti but any Indian bread would be fine.

Nohut Yahnisi

Chickpeas have been a part of Turkish food for thousands of years and the region is one of the few places where wild chickpeas can be found today. With this in mind I have decided to start the week with a Turkish dish. The dish I chose was a simple chickpea stew called Nohut Yahnisi. The stew combines chickpeas, tomato and spinach spiced with fennel seeds, cumin, fresh mint and dill.

The chickpeas provide a soft crunch and a subtle nutty flavour and really form the substance to the stew. The fresh tomatoes provided a wonderful acid balance to the dish which would also be heightened with the addition of natural yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon. One of the real stars of this dish however is the fennel seeds. The seeds provide an underlying aniseed flavour that really holds the dish together without taking over. The addition of fresh herbs at the end of the dish provides a brightness in flavour that lightens and lifts the dish. Balance is the key here and this dish combines these simple elements perfectly.

Chickpeas

So after a short delay, largely due to my burgeoning social life and a general lack of direction, I am back and the ingredient for this week is...CHICKPEAS.

Chickpeas are one of the oldest domesticated crops in the world. Archaeologists have found evidence of domesticated chickpeas dating back to 3500BCE in Jericho, and what is now Turkey. From Turkey and the Middle East the domestication of chickpeas spread west into Greece and across Europe and south east into the Indian subcontinent.

There are two main types of domesticated chickpeas: Desi, which are cultivated predominately in India and Iran, and Kabuli which are found in southern Europe and parts of northern Africa. However, there are 21 varieties found in a range of colours and shapes. Chickpeas are also known by a wide variety of names including garbanzo bean, Indian pea, ceci bean, bengal gram, Kabuli chana, kadale kaalu, sanaga pappu, shimbra and Kadala.

Chickpeas and chickpea flour are today used widely across the world in a variety of cuisines. It forms a staple of the Indian diet in a range of dishes in both in their whole form and as Bengal gram or chickpea flour. They form the key ingredient in humus and falafel, which is a favorite street food across the Middle East. Chickpeas have also not escaped the famous cuisines of Europe, finding their way into southern Italian dishes such as panelle and Spanish stews where pulses play a common role.

Chocolate Souffle

The final dish for chocolate week is one that many may have heard is hard to make. In reality it involves relatively simple techniques with a few tricks to ensure success. The top three tips for a light and fluffy souffle are: when you add the first third of egg white mixture you can mix as hard as you need too, but the second two thirds you should fold very lightly. A good tip in relation to preparing the ramekins is to brush the sides with butter then chill for 5 minutes and reapply butter before coating the ramekins with cocoa or in this case, grated chocolate. The last tip is to make sure you have a whole one to yourself so you do not have to share. I served this one with chocolate mint ice cream and it was light, rich and absolutely delicious. If I had not run out of mixture and was able to fill right to the top, it would have risen higher out of the ramekin and looked more spectacular, but I was very happy with the result.

Carrot and White Chocolate Fondant with Dark Chocolate Sorbet

The second chocolate dish this week comes from Gordon Ramsey's "Three Star Chef" book. It is another interesting flavour combination combining carrot and chocolate. This dish was extremely labour intensive and I made it over a couple of days. The liquid centres were from what was basically an ice cube made from cream, white chocolate and a carrot puree. You place a spoonful of the pudding mixture into the dariole moulds and then carefully balance the ice cube in the middle and coat with more mixture. You need to work quickly so the cube doesn't melt and then when you cut it open after baking the gooey inside oozes out. I made the chocolate sorbet myself as well, churning the dark chocolate and cream mixture until the crystals were fine. It was a delicious dessert with the sweetness of the carrots mixing so well with the white chocolate and then balanced by the bitterness of the dark chocolate sorbet. I would definitely make this again despite the long preparation.

Roquefort with chocolate sponge

The first dish I have decided to make is somewhat of a taste experiment for me. The combination of blue cheese and chocolate is not one that would jump out at me ordinarily. Renowned Australian chef Shannon Bennett brought this combination to my attention initially, but he gives credit for it to molecular gastronomy pioneer, Heston Blumenthal. In Heston's kitchen chemistry series he explains that while the combination may seem strange, both chocolate and blue cheese contain many of the same flavour "notes" and so work well together.

After making the dish and tasting it, to be honest I am still not entirely convinced. It was an interesting combination and in your mouth you can taste some of the flavours that work together but overall it was still a little confronting.

Chocolate

This week's ingredient is CHOCOLATE. Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree and was discovered by the Mayan's around 2000 years ago. They took the tree, growing wild in the rain forests of Mesoamerica, and grew it near their homes. They harvested the seeds and made them into a paste which they then mixed with chili and other ingredients to make a spicy chocolate drink. This form of chocolate however was vastly different to what we know as chocolate today, mainly because sugar was not available to the Mesoamericans. Chocolate was spread to Europe by the Spanish who recognized the potential for cacao, both as a delicacy and as a commodity, and shipped cacao seeds back to Spain. They added cinnamon and sugar and it stayed as a Spanish delicacy for a further 100 years before it eventually spread to the rest of Europe. Cacao and sugar were both expensive to buy, so chocolate became somewhat of a status symbol for the wealthy, however by the 1800's along with the industrial revolution chocolate had moved into mass production and become readily available to a broader public. Through further technological advance chocolate was also able to be made into a solid form for eating rather than just drinking chocolate. The first ever bar of chocolate was produced in England by Cadbury in 1842.

Chocolate today is consumed in large quantities around the world and while is a readily available affordable sweet it is also still a feature in fine dining as well. Chocolatiers across the world strive to bring together new flavours and perfect the balance in flavour and texture to excite the palette. I have been lucky to taste one fo the world's best chocolatiers product when I was in Brussels. Pierre Marcolini's chocolate is stunning and we had originally bought many square blocks as presents only to end up enjoying them all to ourselves. I would recommend it to anyone if you get a chance he has stores in several major cities.

Pan Fried Mushrooms on Toasted Brioche and Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil

I think for a lot of people mushrooms are either something you love or hate - and I am definitely a lover. In my opinion, the best way to eat mushrooms is to keep it simple and let the complex flavours of the mushrooms speak for themselves. You can of course use mushrooms in everything from soups to salads to stews and stuffing. They are very versatile, so if you don't like them one way keep trying and you will find a preparation that will take you fancy. I recently made a mushroom ragu with red wine served on a creamy mash. The mushrooms filled the place of meat in a ragu perfectly, making a rich and hearty dish. This week however I have chosen two very simple mushroom dishes that I love. The first dish is great for a Sunday mid-morning breakfast. I had paid a visit to the West End markets on Saturday and grabbed a variety of fresh mushrooms including Portobello, Swiss Brown, King Oyster and Enoki. I dropped past Black Pearl Epicure on the way home and picked up some dried Porcini and was going to get some Morels, however at $48.50 for a small handful this was a little too much for me today! They key to this for me is to use plenty of butter and a few sprigs of thyme. Some people want to add a lot of garlic, but keeping it to a minimum stops it drowning out the mushroom flavours. The dish should really bring out the earthy flavours of the mushrooms and smell amazing.



The second dish I chose was a simple mushroom risotto. I have made this dish many, many times and when made well it never disappoints. The three keys to this dish's success is to make your own stock, and keeping it hot so when added it does not cool the dish down. Secondly, is to only add the mushrooms with the last amount of liquid This way they keep their texture but still impart their flavour. The third tip is to leave some texture in the rice, then add a few knobs of butter and parmesan at the end and cover for a few minutes. This finishes off the risotto beautifully and gives an added rich creaminess. One addition to this risotto from the usual was a light drizzle of truffle oil before serving. This really brought to life the mushroom flavours from all the different varieties. Be careful with this though as truffle oil can be overpowering. Of course a shaving of fresh truffles would be ideal but I had none lying around...

Mushrooms

Of the 120,000 species of mushrooms recorded only 1,841 are edible, with many being deadly. In Australia button mushrooms can be found nearly everywhere, with other varieties such as cup, swiss brown, portobello, enoki and oyster being available at markets and in some supermarkets. Other varieties such as shiitake, porcini and morels can also be found in their dried form as well. Mushrooms have been used for thousands of years across the world and to the Egyptians, according to hieroglyphics, were considered a plant of immortality. The Pharaohs loved mushrooms so much that they decreed them food for royalty not to be touched by the common man. Many civilizations considered mushrooms to have special qualities that could give one super human strength and bring them closer to God. There is a strong chance that they could have been eating something a little stronger than the common button mushroom! France was the leader in cultivation, growing mushrooms in special caves outside of Paris. Cultivation spread to England and later across the Atlantic to the US. Today, a relatively small variety of mushrooms are commercially produced with wild mushrooms still taking up a share of the market. Flavours of mushrooms vary greatly from the mild button to the stronger Asian varieties, such as shiitake. They can be used widely across many cuisines due to the variety of flavours and textures they offer. Perhaps the king of all edible fungi though is the truffle. Whilst not a mushroom, this highly prized fungi is a feature of haute cuisine and fetches a very high price. The highest price ever paid for a truffle was $330,000 - for a 1.5kg truffle.

Apple Parfait and Brownie topped with Granny Smith Granita

I had planned on making a classic apple pie but found that a little uninspiring. This dish has no real relation to the history of the apple, but one thing I do like about it is that it takes the humble apple pie and turns it into a very sexy dessert. The recipe comes from Gordon Ramsey's 3 Star Chef book. This book contains recipes from his three Michelin star restaurant in Chelsea. A lot of these recipes in the book are quite complex and are highly involved. This is no exception and perhaps I should have paid more attention to presentation, however late on a Sunday I just wanted to eat.

The parfait is a combination of apples, blended and reduced, and then mixed with a Pate a Bombe which is made from egg yolks and sugar syrup and folded with cream. To get a smooth texture you need to pass the apple through a fine sieve. I did it once, but I think a few times may be even better. The base of the parfait is a thin slice of rich dark chocolate brownie. The granita is made from Granny Smith apples which are frozen with their skins on before being blended and strained. Apparently freezing them helps keep their intense green flavour. This mixture is combined with a sugar and glucose syrup and then frozen. The granita tastes spectacular and really holds that granny smith tart flavour. The full recipe also includes honeycomb sheets and a champagne foam which I omitted due to not feeling like spending 6 hours in the kitchen making one dessert on a Sunday.

An interesting dessert indeed, combining different textures of the crystallized granita with the smooth parfait and the addition of a rich chocolate brownie was a combination I wouldn't normally put together but really worked. I think the tartness of the apples balanced well with the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate.

Roasted Pork Belly with Caramalized Root Vegetables, Blanched Green Beans served with Apple and Sichuan Pepper Relish and Parsnip Puree

So with a simple ingredient like apple as my starting point, it was hard to know where to begin. I thought back to the history of the apple and how it first appeared in Asia and then moved across the Middle East into continental Europe and to the British Isles. So what dish could I create that brought the flavours of Asia together with the British Isles using apple? One of the biggest links in cuisine between these two regions is pork. It is a meat widely used in Asian cuisine, as well as in classic British dishes like roast pork.

I decided to work on the roast pork theme but with a distinctly Asian twist. Instead of using a traditional cut of pork I went with pork belly, which is common in Chinese cookery and you will see it hung in Chinese restaurants alongside duck in the window. The second twist was the classic accompaniment to a roast pork dinner, apple sauce. I put together a relish blending apple with garlic, onion and spicy sichuan pepper, creating a sweet relish with a savoury spicy edge. I finished the plate with classic roasted vegetables and a smooth parsnip puree to add to the diversity of textures on the plate.

I did research quite a few techniques to cook pork belly and in the end the way I did it was a great success. The crackling was so crisp yet easy to chew and the pork meat underneath fell apart when touched. I left the pork belly uncovered in the fridge for 4 days uncovered to dry out. I then scored the skin at 1cm intervals and rubbed salt into the gaps. I had the oven up as high as it could go and blasted the pork with heat to crisp the skin for 30 mins. I then turned down the oven to 180 and cooked for a further 2 hours.

One of the great successes of this dish played upon my expectations of roast pork and apple sauce. When the spicy sichuan pepper and savoury flavours hit your tongue, you taste the apple as sweet as that is your expectation, even though it is quite savoury. Very enjoyable indeed and another dish planned for tomorrow night as I head into the land of desserts.

Apples

So the ingredient this week is...drum roll please...APPLE. Apples are an ancient fruit, although it is hard to pinpoint their exact origins. It is believed that apples originated in central Asia in the Tien Shan mountains near the border of Kazakhstan and China. In 8000 B.C. nomadic cultures started to use agriculture and settled along rivers and in fertile valleys in the Middle East. As trade started to flourish between these civilizations, so did the apples from the Tien Shan mountains. In 5000 B.C. a Chinese diplomat, yes apparently there were diplomats back then, started grafting apples, among other fruits. Apples spread widely across the Middle East with cultivation becoming more extensive.

It was the Romans however who really expanded the reach of the apple. As they expanded their empire they took on the cultivation skills learned by the Greeks and Persians and spread apple cultivation into continental Europe and the British Aisles. It was the colonists who brought the apple to America in the 1600's, with the first orchard said to have been in Boston in 1625. Perhaps the most famous of American apple icons is Johnny Appleseed. Johnny Appleseed was in fact a real person, John Chapman, who was a skilled cultivator who spread the apple tree across the US. Today, the largest producers of apples are the US and China with there being a total of 7,500 varieties worldwide.

Apples have been part of famous sayings including "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" and "apple of my eye". They have also been involved in famous historical events including Issac Newton's run-in with a falling apple and William Tell's target practice. Perhaps the most famous though is Adam and Eve and the garden of Eden. However, the bible never mentions apples, only fruit. There is so much more to this humble fruit and I will leave its place in cuisine until the cooking entries.

Chevre and Herb Tart with Shaved Pear and Fennel Salad with Goat's Curd

The two dishes that will wrap up this great week of goats cheese delights are both French influenced. However they come from two Australian-based chefs. The first dish was created by Philip Johnson, whose restaurant E'cco in Brisbane won the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year Award in 1997. E'cco has remained at the top of Brisbane dining elite since that time, winning numerous awards. This simple salad is a perfect balance of flavours and textures and is always a hit. A simple dressing balances the tartness of lemon juice and sharpness of seeded and Dijon mustards, rounded off with olive oil and the sweetness of honey. The salad itself combines crunchy fennel and pear with red onion and Italian parsley. The salad is then finished off with the smooth textured sour note of goats curd and a final drizzle of honey and cracked pepper.



The second dish comes from Sydney chef and restauranteur Damien Pignolet, who brought iconic restaurant Claude's to fame in the eighties and more recently, Bistro Moncur. This classic French dish of chevre and herb tart combines a crumbly short crust pastry base, which is the best recipe I have ever found, with a rich and soft cream and egg filling flavoured with a blend of herbs, baby spinach and the tartness of mature goats cheese. This tart is perfect for a late Sunday lunch and Pignolet suggests a glass of Pouilly Fume or Rose as the perfect match.

Ashed Chevre with Slow Roasted Beets and Red Beet Vinaigrette

My next dish is a variation on a recipe created by renowned chef Thomas Keller. Thomas Keller is responsible for two of the top restaurants in the US, Per Se and The French Laundry. This dish was taken from the French Laundry cook book, with a few minor variations. The original recipe calls for red and yellow beets, but I was only able to source red beets. The recipe also creates the vinaigrette from beet juice, but lacking juice or a juicer I pureed the beets instead. This recipe is very basic and is a simple illustration of how these two ingredients compliment and contrast each other.

The sharpness and creamy texture of the ashed chevre slides in perfectly alongside the subtle and slightly sweet flavour of the beets. The puree also has red wine vinegar and white sugar added to provide that sweet-sour balance, which really pulls the two ingredients together. The leaf you see in the photo is from the beets and is a nice addition with a similar flavour to baby spinach, with a slight hint of bitterness.

I love dishes like this that ooze class alongside simplicity. It reminds me of a dish I had at Taillevant in Paris which paired Forme Ambert ice cream alongside a stewed plum.

Empanadillas De Atun and Classic Tapas

In keeping with the idea that goats and their cheese were brought to France through Spain by the Saracens, I have decided to start my dishes for this week in Spain and then move into French cuisine. Empanadillas are the smaller version of an empanada. The name is derived from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. However they can be made by wrapping a pastry or a bread dough around a filling. This dish was possibly influenced by the "fatay", a dish brought into Spain by the Saracens during their occupation of the Iberian peninsula. This dish is essentially a Galician dish, Galicia being in north west Spain, but there are variations across Spain and even into South America. I have chosen to make empanadillas stuffed with tuna, goats cheese, pine nuts, capers, olives, onion, garlic and spiced with smoked paprika. Paprika is an essential spice in Spanish cooking and "La Chinata", smoked paprika, is amazing with a deep rich smokey flavor that emparts a wonderful flavour to your food. In Brisbane you can buy it from Black Pearl Epicure for around $8. I used puff pastry which is not a traditional option but for the purposes of time efficiency worked out well.



In keeping with my tapas theme I thought I would also choose a few other classic Spanish tapas. We had "Alcachofas En Vinagreta Aromatica", boiled artichokes with a vinaigrette spiced with cumin, chilli and coriander powder. This dish was another nod to the Saracens influence on Spannish food.



Dish number three is definitely a Spanish classic which I have eaten in Spain while I was there: "Patatas Bravas". This dish involved twice-fried potato cubes served with a tomato sauce, spiced with paprika and cayenne pepper. The double frying of the potatoes keeps them extra crisp and prevents the sauce making them soggy.



Another classic on the menu was "Garbonzos Con Chorizo", or chickpeas with chorizo. Chorizo is the classic Spanish sausage made from pork and paprika, and chickpeas are also a very classic component of Spanish cuisine. The chickpeas were cooked in chicken stock along with a bay leaf, cinnamon quill and cloves. This gave the chickpeas a mouthwatering mildly spiced flavour that really added complexity and depth to the dish.



The last dish was an afterthought brought about by spotting some thin sweet peppers at the markets at West End on our weekly shopping trip. "Pimientos Rellenos", or stuffed peppers, are probably a dish many people have had or heard of. I stuffed mine with rice (par cooked in chicken stock), ground beef and spiced with cayenne pepper and paprika.

Well that is it for my Spanish feast. Next stop... France!