Monday, June 8, 2009
Quay Restaurant Sydney 10 May
We have been supplying Quay Restaurant in Sydney with Suffolk lamb for 12 months now and after much chiding from the better half a booking was made on the weekend we visited Sydney for the 2009 Vogue Entertaining and Travel producer awards. In the past 12 months Quay has won the Syney Morning Herald Restaurant of the Year and the Gourmet Traveller and Restaurant and Catering Association National Restaurant of the Year awards as well as being named in the World's top 50 restaurants.
As such expectations were High!
After scoring a sensational table with amazing views of both the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House we took a chance to look at the menu which to be honest was a struggle - there were 4 courses and 4 choices per course and to be honest only 3 of the 16 didn't appeal to me. After much deliberation the meal began
For first course I had the Mud Crab Congee. Sweet crab with a well spiced congee and silky smooth rice porridge was pretty good start to the night but there was better to come! Next I went for the Confit of Pig Belly with abalone and cuttlefish braise. It was an subtle combination of flavours and textures all of which were smooth and unctious in their own way with the belly being cooked to perfection. The surprise in the second course was the dish chosen by Liz a Confit of shaved squid - this was sublime and like no other squid dish i have ever tasted. If I ever get back to Quay and that dish is on the menu I'm having it as 1 forkful was not enough!
At this point we were getting set for "mains" when were surprised by the kitchen with 5 textures of southern rock lobster. As a South Aussie I know that these suckers are good and Quay didn't let me down. The "plate" for this was something I'd not seen before and it came apart to reveal 2 dishes one a consomme over a mousse of lobster and the other a stack with butter poached lobster, lobster and tapioca mousseline and what I discovered later was lobster with egg whites. All in all very clever and very good.
So now time for the Suffolk Lamb - a loin with baby carrots, nasturtims, capers and tiny olives it came with a side of sheeps milk fromage that to be honest I was a trifle worried about apon reading the menu. However it worked - all the ingrediants were allowed to speak for themselves and it was testemant to the chef that the flavours were allowed to out and the fromage was wonderfully mild and complemented the unique flavour of our very special suffolk lamb.
As someone who is not a huge "dessert eater" I finished with the cheese platter which was lovely but it was now that we got our last surprise. The 8 texture chocolate cake appeared on our table. Now I have no idea of the exact 8 textures I was eating - all I can say is that this was the best cake I have ever eaten and it has ruined me for all others as now I know what is possible.
All in all a brilliant night with fantastic service and amazing food
As such expectations were High!
After scoring a sensational table with amazing views of both the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House we took a chance to look at the menu which to be honest was a struggle - there were 4 courses and 4 choices per course and to be honest only 3 of the 16 didn't appeal to me. After much deliberation the meal began
For first course I had the Mud Crab Congee. Sweet crab with a well spiced congee and silky smooth rice porridge was pretty good start to the night but there was better to come! Next I went for the Confit of Pig Belly with abalone and cuttlefish braise. It was an subtle combination of flavours and textures all of which were smooth and unctious in their own way with the belly being cooked to perfection. The surprise in the second course was the dish chosen by Liz a Confit of shaved squid - this was sublime and like no other squid dish i have ever tasted. If I ever get back to Quay and that dish is on the menu I'm having it as 1 forkful was not enough!
At this point we were getting set for "mains" when were surprised by the kitchen with 5 textures of southern rock lobster. As a South Aussie I know that these suckers are good and Quay didn't let me down. The "plate" for this was something I'd not seen before and it came apart to reveal 2 dishes one a consomme over a mousse of lobster and the other a stack with butter poached lobster, lobster and tapioca mousseline and what I discovered later was lobster with egg whites. All in all very clever and very good.
So now time for the Suffolk Lamb - a loin with baby carrots, nasturtims, capers and tiny olives it came with a side of sheeps milk fromage that to be honest I was a trifle worried about apon reading the menu. However it worked - all the ingrediants were allowed to speak for themselves and it was testemant to the chef that the flavours were allowed to out and the fromage was wonderfully mild and complemented the unique flavour of our very special suffolk lamb.
As someone who is not a huge "dessert eater" I finished with the cheese platter which was lovely but it was now that we got our last surprise. The 8 texture chocolate cake appeared on our table. Now I have no idea of the exact 8 textures I was eating - all I can say is that this was the best cake I have ever eaten and it has ruined me for all others as now I know what is possible.
All in all a brilliant night with fantastic service and amazing food
Sunday, May 11, 2008
What to do with a dry aged rump?
This is an interesting question as while we as Aussies love rump (or top sirloins as the Yanks call it) but we only really love it off the small and young domestic beef we do for the supermarket and butcher trade here.
We don't love big rumps as they have a small problem which is due to the fact that as the animal gets older the connective tissue "calcifys" which means gets harder and gristlier.
Now the rump consists of 4 muscles (see pic) all of which are covered in silverskin and there is a little bit of gristle around the place as well. So as a piece of meat it can suffer from the impression of being tough despite it not being the meat but the connective tissue that has caused the problem.
Now there is 2 ways to deal with this problem
1) trim every skerrick of connective tissue off
and
2) get the temperature of the connective tissue above 65 deg C at which point it will go soft so long as the cut in question is from a well fed and reared beef animal not some broken down old cow.
On the weekend I used both methods
Firstly and simply I made a version of steak tartare with completely denuded rump tri tip and eye of rump side. I made a spice blend with cinnamon, allspice, black and white pepper and salt. I then got some fine bulgur and washed it then pulsed it in a blender with a dash of olive oil till it was a fine paste. I pulped a few slices of red onion then blended my rump again to a paste like consistency.
I then worked the bulgur, red onion and meat paste together by hand adding the spice mixture as well. This was served with oven toasted pita bread
The remainder of the rump once trimmed was liberally doused in olive oil, scored and had salt rubbed into the fat. This was placed in a weber well stocked with real charcoal.
Set and forget and 3.5 hours later - it doesn't get any better than this
We don't love big rumps as they have a small problem which is due to the fact that as the animal gets older the connective tissue "calcifys" which means gets harder and gristlier.
Now the rump consists of 4 muscles (see pic) all of which are covered in silverskin and there is a little bit of gristle around the place as well. So as a piece of meat it can suffer from the impression of being tough despite it not being the meat but the connective tissue that has caused the problem.
Now there is 2 ways to deal with this problem
1) trim every skerrick of connective tissue off
and
2) get the temperature of the connective tissue above 65 deg C at which point it will go soft so long as the cut in question is from a well fed and reared beef animal not some broken down old cow.
On the weekend I used both methods
Firstly and simply I made a version of steak tartare with completely denuded rump tri tip and eye of rump side. I made a spice blend with cinnamon, allspice, black and white pepper and salt. I then got some fine bulgur and washed it then pulsed it in a blender with a dash of olive oil till it was a fine paste. I pulped a few slices of red onion then blended my rump again to a paste like consistency.
I then worked the bulgur, red onion and meat paste together by hand adding the spice mixture as well. This was served with oven toasted pita bread
The remainder of the rump once trimmed was liberally doused in olive oil, scored and had salt rubbed into the fat. This was placed in a weber well stocked with real charcoal.
Set and forget and 3.5 hours later - it doesn't get any better than this
Monday, May 5, 2008
Wine Underground Chefs Table
Another chance to see the amazing stuff that a great chef can create with secondary cuts of beef and lamb.
The use of these cuts is a passion of mine and I strongly subscribe to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's philosophy of eat less, eat better and eat it all when it comes to meat production. The full thought process behind this is something for another day but in this instance all I can say is that if you don't eat lamb breast or beef brisket or neck or shin you really are missing out.
The lunch consisted of 5 entree portions all featuring cuts you do not see routinely on fine dining menus (at least here in Adelaide)
We began with a traditional steak tartare which used dry aged rump for the meat instead of the traditional cut used in this dish of fillet. The rump had oddles of flavour and more than held it's own with the accompaniments which were chopped through the beef including, anchovy, worcestershire sauce, cornichons, capers, brandy and shallots. The chopped up mixture cocooned a quail egg yolk and was served with french fries on the side
The next dish was breast of lamb that had been slow cooked in a gastrome for 6 hours. The breast was rubbed in a complex mix of 11 spices then laid on a bed of onions and carrots with verjiuce poured over the meat and vegetables to provide the cooking moisture. The lamb was weighted after this while it cooled to enable a continuation of the fat rendering process. This dish was topped by a single pice of smoked tomato that left me wishing I had a little more as the combination of the smokey sweetness of the tomato with the rich earthiness of the lamb was a well thought out match.
The lamb breast came out at the same time as my highlight of the lunch which featured poached beef shin. A whole shin was again slow cooked for hours once cooled the individual muscle bundles were seperated out and fried in a tempura batter. This was then serves on a radiccio salad with crumbled roquefort cheese and crispy fried duck crackling. A truly surprising and delicious take on beef shin which is so often served as a rich and gelatinous type of dish this was crisp, bitey yet still had the fullness of flavour than shin delivers so well.
With no rest for the wicked the next two entrees soon joined us as did some 3 Rings Barossa Shiraz which complemented the fantastic flavours we had beef experiencing.
The 4th of our cohort of dishes was a dish that the Wine Underground had served at the Clare Gourmet weekend just the day before our lunch. It was described on our menu as Slow Beef Neck cooked in shiraz juice served with parsley dumplings. This was much closer to the traditional take on a secondary cut with rich luxurious beef flavour from the beef neck coupled with a light fluffy mash in the dumplings. the shiraz jus left from the cooking process was rich, sticky and full flavoured - this was the perfect winters dish.
The team at the wine underground humoured my inner chef with the last dish which is one that I invented though I have to say they did improve it somewhat from the version I passed on. The description is Slow roasted Coorong Angus beef belly with mung bean salad and is a combination of asian flavours with a hint of Texan bbq brisket. The belly was marinated for 12 hours in a mix of thai influences seasonings then slow roasted under light weights for 6 hours in a low oven. It was then topped with a mung bean salad with some sliced shallot, coriander and mint leaves. The dish was then dressed with a chilli spiked vinegar which cut through the richness of the beef and lifted up the cripy herbal salad. Not bad if I do say so myself
To complete a great lunch we had a selection of cheese from The Bruny Island Cheese Co which is owned and operated by Nick Haddow who I went to school with many moons ago. To me the 1792 washed rind was a highlight and something I had not tried before but will definately be on future cheese plates served at the gunner house
Bon Appetite
By the by NEXT time I will remember to bring a camera so you can all see these wonderful dishes in the flesh so to speak!
The use of these cuts is a passion of mine and I strongly subscribe to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's philosophy of eat less, eat better and eat it all when it comes to meat production. The full thought process behind this is something for another day but in this instance all I can say is that if you don't eat lamb breast or beef brisket or neck or shin you really are missing out.
The lunch consisted of 5 entree portions all featuring cuts you do not see routinely on fine dining menus (at least here in Adelaide)
We began with a traditional steak tartare which used dry aged rump for the meat instead of the traditional cut used in this dish of fillet. The rump had oddles of flavour and more than held it's own with the accompaniments which were chopped through the beef including, anchovy, worcestershire sauce, cornichons, capers, brandy and shallots. The chopped up mixture cocooned a quail egg yolk and was served with french fries on the side
The next dish was breast of lamb that had been slow cooked in a gastrome for 6 hours. The breast was rubbed in a complex mix of 11 spices then laid on a bed of onions and carrots with verjiuce poured over the meat and vegetables to provide the cooking moisture. The lamb was weighted after this while it cooled to enable a continuation of the fat rendering process. This dish was topped by a single pice of smoked tomato that left me wishing I had a little more as the combination of the smokey sweetness of the tomato with the rich earthiness of the lamb was a well thought out match.
The lamb breast came out at the same time as my highlight of the lunch which featured poached beef shin. A whole shin was again slow cooked for hours once cooled the individual muscle bundles were seperated out and fried in a tempura batter. This was then serves on a radiccio salad with crumbled roquefort cheese and crispy fried duck crackling. A truly surprising and delicious take on beef shin which is so often served as a rich and gelatinous type of dish this was crisp, bitey yet still had the fullness of flavour than shin delivers so well.
With no rest for the wicked the next two entrees soon joined us as did some 3 Rings Barossa Shiraz which complemented the fantastic flavours we had beef experiencing.
The 4th of our cohort of dishes was a dish that the Wine Underground had served at the Clare Gourmet weekend just the day before our lunch. It was described on our menu as Slow Beef Neck cooked in shiraz juice served with parsley dumplings. This was much closer to the traditional take on a secondary cut with rich luxurious beef flavour from the beef neck coupled with a light fluffy mash in the dumplings. the shiraz jus left from the cooking process was rich, sticky and full flavoured - this was the perfect winters dish.
The team at the wine underground humoured my inner chef with the last dish which is one that I invented though I have to say they did improve it somewhat from the version I passed on. The description is Slow roasted Coorong Angus beef belly with mung bean salad and is a combination of asian flavours with a hint of Texan bbq brisket. The belly was marinated for 12 hours in a mix of thai influences seasonings then slow roasted under light weights for 6 hours in a low oven. It was then topped with a mung bean salad with some sliced shallot, coriander and mint leaves. The dish was then dressed with a chilli spiked vinegar which cut through the richness of the beef and lifted up the cripy herbal salad. Not bad if I do say so myself
To complete a great lunch we had a selection of cheese from The Bruny Island Cheese Co which is owned and operated by Nick Haddow who I went to school with many moons ago. To me the 1792 washed rind was a highlight and something I had not tried before but will definately be on future cheese plates served at the gunner house
Bon Appetite
By the by NEXT time I will remember to bring a camera so you can all see these wonderful dishes in the flesh so to speak!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Christmas Ham
Had something pretty special for Christmas dinner - it was a test drive of a product we hope to be able to offer next year.
It was a brandy soaked, hot smoked and roasted over redgum free range berkshire ham on the bone. The pig was sourced from a local grower and the entire process was done by hand
Given this year our major food retailers plumbed new lows in their abuse of the Australian consumer it was good to see how great a ham can be.
Worst ham product of 2007 would have to go to KR Castlemaine's gut turning recreated bone in ham - in response to educated consumer avoiding boneless ham as most of it was imported. The "smart" people at KR Castlemaine decided to wrap imported pork around an Australian bone thereby circumventing the consumer backlash against the imports.
I can hear some people saying surely you can tell the difference as the imported product would be labelled as such - no fear - the imports are labelled "Made in Australia" so the consumer has to be doubly aware as the dinkum stuff is labelled "Product of Australia" A subtle but important difference when "complying" with Australia's weak as water food labelling laws.
Why does this matter? - our local industry is suffering through some of the hardest times with drought and a high Australian dollar - it's the final straw for many to see our shops awash with tonnes of subsidised ham and bacon.
It was a brandy soaked, hot smoked and roasted over redgum free range berkshire ham on the bone. The pig was sourced from a local grower and the entire process was done by hand
Given this year our major food retailers plumbed new lows in their abuse of the Australian consumer it was good to see how great a ham can be.
Worst ham product of 2007 would have to go to KR Castlemaine's gut turning recreated bone in ham - in response to educated consumer avoiding boneless ham as most of it was imported. The "smart" people at KR Castlemaine decided to wrap imported pork around an Australian bone thereby circumventing the consumer backlash against the imports.
I can hear some people saying surely you can tell the difference as the imported product would be labelled as such - no fear - the imports are labelled "Made in Australia" so the consumer has to be doubly aware as the dinkum stuff is labelled "Product of Australia" A subtle but important difference when "complying" with Australia's weak as water food labelling laws.
Why does this matter? - our local industry is suffering through some of the hardest times with drought and a high Australian dollar - it's the final straw for many to see our shops awash with tonnes of subsidised ham and bacon.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Chefs Table at Claudes 29/11/07
Wow what a dinner
8 meaty courses featuring Coorong Angus beef and Pure Suffolk Lamb. 14 guests ranging the gamut of Sydneys restaurant scene and a great set of matching wines and spirits from Pernod Ricard.
Kibbeh Nayeh of Coorong Angus Beef Fillet
Poached Sirloin of Coorong Dry Aged Angus - accompanied by Orlando Centenary Hill Shiraz
Wow - the beef was tender and succulent served wrapped around some sensational baby vegetables and with a rich beefy sauce - went so well with the full bodied red
Avocado Pear Blancmange
8 meaty courses featuring Coorong Angus beef and Pure Suffolk Lamb. 14 guests ranging the gamut of Sydneys restaurant scene and a great set of matching wines and spirits from Pernod Ricard.
Entrée - Accompanied by Mumm NV Champagne
Kibbeh Nayeh of Coorong Angus Beef Fillet
This dish was amazing light as air yet still with a real beefy zing to it. Basically a paste with subtle herbs and seasonings and served on crunchy flatbread
Spiced Pure Suffolk Lamb Sausage & Rock Oyster
The lamb sausage was made from some of the meat from the leg and shoulder and was presented as quite large chunks. The sausage was topped by a single pickled Sydney Rock Oyster which the vinegary richness contrasted with the rich spicy sausage
Braised Coorong Angus Beef Brisket in Suet Pastry
The pastry for this was amazing - they were tiny little brisket pies with the fully on beefy flavour wrapped up in a suet pastry which was light and rich and just awesome - couldn't have just one!
Deep-Fried Coorong Angus Beef Short Ribs
Close to the highlight for me yet a more simple dish than some. The rib meat had been diced into approx 1.5cm cubes and the ribs had been cooked through and had a sticky sweet sauce coating each little morsel which it really was impossible to stop eating until the whole lot was gone!
Pot-Sticker Dumplings of Pure Suffolk Lamb Leg Filling - accompanied by a Pinot Grigio
The first of the mains was a chinese style dumpling filled with shredded Pure Suffolk Lamb meat
Pot-Sticker Dumplings of Pure Suffolk Lamb Leg Filling - accompanied by a Pinot Grigio
The first of the mains was a chinese style dumpling filled with shredded Pure Suffolk Lamb meat
Beef Consommé, Jellied Shin and Sirloin - Morris of Rutherglen - Amontillado
The jellied shin was a thin sliced of shredded shin set in a jelly made from the shin itself was accompanied by 2 thin sliced of raw Coorong Angus Beef sirloin completely denuded of fat. The two cuts of meat then had a beef consomme poured over them which ever so slightly cooked the raw sirloin and melted the jelly around the shin setting slivers of slow cooked beef shin loose to float throughout the consomme.
Roast Rack of Lamb, Jalapeno Dressing - accompanied by 18YO Chivas Regal Scotch
This was amazing a single cutlet of Pure suffolk lamb along with a denuded slice of the Pure Suffolk striploin. The jalepeno dressing also contained some roasted lamb round meat was cleansing with the well flavoured lamb the Chivas Regal was an intriging match
Roast Rack of Lamb, Jalapeno Dressing - accompanied by 18YO Chivas Regal Scotch
This was amazing a single cutlet of Pure suffolk lamb along with a denuded slice of the Pure Suffolk striploin. The jalepeno dressing also contained some roasted lamb round meat was cleansing with the well flavoured lamb the Chivas Regal was an intriging match
Poached Sirloin of Coorong Dry Aged Angus - accompanied by Orlando Centenary Hill Shiraz
Wow - the beef was tender and succulent served wrapped around some sensational baby vegetables and with a rich beefy sauce - went so well with the full bodied red
Avocado Pear Blancmange
Who would of though Avacado for desert - simply said this was a triumph - an amazing desert - blowing up preconceptions and doing a great job to boot a great end to a great night
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