As I mentioned to Martin, dining at Longrain was a real turning point for me. His humble pork hock creation awakened my food consciousness and made me realise just how exciting the Sydney food scene was. I really haven’t looked back since.

Martin is such a joy to be around and his dedication to his craft is second to none. He stands by fresh wholesome produce and prefers home made alternatives to store bought ingredients – he even makes his own coconut oil!

Supported by Meat and Livestock Australia, the Barbecue Madness event featured an impressive lineup of local chefs, including Alex Herbert, Lauren Murdoch, Kylie Kwong, Craig Macindoe, Darren Robertson, Jowett Yu and David Tanis of the renowned Chez Panisse in California. Each were tasked with creating a dish on the barbecue using their favourite sustainable meat.

Martin’s meat of choice was veal, which was unexpected given that veal is very rarely used in Asian cooking. Martin’s dish was a take on Tom Kha, a spicy coconut broth traditionally made with chicken. I loved all the aromatic herbs used to finish off the broth, the shreds of chilli, flat leaf coriander and kaffir lime really make the dish in my opinion.

I was really smitten by this dish and Martin very kindly shared the recipe, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Twice cooked veal shin with spicy coconut soup & lime juice

Ingredients for braising liquid

800ml chicken stock
2 pieces veal chuck tender (approximately 600g)
200ml Coconut cream
100ml tamarind
100ml fish sauce
50ml oyster sauce
100g palm sugar
8 lime leaves
5 birds eye chillies cut in half
2 sticks lemongrass
1x 4cm piece galangal

Ingredients for final dish
80g cherry tomatoes
120g fresh rice noodles
100ml coconut cream
40g flat leaf coriander leaves
30g fried eschalots
100ml lime juice

Method

1. Bring the chicken stock to the boil and season with fish sauce, oyster sauce & palm sugar being aware that the measurements shown are a guide.

2. Seal the veal pieces in a hot pan on all sides until caramelised.

3. When the liquid has come to the boil, add the aromatics, birds eye chillies, lime leaves, galangal & lemongrass and let simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Place the veal in a braising pan & pour over the seasoned liquid & seal with foil or a tight lid.

5. Braise for 2-3 hours until very tender.

6. Remove veal from braising liquid & cool. Strain the liquid & bring back to a simmer. Taste the liquid for seasoning it should rich, aromatic & spicy. Add the tamarind to balance the richness of the soup. Add more seasoning, fish sauce, sugar, oyster sauce if needed

7. Shred the cool veal in spoon & fork size pieces. Add veal to hot liquid with cherry tomatoes

8. Put in the cut rice noodles; simmer for a further 2 minutes as the noodles have to be warmed through.

9. In a large serving bowl or individual bowls pour in the lime juice and add the herbs evenly & pour over the soup use tongs to help distribute the noodles & braised meat evenly.

Can be eaten with bean sprouts, extra herbs & roasted chilli powder on the side.

Mr Taste and I were recently invited to take part in New Shanghai’s first ever Wine & Dumpling dinner, which also coincided with the launch of their brand new wine menu designed and compiled by Treasury Wines.

The new wine menu features aromatic whites with dry lean characteristics and robust reds that are full bodied in finish. The wines are designed to both complement and contrast New Shanghai’s menu, not only to cleanse the palate but also balance out the rich flavours.

I was particularly impressed with the selection of whites, which included a Leo Buring Clare Valley Riesling 2011 with subtle pear and apple notes and the Angel Cove Marlborough Savignon Blanc 2010, which had a refreshing cut grass and fresh capsicum quality. Sadly, both wines are restaurant exclusives, so do give them a shot if you spot them.

To ease down the wine, we were served six courses of New Shanghai’s signature dishes, including their famous panfried pork buns and xiao long bao – which need no introduction at all!

Pan fried pork bun and pan fried pork dumpling

Steamed soup dumpling, mini crab meat and pork bun, steamed vegetarian dumpling

We began with a cold platter, including pickled cucumber, kelp and drunken chicken. All three are considered ‘drinking snacks’ in Chinese, so it was a great way to start the dinner.

Shredded kelp in spice and vinegar, chopped cucumber with fresh garlic and drunken chicken, soaked in Chinese wine

I was a big fan of New Shanghai’s shepherds purse dumplings, which sat in a nutty sesame butter emulsion. The topping of grated cucumber added some subtlety and crunch to the dish.

Shepherd

The main course of crispy chicken and sticky pork belly was also a standout. The pork worked perfectly with the Penfolds Koonunga Hill 76 Shiraz Cabernet 2010 which I found too overpowering sipped alone. But together, the wine brought out a lovely plummy caramel quality in the pork belly. All hallmarks of a great pairing!

Braised pork belly and deep fried chicken in special garlic and chilli sauce

The dessert of slow cooked fungus was a bit of a wildcard. As it was slow cooked, the fungus was quite ‘slimey’ and made it a difficult flavor and texture to grasp for the uninitiated. I didn’t mind it so much, as it was a welcome sweet respite at end of the meal.

Slow cooked white fungus with papaya soup

New Shanghai will be holding a series of Wine & Dumplings dinners this summer, with the next one scheduled for the Charlestown store in November For full details, please visit www.newshanghai.com.au.

New Shanghai
Chatswood Chase
Victoria Avenue
Chatswood NSW
# 02 9415 3536
www.newshanghai.com.au

Azuma Kushiyaki’s Sugar Hit offering has always proved to be one of the most popular options for sweet lovers during the Crave Sydney International Food Festival. This year Azuma has pushed the boundaries by introducing bold Japanese flavours such as yuzu, shochu, kinako and white sesame. It’s a great excuse for those unfamiliar with Japanese flavours to be a bit more adventurous with their palate. Created and designed by Head Patissier Chef Miya Matsumara, the dessert bento boxes come with a glass of Browns Brothers dessert wine or hot green tea.

The top tray contains a matcha tiramisu with velvety mascarpone, fresh cream and shochu soaked sponge fingers; a small sample of nigori or yuzu sake; sake soaked sponge bites and a handcrafted chocolate praline with a pop rock centre.

The bottom tray offers a scoop of white sesame ice cream and an anmitsu fruit salad dressed in a brown sugar syrup and topped rice dumplings (the dumplings are rolled in kinako powder, made from lovingly roasted soy beans).

Azuma Kushiyaki’s Sugar Hit is priced at $20 per person and is available from 9-11pm from Monday to Saturdays during the month of October.

Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground floor, Regent Place
501 George Street, Sydney
# 02 9267 7775
www.azuma.com.au/kushiyaki

A big thank you to Tarryn from Azuma for organising a very special preview of Sugar Hit before the mobs hit!

Just head over to Pedestrian TV and ‘like’ our blog. A big thank you for all the support and do cross your fingers!

As far as dinner’s concerned, I’m all for one pot wonders that I can bang out in little less than an hour. But did you know that roast chicken is one of these quick and simple meals?

Here are my tips for a delicious chook:

* Choose a quality corn fed chicken in a smaller size, you’ll never go back to the regular kind!

* Fresh herbs make all the difference and are worth the investment

* Throw on veggies to roast alongside your chicken – pumpkin, sweet potato, swedes, brussel sprouts – the possibilities are endless!

* Make sure you cover the chicken with tin foil before it enters the oven. This ensures the chicken stays moist. You can unwrap and let the chicken brown at the very end.

Ingredients

1kg corn fed chicken, cleaned
1 medium sized lemon, halved
2 celery stalks, chopped into chunks
4 garlic cloves
Sprigs of thyme and rosemary
Cracked pepper, roasted coriander seeds and sea salt
Olive oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Clean chicken and trim excess fat. Rub with olive oil, herbs and spices and lay on a roasting dish. Throw on celery chunks and drizzle with juice from lemons.

2. Cover with tin foil and place in the oven, cooking for 45 minutes or until juice runs clear when pricked.

3. Remove chicken and strain the pain juices for gravy (simply reheat with some tapioca flour). Carve chicken into fours, splash with gravy and serve with roast veggies

I couldn’t have been more relieved to hear this: his Quay cookbook – though an amazing visual read – is quite limited in what it offers the humble home cook. I wondered whether my foodie companions felt the same, as we sat in on this special masterclass organised by Electrolux.

Tackling the tricky category of seafood which many shy away from (myself included), Peter set out to show us how quick and easy it is to prepare seafood at home with two simple recipes: seared scallops with lime creme fraiche and sauce vierge and steamed snapper with soy and ginger.

Peter offers these tips:

* For scallops, the key is to sear quickly and evenly on a hot pan. The middle should still be glassy.

* One trick to cooking scallops is to line them up on a sheet of baking paper and wack it straight onto a hot pan.

* For steamed fish, Peter uses a pin boned snapper, which he squares off so the fillet cooks evenly. Steaming is a very delicate and healthy way of cooking fish requiring no oil at all.

* Microherbs and flowers make all the difference to the presentation of a dish by adding that special gourmet touch!

It’s a joy to watch Peter in the kitchen – he makes it all look so darn effortless, tossing ingredients together like an orchestrated symphony. His knack for turning simple ingredients into elaborate creations has earned him the awe and respect of diners around the world. You also see just how much Peter enjoys induction cooking. In fact, most of the entrees at Quay are prepared at a dedicated induction station in the kitchen.

The masterclass ended with a sinfully decadent caramelised French toast, which he confesses he has never made for his wife but will need it one day for when he’s in the dog house.

As Peter bid farewell, we all sat down for a five course degustation at a beautifully elaborate long table with the harbour lights surrounding us.

I’ve always been a fan of the produce Peter selects for his menu and tonight is no different – from the rich bluefin tuna belly and marbled Berkshire pig jowl to the crimson confection of vegetables that is the starter – each is a decadent highlight.

Southern Tuna, toro, pink turnips, jamon de bellota juniper, wasabi flowers

Slow braised Berkshire pig jowl, maltose crackling, prunes, cauliflower cream, perfumed with prune kernel oil

Salad of pickled rhubarb, endive, beetroot, purple carrot, rosa radish, kohlrabi, sheeps milk curd, pomegranate molasses, violets

What Peter does with textures is also quite intriguing. Take the corturnix quail breast for instance, slow cooking gives the quail a delicate, chewy, almost raw quality, yet it sits on a bed of creamy chestnut purée, milk skin and a crunchy mix of quinoa and walnuts. What a delightful and unusual contrast!

Slow cooked coturnix quail breast, pumpernickel, walnuts, quinoa, truffle, chestnuts, milk skin

While my companions were disappointed not to see the snow egg on the menu, the amazing caramelised white chocolate in the dessert certainly made an impression. The chocolate nibs had a dulce de leche taste about them with the aroma of roasted nuts, I could really see myself getting hooked on these!

Warm vanilla and palm blossom brioche, caramelized white chocolate, amaretto cream, walnuts and prune sorbet

Many thanks to Open Haus and Electrolux for the great evening, I certainly will be pulling out Peter’s recipes for the warmer months ahead!

This fantastic recipe by Peter Gilmore will make an excellent dessert and equally an amazing indulgent breakfast. The custard soaked brioche is the real highlight of this dish and the double-sided caramel coating is just the icing on the cake!

Check out other recipes from Peter Gilmore’s recent home entertaining masterclass, organised by Electrolux.

Caramelised vanilla brioche French toast with roasted hazelnuts, maple and double cream

Serves 8

1 loaf of brioche
2 vanilla beans
500 mls milk
5 egg yolks
120 gms sugar
250 gms shelled roasted hazelnuts
100 mls top quality maple syrup
Icing sugar
200 mls double cream lightly whipped

200 gms castor sugar for caramel
100 gms unsalted butter

Method

1. Buy or make a loaf of good quality brioche. Cut 8 x 3cm thick slices of brioche. Preheat your steam oven to maximum. Have 8 – 20cm x 20cm squares of silicon paper or glad bake paper pre cut.

2. Split and scrape the two vanilla beans. Place the seeds in a bowl, add the milk, egg yolks and sugar and whisk well. Soak each piece of brioche in the custard mixture fully submerged for 20 seconds.

3. Lift out the soaked brioche and place in the centre of each piece of paper. Wrap the brioche as you would a simple parcel. Place the join side down on a steamer tray and place all the brioche in the steam oven for three minutes on high steam. This will heat the brioche and cook the custard mixture through to give you a warm soft centre. Put the brioche aside and leave wrapped.

4. Add 100 gms of castor sugar each into two large non stick frypans. Place them on the induction top and turn to high. Allow the sugar to caramelise. This is called making a dry caramel. With the induction power it will only take a minute or so to happen. Once the sugar has taken on a deep golden colour add 50 gms of unsalted butter to each pan. Shake the pans around a little and turn the heat down to low.

5. Unwrap the hot brioche and place directly on top of the hot caramel. Allow to cook on the first side for about one minute and then using a spatula of palette knife carefully turn over the brioche and cook on the other side for a further minute. Turn once more and turn the pans off. (You could choose to just deal with one pan at a time and keep the brioche warm while cooking the next batch).

6. Place each piece of caramelised brioche in the centre of each serving plate. Mix the roasted hazelnuts with the maple syrup and dress over the top of each piece of brioche. Sprinkle liberally with icing sugar and serve with double cream on the side.

Peter Gilmore’s steamed snapper recipe is stupefyingly simple and absolutely delicious. It’s healthy too, with lots of greens and very little oil. Earn a few extra brownie points by serving with brown rice or quinoa.

Check out other recipes from Peter Gilmore’s recent home entertaining masterclass, organised by Electrolux.

Steamed snapper fillet with soy and ginger, stir fried snow peas, spring onions and chili threads

Serves 8

2 large 800 gms snapper fillets with skin on
100 gms fresh ginger root
2 bunches spring onions
100 mls salt reduced soy
50 mls mirin
300 gms young snow peas
2 punnets snow pea sprouts
2 large pinches Korean chili threads (optional)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 teaspoons grapeseed oil

Method

1. Take one bunch of spring onions using only the first 12cm of the white and firm green part. Julienne this finely and place in cold water to soak. Put aside. Choose a large dish that will fit inside your steam oven with shallow sides. Stainless steel or ceramic would be preferable. Slice the remaining bunch of the spring onions thinly using mainly the white and solid green stems. Discard the top 15 cm of tips. Peel and finely slice the ginger. Place the spring onions and ginger on the bed of your dish.

2. Make sure the snapper has been fully scaled and any pin bones removed. Your fish monger should be able to do this for you. Cut through the snapper skin into five diagonal cuts about ½ cm deep. Place both fillet on the bed of ginger and spring onions. Mix the salt reduced soy and mirin together. Pour this mixture over the fish allowing it to run down and settle in the bottom of the dish. Cover the dish tightly with cling film. Cut a few small holes in the top of the cling film to allow some steam to escape. Place the fish into a preheated steam oven on high and steam for 10 to 12 minutes or until the fish is just cooked. (Note: a standard steamer over a stove will give you the same result).

3. Remove the fish from the oven and allow to rest for a couple of minutes. Carefully remove the fish fillets to your serving platter using a fish slice or palette knife. Keep the fish covered and warm. Strain the ginger, spring onions and juices through a fine sieve. Discard the solids and place the juices in a small saucepan. Reduce the juices by half to intensify the flavour. Put aside and keep warm.

4. In a wok place the sesame and grapeseed oil. Add the snow peas and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the pea sprout tips. Place the snow peas and tips over the top of the fish fillets, pour the juices over the fish and peas. Garnish with spring onion and chilli threads. Serve with steamed rice.

The key to great scallops is high heat, a hot pan and an even sear. One simple trick to achieving this is to line up the scallops on a sheet of baking paper and popping the whole thing on a hot pan so they cook evenly all at the same time.

Check out other recipes from Peter Gilmore’s recent home entertaining masterclass, organised by Electrolux.

Seared sea scallops with lime crème fraiche and sauce vierge

Serves 8

24 large shucked sea scallops
50 mls olive oil
200 mls crème fraiche
1 lime
Sea salt

Sauce vierge:
20 large basil leaves
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 lime
1 punnet ripe grape tomatoes
1 punnet baby basil leaves
Sea salt
Black pepper
200 mls olive oil

Method

1. For the sauce vierge lightly toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan then place them in a mortar and pestle. Grind the seeds with two pinches of sea salt. Add the large basil leaves and two tablespoons of oil and bruise well. Squeeze and add the juice of one lime, a few grinds of black pepper and the rest of the oil. Allow to infuse for 30 minutes. Strain the contents through a filter bag or fine sieve. Discard the solids and keep the oil. Whisk the oil well and put aside.

2. Cut the grape tomatoes in half, brush with a little olive oil and place on a baking sheet with silicon paper. Sprinkle with sea salt and dry the tomatoes in the oven at 120° Celsius for 30 minutes. Allow the tomatoes to cool and put aside. Just before serving add the dried tomatoes to the infused oil.

3. In a small bowl add the crème fraiche and the fine micro planed zest of one lime, a pinch of sea salt and the juice of half a lime. Mix well. Heat a non stick pan on high on your induction stove. Brush the sea scallops with olive oil on both sides and season with sea salt. Sear the scallops in the hot pan for one minute on the first side and 30 seconds on the second side. Remove the scallops from the pan and allow to rest on a plate.

To serve

Place a spoonful of the lime crème fraiche on the centre of each serving plate. Spread the cream out to form a thick band over the plate. Place 3 seared scallops on the crème fraiche. Dress the scallops with the sauce vierge and garnish with baby basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Located next door to Berta, this tiny 22 square cafe is owned by Yu Sasaki, a trained chef who cut his teeth at the steamy kitchens in Universal.

Though small, Cre Asion pumps out regular batches of macarons throughout the day. This ensures the supply is fresh, moist and in tip top form – all hallmarks of a good macaron.

Zumbo fans will enjoy Cre Asion’s selection of weird and wonderful flavours, including white miso, bamboo charcoal and black sesame, wasabi and grapefruit, yuzu and red bean. All flavours are made from scratch using real ingredients, which shows in the end result. Macarons are priced at $2.70 each, $19 for 8 or $30 for a box of 14.

If you’re lucky enough to nab a seat in this cafe, you’ll love all the thoughtful touches, such as the pashmina throws, the charcoal blocks in the water jugs (to catch the impurities, Yu tells me) and the fully expandable glass walls – perfect for the summer or when the crowds get unbearable!

Big props to Chocolatesuze for discovering this gem!

Café Cre Asion
21 Alberta Street, Surry Hills
www.creasionmacaron.com

Open from 7am to 4pm Monday to Friday and from 8.30am to 4pm on Saturdays