twisted.tastes: twisted.tales - Peter Gilmore, CRAVE 2010

peter gilmore, quay

crave, sydney international food festival 2010,

contemporary creative showcase program

sunday, 10th october 2010 written by sally t. ridden

Peter Gilmore is well deservedly one of the most celebrated chefs here in Australia. His philosophy is about less structured new Australian cuisine showcasing fantastic ingredients such as obscure flowers, buds and seeds as well as sea and land produce, with an emphasis on quality of produce, the breed and location. His 2 week old Quay cook book focuses on nature, textures and Heaven, his signature deserts. Read on for secrets of his mouthwatering demonstrated three dishes!

Tapioca (a gluten and protein free extracted starch with thickening agent), sous-vide, (cooking in a controlled low temperature bath in a air tight plastic bag to maintain ingredient integrity) and seafood reductions were all similar themes at this years event, resulting from a combination of reactions, global communications, trends as well as the diversity of nature. A concern of Peter’s is the currently homogenised generic produce with no choice at retail stores, instead Peter recommends local farmers produce markets.

People eat with their eyes and to achieve this Peter captured the essence of a visually intricate vegetarian beetroot salad.

Peter first spooned a mixture of 2/3 fresh goats curd 1/3 crème fraîche onto a plate, swirled into rounded shape. Next he sprinkled heat dried olive pasted sourdough bread crumbles capturing the olive flavour with a different texture. Pickled beetroot was centred over the curd and crumbles – paper thin sliced beetroot, 1 litre rice wine vinegar, 400g sugar, dissolved and marinate overnight and dressed with olive oil to season.

An array of stem cut radishes, blanched and raw, were strategically placed, baby red onions, extra virgin olive oil and salt seasoning, the ends had been cut for more option to work with the bases. Next the placement of the dehydrated deep fried thinly sliced baby beetroot chips that had been heat lamp dried to intensify flavour and remove the moisture then fried in oil at 160° so as not too hot to burn.

To complete the plating of this “simple basic humble salad”, were the mini goats curd cigars which had been individually piped into each of end of the miniscule tubes. If you wish to have the recipe completely gluten free simply remove the goats curd cigars. Micro herbs were dropped, and of course as demonstrations would have it, they fell ever so artistically exactly where they belonged, some bulls blood chard leaves were dressed and for finishing pretty touches a variety of sweet perfumed and colourful violets - pink, purple, violet and white if you have your own experimental test garden.

The Lobster Velvet with tapioca and lobster cream was another organically presented dish you wanted to eat on sight. Begin with his consommé (a clear, clarified rich in flavour soup) consisting of fish heads, cuttlefish, scallop trimmings, egg protein and white fleshy fish. Tapioca, a popular ingredient due to its textural element was cooked for 20 mins in the consommé, until transparent and a white dot appears in the middle. Every leaf of a butter leaf lettuce minus the last tiny 1 at the heart or core was pulled off. The base of the core cut, the sides trimmed, the core dressed in oil and seasoned.

To make the lobster cream, simply 3 dozen oysters infused with milk added agar agar (heat, strained and set). The Lobster Velvet Mousseline, of egg whites is traditionally hand blended in a copper bowl due to the copper elements creating soft tips, added just prior to serving, giving a light airy consistency. Incorporate the lobster cream with gentle finishing smooth folds. To finish the velvet in a steamer of controlled 85-90° heat, a combination of the thickened lobster cream and chicken stock. Quenelle or spoon the Velvet mixture into the steamer of stock, put on lid, steam for 2 minutes, retaining the velvet.

Put micro slices of squid (fast frozen for tenderness) into ginger and spring onion infused grape-seed oil for 10 seconds, drain. Add the oyster pearl meat, similar to scallop or abalone. Then the iced, cooked, sliced lobster medallion, which was poached in thickened lobster stock 80-90° for 20 secs, again until transparent.

To plate Peter started with a spoon of Lobster Cream, followed by the Lobster Velvet, next add the Lettuce Heart, layer with the squid, the Lobster and Pearl Meat. Drizzle the translucent tapioca, dress with Pea Flower and garnish with a Wasabi Flower, fresh from Tasmania. Giddy from the pace? There’s still more to be demonstrated!

And now for a peace of dessert heaven, only the ying-yang dark light crumbles represent soil! There were only 8 components to this desert, with so many elements it is exhausting to even list.

1. Choc cherry sorbet - with cherry juice replacing the water.

2. Vanilla Cream - custard with double cream and vanilla

3. Caramelised Puff Pastry - rolled out with icing sugar not flour

4. White Choc Caramelised Almonds – roasted, caramelized and coated in Verona Almond Hazelnut Praline

5. Dark Chocolate Daiquise Crumble - Peter endorses Italian Amedei Chau chocolate combine

6. White Crumble Milk Biscuit - liquid glucose and 1 litre of milk, frothed and dried in oven. Plus the “accidental” time and labour intensive miniature piped macaroons, (you can just crush macaroons if doing at home)

7. Sugar Crystal Jewels - ice malt sugar is only available from a professional supplier, with a maltose content it is a colorless transparent thick liquid, sweet in taste with an enzyme technique fragrance. Cooked at a high temperature (just below caramelisation) so as not to colour Peter heats then dries. Sprinkle lightly onto a tray so as to flake, not sheet.

8. Cherry Piquant Compote - wild Italian preserved pitted cherries and cherry jam, heated to a reduction.

And how to plate this you ask? Start with a bed of vanilla cream, the sprinkled layers of miniature macaroons then crushed white choc caramelized almonds. A scooped layer of cherry compote, cover again with vanilla cream. Spoon ½ side with dark crumble and the other 1/2 side with white crumble. Sprinkle over both crumbles the sugar crystal jewels. Finish with quenelle choc cherry sorbet.