Recipe Archive

Salad of Roasted Beetroot, Blood orange and Cumin Macadamia Nuts

Serves 8
A special request from my friend Dale, here is a great recipe for using fresh beetroot, a totally different experience to eating the ones from a can! This salad is great for and entrée, or is a great accompaniment to grilled seafood.

Ingredients
8 beetroot, trimmed, leaving 1cm of the stem
24 Asparagus spears
1 red witlof
1 white witlof
2 bunch curly endive
8 blood oranges, peeled and sliced into rings
100g macadamia nuts
20g butter
1 teaspoon cumin

Salad Dressing

50ml white wine vinegar
50ml walnut oil
150ml extra virgin olive oil

Whisk together, season to taste

Saffron Orange Syrup
1 litre orange juice (strain)
100ml lemon juice (strain)
pinch saffron

Reduce juice and saffron until it reaches a syrup like consistency, cool to room temperature and whisk in and equal quantity or grapeseed oil. Grape seed oil has a mild flavour, and is not fatty in the mouth, it is important not to substitute other types of oil.

Method

Wash and dry the beetroot, wrap in foil and bake in a tray for 1 hour in a preheated oven at 180C. Remove from oven, set aside and allow to cool. Peel and cut into 1cm wedges.

In a heavy based frypan melt butter add macadamia nuts and cumin, stir continuously until the butter has browned. Remove from pan wrap in glad wrap and crush lightly.

Blanch the asparagus in salty water for 1 minute, plunge into iced water, remove and set aside.

Combine red and white witlof, endive and toss with the salad dressing and place on serving plates, top with beetroot, asparagus, orange slices and macadamia nuts. Drizzle with saffron orange syrup.

Sweet Pastry

A versatile sweet pastry, it can be used for baked tarts or filled with custard or patisserie crème for fruit tarts. This quantity will make enough for two cases. Once made this pastry can be frozen uncooked in the tin. Ready for use the next time you are making a tart. When making pastry it is important that your hands are not too warm, as this will melt the butter. A good trick is to re arrange the freezer just prior to making your pastry.
Ingredients
600gm flour
200gm soft butter
4dessert spoons milk
200gm castor sugar
4 egg yolk
salt
Method
On a clean bench mix flour, butter and sugar together by rubbing it gently between cool hands the result should look like bread crumbs. Add a pinch of salt, milk and yolks, kneed till it has formed a smooth consistency. Refrigerate for 30 mins, then roll our into desired shape. Blind bake pastry tart in a pre heated oven at 160°C until light brown (around 15 mins) Use a rectangle loose bottom tin 45cm x 8cm or 20cm round tin.

A really easy (chocolate) tart or pots

This is a really easy and impressive dessert. Make sure you buy good quality chocolate, it makes all the difference. Valrhona is the best, use the 64-70% depending on what is available near you.

I apologise for not being able to resist a picture of another "easy tart"
Ingredients
660gm Good quality dark chocolate
580ml double pouring cream
250ml milk 3 large eggs
60ml Good quality brandy or Cognac
3-4 Drops of orange oil (optional)
Zest of three oranges (very fine, avoid any white flesh)
1/2 quantity of sweet pastry (see recipe: Sweet Pastry)
Method
Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Bring milk and cream (add zest and orange oil if using) to simmering temperature. If using zest strain through muslin cloth, then pour over the warm chocolate. Cool and add whole eggs and Cognac, stir through. Pour into par baked tart case or ramekins. Bake for 20min (depending upon oven) at 120°C If baking in ceramic stand ramekins in a shallow tray of water and test after 20min, cooking time will be longer and depend upon the thickness of dish used.

Roast Pumpkin and Gorgnozola Risotto

Ingredients, serves 6
950g pumpkin, peeled and seeds removed, cut into 3-5cm pieces
sea salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8 cups chicken stock more if necessary
1 small onion, peeled and chopped finely
1 small leek finely chopped
3 cups Vialone Rice
200g Gorgonzola Piccante
butter
freshly ground black pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 200C. Place pumpkin into a baking tray and sprinkle with sea salt. Pour over a little olive oil and roast in the middle of the oven until the pumpkin is cooked and well browned. Set aside in a warm place. Bring the chicken stock to the boil and allow it to simmer over very low heat. In a large heavy base sauté pan gently cook the onion and leek with olive oil and a little butter till it begins to soften and appear slightly transparent. Add the rice and continue to cook over a gentle heat for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock about one cup ant a time and cook, stirring the rice constantly with a wooden spoon. As the mixture thickens, continue to add the stock until the rice is cooked. It should be firm to the bite but not chalky. Reserve a little of the stock and add with the Gorgonzola and a large knob of butter, then gently add the cubes of roasted pumpkin (which should still be warm). This will produce a wonderfully aromatic, and deliciously oozy risotto.

Ryan Andrijich. This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of the author.