Langham Melbourne MasterClass 11 Chef MasterClass

stephanie Recipes alexander Crespeu maggie Provencal flat omelette 'cake' beer Brandade

ANTIPASTO IN TUSCANY Grilled quail in a grape bath HORS d'oeuvres in provence Salsa agresto

Goat's cheese in grappa

Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer 12 Langham Melbourne MasterClass Chef MasterClass Crespeu Provencal flat omelette 'cake'

The ‘cake’ consists of three separate flat omelettes that are stacked and then ‘iced’ with a simple tapenade mixture. It is accompanied by a ribbon of fresh tomato sauce and a crouton of brandade. Serves 12 - 14 ingredients METHOD

Filling one – chard layer For filling one – chard layer > 300g chard/silverbeet leaves > Wash leaves, blanch for a few seconds in boiling water, and then (without stems) plunge into iced water. Squeeze in handfuls, and then in a cloth. > 3 large free-range eggs Slice finely and set aside. > sea salt and freshly ground pepper > Break the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and > 1 clove garlic, chopped whisk lightly. > extra virgin olive oil > Heat a frying pan with a generous quantity of olive oil. Sauté the garlic for a moment and then add the chard leaves. Stir to mix. Toss until well combined and smelling fragrant. Filling two – tomato layer > Tip into the egg mixture and mix very well together without delay. > 400g ripe tomatoes Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a second 20cm non-stick omelette pan. Tip > 1 tsp salt > in chard mixture. It should sizzle and the edges should start to puff 3 large free-range eggs > up. Lower the heat and cover the pan for a few minutes. Remove lid > sea salt and freshly ground pepper and if the omelette looks just a bit moist but not runny, shake pan to > extra virgin olive oil ensure that the omelette is not sticking and invert it onto a plate. > 1 clove garlic, chopped Add a dribble more oil to the pan, slide omelette back into the pan > 1 tbsp basil leaves, chopped for a few seconds and then slide it onto the presentation plate.

Filling three – zucchini layer For filling two – tomato layer > 300g zucchini > Core the tomatoes and cut a cross on the other end. Plunge into boiling water for a minute, then transfer into cold water. Remove > ½ onion, finely sliced skins. Halve, squeeze out seeds, chop into ½ centimetre dice and 1 clove garlic, finely chopped > mix with the salt. > 1 tbsp parsley leaves, chopped > 3 large free-range eggs > Place in a stainless steel sieve over a bowl and leave for one hour. > sea salt and freshly ground pepper > Break the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and > extra virgin olive oil whisk lightly. > Heat a frying pan with a generous quantity of olive oil. Sauté the garlic for a moment and then add the tomato dice. Stir to mix. Cook Tapenade for a few minutes until tomato has given up all liquid. Add the chopped basil, > 150g pitted black or green olives > 2 anchovy fillets > Tip into the egg mixture and mix very well together without delay. > 1 tbsp caper paste > Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a second 20cm non-stick omelette pan. Tip > black pepper, freshly ground in chard mixture. It should sizzle and the edges should start to puff > 2 tbsp approx. extra virgin olive oil up. Lower the heat and cover the pan for a few minutes. Remove lid and if the omelette looks just a bit moist but not runny, shake pan to ensure that the omelette is not sticking and invert it onto a plate. Roasted tomato sauce Add a dribble more oil to the pan, slide omelette back into the pan for a few seconds and then slide it onto the presentation plate. > 1kg ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped > 3 cloves garlic, chopped > 1 onion, roughly chopped > 1 bay leaf, fresh > ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Stephanie Alexander Langham Melbourne MasterClass 13 Chef MasterClass Crespeu Provencal flat omelette 'cake'

METHOD

For filling three – zucchini layer > Break the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk lightly. > Cut zucchini into ½ centimetre dice. Set aside. Cook the sliced onion very slowly in a covered pan in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Cover the pan and stir from time to time with a wooden spoon. Remove onion to a small plate. Add the diced zucchini to the pan and over highest heat sauté for five minutes, tossing to make sure it does not stick. Stir in the persillade (garlic/parsley), cook another minute, then stir in the onion. > Tip into the egg mixture and mix very well together without delay. > Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a second 20cm non-stick omelette pan. Tip in zucchini mixture. It should sizzle and the edges should start to puff up. Lower the heat, cover the pan for a few minutes. Remove lid and if the omelette looks just a bit moist but not runny, shake pan to ensure that the omelette is not sticking and invert it onto a plate. Add a dribble more oil to the pan, slide omelette back into the pan for a few seconds and then slide it on top of the two omelettes on the presentation plate. > Allow stack to cool before ‘icing’ with tapenade.

For tapenade > Process all ingredients to a coarse paste. > Spread on the top of the crespeu cake.

For roasted tomato sauce > Combine all ingredients and oven-roast at 180°C for 2 hours. > When very soft, pass through a food mill, or a tomato mill. The sauce will be a lovely red-gold colour. Blend for extra smooth texture.

Stephanie Alexander 14 Langham Melbourne MasterClass Chef MasterClass Brandade

Enough for 14 croutons ingredients METHOD

> 300g piece blue eye > Start recipe one day ahead. > sea salt > Place fish on a plate and sprinkle both sides generously with > 1 bay leaf sea salt. > ½ tsp peppercorns > Place fish in a colander standing over the plate and refrigerate > generous sprig thyme for 24 hours. > 1 shallot, roughly chopped > 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced > 1½ cups milk Next day > 150g potatoes > Select a heavy-bottomed dish that can go on top of the stove, add the > 3 tbsp approx. extra virgin olive oil spices, herbs, shallot, garlic and milk and bring to simmering point. > Add the fish. If there is not enough liquid to cover it, add a little water. > Cover the pan and poach for about 10-15 minutes until quite tender. > Cool in liquid for a few minutes and then remove to a tray. Discard the skin and any bones. Strain the milk and reserve it. > Whilst fish is poaching cook the potatoes. > Pass cooked potatoes through a potato ricer and then transfer to an electric mixer. Beat the potatoes with the fish until very smooth. > With motor running gradually add some of the reserved poaching liquid, alternating with the olive oil. The finished mixture should be very smooth and creamy. Taste for seasoning. > Spread brandade onto croutons of grilled bread and serve with wedges of the layered crespeu and roasted tomato sauce.

Stephanie Alexander Langham Melbourne MasterClass 15 Chef MasterClass Grilled quail in a grape bath

Serves 12 ingredients METHOD

> 12 quail > Using kitchen shears, cut away the backbone from each quail and > garlic oil (freshly made by simmering slip out the rib cage with your fingers. two cloves of garlic cut in half with > Rub each bird with garlic oil, then season and cook over a wood fire, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil and turning often (about 8 minutes’ cooking, depending on the heat of allowed to cool) the fire). > sea salt > Make a vinaigrette of olive oil, verjuice, grapes and pepper in a wide > black pepper, freshly ground bowl or dish. > extra-virgin olive oil > verjuice > Transfer the cooked quail to this bath and rest, turning once or twice. > large red and white grapes, halved and seeded To serve > lemon wedges > Serve warm with lemon. > For antipasto, cut quails in half after resting, to be eaten with the fingers.

Maggie Beer 16 Langham Melbourne MasterClass Chef MasterClass Salsa agresto

This almond sauce is wonderful with all manner of grilled things. I even added it to the remains of panzanella and used the mixture to stuff artichokes and cardoons before baking them for a couple of hours in a moderate oven until meltingly tender. In another bid not to waste anything, one night the salsa was tossed into pumpkin risotto with leftover chicken and eggplant. The risotto was wonderful and looked Makes 2 cups great, speckled with rich orange and black. ingredients METHOD

> 1 cup almonds > Preheat the oven to 220˚C. Roast the almonds and walnuts > 1 cup walnuts separately on baking trays for about 5 minutes, shaking the trays > 2 cloves garlic to prevent the nuts from burning. Rub the walnuts in a clean tea > 2 ¾ cups flat-leaf parsley towel to remove the bitter skins, if they are not fresh season’s. > ½ cup basil Allow to cool. > 1½ tsp sea salt > Blend the nuts, garlic, herbs and seasonings with a little of the olive > 6 grinds black pepper oil in a food processor to make a fine paste. Blend in the balance of > ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil the olive oil, then add the verjuice. The consistency should be perfect > ¾ cup verjuice for spreading. If required, thin with more verjuice.

Note: Make salsa agresto within half an hour of serving as it oxidises quickly.

Maggie Beer Langham Melbourne MasterClass 17 Chef MasterClass Goat's cheese in grappa

The strength of the grappa gives a wonderful balance to the creaminess of the goat’s cheese in this dish, and although you could substitute brandy, the ‘kick’ of the grappa is hard to beat. Serves 2 ingredients METHOD

> 1 large clove garlic, finely sliced > Make a marinade by mixing the garlic, grappa, olive oil, parsley > 2 tbsp grappa and a few coarse grinds of pepper. Pour a little of the marinade into > ½ cup extra virgin olive oil a glass or ceramic dish, then gently add the goat’s curd and pour over > ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped the remaining marinade. > black pepper, freshly ground > Cover the dish with plastic film and refrigerate the cheese in the > 360g fresh goat's curd marinade for 24 hours, turning once or twice. > Remove the cheese from the marinade and serve at room temperature with rocket dressed with extra virgin olive oil and a good balsamic or aged red-wine vinegar. > Slabs of bread, brushed with olive oil and toasted in the oven, are a must.

Maggie Beer