Last night we had a DIY Degustation Dinner for 8 guests – each couple was responsible for 2 courses and a cocktail.
I called my entree “The Sound of The Fat Duck” – I had 4 boxes of “cereal” (flavoured like a full English breakfast) left over from the Fat Duck in Bray – so each couple were given a Fat Duck carry bag (also left over from my previous Fat Duck visits) that had the cereal & 2 squeaky ducks! (The sound of the Fat Duck )
I made macadamia milk to serve with the cereal too. Inside each cereal box was a wooden puzzle that when completed was a little Fat Duck money box.
Thanks to my hubby’s trip to Kmart & my dry ice supplier – I created a Fat duck centrepiece with dry ice so when you poured the water in you had the drama of the cold smoke with the aromatherapy of wild orange to compliment the Heston meatfruit I made using Super Kitchen Machine (Thermomix) post recipe here.
I also made “quackers” duck shaped crackers (which had duck fat in them) to go with the chicken liver parfait (I had wanted to make it with duck livers but my butcher was waiting for their order still) Needeless to say my Thermomix’s have had a major workout the last few days!!
Each couple took home the other half of their meatfruit to enjoy at home. The chicken liver parfait has equal parts butter to chicken livers!! It was frozen into domes & once joined together dipped into the mandarin jelly!! Guess what I’m having for breakfast?
Heston’s Famous Meat Fruit Recipe
For my dessert dish I made the Peter Gilmore Recipe Snow Eggs but used my own flavours rhubarb from the garden with some fresh truffles in the ice cream.
Peter Gimore’s famous Snow Egg Recipe -I used my own flavours of Rhubarb & strawberry for the Fool & the Granita & Truffle Ice cream
I just love Pork Rillettes - they are so easy to make & so tasty, just perfect to pull out of the fridge when you have guests or get a snack attack!! It takes me back to the awesome food markets in Paris - YES!!
Ingredients
1 tbs salt flakes
1 tsp cracked black pepper
6 juniper berries
20 all spice berries
16 cloves garlic
120g brandy or apple cider
1 kg pork shoulder cut into 3 cm cubes
500g pork belly or bacon (rind removed) cut into cubes
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 tbs veggie stock paste
150g water
150g dry white wine
fresh thyme leaves optional
fresh bay leaves optional
butter or duck fat optional
Instructions
Place the salt, pepper, juniper berries and all spice berries into the TM bowl and mill for 20 secs speed 10.
Add the garlic and chop for 3 secs / speed 7.
Scrape out the mixture into a container and add the pork shoulder, pork belly or bacon and the brandy, cover and marinate over night in the fridge.
Place the marinated pork into the TM bowl, add mustard, water, wine, thyme and bay leaves and cook for 1.5hrs /100 degrees/ reverse, speed 1.5 with the simmering basket on top instead of the MC. If you need to shred the pork anymore you can go onto speed 4 reverse for 5 - 10 secs.
Allow to cool and place into sterilised jars.
If your pork wasn't fatty enough you may need to melt some butter or duck fat to cover the mixture.
Place into the fridge to cool completely and serve with cornichons and crusty bread or crackers.
I’m going to Japan this May & I’m so excited I want to be inspired to cook some delicious Japanese food before & after I go there. You can follow my cooking adventures here 🙂
Lots of people are in love with this newly released cookbook called Eat Well, myself included & I will be updating this post with recipes I have made from this delicious cookbook.
Turmeric & Ginger Paste, used to make the Turmeric, Lemon & Ginger Tea
I love using the Varoma on the Thermomix to steam delicious meals & treats, here are a few of my favourite Varoma recipes from the Thermomix Baking Blogger ‘s new Cookbook called Steaming Hot – I will be updating with many more very soon. My absolute favourite varoma recipe would have be the whole steamed chicken!! YUM!!
Steamed Pork Buns are a huge hit too!!
Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe by Sophia the Thermomix Baking Blogger
Spinach Gnudi & Cherry Tomato Sauce
Colourful Bagels
Thai Chicken Balls & Coconut Sticky Rice ( I used some black rice in mine too)
So Dani Valent told me that she was doing a ThermoBar event in Melbourne at Turning Point Ripponlea & I really wanted to go but it was just not possible this time around so we did our own at my house on the same night!!! What delicious fun we had too!! Dani was nice enough to share some of the recipes they were having at her ThermoBar night too. Unfortunately I was pretty busy & didn’t have time to take many “posh photos” on the night so I will share an album of iphone pics from everyone too. Dani even FaceTimed me so we could watch Chef Jose Chavez’s Thermomix demo of one of his recipes for the night. What a wonderful surprise!! My guests were very happy!! I had 10 friends in total that could make it on the Thursday before Easter, I even invited 2 non-thermie friends!! Although they have both been to lots of Thermie events 🙂
We had the same cocktails as they did, only we had Dani’s recipe for the Nefrozi instead of the Negroni that Nate made in Melbourne.
We made 4 of the recipes they had in Melbounre too – the Fragrant Coconut Fish Soup was so delicious!! Gazpacho Shooters, Salmon Rillettes with Vegan Mango on Crispy Croutons and the Chocolate Mousse & Whipped Ricotta, Cinnamon & Cocoa Powder Cones.
Plus we made & served extra Dani Valent recipes too like the Duck Liver Parfait, Gingerbread Crumbs & Chocolate Foam – recipe from In the Mix Cookbook by Kym Machin, it was surprising & delicious, most people’s favourite dish. One of my guests brought the Pumpkin Arancini Balls with smokey yoghurt dressing, I also made tempura vegetables, tomato shots, cheesy quinoa bites, pierogies & pretzels. My other friend brought the Parsley & Orange juice recipe as a palate cleanser, which was just perfect.
I had a dessert bar too with Tarte Tatin, Chocolate Chilli Cherry Ripe, Gingerbread, soft baked choc chip cookies, mini easter eggs, leftover frozen desserts from our Dani Valent lunch – Cherry Choc Top & White Chocolate Baileys Ice Cream with Coffee Crumb (another crowd favourite!) My friend made the ganache recipe from In the Mix using Pedro Ximenez instead of Kirsch.
Plus I was just dying to make the mango dry ice sorbet & it did not disappoint at all, probably the best sorbet I have ever tasted!! YUM!!
Sangranita
Nefrozi
Watermelon Blush
Mango Pina Colada
Fragrant Coconut Fish Soup
Pumpkin Arancini with Smokey Yoghurt Dressing.
Duck Liver Parfait, Gingerbread Crumbs & Chocolate Foam – recipe from In the Mix Cookbook by Kym Machin.
Lettuce Soup
Pierogies
Pretzels
Cheesy Quinoa Bites
Tomato Shots (recipe by Lynette MacDonald from Dani’s In the Mix Cookbook)
Recent Comments