An epicure’s Australian dream…

08 Jul 2016
|
5 min read
Tucked in the Barossa Valley of Southern Australia is a luxurious haven that blends private accommodation with fine dining at Appellation and world-class wine. FOUR gives you an exclusive insight into Executive Chef Ryan Edward’s world and three gourmet recipes…

Barossa Valley-born Chef Ryan Edwards has a genuine connection to the land and a love of real food and culinary traditions. Between commencing his career as a chef and joining the team at Appellation in 2008, he worked in luxury resorts in North Queensland and the Gold Coast.

His positive and determined attitude, combined with traditional culinary values are reflected in his passion for brewing, baking. His gastronomic philosophy holds ethical eating, low food miles, and sustainability of food resources at the heart of his food.

His dishes revolve around seasonal produce, using an in-house kitchen garden, visiting growers and picking wild vegetables, fruits and nuts. The kitchen team strives this wonderful, fresh produce to triumph with the use of traditional flavours and modern techniques.

Recipes

Appellation twice cooked belly of local pork, pickled carrot and ginger, radish, sesame and soy pudding

Ingredients

Pork belly

1 pork belly

Curing salt

100g salt

½ cinnamon stick

2 garlic cloves

4 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 star anise

2 peppercorns

8 coriander seeds

Pickled carrot (noch namn)

200ml fish sauce

250g sugar

8 limes juiced

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

¼ cup coriander stalks

100ml vinegar

2tsp chilli

2cup water

2kg carrot

Pickled daikon

225ml water

125ml vinegar

6 tbs sugar

2 tsp salt

250g daikon radish

Pickled ginger

1 small knob of ginger

Radishes

Soy pudding

16 spring onions chopped

8 tsp ginger peeled, grated

100ml orange juice

480ml soy sauce

200g caster sugar

120ml sherry

15ml sesame oil

10g agar

Method

Pork belly

Trim pork belly of all bones and shape square. Cover with the curing salt at a rate of 20g per kg for 12 hours minimum. Cover and cook at 88°C for 12 hours then cool under weight to keep flat and square. Trim skin off and cut into 30mm cubes. Use 3 cubes per serving.

Pickled carrot (noch namn)

Combine all ingredients except for the carrot. Peel and cut the carrot into 8cm logs, sliced lengthways on a mandolin, as thin as possible. Combine pickle and carrot.

Pickled daikon

Boil the water, vinegar, sugar and salt, and reserve. Peel and cut daikon into 8 cm logs

Pickled ginger

Julienne the ginger and place in same pickle as the daikon radishes. Peel and slice the baby radishes on a mandolin as thin as possible

Pickled ginger

Julienne the ginger and place in the same pickle as the daikon and peel and slice the baby radishes on a mandolin, as thinly as possible.

Soy pudding

Combine the soy, orange juice, sugar, sherry, sesame oil and agar in a saucepan and use a stick blender to combine thoroughly.Bring the contents of the saucepan to the boil and boil for 4 minutes.Take the saucepan off the heat and use a stick blender to blend once more.Add the grated ginger and allow to cool.Once cold and solid, place the pudding into a thermo mix and blend until completely smooth, scraping the sides occasionally.Pass through a fine sieve and add the chopped spring onions.Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, baby coriander.

Appellation avocado, asparagus & artichoke salad

Ingredients

Avocado puree

200g avocado

40 limes juiced

30g glucose

30g almond oil

Salt to taste

Courgette pickle

3 large courgettes

225ml water

125ml champagne vinegar

6tsp sugar

2tsp salt

Globe artichokes

3 large globe artichokes

Court Bouillon

200ml white wine

500ml water

1 carrot

½ onion

¼ celery stick

5 peppercorns

2 parsley stalks

5 sprigs of fresh thyme

Vegetables for blanching-refreshing

1 large kohlrabi

4 peas-in-the-half-pod

16 spears of asparagus

Dressing

50ml verjuice

20mls elderflower cordial

Juice and zest of 1 lemon (microplaned)

50mls grape seed oil

20mls almond oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes

Pea tendrils

Chervil

Mint leaves (baby)

2 borriage flowers

4 nasturtium flowers petals

2 rocket flowers

Chopped roasted almonds

Method

Avocado Puree

Using a Thermo Mix blend all the ingredients except the oil together, then slowly add in the oil. Blend until smooth and glossy. Pass to finish!

Courgette Pickle

Slice the courgette on mandolin a few millimetres thick, reserve in a container.Boil all together and, while hot pour over the sliced courgette.

Globe Artichokes

Remove the outer leaves from the artichoke and clean inside the cap.Trim the stems and reserve the artichokes in acidulated water until ready for cooking. Poach in the court bouillon.

Court Bouillon

Bring the artichokes up to the boil in liquor, allow to cook until tender (al dente), remove from the heat and allow to cool in the liquid. Strain off the veg and keep artichokes in the liquid.

Vegetables for blanching-refreshing

Kohlrabi – remove the skin and cut into a squares. Slice on mandolin and reserve.Peas in half shell – remove from the stem and carefully take off one side of the pea pod, leaving the peas only on one side.Asparagus – cut the spears into 10cm pieces and keep the stems to be used later.Blanch each individual group of vegetables and refresh.

Dressing

Whisk together all ingredients and adjust seasoning accordingly.

To serve

Heat a small knob of butter in a saucepan with a splash of verjus.Add in 2 courgettes, 2 kohlrabi, 4 asparagus spears and 1 half pea pod, allow to heat through.Smear avocado onto plate and outside of rim.Layer salad on top allowing the smear to show through and garnish with herbs and flowers. Dress with the dressing and serve immediately.

Strawberries, pistachio and frantoio olive oil cake, mascarpone and black pepper sorbet

Ingredients

Strawberry sherbet

20g dehydrated strawberries

5g citric acid

5g bi-carbonate of soda

30g icing sugar

Strawberry sorbet

550g fresh strawberries

100g caster sugar

100ml verjuice

1g sorbet stabilizer

10ml lemon juice

Strawberry coulis

100g pure icing sugar

100g fresh strawberries

Strawberry sheet

500g strawberries

10g sugar

Fresh strawberries

200g the freshest local strawberries you can find

Frantoio olive oil cake

100g almond meal

100g pistachio meal

50g fine polenta

12g plain flour

5g baking powder

3 eggs

200g sugar

125ml frantoio olive oil

100g unsalted butter melted but cool

1 lemon zest and juiced

1 lime zest and juice

Pistachio praline

100g pistachio

100g isomalt

Mascarpone and black pepper sorbet

265g full fat milk

160g thickened cream

145g dextrose

50g caster sugar

25g glucose syrup

60g full fat milk powder

2g ice cream stabilizer

300g mascarpone

6g black pepper ground

Botrytis Riesling jelly

200ml botrytis Riesling

100ml water

100g sugar

4 platinum gelatine leaves bloomed

Baby basil

A small handful of small leaves

Baby meringues

220g caster sugar

25g glucose

60ml water

60g fresh egg white

Method

Strawberry sherbet

Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until a fine powder. Pass through a fine sieve. Then store in air tight container.

Strawberry sorbet

Process the strawberries and pass through a fine sieve. Mix the remaining ingredients very well, then bring to 85°C and cool. Add to strawberry puree and freeze in ice cream machine.

Strawberry coulis

Process in food processor until smooth, pass through fine sieve and place in squeezy bottle.

Strawberry sheet

Blend well and pass through fine sieve. Spread an even thin layer on a silicone mat. Bake at 80°C for 90 minutes. When dried peel into small sheets.

Fresh strawberries

Slice just before serving.

Frantoio olive oil cake

Process nut meals, polenta, flour and baking powder until evenly mixed. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix olive oil and butter and add gently to egg mix. Fold in the dry ingredients then add juice and zest. Place into greased cake tin and bake in preheated oven at 160°C for 40 minutes until cooked when checked with skewer.

Pistachio praline

Roast pistachios for 5 minutes in hot oven. Melt the isomalt in a saucepan over low heat. Pour over hot pistachios and leave to cool. Process in food processor until a fine crumb.

Mascarpone and black pepper sorbet

Blend the milk, cream and dextrose until smooth. Place in pan and bring to 40°C. Whisk in caster sugar, glucose, milk powder, stabilizer and pepper bring to 85°C. Refrigerate overnight. Whisk in mascarpone and churn in ice cream machine then freeze.

Botrytis Riesling jelly

Bring sugar and water to the boil. Remove from heat and add gelatine and stir to dissolve. Add the wine and pour into appropriate receptacle to set until required in refrigeration. Break into pieces for serving.

Baby basil

Pick and wash baby basil.

Baby meringues

Bring sugar, glucose and water to boil. Bring to 118°C whilst whisking egg whites to soft peak. Continue whisking whites and pour the hot sugar syrup over them in a fine stream to make the meringue. Beat until cool. Place in piping bag and make small meringues. Bake in a low oven until crisp.

The Louise and Appellation

Corner Seppeltsfield and Stonewell Roads,

Marananga, Barossa Valley,

South Australia 5352

+61 8 8562 2722

www.thelouise.com.au