chicken pie with jus

This pie is actually a Maggie Beer recipe i saw on Masterchef few months ago. I tried it out, and it turned out to be awesome. The light flaky pie crust with the really yummy chicken and mushroom filling makes it a wonderful dish. Beautiful for a weekend dinner meal with your family. 


Recipe:


marinade
1                              whole chicken
1/2 cup                    olive oil
1                              orange, zested and juiced
8                              sprigs of thyme
4                              bay leaf
1 tbsp                       juniper berries 


pie crust
200 gm                     room temperature butter
250 gm                     plain flour
135 gm                     sour cream


filling
250 ml                      chicken stock
60 gm                       butter
2                              garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp                       rosemary, chopped
350 gm                     portabella mushroom
30 gm                       plain flour
40 gm                       creme
40 gm                       walnuts, chopped coarsely
1                              lemon, zested
2 tbsp                       oregano, chopped


egg wash
1                              egg yolk
2 tsp                         milk


Method:

1. To prepare the chicken, place all the marinade together in a bowl and rub thoroughly over the chicken and keep refrigerated for at least 2 hours. Best over night.
2. Preheat oven to 220'c. 
3. To make the filling, first roast your chicken whole, in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until juice runs clear when a knife is pierced through. Save the juice from the oven pan for jus later.
4. Remove the chicken from the oven once its done, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Let the chicken sit on the kitchen counter until its at room temperature, or at a temperature that you can start pilling off the meat with your bare hands. 
5. Remove all meat from the chicken and place in a bowl. This could be a dirty job, but the end result is worth it.
6. To make the filling now, place butter into a frying pan, and add garlic, rosemary and then mushroom. Saute the mushrooms until soft or half the size. Add in some olive oil to moisten the mixture up. Add the flour in and cook for 3-4 minutes. This will thicken up the mushroom mixture. 
7. Then pour in the chicken stock and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the cream, and add the rest of the ingredients in. Season it with salt and pepper and remove from heat once the cream is cooked through and filling looks thick and creamy. 
8. Place filling into the refrigerator and let it cool to room temperature. 
9. To make the pie crust, simply just put all the ingredients into a food processor, or blender and blend until nicely incorporated. 
10. Roll out the pastry with a rolling pin and place over a pie mold. Pierce holes on the bottom of the pie and bake for 10-15 minutes until its golden brown. 
11. Remove the pie and let it cool down. Once its cooled down, put in the filling. Roll out another pie crust and place over the filling to create the top. 
12. Brush with egg wash and bake in the oven until the pie its golden brown. 
13. To make the jus, heat up the remaining juice from the roast chicken on the stove. Add in some flour to thicken it up and pour in some chicken stock. Let it reduce till thick and stir in a cub of butter to make it shiny. 
14. Serve with the pie.

fishies

I came across an interesting fact while reading the Masterchef magazine Collectors Edition. It was about the right fish to pick when you wanna make fish and chips or deep fried fish fillets. You always go to the supermarket and flip through the frozen fish section, and will come across dory fish. Well, that ain't the best choice of fish. Dory has been around for ages, and used widely in many countries as the primary fish for fish and cheaps. Well today is your lucky day as I'm gonna share some knowledge with you about the right fish to pick for the best fish and chips. 

Red Snapper

Barramundi

Flathead

Snapper, flathead and barramundi are all good choices for battered fish. Avoid pink-fleshed fish, such as ocean trout and salmon, as their flavour is too rich. Also, steer clear of very thin fillets, such as whiting, as they are too delicate and will overcook easily. 
Have fun!

cinnamon french toast

Today we go back to the basics of cooking, making one dish that will make your kids craving for more. Our classic breakfast, french toast. Well when you think about french toast, it has been always eggs, cream, sugar, honey and butter. But i recall the times when I was working in America and I had to work breakfast shifts. I have to say, we make the best french toast in town! I never thought french toast could be that delicious. Spice it up and i guarantee you will lick your plate clean! So I am now sharing the recipe with you guys. 


Recipe:


8 slices                            raisin cinnamon bread
1 cup                               cream
1/4 cup                           milk
4                                    whole eggs
2 tbsp                             sugar
pinch                               salt
pinch                               cinnamon powder
1/2                                 vanilla bean / extract 
                                       honey
                                       butter


Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and whisk till incorporated (except honey, butter and bread)
2. Heat up a saute pan with a little bit of butter enough to oil the pan. 
3. Dip the bread into the mixture, and shake off excess liquid.
4. Fry the bread 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. 
5. Serve with honey drizzled all over it and cubes of butter. 
6. Sprinkle with some cinnamon powder.

Tip: You can always use other types of bread to your liking. 

Iron Chef Australia

The Australian culinary world hasn't been shaken as such for decades until now! Iron Chefs hits the shores of Melbourne and Channel Seven confirms the show to go on the big screen starting next month! I haven't  been this excited since watching the finale of Masterchef weeks ago. So the Iron Chefs, who are they?

Far Left: Owner/Chef of Rockpool Sydney & Melbourne - Neil Perry
Middle: Chef/Owner of Grossi Florentino - Guy Grossi
Far Right: Three Chef Hat Restaurant Pond Owner - Guillaume Brahimi


This is gonna be one hell of a show! I hope to get tickets to go see it. Shall not miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from the bests! 

the fat duck

Heston Blumenthal is one of the most innovative chefs in the world and his restaurant ranks as one of the planet's best. It's one of only a handful of UK restaurants ever to receive three Michelin stars- an honour it has held since 2004. In 2005, it was named number one in San Pellegrino's World's 50 Best list and currently sits in third place. The chef/owner has also been awarded an OBE as well as an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science, from the University of Reading. 
Blumenthal's story could come out of Masterchef. He's a self-taught cook who started out as a photocopy salesman before opening a bistro in 1995 in what was previously a dodgy pub. 
The cutting-edge dishes such as Sound of the Sea (looks like a seashore) served with an iPod soundtrack of waves and seagull cries, as well as the classic dishes with a bent, such as the fragrant Taffety Tart of crisp wafers sandwiching flavours of caramelised apple, fennel, rose and candied lemon. 
I hope one day i get to try out his restaurant in London, maybe even work side by side with one of the best chef in the world. 

berry mascorpone trifle

Oh come on! Who doesn't love Trifle? Its creamy, its rich, its refreshing and it is sooo tasty! I've never had a trifle before until my girlfriend decided to try the trifle recipe from the Masterchef magazine and it turned out to be a fantastic dessert that i bet everyone would love it! It may be a little bit pricy over the ingredients but it is worth a try friends! 

Recipe:

250gm                            frozen mixed berries

100gm                            fresh strawberries

110gm                            castor sugar

2                                    oranges, juiced / 1 zested

10                                  wide sponge fingers (from supermarket)

1                                    lemon, juiced

8                                    ginger nut biscuits, crushed

300ml                             pouring cream

6                                    egg yolks

2 tbsp                             caster sugar

1 tsp                              vanilla essence

3                                    egg yolks

110gm                            caster sugar

750gm                            mascorpone cheese

300ml                             pouring cream

2                                    oranges, zested

Method:

1. Place berries and strawberries into a pot, adding in sugar, orange juice and zest, and bring it to a boil. Slowly simmer for about 15 minutes until the berries are soft. (Be careful as the liquid might overflow due to the sugar content)
2. Meanwhile, to make custard, place cream in a saucepan and bring almost to a boil. Whisk egg yolk, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until combined. Gradually pour hot cream into egg yolk mixture, whisking until incorporated.
3. Return the mixture to the pan over low heat and stir continuously until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. (Do not overboil the custard, it will burn easily). Place custard into fridge to bring down the temperature.
4. To make mascorpone mixture, simply whisk egg yolks and sugar until tripled in volume. Add mascorpone, cream and orange zest, and whisk until mixture to almost stiff peaks. 
5. To assemble trifle, place sponge fingers in the base of a 4L bowl, and drizzle with some orange juice and lemon juice. Pour over cooled custard, and top with half of the mascorpone mixture. Add berries, then fruits, then repeat the steps again to create nice layers. 
6. Place the reserved juices in a small saucepan (from the berries) and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or until thick and syrupy. Refrigerate once the syrup is thick.
7. To serve, drizzle a little syrup over the trifle and scatter with orange zest and remaining crushed biscuits.  

Good info: you can always substitute the berries and strawberries with some of your favourite fruits such as mango, pineapple and apples.

Aphorisms

• The world is nothing without life, and all that lives takes nourishment.
• Animal feed, man eats: only the man of intellect knows how to eat.
• The fate of nations depends on the way they eat.
• Tell me what you eat, I will tell you what you are.
• The Creator, who made men such that he must eat to live, incites him to eat by means of appetite, and rewards him with pleasure.
• Gourmandism is an act of judgement, by which we give preference to things which are agreeable to our taste over those which are not.
• The pleasures of the table belong to all times and all ages, to every country and every day; they go hand in hand with all our other pleasures, outlast them, and remain to console us for their loss.
• The table is the only place where the first hour is never dull.
• The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star.
• Drunkards and victims of indigestion do not know how to eat or drink.
• The right order of eating is from the most substantial dishes to the lightest. 
• The right order of drinking is from the mildest wines to the headiest and most perfumed.
• Dessert without cheese is like a pretty woman with only one eye.

picked up from "The Philosopher in the Kitchen" by Jean- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1970)The Philosopher in the Kitchen

indulgence

"9 out of 10 people loves chocolate, the last person always lies"

new Masterchef 2010!

Adam Liaw celebrates winning the Masterchef season two after defeating Callum in the final round over three stages of competition. The finale show started off with the coming back of the previous eliminated contestants, which i was dying to see my favourite Marion and Claire. Both Adam and Callum started off with a basic skills test and it wasn't surprising to see Adam leading the challenge with higher points. Callum was just a young bloke that has limited knowledge in culinary compared to the 30 year old Adam. So i wasn't surprise of Adam's leading points. The finale moved on to a Invention test where Adam made an outstanding pork dish whilst Callum did some simple yet pretty dish. Based on appearance, Callum's dish was a winner. However, it all comes down to the taste and Adam was spot on. It then came down to a Pressure test determining the next Masterchef of Australia. Adam came out victorious and became the second Australian Masterchef! As well as winning the most popular TV show in the country, Adam also won a book deal, AUD$100,000 and a chance to work along side the country's best chefs. Adam became famous for his old and new world Japanese fare on the network Ten show and says his first cookbook will embrace the fusion. We all wish Adam good luck and hope to see his book soon!