Braised duck with grilled mushrooms and zucchini strips on a bed of green tea infused pasta accompanied by a light lemongrass dressing.
Yield: 10
Origin: Food and home magazine
Portion size: 180g
Ingredients:
10 duck legs with thigh attached
2 onions finely chopped
3 carrots finely chopped
3 leeks finely chopped
2 sticks of lemon grass roughly chopped
30g finely chopped ginger
50g tomato puree
500ml white wine
1 ½ litres chicken or duck stock
Equipment:
5-litre pot
Measuring cups
Preparation:
1) In a hot pan brown the duck legs until the skin is crispy and golden.
2) Finely chop the onions, carrots, lemon grass and ginger. In a 5-litre pot add the onions and the leeks and allow cooking until soft then adding the carrots, lemongrass and ginger and allowing cooking until they turn a light golden.
3) Then add the tomato paste and 100ml of white wine and allow simmering for 5 minutes. Add the duck legs into the pot with the rest of the wine and the chicken or duck stock.
4) Allow the liquid to simmer gently with a lid on for 1-1 ½ hours until the duck is tender and falling off the bone.
Preparation time:
15 minutes
Cooking time:
2 hours
Plating:
Place the leg on a bed of green tea infused pasta with grilled tomatoes and zucchini strips and a lemongrass dressing over.
Grilled mushrooms and zucchini strips
Yield: 10
Origin: own idea
Portion size: 100g
Ingredients:
500g white button mushrooms
500g baby marrows
150 ml olive oil
Maldon salt and cracked black pepper
Equipment:
Roasting pan
Gravity slicer
Preparations:
1) Slice the zucchini length ways on the slicer into thin strips.
2) Turn all the button mushrooms with a paring knife.
3) Place the mushrooms into the roasting pan and drizzle with oil the season. Place into a pre-heated oven at 180’C and allow to cook for 10 minutes before adding the zucchini strips and allow cooking for a further 10 minutes. Then turn the grill on and let the vegetables take on colour before removing and plating.
Preparation time and cooking time:
20 minutes and 25 minutes
Plating:
Place the vegetables on the plate with the rest of the main course.
Green tea infused pasta
Yield: 10
Origin: Food and home magazine
Portion size: 120g
Ingredients:
1.2 kg of taglitelli
5 green tea bags
Equipment:
3-litre pot
Preparations:
1) Bring 2 ½ litres of water up to the boil, add 5 green tea bags to the water and allow the flavours to release before adding the pasta then cook till al dente.
Preparation time:
5 minutes
Cooking time:
20 minutes
Plating:
Place on a plate acting as a bed for the rest of the main course ingredients.
Lemon grass dressing
Yield: 10
Origin: Megan Williams – heavenly food
Portion size: 50 ml
Ingredients:
Juice of 6 lemons
4-tablespoon water
2 level tablespoon palm sugar
2-tablespoon fish sauce
2-tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
4 stems lemon grass finely sliced
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
4 mild red chillies, deseeded and cut into fine strips
8-tablespoon olive oil
Seasoning
Equipment:
Measuring spoons
Preparations:
1) In a saucepan bring the lemon juice, water, palm sugar, fish and chilli sauces to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute or until slightly syrupy. Add the lemon grass, chopped garlic and red chillies and simmer for a further minute. Allow cooling then whisk in the oil and seasoning.
Preparation time and cooking time:
10 minutes and 5 minutes
Plating:
Drizzle over the main course and serve
White chocolate mousse with poached strawberries and almond tuile
Yield: 10
Origin: The complete SA book of food and cookery
Portion size: 80g
Ingredients:
300g white chocolate
150g butter
5 eggs separated
500 ml cream
Equipment:
Whisk
Saucepan
Preparations:
1) In a double boiler melt the white chocolate and butter together. Allow cooling slightly then whisk in the egg yolks.
2) Beat the cream until thick then whisk up the egg whites in another bowl.
3) Fold the cream into the chocolate mixture then lightly fold in the egg white and set in a bowl over night.
Preparation time:
15 minutes
Cooking time:
10 minutes
Poached strawberries
Yield: 10
Origin: the complete SA book of food and cookery
Portion size: 50 g
Ingredients:
500g strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 lemon
375ml sugar
½ vanilla bean, split lengthways
250ml water
Equipment:
Measuring cups
Scale
Preparations:
1) Sprinkle the strawberries with lemon juice and 125ml sugar and leave to macerate for 30 minutes.
2) Make a syrup with the remaining sugar, water and vanilla been and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
3) Poach strawberries in the syrup over a very low heat for 5 minutes, strain then cool.
Preparation time:
30 minutes
Cooking time:
15 minutes
Plating:
On a plate with a dollop of white chocolate mousse.
Almond tuiles
Yield: 10
Origin: Silwood School of cookery
Portion size: 1 each
Ingredients:
2 egg whites
120g-castor sugar
60g cake flour
a few drops of almond essence
60g melted butter
60g flaked almonds.
Equipment:
1 Sheet stick stop on a baking slide
1 hard piece of card cut into any shape.
Spatula
Rolling pin
Preparations:
1) Pre heat oven to 190’C. Whisk egg whites until firm then gradually beat in sugar until peaks form and all sugar is added. Carefully fold in all the rest of the ingredients except the flaked almonds.
2) Place ½ a teaspoon of the mixture on a baking slide with the stencil on and smooth out. Remove the stencil and sprinkle on some flaked almonds. Place into the oven to bake for 5-8 minutes or until golden around the edge. Remove the tuile and place over a rolling pin to acquire shape.
Preparation time and cooking time:
25 minutes and 8 minutes
