Luxurious ingredients served without fuss allow the complexity, flavour and origin to shine through.
When I have the luxury of some time off, I like to spoil myself with the best food and wine. I sit and relax with a glass of wine and eat food that is – like the wine – an expression of a place; winemakers call it terroir. To me, amazing produce served simply is one of life’s great indulgences.
Caviar, for instance, has a wonderful taste that needs little or no adornment. All I need is a mother of pearl spoon and a big tin, and I simply dig in.
Jamón Ibérico is another product that screams luxury. With the exhaustive growing and curing time – up to six years – it truly is a labour of love, and produce like this needs no help to shine. The creamy, melt-in-the-mouth, monounsaturated fat melts at 21 degrees and gives way to the sweet taste of the pig: more-ish saltiness and a hint of blue cheese from the mould formed during the curing process.
Truffles, both imported and Australian, also fit the bill perfectly. What could be better than a truffle omelette and a really good bottle of Burgundy?
Another great Australian product is the farmed bluefin tuna, available from March to September. The flavour is wonderful and the toro (belly), although not quite as good as from a 300kg wild northern bluefin (endangered species), is fantastic all the same. If you really want to impress your guests, make the jelly recipe opposite – it melts with the fat in the fish and delivers a great complexity and punch of flavour to the mouth.
Tuna Sashimi with ginger jelly
We are currently serving this recipe as sushi at Rockpool, but I love it equally without the rice – as long as the quality of the fish is nothing less than excellent. Ocean trout, kingfish and snapper also work well – scallops, whiting, you name it. We serve it with a slither of ginger jelly on top – an additional layer for the tastebuds, but a lot of work. Serves 4.
Ingredients
360g sashimi-quality tuna
1 tbsp baby cress (shiso leaves if available)
1 spring onion, finely sliced in rounds
2 green chives, chopped
10g pickled ginger, sliced thinly lengthways
Dash black sesame seeds
10g fresh green wasabi
Dressing
½ tsp crushed black peppercorns
½ tsp Japanese mustard powder
¼ small red onion, finely grated
¼ tbsp sesame oil
40ml vegetable oil
60ml rice wine vinegar
60ml Japanese soy sauce (or tamari)
40g palm sugar
5g wasabi paste
Method
To make the dressing, combine the pepper, mustard powder and grated onion in a mortar to form a paste. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Combine the sesame and vegetable oils together with the vinegar and soy. Add to the paste and whisk together. Put the palm sugar in a small saucepan with a dash of water and caramelise until a golden brown. Add 25ml of water to stop the caramelisation. Slowly add the caramelised sugar to the dressing. Mix the wasabi paste with two tablespoons of the dressing and whisk until smooth. Add it to the dressing and whisk together. Slice the tuna into ½cm-thick slices and arrange over four plates. Dress liberally with the sashimi dressing. Garnish with baby cress, the sliced spring onion, chives, matchsticks of pickled ginger and sesame seeds. Grate the fresh wasabi very fine, shape it into a ball and serve beside the tuna.
Recipe from Balance & Harmony: Asian Food by Neil Perry, photography by Earl Carter
Sydney chef and restaurateur Neil Perry designs Qantas First and Business menus. For recipes and cooking tips visit: Website
Source: Qantas The Australian Way April 2009