CHEF MOLANO
Alligator Soup.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon salt, plus ; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons sweet paprika; 1 3/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves; 3/4 teaspoon white pepper; 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves; 1 lb boneless alligator meat, trimmed of fat and pounded to 1/2 inch thick, then cut into 1 inch squares; 1/2 lb unsalted butter; 1 1/4 cups onions, very finely chopped; 1 cup celery, very finely chopped; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 2 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped; 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 6 cups seafood stock; 2 tablespoons dry sherry.
Directions:
Combine the salt, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, basil, thyme, peppers, and oregano in a small bowl.
Take 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix and rub it over the meat.
In a 5 1/2 quart saucepan, heat 1/4 lb of butter over high heat until about half melted. Add meat and cook until meat is well browned and sediment on bottom of pan is continuously building up, about 13 minutes, scraping bottom of pan occasionally. Remove from heat. With a slotted spoon, transfer meat and any very brown bits to a bowl and set aside.
Return pan to high heat and add remaining butter and 3/4 cup onions, scraping up all browned sediment, then stirring occasionally.
Stir in 1/2 cup celery.
Add flour, stirring until well-blended. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring and scraping frequently.
Stir in tomatoes, garlic and 2 tablespoons of seasoning mix. Cook about 4 minutes, stirring and scraping.
Add 1/2 cup stock and stir and scrape until browned sediment is dissolved.
Add 1/2 cup more stock and the remaining seasoning mix. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring and scraping frequently.
Add remaining stock and stir and scrape well.
Return meat to pot and add sherry. Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping frequently.
Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring and scraping occasionally.
Add remaining onions and celery. Continue to cook until meat is tender, about 30 minutes more, stirring and scraping occasionally.
CHEF PEREZ - NATION
Grilled Salmon With Macadamia Sauce Served with Mash and Paperbark Vegetables
Ingredients:
4 x 200g salmon steak
50g (1½ oz.) chopped macadamia nuts
5ml (1 teaspoon) paperbark smoke oil
pinch lemon myrtle
30g (1 tablespoon) riberry confit
For the macadamia nut sauce
5ml (1 teaspoon) macadamia nut oil
1 small onion
30ml (2 tablespoons) riesling (White Wine)
70g (5 tablespoons) macadamia nut butter
300ml (1½ cups) full cream
pinch of alpine pepper
pinch salt
Cooking instruction:
Finely dice the onion. Place into a saucepan with macadamia nut oil on low heat and sauté until lightly golden in colour. Salt the onions at this stage as it brings out the sweetness in them. Deglaze the saucepan with the white wine, stir to lift the pan juices and add the cream and macadamia nut butter. (This can be made, if necessary, by blending toasted macadamia nut pieces in a food processor for 10 to 15 minutes or until the butter forms.) Allow the sauce to simmer, and reduce until slightly thickened. Season with alpine pepper to taste.
As a garnish, toast the chopped macadamia nuts in a saucepan on medium heat. Toss them around until the smallest pieces are just lightly golden and then transfer the toasted nut pieces to a plate to cool.
Lightly rub macadamia nut oil over the salmon steaks, then place them onto a pre-heated BBQ or grill on medium heat. Ideally the salmon steaks should be served medium rare which is warm inside but still dark orange-pink with the edges cooked to pale pink. Remember that the steaks will tend to cook on a little even when removed from the heat. When cooked, remove the steaks and brush with paperbark oil and dust with lemon myrtle.
To serve, ladle the macadamia nut cream sauce on the plate, then place the salmon on top and garnish with the riberry confit and toasted macadamia nuts.
CHEF LEPERVANCHE:
Lamingtons
For those who don’t know, lamingtons consist of a square piece of sponge cake (usually at least a day old) which is cut in half and layered with strawberry jam and whipped cream. Both pieces are then sandwiched, then dipped in chocolate ganache and then coated in desiccated coconut. Like everything Australian there are numerous variations on the lamington recipe but it essentially used up left-over sponge cake which was a common item at morning and afternoon teas for the non-working mums and on weekends back in the early 1900s.
My lamington recipe is slight different to the traditional lamington recipe, as I prefer to flavour the whipped cream with Wattleseed extract and substitute the strawberry jam for a homemade rosella jam. These native Australian flavours provide a really unique flavour and certainly make the lamington dessert authentically Australian.
Ingredients:
A 30cm x 30cm sponge cake (madeira cake or genoise)
400ml (1 ¾ cups) cream
250g (1 cup) couverture chocolate
250ml (1 cup) whipped cream
10ml (2 teaspoons) wattleseed extract
250g rosella jam
100g (½ cup) desiccated coconut
Cooking instruction:
To make the chocolate ganache required for lamingtons it should be very wet so that the sponge cake absorbs some of the chocolate, compared to a regular ganache which is 50% chocolate and 50% cream. Place 400ml cream in a saucepan over high heat and bring just to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat. Meanwhile, chop chocolate into small pieces, then add chopped chocolate to the cream, whilst mixing vigorously until the chocolate and cream are thoroughly mixed. The mixture will slightly solidify as it cools.
To make the wattleseed cream, simply combine the whipped cream with wattleseed extract. The cream won’t require any sugar at all. Then cut the sponge cake into 4cm cubes, then cut them in half. On one half, layer the rosella jam and one the other site layer with wattleseed cream. Then sandwich the halves together.
Then make a production line of sponge, chocolate ganache, and desiccated coconut in a shallow container or plate, and a cooling rack with paper underneath. Using a fork dip the sponge into the chocolate ganache, then roll it in the coconut covering it well, and then place on to the rack to dry.
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