'Rhubarb and Custard'

I made this beautiful rhubarb sorbet the other day. I cooked the rhubarb out in a fair amount of butter and a little water. When I pacotized the puree the next day it had the smoothest texture. I could have eaten the whole tub. Being English the first thing I think of when I see rhubarb is crumble. I loved it as a child and can still remember waiting for it to come out after dinner in the winter with loads of hot custard. So that was the inspiration for this little dish. I paired the sorbet with some vanilla cream, a little pistachio soil and a lovely ginger and vanilla jelly. Happy days.

Spanish Makerel, Chorizo, Romesco Puree, cassoulet of Baby Squid, Banyuls Reduction

To say this dish was inspired by the fishes name would be a fair comment. Its very Spanish in all areas. The Mackerel is a fantastic fish when we can get it and it is best served on the rare side of medium rare, like tuna. It also makes great sashimi or carpaccio. If it is over cooked it becomes dry and has the texture of canned fish. For this dish I've wrapped the mackerel in wafer thin sheets of chorizo. This adds a nice spice to the meaty flesh and also gives the fish a little protection form the pan. I love romresco sauce and this smooth puree goes well with the spices of the chorizo. The cassoulet, although not entirely Spanish, finish of the dish well and fit's right into the story. I sometimes feel that the rich butterieness of the beans needs a little sharpness to lift them to that next level. I could have added a little vinegar to the beans at the last minute but instead I have made a warm jelly with the broth from the beans and sharpened it up with the addition of Banylus vinegar reduction. It works really well and add's another texture to the cassoulet. The baby squid is served in two different preparations, the rings are marinated in a little vinaigrette and the tentacles are deep fried to a nice crunchy finish. The plate is finished with a few drops of the beautiful Banyuls reduction. A nice dish for autumn.

Confit of Hiramasa Kingfish, Brussel Sprout Leaves, Foie Gras and Rhubarb, Smokey Red Wine Sauce

With the arrival of the colder weather comes the humble brussel sprout. For me brussle sprouts meant one thing only, Christmas dinner. When I was young this was the only time I would eat them because I really didn't like them. However as I grew up I began to eat them more often until eventually I would look forward to there arrival. Here they are the garnish for one of the great fish of Australia, Hiramasa kingfish. I really like kingfish, its fantastic raw and can take meaty garnishes when cooked. Here I've confit the fish. I find sometimes that if you cook kingfish to aggressively the fish flavour becomes to strong, however with the confit the gentle cooking lets the fish retain its clean flavour. We saute the sprout leaves in a little butter and finish them with some ginger and lemon zest. The rhubarb is sugar/salt cured and the sharp flavour livens up the whole garnish. I wanted to add some crunch to the whole dish so we rolled the Foie gras in crushed macadamia nuts before the beignet batter. They are very easy to eat and very moreish with ther warm liquid centres, a bit like a ferrero rocher. The other good thing about the kingfish is that the bones make the most fantastic sauce. We added a little speck trimming to the reduction and a few drops of super smooth macadamia nut pure on the plate. The dish eats really well together with the rhubarb cutting nicely through all the rich fatty components. From turkey to kingfish, its funny how things change.