1st & 3rd Courses of the Truffle Menu '08

Sorry I haven't managed to get the whole menu in 1 post but we seem to sell the menu in the middle of the busiest part of the service and I don't always have time to get the camera. However I'll try for the main and dessert this week. With the menu we've kept it very simple so that it's all about the truffle. The dishes are merely vehicles for these fabulous fungi. The first coarse is a truffle'd leek and potato veloute. We serve it with a little truffle'd pissaladiere on the side. The third coarse as you can see is an adaptation of the current scallop dish and again the simple flavours of a classic barigoule marry classically with the truffles. Three down, two to go.

Seared 'Hervey Bay' Scallops, Crunchy Globe Artichokes, Truffle infused White Asparagus, Smoked Speck Crumbs and Liquid Gel

As I mentioned last week the Australian truffle season has just begun. We received our first shipment of 'Manjimup' truffles from Western OZ on Tuesday and set to work to finding new dishes for them. We've decided to offer a 5 coarse truffle menu this season as well as using the truffles in our regular dishes. This is the second coarse in the truffle menu but also available on the a la carte menu (significantly less truffles). The globe artichoke season has just started as well so we've paired them together here. I love globes but I find that all to often they just tend to taste like lemon juice or what ever other anti-oxidation method has been used in their preparation. This season we've decided to cook the artichokes sous-vide with a little ascorbic acid and water. Its working really well and because of the sous-vide cutting out oxidation we need only use the minimal ascorbic acid. This allows the true flavour of the artichoke to come through. I've opted also for a different method for finishing the artichokes for service. Usually I would pan fry the cooked globes but this year i have decided to dust them with potato starch and deep fry them. Using this technique gives the interesting final result of crunchy globes but with little or no colour. The asparagus is cooked sous-vide too. We add just a touch of truffle oil and beautiful french butter to the bag before we seal them tight and then cook them at 83 degree C for about 1 hour. I find white asparagus benefits from long slow cooking as opposed to blanching them quickly. The result is a firm spear that just melts in your mouth. To add a little textural contrast when the customer eats them we coat the bottom of the spears in smoked speck crumbs. With the skin and trimmings from the speck we make a beautiful rich stock. Once its passed and seasoned we thicken it with a little xanthan and finish it with chopped chives. The scallops from Hervey Bay are so sweet at the moment and they bring the rest of the earthy elements together. The discs of fresh truffle pick up the flavour in the asparagus and everything comes together nicely. This is a nice light dish but with some big flavours all balanced well. I'll post the whole truffle menu later in the week. Later

Just recieved our 2 nd batch of West Australian truffles and I have to say there pretty good. The fact that there harvested less then 48 hours ago makes a big difference. They've got a lot stronger perfume than last year and at $500 less per kg this year you've got to be happy. Lets hope they continue to get better and better. For me its as good if not bettter than some imported ones (no quarantine e.t.c.)