Firstly, we made sushi. Regular readers of my blog will know how to make sushi as I detailed it in the month's Diploma blog entries. I experimented with different shapes this time, making some sushi balls (see photo). We then washed and dried the home cured bacon which I was so excited to try. We rolled it out thinly between two pieces of greaseproof paper and then slow cooked it in the oven, until really crispy and caramelised. Joe then showed us how to prep the venison and portion it up.
We whipped up the praline biscuits, which we were pros at because we had done them yesterday. Then Mat and I set to work on the butter fingers. You may wonder, 'what on earth goes into a butter finger?' and the answer is simple. A shed load of butter and naughty things, but they make one tasty biscuit! We had to pipe the mixture using a star shaped nozzle, but once they were in the oven, our artistic creations turned into normal shaped blobs. This is because our mixture was not stiff enough, but then if it was any stiffer, it would have been impossible to pipe. I think the answer is to pipe the biscuits and then to freeze them for half an hour or so to keep the shape in the oven.
Joe showed us how to make polenta cakes- be careful, when boiling it, it's rather volcanic! Someone was then volunteered to grate the expensive valrhona chocolate. We mixed the chocolate shavings with softly whipped cream, a lime syrup and creme fraiche. After marinating the cucumber and making the tomato and cranberry vinaigrette, it was almost time for lunch. We prepared our slow cooked venison first. It was sealed in a hot pan and then wrapped up tightly in a cling film sausage. Then it was put into a pre-heated oven at 60C for at least two hours. Now, I know what you're thinking. Two hours? 60C? What are they playing at?! Well I shall tell you. 60C is the perfect temperature for medium rare to medium meat. The heat slowly penetrates the meat so it is perfectly cooked throughout. Two hours is long enough for the meat to cook, but not overcook. It is then melt-in-the-mouth when you do
come to eat it as it has been bathed in heat, not aggressively scorched like regular pan frying. It is similar to cooking in a water bath, which is what the water bath simulates. Plus, it doesn't need any resting time as at 60C, it is already rested. Great dish for a dinner party, folks.
Lunch time!
Makizushi rolls and nigirizushi
Mmm mmm. I do love sushi. So refreshing with the pickled ginger. I stayed well clear of the wasabi. Nasty stuff!
Whilst we were digesting, we moved back into the kitchen to finish off the salmon pre-starter. We diced our home made salmon gravalax and mixed it with greek yoghurt, lemon juice, and dill. We rested it on a bed of vinegar and sugar marinated cucumber.
It was really delicious. Quite simple, but really yummy. It was really light as well and I loved the slight sweetness from the yoghurt, contrasting with the salmon and cucumber.
After gobbling that up, we made some chocolate truffles using the left over ganache from Day 2. We dipped the truffles in cooled melted chocolate, decorated with white chocolate and set them in the fridge. Then it was time to prepare the main course. We made the cassis glaze, finished the vinaigrette, fried the polenta cakes to warm them through and then it was time to eat again!
Salmon gravalax, cucumber salad and greek yoghurt
Slow cooked medium rare loin of venison, home cured bacon lardons, cassis
glaze, polenta cake, green beans, tomato and dried cranberry vinaigrette
Ooo this was fabulous. The venison was incredible. I will definitely cook my meat like this again. It was pink all the way through, unlike pan frying methods where it is pink in the middle and darker shades until it gets to a brown outside. I really liked the vinaigrette too. It was lovely a sharp and cut through the rich venison. The polenta cake went well too. I haven't had polenta before, but I definitely will now. A nice alternative to potato.
The day was drawing to a close. We tidied up and finished off our pre-dessert and petit fours.
The pre-dessert was lovely. Not too intense from the chocolate as the lime cur through the richness and they went really well together.
Pre-dessert of chocolate and lime creams with mint fragments and gold leaf
Petit fours: hand-made valrhona chocolate truffles, praline biscuits, chocolate dipped florentines and butter fingers
Over our coffee and chocolates, we were presented with our certificates for the Advanced Course. We all said our goodbyes and exchanged emails. It is sad to say goodbye to new friends and Ashburton, but I'm sure I'll be back soon. I hear there's a Chef's Skills Advanced Plus course...
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