Food connoisseurs worth their salt will agree that culinary techniques go hand in hand with fresh ingredients.

In a Martell Pure Gourmet Masterclass led by Master Chef Wai of Starhill Culinary Studio, we put on our chef hat and apron to learn how foaming by nitrous oxide and slow cooking for red meat ups the ante in texture and flavour.

Read on to see how you can easily incorporate these techniques in your home cooking style (recipes included below).

 

 

Foaming by nitrous oxide

First up, the Cauliflower Espuma & Duck Confit with Foie Gras. 

Espuma – a Spanish word for ‘foam’ – is created with a siphon bottle equipped with nitrous oxide (N2o), where the introduction of air into a puree (cauliflower, in our case) not only intensifies the flavour, but also doubles the volume.

The result? An ultra light alternative to cream-based sauces that goes wonderfully with a fatty ingredient like French duck liver and the contrasting texture of duck confit.

The espuma is easy to create at home; the real fun starts when the nitrous oxide comes into play. Chef Wai suggests using only a half-litre siphon bottle for smaller quantities and shaking vigorously a few times before dispensing. This blends more air into the mixture for a smooth, cloudy froth.

 

 

Cauliflower Espuma and Duck Confit with Foie Gras

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

Cauliflower Espuma

15ml Olive oil
80gm White onion, sliced
600gm Cauliflower, florets
800ml Full body chicken stock
2 Bay leaves
Sea salt flakes to taste

 

Method:

1. Clean the cauliflower and break it into florets.
2. In a saucepan over low heat sauté the sliced onion until soft then add in cauliflower florets and chicken stock and simmer in the stock with bay leaves.
3. Cook until soft, about 20 minutes then drain off the liquid and transfer the florets into a food processor and purée.
4. Strain the purée through a fine chinos and stir in cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Put the cauliflower purée into a culinary siphon / whip cream gun and use according to the manufacturer’s instructions and keep warm.
6. Shake well 3 to 4 times with the nozzles pointing down to make the espuma.
7. Serve espuma with Duck Confit and Foie Gras 

 

The tenderness of any red meat makes or breaks a dish. Using a rack of lamb for this technique, it’s surprisingly very simple to do at home and could just do the trick in letting your inner gourmet chef shine through.

This recipe essentially involves roasting the lamb rack in low heat for 10-15 minutes, taking it out of the oven and letting it rest for another 10-15 minutes, and then repeating the process three times.

It’s a lengthy process that takes around 45 minutes, but the resulting tenderness is worth it.

What about cooking it at a slightly higher heat of 120 degrees Celcius and for 25 minutes straight?

Chef Wai warns against taking the easy way out, “The meat won’t be as tender as it would with this slow cooking method. By taking the meat out and letting it cool to room temperature, it gets a chance to rest and allows its own juice to be absorbed into the meat. This is how we get tender meat.”

 

 

Slow Roasted Rack of Lamb with Semi Dried Tomatoes and Parmigiano

Recipe: (Serves 4)

Lamb

800 –1000 gm rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched
Sea salt flakes to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Semi Dried Tomatoes

2 Peach tomatoes, semi dried
Sea salt flakes to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh thyme and rosemary

 

Parmigiano Reggiano sauce

15gm Wheat flour
15gm Soft butter
80gm Parmigiano, grated
120gm Full body chicken stock
15ml Cooking cream
Butter, softened
Sea salt flakes to taste

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 125°C
2. Season the rack of lamb all over with salt and pepper.
3. Set a small roasting rack over a heavy pan, set the lamb on the rack and place on the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and cover with foil and rest at room temperature for 8-10 minutes, repeat this step two more times, or until the temperature in the center of the middle rib reaches 70°C for medium doneness.
4. Rest well and keep warm at about 68°C for at least 20 minutes before serving.
5. Halve the tomatoes and season with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
6. Preheat oven to 175°C. On a baking tray place some fresh thyme and rosemary then put tomatoes on top and transfer to preheated oven to bake for about 35 minutes.
7. In a medium sauce pot, cook softened butter and flour for 2 minutes to eliminate the flour taste then pour in cool chicken stock and bring to a boil.
8. Stir in grated cheese gradually until it thoroughly melted.
9. Add in cream and butter, taste and adjust the seasoning to taste.
10. Carve the rack of lamb between the rib bones. Spoon some sauce in the center of each warm plate, set the lamb on top, garnish with semi dried tomato, roasted potato and serve immediately. 

 

(Photos: Martell)