chefjulesonline.com

Chef Jules Birthday Bash

2011-08-09T11:45:00.000+12:00

Hello Friends,

Antipasti

It's that time of year when one becomes a year older, and hopefully a little wiser. As usual I had a great time with friends and family, celebrating with good food and wine. I thought I would just show you a few photos of what was available. As you can see we started with Antipasti. Items of note would be the orange tomatoes, Sicilian olives, cream cheese stuffed baby capsicums and the central plate of cured salmon. I want to share the salmon recipe with you because it is an easy one and is as follows.

Chef Jules Cured Salmon Recipe
1 fresh fillet of Salmon, go for the belly or central part (not the tapered tail end)
2 tablespoons coarse rock salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil

Pepper

Parsley and dill chopped

Method

Remove the bones from the fillet. run your fingers along the fillet and remove with chefs tweezers, or cut out with knife if you don't mind a little wastage.

Take a suitable tray or plate and sprinkle half the salt on the bottom, lay the salmon on top and sprinkle the remaining salt on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Wash the Salmon under cold water and dry on a paper towel. Add the rest of the ingredients on top of the salmon, cover and keep in the fridge until needed. Serve with lemon wedges and grilled Ciabatta bread.

Rabbit Ragout

After the above we had my Rabbit ragout served with Schiaffoni pasta, which is a large tubular variety. Having friends in the wine importing business is a real bonus because you get to try wines that haven't been released on the local market, so when Carlo from Sapori d'Italia knew I was cooking rabbit he brought along a bottle of IL Conte Villa, Lu Kont, Montepulciano 2007, from the Marche region of Italy. This wine was amazing, full bodied and has spent 15 months in oak barriques, 12 months in cement tanks and finally 6 months in the bottle before distribution. It was unlike any Montepulciano I have ever tried and at 15% alc. was very robust and a perfect paring with the rabbit ragout.

Stuffed Pork Loin

Toffee & Almond Topped Orange Cake

To follow I served a boned pork loin, with belly attached, stuffed with sage and onion omelette, rolled, roasted and served with a doubonet jus. To conclude, I made a toffee almond topped orange cake, which I have made on 3 occasions, and turns out perfectly every time.It really is a great recipe, relatively easy to make and as with all the above items, for the recipes feel free to e-mail me.
Ciao for now

Chef Jules Panna Cotta Recipe

2011-07-15T11:10:00.004+12:00

Hello Friends,

Chef Jules Panna Cotta recipe is a very easy dessert to make, and one which will impress your guests. Panna Cotta, translates to "cooked cream" from Piemonte, Italy, where the dessert is thought to have originated from. Traditionally, Panna Cotta is a rich, velvety vanilla cream which has been cooked and lightly set using gelatin. I have created this panna cotta recipe, because the cardamom and mint combination work really well together. For those of you who aren't sure of what cardamom is (also spelt cardamon), it is a spice, related to the ginger family, derived from a plant in which the dried pods containing the seeds, also known as "seeds of paradise" are used in a variety of ways from perfume in ancient Greek and Roman times, to an exotic and pungent additive in Asian, Middle Eastern and Central American cuisine. Cardamom is also used to flavour tea, coffee and several liqueurs. The pods vary in size and colour from white/green to reddish-brown.

Panna Cotta Recipe Ingredients (makes 5, 75ml custard cups or ramekins)

350ml double cream

150ml milk

1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthways

60g caster sugar

5g granulated gelatin

2 tablespoons boiling water

6 white cardamom pods, lightly crushed to expose the seeds

10g roughly chopped fresh mint leaves

To make the panna cotta recipe, put the gelatin in a cup, pour over boiling water and stir with a teaspoon. I usually put it in the microwave for a few seconds to make it hot again and to ensure the gelatin is fully disolved.
Take a saucepan, add the rest of the ingredients and very slowly bring to the boil. Now add the gelatin mixture and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the vanilla pods, strain the mixture into a bowl. Scrape the inside from the vanilla and add to the bowl. Cool in the fridge, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened.
Lightly oil the ramekins and pour the panna cotta mixture into them. Allow to set for a few hours or over night in the fridge, covered.
Chef Jules Tips
When making panna cotta, the idea is to use as little gelatin as possible to ensure a lightly set dessert. I have experimented to acheive this with the above recipe. It would pay to measure the gelatin with digital scales, to be exact.
You are only limited by your imagination when deciding on the flavour of your panna cotta. If you think of fruit, or the many different teas, i.e green tea, raspberry. Even coffee, chocolate flavoured. Or you could simply make a plain vanilla panna cotta, and have a fruit compote of your choice, on the plate to accompany the dessert.
Do not allow the panna cotta to set too much in the bowl when cooling down in the fridge.
That's all for now, I hope you try Chef Jules easy pannacotta recipe.

Chef Jules Is Back Along With Summer!

2010-12-28T19:54:00.001+13:00

Beautiful Vine Ripened Tomatoes, Buffalo
Mozzarella and Figs drizzled with x.v olive oil

Hello Friends,

Chef Jules is back, and I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays. A lot has happened since my last posting. A trip to the Chatham Islands, to help our friend Val Croon of Hotel Chathams, set up his shark cage dive business, and sample the unique landscape, culture and of course the local produce. Being a seafood lover, it was nirvana for me, abundant crayfish, Paua (Abalone), Blue Cod, Kina (sea eggs) and much more! I will talk more about the trip in the future, but suffice to say it was quite an experience, made great by Val's hospitality.

Chatham Island Great White Shark playing with our tuna,
10 minutes before I jumped in the cage.

I have also been involved with Dive Planet, promoting and selling the U.F.O (Universal Food Ovens) which is basically a modular/stackable, stainless steel steamer which doubles up as a barbecue, available in varying sizes and very well priced, check out the link above.

I made numerous dishes from the Chatham Island produce, just a couple are below. Firstly there is an eye fillet tournedo, wrapped in bacon on a bed of tomato, fennel compote and topped with Chatham Island crayfish/rock lobster tail and drizzled with hollandaise sauce. Below that, I have breaded Abalone, simply served with lemon and Pinot Grigio.

Just reminding you all that if a recipe is required, or advice on cooking anything that you're not sure about, just email me at chefjules@diveplanet.co.nz

That's it from Chef Jules, so ciao for now.

2010-07-05T13:03:00.005+12:00

Chef Jules Competition

Welcome to Chef Jules culinary blog, for those that are new visitors, a special welcome. Chef Jules blog is about sharing his 30 years experience in the hospitality industry. He covers restaurant reviews, new products, anything associated with food and of course his favourite recipes. Chef Jules provides his best seafood recipes for Dive Planet and recommends that you also checkout this wonderful website. Now back to the competition. The first 2 people to answer the following 4 questions correctly will be sent (Delivery N.Z only) this wonderful Victornox, 18cm filleting knife (stainless steel with polished rosewood handle).
All answers can be found in Chef Jules blog postings, old and current.

The Questions Are:

1: Which Chef Jules dessert is titled "Worlds Best" and ranked No.1 with Google?

2: Where did Chef Jules complete his culinary training?

3: Which Maori activist did Chef Jules talk to in Whakatane?

4: What pungent fruit did Chef Jules create two new recipes with?

Just E-mail your your answers to chefjules@diveplanet.co.nz Along with your address, and contact phone number.

Chef Jules Duck Recipe and Savory TV

2010-06-09T23:08:00.012+12:00

Hello Friends;

We are in the middle of the duck hunting season in this part of the world, (May to June). In New Zealand we have more than 20 species of game birds, introduced by our European settlers. Mallard ducks and the Canada Geese do particularly well and are well established. Bearing this in mind I have one of my favourite Duck recipes for you. I could pretend that I shot them, but I confess that the Ducks were procured, minus the buckshot, from my Asian butcher. Duck is suited to either long, slow cooking or fast and served medium rare, rather like calamari, and what I like about this recipe is that everything is utilised, even the duck fat! Chef Jules following duck recipe is for 8 people.

For my Duck Recipe you will need,

2 whole Ducks(approximately 2kg's each)

Mirepoix of veg (1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped)

4 bay leaves

2 tablespoons of pickling spice
6 parsley stalks
1 teaspoon of salt
200ml fresh orange juice
100ml soy sauce
2 oranges, segmented, or one 300g tin of mandarin segments
100ml Cointreau or Grand Marnier liqueur
30g butter
Method
Wash and pat the ducks dry, season and stuff each cavity with the mirepoix.
Take a pot large enough to to fit both ducks, side by side and add water to just below the top of the ducks. Add the bay leaves, pickling spice, salt and parsley stalks. Bring to the boil, cover with the lid and simmer for 1 hour, turn the ducks over, add the soy sauce and orange juice and continue simmering for another hour, take off the heat and leave to cool in the liquid.
Take out the ducks, remove the carcass, lay flat, cover and refrigerate. Place pot with the stock back on the stove and reduce by half, strain and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat fan grill oven to 180 deg celcius. Remove the fat from the stock and keep to one side. place the stock in a small saucepan and reduce by half, add the mandarin segments and cointreau and reduce to a sauce consistency. Take a roasting tray and put 1 ladle spoon of the stock on the bottom and place the duck on top, season, drizzle with a little olive oil and reheat for 30 minutes, making sure the skin is crispy. Reheat the sauce and finish with a knob of butter, stirring off the heat until incorporated. Portion the duck as required and pour over the sauce.
I served the duck with vichy carrots, fondant potatoes, sauteed, just to colour using 1 tablespoon of the duck fat, and baked, using 1/3 duck stock. Some garlic flat beans also accompanied the meal.
I finished the meal with a great recipe from Savory tv, courtesy from Chef Koetke of Les Nomades restaurant in Chicago. Pears stuffed with dried fruit, walnuts, aged cheddar and baked with apple cider, fantastic! I did change the recipe slightly by substituting the aged cheddar for blue castello cheese in the stuffing, and using the aged cheddar for the cut top of the pear, melting part at the end. Check out the recipe, and the great Savory tv website.

Chef Jules Tips
This is a very easy recipe as it's broken into 2 stages, just takes a bit of planning.
Normally, I would use fresh oranges, but to make this recipe easy for you, I suggest using tinned mandarins.
I prefer to have the sauce naturally thickened by reducing the stock, rather than using a starch product, may appear thin for some, however more flavoursome.
With the duck I served a lovely New Zealand Pinot Noir, Craggy Range, Central Otago 2008. For the baked pear, Rose Tree Cottage, Noble Riesling 2007, from Malborough which worked very well with the dried fruits present in the recipe and wasn't overly sweet, with a nice citrus blossom bouquet.
Hope you all enjoy the recipes.
Ciao for now!

Chef Jules visits Bracu Restaurant

2010-05-25T10:44:00.014+12:00

Hello Friends,

I had an invite to a very special 85th birthday party luncheon the other day, held at Bracu restaurant. The restaurant, a Kauri Villa, renovated in 2005, by Ivan and Branka Simunovich, is located in 43 Main Road Bombay, rural south Auckland. With over 40.000 olive trees on the estate it is the largest privately owned olive grove in New Zealand, and makes for a very pleasant vista whilst dinning. The name "Bracu" is derived from the Adriatic Island of Brac, and is the third largest, (48km long, 14km wide) in the Croatian group of Islands, and is where the owners originate.

Our large group were seated on the veranda and given a 2 course set menu. To start we were given freshly baked bread, accompanied by their own extra virgin olive oil and was enjoyed by all. The oil was so good I ended up buying 2 bottles to take home, so I guess it was a good marketing strategy. To follow we had a choice of;

Pan Fried Scallops with tomato passata, basil oil and black olive crumbs, or

Grilled Scotch Fillet Steak cafe de Paris butter, watercress salad and hand cut chips, or

Crisp Roast Duck Breast with baby beetroot, orange and watercress salad and apple dressing, or

Grilled Fillet of Snapper with roast garlic, chorizo, white bean, steamed clams, pea cassoulet and olive tapenade.

I chose the Snapper dish, which read very well, the ingredients, individually, are favourites of mine and together work very well and was cooked to perfection.

I also sampled the duck which tasted very good but was let down by not being crispy enough. The main courses were served with Bracu garden salad, Banyuls dressing and Sumac, rosemary fried potatoes. Overall the meals were great, the setting fabulous and the service very attentive without being obtrusive.

The wines, which I had tried before, didn't disappoint. 2008 Cable Bay Merlot Malbec Rose from Waiheke Island and 2008 Atarangi Pinot Noir, "Crimson" from Martinborough. Prices are $55 and $68 respectively.
We all finished with a special birthday cake for this very special occasion. Chocolate cake layered with berry mousse served with gelato and fresh berries, which was very nice.

The 2 course luncheon menu is $65 and the 3 course is $75. The olive oils I purchased were natural extra virgin olive oil and lemon infused extra virgin olive oil, both 250ml and $13.75, $15.40 respectively. Both oils are extremely well priced considering the quality. Looking at the dinner menu, you will find entrees around $20 and mains averaging $36 with side dishes i.e. potatoes, vegetables $7.50 each.

Chef Jules rating for Bracu Restaurant is 8/10, and special thanks to Jenny, Peter and the birthday girl, Mini for a great day.
Ciao for now

Chef Jules Vitello Tonnato Recipe

2010-05-04T12:05:00.007+12:00

Hello Friends;

I want to share one of favourite veal recipes with you, it's really easy and quick if you have all the ingredients at your disposal. Infact it's so quick to prepare and cook that I often have it as a late night meal. Vitello Tonnato, or veal with tuna, is a great combination, and this is Chef Jules a la carte version of this popular recipe. Traditionally Vitello Tonnato is served cold, using a different cut of veal to that used in my recipe, and a mayonnaise based sauce.

When talking of Veal, different names are given related to the age and what the animal was fed, and can become confusing for some. Basically Veal is produced from very young cattle, mostly male calves and the meat should be very pale, finely textured and lean. The fact that the animal has never had the chance to frolic in green pastures and taste the green grass, and often as a consequence, is confined to a small space, has surrounded the veal farming industry with controversy from animal welfare and animal rights activists. For my views on animal welfare and sustainability, check out my "Food For Thought" posting.

A few names you may come across when searching for veal include, Non-formula-fed veal, Red or Grain-fed veal, Rose veal or Free-raised veal and shouldn't be confused or passed off as white veal. For myself, veal only deserves to be called veal if the calf is under 30 kilos and approximately 2 weeks old when slaughtered and has had a diet consisting of entirely milk or milk products. This veal is known as Bobby Veal or White Veal.

Vitello Tonnato Recipe Ingredients (serves 2)

320g White Veal loin, cut into 6 pieces and flattened to 8mm thickness

160g yellowfin tuna, cut into 6 pieces, 5mm thickness

6 caperberries, stalk removed and sliced

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon hot English mustard

50ml white wine

30ml olive oil

knob of butter

250ml cream

6 teaspoons salmon "caviar"

1/2 cup of flour, for dusting

salt and pepper

Method for Vitello Tonnato

In a large frypan, add the oil, butter and heat until foaming. Place the flour in a tray and coat both sides of the veal, shake off excess and place in the pan, season and cook 2 minutes per side, turning once. Remove from the pan and keep to one side. Add the garlic, caperberries, cook for 1 minute, add the wine and reduce, then the mustard and cream. Reduce a little and place the tuna in to poach, 1 minute per side. Finally put the veal back in the pan to heat through and reduce to a sauce consistency.

To Serve Vitello Tonnato

On the plates, place the veal, then the tuna and spoon over the sauce. Sprinkle with the parsley and top each slice with 1 teaspoon of the salmon caviar.

That's all there is to it, hope you enjoy it.

Ciao for now.

Chef Jules Talks About Bluff Oysters

2010-04-16T12:09:00.013+12:00

Hello Friends;
Bluff Oysters are one of Chef Jules favourites and one of natures little gems. Bluff Oysters latin name is Tiostrea Chilensis, is a bivalve mollusc and is of the Ostreidae family. Other names include; Mud Oyster, Dredge Oyster, Foveaux Strait Oyster, Flat Oyster and Deep Water Oyster. Common to Chile and New Zealand, Bluff Oysters have a firm flesh, creamy luscious texture, medium oil content, with a delicate crisp taste of the sea, and for that reason, is one that I recommend if one is a little unsure of oysters or never tried them before. I have prepared and sampled Bluff Oysters many different ways, but the best way is "au naturale", i.e, freshly shucked, lemon wedge and accompanied by a glass of Champagne, Chablis or Sauvignon Blanc, although my preference is still a creamy, buttery Australian Chardonnay.
Oystering began at Stewart Island in the 1860's and shifted to the cooler, deep waters of Bluff where they are dredged by the oyster fleet at a depth of approximately 60 metres. It is not uncommon for each vessel to have 60 sacks of Bluff Oysters on return to port, each sack containing 800 oysters, each oyster having a minimum length of 57mm. Sometimes helicopters are used to expedite the delivery process, so that seafood markets and up-market Auckland restaurants can have them on the dining table, as soon as the season begins, (March to June). With past problems concerning the oyster parasite, Bonamia Exitosa, resulting in disruptions of supply from 1985-93 and again in 2000-05, the authorities and fishermen recognise the importance of seasonal quotas and at time of writing is 7.5 million oysters. Apparently Bonamia is still present in certain areas, but stocks are growing well and it is hoped the cooler water temperatures will discourage the disease from spreading further. I had some last night and they were exquisite, and worth every penny! Retail prices for 1 dozen are around, NZ $22 in the South Island and up to $30 in the North Island. If you are sampling them in an Auckland restaurant expect to pay $25 for half a dozen and $50 for 1 dozen.
The anticipation and excitement at the start of each season is further encouraged by the Bluff Oyster and Food Festival. Started in 1991, it is truly a celebration of this magnificient mollusc and other food from the region, wine stalls and entertainment. Tickets are purchased 9 months in advance for this popular event.
On the subject of seafood I have a new Hapuka Recipe pictured below, on the Dive Planet website, so check it out!
Ciao for now

Creating The Best Tiramisu Recipe

2010-04-05T19:01:00.014+12:00

Hello Friends;
Creating the best Tiramisu Recipe is a bold statement and a very subjective thing.There are thousands of Tiramisu recipes out there and many variations, e.g different cheese and liqueurs used, whether to use the egg whites, to cook the yolks or use raw, to serve in individual glasses or to cut and serve as you would a cake. Chef Jules tiramisu recipe is one which I have been making for 26 years and it is extremely popular, and since I promised Tommaso from italianrecipesblog.com, that I would reveal it in my next post, here goes.
I want to preface my Tiramisu recipe by saying, particularly to traditionalists, that the reason I use half Mascarpone and half Philadelphia cream cheese is that the Philadelphia gives a nice tange and firmness to the recipe. I also use Chocolate Liquor, which is only 13.9% alcohol, to mix with the coffee. Many people use Kahlua or Tia Maria, which is ok, but I prefer the Chocolate Liquor as I use quite a lot and there is already a strong coffee flavour from the espresso. I also add Brandy or Grappa in the cheese mixture.
For this Tiramisu recipe you will need tray like container approximately 22cm long, 32cm wide and 6cm deep. I use a tupperware container, with lid which is perfect for this, ceramic or glass would be fine, just don't use aluminium, in fact throw away all aluminium cooking vessels and containers right now! Tiramisu must be made in advance and kept in the fridge overnight before serving. My recipe makes 14 generous portions and can be halved if required.

Best Tiramisu Recipe Ingredients, (14 portions)
6 egg yolks
250g caster sugar
500g philadelphia cream cheese
500g mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brandy or grappa
700ml cream
48 savoiardi biscuits
600ml strong coffee
100ml chocolate liquor
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
Method for making best Tiramisu recipe
You can start by making the coffee, which needs to be cooled. I use my espresso machine, but a Napoletana stove-top coffee maker or Vesuviana is also good. Once you have 600ml, add the brown sugar, chocolate liquor and cool.
Now make the cheese mixture by softening the Philadelphia, a microwave on low power for 3 minutes is good for this. While you are doing this, whisk the yolks and sugar until white. Add the Philadelphia, Mascarpone and keep whisking until smooth, add the vanilla, brandy and keep to one side. Whip the cream, in a separate bowl to a firm stage but taking care not to overwhip and add to the cheese mixture, mix and combine well with a spatula.
Now assemble the tiramisu by taking the savoiardi biscuits and dipping them in the coffee mixture, shaking off the excess and placing in the tray, move quickly when doing this and don't leave the biscuits in the coffee or they will disintergrate. Once you have done 1 layer, spread over half the cheese mixture and then repeat with the coffee soaked savoiardi biscuits and the rest of the cheese on top to finish. Cover and refrigerate over night.
To serve the Tiramisu
Take out of the fridge and bring to room temperature. Whip 200ml of cream to a similar consistency as before and spread on top, sprinkle with cocoa powder and serve.
That's all there is to my Tiramisu recipe, hope you enjoy it.
Ciao for now

Chef Jules Talks About Japanese food

2010-03-22T10:33:00.008+13:00

Hello Friends,
My interest in food is universal and includes many different ethnicities. Italian will always be number 1, but I also love Japanese, Thai, Chinese and French cuisine, and usually in that order.
I want to talk about Japanese food in this post. With a population of 4.3 million in New Zealand, Japanese people make up approximately 0.6% of that total. Koreans, virtually all from Southern Korea, out number Japanese, so it shouldn't come as any suprise that many "Japanese Restaurants" are owned by Koreans. Therefore authenticity cannot be guaranteed. I certainly have my favourites, in fact I often decide what I feel like on any given day, or night and go to the place that I know will deliver the best result. For example, it is usually one place for poached eggs, another for omelettes and yet another for Bagels, and that's just for breakfast! Talking of Japanese food, I break it down even further by going to one place for Sashimi and Sushi, another for tempura and another for Unagi or eel. It's the curse of being a chef. I am lucky enough to live within walking distance to a Japanese takeaway/cafe, situated off the main street in a courtyard. It's called Wild Onion, a rather unlikely name for a Japanese place, is very casual and only opens during the day. It is a one man operation, run by a very stressed Japanese man, often seen hurrying towards the main street with his sandwich board, obviously running late. He is friendly enough, shows pride, attention to detail in his work and certainly makes the best Unagi Nigiri, ever! He assured me the eel was imported from Japan and is extremely tender. The rice is well cooked and sticky, his miso soup is also very good. Wild Onion only has 4 tables and one gets the impression that the owner prefers to have customers take the food away, for example, even when dining on the premises the food is served in a takeaway container and the miso soup comes in a cardboard cup. He also acts as the waiter, thereby inconveniencing and slowing his food preparation.
The eels are fresh water (Anguilla Japonica) and are pre-cooked and finished off when required. I have tried eel in many places and usually it is very tough, but not the Wild Onion product.
Eel is commonly available in Japanese supermarkets, usually a Chinese product, boned, filleted, glaze-grilled and vacuum sealed, or frozen, known as Unagi-no-Kabayaki. Kabayaki refers to the sweet basting sauce which is similiar to Teriyaki sauce. This product is available from Tokyo Foods . Evidently, in Japan eel is cooked differently, the East being more tender as the eel is grilled, steamed and grilled again, as opposed to the West where it is simply grilled. I have also tried eel without the basting sauce, which is called Unagi
Shira-yaki, "shira" indicates the whiteness of the eel.
My other favourite Japanese dishes include, Edamame; which is young green soy beans, boiled in salted water and served in the pod. Great as a side dish to stimulate the appetite. Gyoza; dumplings filled with minced vegetables, ground meat and fried. Tempura; apparently introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the 16th Century and is basically fish, prawn or vegetables, coated in a very light batter and deep fryed. Soft shelled crab; deep fryed and served with a sweet chilly sauce. Sushi; a roll containing rice, and a variety of other ingredients wrapped in Nori (seaweed sheet) and sliced. Sashimi; thinly sliced raw fish, shellfish or crustacean.Yakitori; a variety of meats skewered and char-grilled. Nigiri; hand moulded rice, with a touch of wasabi paste and topped with a thin slice of raw fish or cooked eel and sometimes wrapped with a thin strip of seaweed. There are many more favourites, too numerous to mention and I haven't even talked about the Sake, hot and cold, of varing qualities!
Japanese food is all about freshness, quality ingredients, simplicity and presentation, which is why I love it. In the photo we have Chef Jules favourite eel nigiri on the left and on the right there is a tuna sushi roll from Wild Onion, Mairangi Bay, Auckland.

Ciao for now

Chef Jules Stuffed Pig's Trotter, Zampone Recipe

2010-03-12T11:37:00.018+13:00

Hello Friends;
As promised I have the Zampone recipe for you. Basically Zampone Ripieno, or stuffed Pig's Trotter, is the foot and shin of a pig, boned and stuffed with a highly seasoned mixture of ground pork and herbs. I also like to add lamb sweetbreads to the stuffing, braise them in the oven for hours and serve the Zampone on a bed of lentils or Fagioli di Spagna, (butter beans). Zampone ripieno con lenticchie, is a favourite of Modena and is often served New Years Eve, when it is thought to bring good luck. You may also come across a Cotechino recipe, which is basically a sausage casing filled with ground pork, taken from the trotter, with herbs and spices added. When researching this recipe it became evident that most Zampone recipes are assuming that you use a pre-prepared, commercially made product, I was shocked and incredulous. I believe that you should know how to do a recipe the traditional and correct way, before you take short cuts, so let's do it !
Zampone Recipe Ingredients (serves 8)
8 pigs trotters

350g pork mince

200g lamb sweetbreads

30ml olive oil

30g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water, drained and chopped

1 small onion chopped

6 cloves of garlic chopped

parsley, thyme, sage, teaspoon chopped of each
1 heaped tablespoon of pinenuts, toasted and crushed
1 egg
1/2 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
Method for Zampone Recipe

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, add 1/2 lemon, parsley stalks and sweetbreads. Cook for 2 minutes and run under cold water, drain and roughly chop in a processor.
In a frypan add the olive oil, onion, garlic and cook without colour.
In a bowl add all the above ingredients, excluding trotters, mix well, cover and refrigerate.
With a very sharp boning knife, take the trotters and make a cut, underside and carefully remove the bone without cutting through the top skin, (as in top photo), working your way to the toe,which you can leave in.
Fill with stuffing, making sure not to overfill, and tie with butchers string, as in above photo. Pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees celcius.
To cook and serve the Zampone
You will need;
1 litre of beef stock
1 cup of red wine
4 star anise
6 juniper berries
1 tablespoon of pickling spice
3 bayleaves
500g lenticchie di Castelluccio or Puy Lentils.

In a baking tray add the trotters and enough beef stock to come 3/4's of the way up the sides. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil on the stove top, check for seasoning, cover and place in the oven. Cook for 3 hours and 30 minutes, turning over once during the cooking process.
Now prepare the lentils by washing a few times and place in a pot with salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 20 minutes, drain and add 300ml of the liquid from the cooked trotters and cook further till the lentils have absorbed the liquid and keep warm.
Remove the string from the stuffed pigs trotters, slice through 3 or 4 times up to nail and serve on a bed of the lentils. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of black truffle oil just before serving to greatly enhance the flavour.
Chef Jules Tips

Other recipes, suggest that you cook the Zampone first, de-bone, and then fill it.
It really is worth trying my Zampone recipe, it may take a little more time initially, but the end result is far better.
Boning the trotter is a job best done at a leisurely pace,i.e not rushed and preferably with a nice glass of wine to sip on throughout the process.
Tell your guests what the dish is, after they have eaten it.
I hope you enjoy my Zampone recipe, it's well worth the effort. For those who might turn there nose up at the thought, I suggest you disassociate yourself from them, lol.
Ciao for now.

Chef Jules Essential Pantry List

2010-03-05T23:17:00.005+13:00

Hello Friends,
I have been very busy lately with meetings, concerned with helping Dive Planet move to a whole new and exciting level. We are developing an association with the Internet T.V Network, Ziln, which is very exciting and a concept which will revolutionise how you view video from your favourite, chosen category, check it out!
Back to culinary matters, I have compiled my essential pantry wish list, a list of things which you wouldn't necessarily think of buying, but items which will keep for a long time in the pantry and will make your culinary experience more interesting, and impressive for all. I use most of these ingredients, obtained from Sapori d'Italia, consistently in my recipes and every once in a while I will be updating, if I come across new and interesting products. You can access the list by clicking the Pantry Photo, above right.
I also have an amazing Zampone recipe for you in my next post, for those who are not sure what Zampone is, it's different, unusual, unique, amazing, wonderful with an incredible flavour and yet the thought of the ingredients revolts many people.
I look forward to sharing it with you.
Ciao for now.

Superb, Stuffed Sweet Capsicum Recipe

2010-02-24T11:09:00.020+13:00

Hello Friends;
We all had a nice picnic yesterday, using my brother-in-laws portable barbecue. My contribution was the middle part of an eye fillet, well seasoned and studded with sliced garlic and rosemary and cooked whole, turning frequently on the open grill part. It was amazing and I recommend cooking the eye fillet in this manner rather than slicing it into steaks, as it is too easily overcooked and ruined.
I also brought along some stuffed capsicums, or stuffed peppers, which I had prepared earlier in the day. I use " Little Sweeties" capsicums which come in trays, 5 to a tray and a mixture of red, orange and yellow. I want to share this recipe with you because it's so popular, loved by all (except vegetarians) and easy to prepare.

Stuffed Capsicum Recipe

20 small capsicums (small peppers, 80 mm long)

400g pork mince

20ml olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Thyme, parsley and sage (tablespoon of each, chopped)
1 cup of grated tasty cheese
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1/2 cup of red wine
1 teaspoon of Worcester sauce
1 egg
1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Method
Place olive oil in a large fry pan and heat. Add the onions and garlic, cook for a few minutes, increase the heat and add the mince, stirring occasionally. Pour in the wine and cook for 10 minutes.
Take off the heat, add the cheeses and cool slightly. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well with your very clean hands. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Take your capsicums, cut the stalk end off to create an opening, remove the seeds and fill with the mixture to just below the top of the capsicums. Place in an oiled baking tray and cook for 40 minutes.
Chef Jules Tips
Once oven baked you can serve straight away, or as I did, reheat on the barbecue. They are also nice cold.
For a vegetarian option you could replace the mince with pre-cooked rice or orzo pasta and delete the breadcrumbs.
There will be some mixture left over which, if made drier with the addition of more breadcrumbs makes fantastic burger patties.
Hope you enjoy my stuffed capsicum recipe.
I have also just published a Seafood Ravioli Recipe for Dive Planet, check it out!
Ciao for now

Chef Jules Gets A Little Fancy

2010-02-17T12:17:00.006+13:00

Hello Friends;
Every now and again I want to give you a recipe that is a little fancy. It's my mission to provide that recipe, simplified and with ingredients that are readily available.
I cooked a Duck Breast last night that fits the bill, so here goes.

Seared Duck Breast, Mushroom and Broad Bean with Berry Jus.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 Duck Breasts, approximately 220grams each

8 Swiss Brown Mushrooms, sliced

1 Shallot, chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic
3 Sage Leaves, chopped
50ml olive oil
1 Tablespoon of breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper
50g Blackberries or mixed berries
100g Broad Beans, blanched and shelled
400ml Beef Stock
60ml Marsala Wine or Sherry
20g butter
Method
Take a frypan, add 30ml of the oil, onion and garlic, sweat in the pan, then add the mushrooms, sage and seasoning. Cook for 10 minutes, take off the heat, cool, finely chop in a food processor and add the breadcrumbs. Keep to one side.
Blanch the broad beans in salted water for 2 minutes, drain, shell and place in a microwavable bowl, season, cover with cling film and keep to one side. (Reheat for 1 minute, just before plating)
Pour the beef stock and Marsala in a small saucepan, reduce by half, check seasoning and keep hot.
Take the Duck Breasts, trim and carefully score the skin, 5 times each, don't cut into the flesh and season.
Wash the frypan, (I always keep dirty pots and pans to a minimum, lol ). Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and heat. Place the breasts, skin side down and cook for 7 minutes per side, turning once and basting frequently while cooking. The duck should be cooked medium i.e, a little pink in the middle, and the skin should be brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and rest for 5 minutes.
To Serve
Reheat the jus, add the berries and take off the heat, add the butter, moving the pan until encorporated. Pour the jus, minus the berries on your 2 serving plates. Place the mushroom mixture on the plates, to one side. Slice through the breast a few times and fan out on top of the mushroom. Arrange the broad beans and berries on the plate and serve.
Chef Jules Tips
Although I don't normally recommend frozen foods, the broad beans and the berries, as used in this recipe, turn out well.
It's important to shell the beans as their outer is very tough. It's a bit fiddly, but for this quantity it shouldn't take long.
Jus or Jus-lie, is basically, "chef speak" for thickened gravy, you have to admit it sounds a whole lot better than gravy. Normally I would use a demi-glace base for the sauce, but just use the best beef stock you can get your hands on.

Hope you enjoy my duck breast recipe.
Ciao for now.

Profiterole Tower with Chef Jules

2010-02-10T10:14:00.020+13:00

Hello Friends;
I have a dessert recipe for you that never fails to impress, has that real wow factor with no plastic or cardboard cone in sight ! Chef Jules Profiterole Tower, has 3 elements to its composition. The Creme Patissier (Pastry Cream), Chocolate Sauce, both which can be made a little in advance, and the Choux Paste, to make the Profiteroles.
For the Pastry cream you will need
700 ml milk
130g sugar
6 egg yolks
80 g flour
1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthways
Method

In a bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar until white, add the flour and mix to a smooth paste. Bring the milk and vanilla pod to the boil and add to the paste, gradually at first, whisking continuously. Place in a saucepan and bring to the boil as quickly as possible, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon so as not to catch on the bottom. Take off the heat, transfer to a bowl and cover with cling film. When cool place in the fridge until required.

Chocolate Sauce

800g dark chocolate buttons
100g soft brown sugar
50g butter
250ml cream
1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence (optional)
Method
Heat the cream in a medium sized saucepan, add the rest of the ingredients. Gradually bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Cool and refrigerate until required.
Choux Paste, for the Profiteroles (makes 60)
500ml water
200g salted butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
250g high grade white flour
Approximately 8 eggs, (beaten)
Method

In a saucepan, place the water, butter, sugar and slowly bring to the boil. Take off the heat and add the sifted flour, stirring with a wooden spoon, return to the heat for a couple of minutes and keep stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Take off the heat and leave to cool.

Add the eggs in 4 stages, beating in between, checking before you add the last stage that the mixture is of "dropping consistency", i.e, if you lift the spoon up, the mixture should drop and not flow in a constant stream.

Heat your oven to a medium/hot temperature. Pipe the mixture, walnut size on to a lightly oiled trays, as in the above photo, you will need two large trays or four smaller ones. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, don't open the oven during this process. Once cooked, cool on wire racks.

Assembly of the Profiterole Tower

Take a piping bag with a 1cm plain nozzle and fill the Profiteroles with the Pastry Cream mixture, (vanilla pod removed). Choose a large, round platter and pipe some mixture, in a circle on the bottom. Place the Profiteroles on top, use more Pastry Cream to "cement" another layer of Profiteroles, slightly reducing the circumference as you go higher and continuing until you have 1 Profiterole on top.

Heat the chocolate sauce in the microwave for 1 minute and stir thoroughly. Drizzle this over the Profiterole Tower and serve immediately.

Chef Jules Tips

If you don't have the time or inclination to make your own profiteroles, they can be bought from all good supermarkets, usually in the biscuit section. They are drier and crisper than home made, so you will have to cut them in half to pipe in the Pastry Cream, and then push them together

This dessert is better assembled 20 minutes before serving. I have taken this to a friends house, Profiteroles already filled, pastry cream in the piping bag for "cementing" and the chocolate sauce in a bowl ready for microwaving to add just before serving.

The Peppermint essence is optional, I always add it because it's not overpowering and softens the sweetness.

I recommend using digital scales, particularly for baking.

This recipe is a lot easier than it sounds, and will amaze your guests. Hope you all enjoy my profiterole tower recipe.

Ciao for now.

Coltivare Pomodori in Nuova Zelanda con Chef Jules

2010-02-08T10:59:00.015+13:00

Hello Friends;
Coltivare Pomodori in Nuova Zelanda or "growing tomatoes in New Zealand" is what I have been attempting to do. I was given seedlings by a good friend 2 months ago, grown from Franchi seeds of Italy. They were a mix of Costuluto Fiorentino (Beefsteak) and what looks like San Marzano Follia or San Marzano Nano, I'm not sure. I am still learning when it comes to gardening, so it was with great excitement and satisfaction when I spotted a cluster of red Tomatoes, as pictured, amongst a sea of green.
Every now and again I come across a company or website that really captures the imagination. Franchi Sementi spa, Bergamo Italia, just North of Milan is one such company. Established in 1783, and now the oldest family run seed company in the world. Just to put that time frame into perspective, in 1783 a peace treaty was ratified between the U.S and England and only 14 years earlier New Zealand had been discovered by captain James Cook on his first voyage in the H.M.S Endeavour, extraordinary!
Franchi Sementi are certainly the best at what they do, have passion, dedication, tradition, pride and are progressive in in their G. E free policy as well as recognising the importance of a harmonious working environment for employees. Franchi seeds of Italy are responsible for the maintenance of 70 important heirloom varieties and saved them from extincion. Navigating the website, Seeds of Italy , you will find 350 varieties of vegetable,herb and flower seeds with advice on growing, plus recipes. Definitely worth a look and have suppliers in most countries, that promote Franchi seeds. I have already decided next season to grow the Cuor di Bue, or "ox heart beef" tomatoes and perhaps some more Costoluto Fiorentino. Any tips for growing tomatoes feel free to email me.
My next posting will include Chef Jules Profiterole Tower recipe.
Ciao for now.

Cooking a Hangi with Chef Jules

2010-02-04T09:46:00.012+13:00

Hello Friends;

I mentioned in my last post of cooking a Hangi. For my international friends, a Hangi is New Zealand's indigenous peoples, (Maori) traditional method of cooking food underground and has been used for hundreds of years. In fact this method of cooking was used throughout the Pacific and also Chili, The Balkans, certain parts of North Africa and the Middle East. Basically a hole is dug relative to the size of the number of people being catered for. A fire is lit, volcanic rocks are placed on top and heated for two and a half hours. The various foods were placed in flax baskets or leaves, covered with more leaves or flax matting and earth and cooked for three to four hours.

I have been trialling the hangi pot, pictured above, which simulates this method and has all the elements of a traditional hangi, i.e. the hard wood fuel source, the volcanic rocks, the leaves all cooked under pressure with that unique smokey flavour. The difference is that you don't need to dig a hole, is a great deal quicker, can be used anywhere, even in suburbia, and as I did, you can experiment with different flavours, traditional Maori herbs and spices. For people living in New Zealand I can see a real market for this product in that any overseas visitors one may have, could be treated to a taste of ethnic cooking from the home of the kiwi and the All Blacks, our national rugby team. Because of the design, the heating of the rocks takes 45 minutes and cooking time is 90 minutes. Whist waiting, enjoying a nice glass of Yatir 2004, my thoughts turned to the steaming pot and the contents therein. Rather like an expectant father waiting for the birth of a child, I formed an attachment to the contents. You know it's developing, changing, but you do ask yourself, what will it look like, will it be underdone or overdone?. All culminating in the lifting of the bundle, you need not have worried, perfectly done!. There are quite a few imitations on the market which are made of stainless steel and use gas as the fuel source, but can't compare to the traditional Maori method of cooking and the Hangi Pot. For further and more detailed information about the hangi pot, plus recipes go to Dive Planet .
The photo below shows some of the food I cooked in the hangi pot, kumara, sweetcorn, potatoes, cabbage, chicken. The capsicums I stuffed and cooked separately.

Ciao for now.

Worlds Best Zuccotto Recipe

2010-01-28T00:53:00.026+13:00

Hello friends,

Worlds Best Zuccotto Recipe may be a tall order, but Chef Jules always lives up to his promises. There are many Zuccotto Recipes out there, every time I make this one, there is never any left over. This famous Italian dessert gets its name from the resemblance of a cardinals skullcap, or " zuccotto", in Tuscan dialect.This zuccotto recipe is basically liquer flavoured sponge, covering chocolate hazelnut mousse and ricotta fruit cream. It is adapted from my "nonnos" recipe and is one which I make on special occasions, such as Christmas and Easter. So without further pomp and ceremony here goes.

There are 3 elements to my Zuccotto recipe,which I have tried to keep as easy as possible. The orange syrup, hazelnut chocolate mousse and ricotta fruit mixture.

Zuccotto Recipe Ingredients

500g plain unfilled vanilla sponge cake

Orange Syrup

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

1 cup of orange juice

60 ml Strega or Galliano

Take a saucepan and boil above ingredients, excluding sponge, for 20 minutes. Leave to cool.

Hazelnut chocolate mousse

500g of your favourite chocolate mousse recipe

60g hazelnuts place on a tray and gently toast, cool, place in a plastic bag and crush using a rolling pin

40ml frangelico liquer (optional)

Mix above ingredients and refrigerate.

Ricotta fruit mixture

800g ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons of icing sugar

100g candied orange and lemon peel

60g glace red cherries, chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix all the above well and refrigerate till required

Method

Take a 22cm (2.5 litre) glass or stainless steel bowl, cut the sponge into 3 cm strips. Line the bowl, botttom first, then the sides. Trim the sponge to the level of the bowl. Spoon the orange syrup on the sponge as in the above photo.

Spread the ricotta cheese mixture on the bottom and up the sides of the sponge and leave a hollow in the middle. Quickly add the hazelnut chocolate mousse to the hollow, cover with more sponge to completely encase the filling and tightly cover with cling film. Refrigerate overnight.

To Serve

Take a flat serving platter, remove cling film and turn the zuccotto upside down onto the plate, remove bowl, dust with cocoa powder and serve.

Chef Jules Tips

You can prepare the orange syrup, Hazelnut chocolate mousse and ricotta fruit mixture well in advance.

Savoiardi biscuits can be used but I think the sugar coating adds too much to the overall sweetness of the dessert.

I usually candy my own organic citrus fruit, also organic for the orange juice.

If you get stuck on the chocolate mousse, email me for my own recipe.

I hope you enjoy my very special, worlds best zuccotto recipe.

In my next posting I will be talking about a real slice of Kiwiana. A method of cooking that you can do in your backyard that simulates the way our indigenous people cooked, called "Hangi". I trialled this for diveplanet and was very impressed with the results.

Ciao for now !

Chef Jules is back !

2010-01-18T11:59:00.009+13:00

Hello Friends;

welcome to Chef Jules blog for 2010. My appologies for the technical difficulties experienced in gaining access to my blog at the beginning of the year, but it's all sorted now and I'm ready to go, bigger and better with more frequent postings. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and your new year is going well. I have been busy working with Dive Planet and the site has been generating a lot of interest. The new look site should be on line soon, once the re-linking has been done.

For myself Christmas was spent with family and friends at Lake Pupuke, in Takapuna, North Shore, Auckland. A freshwater crater lake, formed approximately 150,000 years ago with a circumference of 4.6km, depths of 58 metres plus and enjoyed recreationally by many people. Trout are released periodically and other species include Perch, Rudd and Carp. As you can see the weather was stunning, as was the food.
In my next posting I will share a Zuchotto recipe from my "nonno". A traditional Italian dessert which I have adapted to make it as easy as possible for you to make. Most of you will be familiar with the Guylian seashell chocolates. There is also a New Zealand company operating from Mangawhai, north of Auckland making high quality chocolates, which my sister brought on Christmas day, http://www.bennettsofmangawhai.com/ a husband and wife team, Belguim trained. The seashore collection particularly appealed to my love of seafood. Ciao for now.

Fruits Of The Sea

2009-12-16T08:48:00.016+13:00

Hello friends;
You all know my love of fresh seafood and scuba diving. Unfortunately time doesn't always permit the later, so it is much appreciated when my mate Paul Morris from Dive Planet drops off some crayfish (lobster) scallops and octopus as he did the other day!
The photo shows the scallops which I simply opened, washed in sea water and drizzled with extra
virgin, cold pressed olive oil, chopped parsley, lemon juice and flaky sea salt(just before serving) Don't be put off by the scallops being raw, they are sweet, delicious and have a firmer texture than oysters.
On the left we have some skate wings and radicchio which were both barbecued and on the right my octopus salad , a great summer dish.And of course a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio to wash it all down with.
I used the crayfish tails for a nice easy recipe which will be up on the Dive Planet website soon.
Ciao for now.

Honorary Chefs

2009-11-28T12:38:00.048+13:00

Hello Friends;
Having attended my sisters birthday party the other day, with a large and varied selection of food, created and displayed by my brother-in-law, David, led me to think about what makes a great chef. Of course there are those that have never had formal training and still do a wonderful job, in fact I have known people in that category that are more accomplished than their qualified counterparts. The former mentioned, usually refer to those people as "cooks". I for one do not subscribe to such snobbery and pretension. What is important I feel, is a love and passion of food and cooking which David certainly has, my brother Barry is the same. People that love food,
wine and cooking for family and friends.

I think the essence of what makes a great chef is being able to cook for a large number of people at one time, obviously under extreme pressure and keeping quality and consistency of the finished product. Also knowing and experimenting with ingredients and products that create a harmonious taste sensation, after all that's how all the great recipes were created in the first place. Every now and then I like to test myself by creating a meal by using solely the ingredients I have on hand, ( I must have got that ability from my mother) Also knowing the structure and composition of the food available and cooking it appropriately to a high level, thus empowering you to be able to cook anything.
Here are some of the birthday dishes, created by David, which I felt moved to capture. The first photo is an oven baked salmon dish, garnished with dill and lemon, served on a bed of prawns with a dark coloured sauce made from the prawn shell, (Rick Stein apparently).
Next is a Roast Lamb Salad, combined with pomegranate and mint leaves. And below we have steamed Bok Choy with a combination of barbecued and crispy pork.

One of the many desserts available was Rocky Road which is marshmallow, chopped peanuts, smothered with melted chocolate and set.

Over the years I have come to realise that not everyone is comfortable cooking a meal for a chef. I want to reassure you that generally we are appreciative of someone else doing the cooking, once in a while, in fact I have known many chefs that have far too many take-out meals.
So I salute David and everyone like him, or her, that makes the effort. For that you deserve to be made Honorary Chefs.
Ciao for now.

Chef Jules Twice- Baked Cheese Souffle Recipe

2009-10-04T14:51:00.033+13:00

Hello Friends;
As mentioned before I now have the Twice-Baked Cheese Souffle recipe for you. To be precise it's Goat Cheese Souffle. As any Chef will tell you, cooking souffles, in an a la carte restaurant situation can be tricky. There are a lot of factors involved in creating one which will rise sufficiently and stay risen. Well Chef Jules has taken the guess work out for you in a recipe which you can make at home and impress your diner guests.
Goats Cheese Souffle Ingredients
8 ceramic moulds (120-150ml)
100 grams butter
8o grams flour
500ml milk
120grams Goats Cheese, cubed
50grams grated Parmesan Cheese
4 eggs, separated
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
24 berry tomatoes
500 ml Durian sauce
Preheat oven to 180 deg Celsius
Method
Take 20g of the softened butter and grease the moulds. Place the rest of the butter in a small heavy bottomed saucepan and melt on a moderate heat. Add the flour and stir continuously with a wooden spoon without colour for approximately 8 minutes. Take off the heat. Heat the milk to just before boiling point and gradually add to the flour/butter. Stir to make a smooth, lump free paste and cook this out for 8 minutes taking care not to burn the bottom. Take off the heat, add both cheeses, stir till melted and combined. Cool slightly then stir in the egg yolks one at a time and add the pepper, parsley and salt if necessary. Take a baking tray big enough to hold all the moulds and boil a jug of water.
In a bowl whisk the egg whites till stiff and gently fold into the above mixture. Fill the greased moulds and stand them in the baking tray. Gently pour the boiling water into the tray till it comes half way up the sides and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Once out of the oven they will deflate, but don't worry. Cool slightly, loosen from the moulds and turn out into a greased baking tray. Pour over the sauce, return to the oven and cook for 15 minutes till puffed and golden. Serve immediately and pour some of the sauce over each souffle. Garnish with lightly roasted berry tomatoes and parsley.
Chef Jules Tips
After the first cooking process the souffles can be cooled, covered and refrigerated until needed, after which just follow the final steps.

A tomato based sauce, i.e my Napoletana, can be used instead of the durian sauce or simply cream.

Separate eggs carfully so that there is no yolk present in the whites and ensure utensils are clean and free of grease before whisking.

Fold in the stiff egg whites into the mixture gently with a slotted spoon just before filling the moulds and placing in the oven.

Thats it, hope you enjoy it, ciao for now!

Chef Jules Durian Fruit Recipes

2009-09-14T21:27:00.027+12:00

Hello Friends;

Chef Jules always keeps his promises, so I now have the Durian recipes for you to try. I want to let you know that all the recipes I share with you, are tried and tested, many, hundreds of times, over my 30 year career. These Durian fruit recipes, however, I created very recently and in both cases am extremely pleased with the result. To learn more about the Durian fruit go to my post titled "Chef Jules King Of Fruits and Luca"

We will start with the Durian Dessert recipe first. I have called it Durian Bavarois, although, technically it's a cross between Bavarois and Panacotta, light and fluffy with that rich, distinctive Durian tangy after taste.

Durian Bavarois

Makes 8 portions

Ingredients

200 grams durian flesh

200ml milk

6ooml cream

1 vanilla pod, cut in half, length ways

2 tablespoons sugar

10 grams of powdered gelatine

3 egg whites

Method

Place the gelatine in a small cup and pour over 1 tablespoon of boiling water. Stir till dissolved and keep warm.

Add the Durian flesh to a saucepan, gently heat and stir till smooth. Pour 400ml of the cream, milk, vanilla pod, sugar into the saucepan and bring to the boil. Take off the heat, scrape out the vanilla, and discard the pod. Blend with a stick blender, return to the boil and add the gelatine. Take off the heat, strain into a large bowl and stir occasionally till cool and the gelatine is just starting to set. Meanwhile, lightly oil 8, 150ml moulds.

Whisk the remaining cream in a bowl till lightly set and mix into the above.

In another bowl whisk the egg whites till stiff peaks are formed. With a slotted spoon gently fold in the egg whites to the mixture and spoon into the moulds, cover with cling film and refrigerate for a few hours.

To serve, warm the mould and turn it out onto a plate, decorate with tamarillo coulis and serve.

Chef Jules Tips

A 2kg fresh Durian will yield approximately 1kg of flesh. Some Asian fruiterers sell the flesh, prepacked and frozen at half the cost of the fresh, whole fruit. As always I recommend buying fresh.

When whipping the egg whites, ensure that there is no egg yolk present and that the utensils used are clean and free of any fat or grease.

When folding in the egg whites use a slotted spoon, folding and shaking gently, no tapping the sides or top of the bowl. This creates a very light and fluffy mousse.

Durian Sauce

This is a very easy and quick sauce which I used for a beautiful Goats cheese souffle. The combination worked very well.

Ingredients

200 grams Durian flesh

20 grams butter

Teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil

200ml vegetable stock

400ml cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Italian parsley, chopped

Method

Place the butter and oil in a saucepan and heat till foaming. Add the durian and cook over a low heat, stirring and mashing the flesh. Add the vegetable stock and cook for 5 minutes, reducing slightly. Slowly pour in the cream, stirring continuously and reduce to a sauce consistency. Add the seasoning and parsley to taste.

Chef Jules tips

You will find this recipe requires quite a bit of salt to bring out the savoury flavour of the Durian.

This sauce could work well with King Prawns. Just thin it out with more stock and perhaps add some Kaffir lime leaves. Gently cook the raw prawns in the sauce and serve on a bed of fragrant Basmati rice.

Hope you enjoy these recipes. Next post I will bring you my never fail, twice baked goats cheese souffle recipe. This is one which will impress your dinner guests.
Ciao for now.

Chef Jules, King of Fruits and Luca

2009-09-09T21:19:00.023+12:00

Hello Friends;

Before you all get the wrong idea, Chef Jules is not the king of fruits, what I am referring to is the Durian. This amazing fruit grows in the South East Asia region and is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and also Brunei. It has a formidable spiky outer casing and must be one of the few fruits that can be fatal, i.e, it's not recommended to have a nap under one of these trees. When you handle a Durian, which vary between 1 and 4 kilos, you begin to understand the fact that every year there are fatalities from falling fruit. I purchased the Durian from my local Asian fruiterer in Newmarket, Auckland, New Zealand. At approximately NZ $15 per kg, it's not a particularly cheap fruit. Some interesting facts that set this fruit apart are as follows, 65% water content (very low for a fruit), 22% carbohydrates, 7% proteins, high in fat and many different minerals, vitamins, notably the B- complex group.

There is one aspect of this fruit that can not be denied and that is, it's unusual smell. I regularly frequent the before mentioned fruiterer and as I entered one day, my senses were alerted. Observing other visitors to the shop it was interesting to see the varied reactions at coming across the Durian, from shrieks of delight to shrieks of revulsion. This polarization pricked my curiosity so I bought one. Little did I know my life would never be the same again. Placing the precious cargo in my vehicle and going about my business, in and out of the car, I was never in any doubt of its presence, rather like a silent baby with a soiled nappy on a hot day. Every time I re-entered the car I was assaulted by the odour and my brain was trying to process the information my nose was delivering. What was that smell ?, pleasant yet strangely disturbing, familiar yet foreign, I struggled to describe its aroma. I finally returned home and placed it on the kitchen bench. It usually takes me a while to get myself together in the morning, but not anymore with Miss Durian in the house, it was like having a manic house keeper cleaning all surfaces with my well used gym socks. On returning to the house from being away all day, BANG, there it was again ! I describe the smell as being sweet, over ripe paw paw with a hint of cheese. It comes as no surprise to learn that in Thailand, Durian is banned from many public places including hotels and buses, due to the pungent smell. Cutting 10mm into the spiky outer and pulling it apart reveals 5 light yellow cambers or pods, which should be carefully lifted out and the large brown seeds removed. The flesh is now ready for eating, which I describe as again, overripe paw paw, mild cheese with a faint after taste of onion thrown in for good measure. The texture, especially when heated is very custard-like with a glutinous smoothness that I found incredible. The brown chestnut sized seeds can also be eaten, once boiled, roasted or fried. My brother in law, no stranger to fast foods, in a moment of verbal creativity, described it as thus, "a cheese, onion and pineapple toasted sandwich". There are those whose descriptions are not so complimentary, rotting, decomposing matter, vomit and even worse !

I have created 2 recipes using this wonderful, amazing and unique fruit, one being a savoury sauce, which I used with a goats cheese souffle and the other is a dessert, which I called Durian Bavarois, which I will share with you in my next post.

Incidentally my dog, Luca was drawn like a magnet to the discarded husk and eventually had to prise it off him as I wasn't sure the effect it would have on his digestion.

Ciao for now.

Chef Jules appetite for the unusual

2009-08-27T00:04:00.035+12:00

Hello Friends,

Sometimes I have to keep my passion for food and my experimental nature under control, and unleash it at the appropriate moment. I had some guests over for dinner the other night and decided to start with an entree of rabbit ragout combined with mafalde pasta, which is long, broad ribbon with a curly edge, similar to lasagnette. For the main, I decided on beef tongue, capers, with a dubonet jus and served with fresh artichokes.
The Rabbit was tender, flavoursome and went down reasonably well, by most people. However, once the tongues identity was exposed, it was down to my friend and myself to consume it. Well you can't win it all. It was absolutely gorgeous and I would urge you to try it. Just as an aside and speaking as a male, I would have to say, without putting too fine a point on it, that if your girl friend or partner was happy to at least try the tongue, she's a keeper. There's a lot to be said for having an experimental nature. I was soo impressed I will now give you my Beef Tongue Recipe.

Feeds 2 hungry guys, lunch and dinner for 3 days, or 10-12 adventurous people
2 beef tongues, approximately 2kg

pickling spice

salt, pepper

3 bay leaves

50g capers, washed and dried

4 fresh artichokes (small size)

1 lemon

1tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

4 parsley stalks

30ml extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)

500ml beef stock

50ml dubonet
40g butter

Method
Wash the tongues, place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, take off the heat and run under cold water, i.e change the water. Cover again with warm water and add the salt, pepper, pickling spice, bay leaves. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer very gently for 3 1/2 hours.

While they are cooking, prepare the artichokes;

Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the parsley, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon pickling spice and half a lemon. Cut off the stems close to the leaves and cut off 20mm across the top of the leaves. Simmer for 30 minutes and refresh under cold water. Drain, cut in half length ways and scrap away the furry inside part. Cut in half again and drizzle with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

Now prepare the capers;

In a fry pan add 1/2 the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, heat till foaming, add the capers and cook till crispy. Drain on a paper towel and keep to one side.

For the sauce, reduce the stock by half, add the dubonet and keep warm.

Preheat oven to 180deg Celsius.

Once cooked, remove the beef tongues from the cooking liquor and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Peel the skin off and trim the dark meat from the underside of the tongue and cut into 10mm slices.

In a baking tray add the dubonet jus and arrange the tongue on top. Place in the oven and heat for 20 minutes. To serve, take a large platter and place the warmed artichokes in the middle, arrange the tongue slices, overlapping, around them. Add the rest of butter to the tray, mix into the sauce and pour over the tongue. Sprinkle the capers and parsley over the top and serve immediately. I really hope you give my beef tongue recipe a try.

Chef Jules Tips
In New Zealand, it's becoming very difficult to get hold of tongue without pre-ordering it. You are more likely to find it in the freezer section of butcher shops. As always I recommend buying fresh, however, if you follow my suggested method of defrosting i.e, 24 hours in the fridge, probably longer for a large, dense cut of meat, the finished meal, in this instance will be quite acceptable.

The pickling spice can be purchased from supermarkets and contains cinnamon, mustard seed, allspice, dill seed, cloves, ginger, peppercorns, coriander, juniper berries, mace, cardamon and chilli.I specified using small artichokes, i.e smaller than a tennis ball, because there is no furry part to remove once cooked and therefore a little quicker to prepare.

Another sauce option would be a caper cream sauce, using a chicken or veal veloute base, but I much prefer the jus for this dish.

Reveal the meals contents after everyone has eaten it.

I want to remind you guys that I save all my favourite seafood recipes for Dive Planet, and can be accessed now at http://www.diveplanet.co.nz/cuisine-recipes/

Hope you enjoy it, ciao for now!