INGREDIENTS
Pickled radish
600ml white wine vinegar
500ml water
450g sugar
12 radish, cleaned with 1cm length of stem intact
Light sugar syrup
250ml water
60g sugar
Dried vegetables
500ml vegetable oil
2 finger eggplant, thinly sliced
200g butternut pumpkin, sliced on a mandolin 1mm thickness
Radish
2 teaspoons butter
8 radish tops with stem and a leaf or two intact
Steamed vegetables
1 bunch heirloom small Dutch carrots, different colours, washed and peeled.
Avocado puree
1 large avocado
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Gascony butter
500g butter, softened
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 head of garlic, roasted, skinned, mashed
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
4 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, extra
Murray River Sea Salt to taste
To serve
1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced with a vegetable peeler, core discarded
Baby ruby mustard leaves
Wild rocket leaves
Green mustard leaf
Baby cos leaves
2 baby red beetroots, thinly sliced on a mandolin 1mm thickness, dipped in sugar syrup
2 baby yellow beetroots, thinly sliced on a mandolin 1mm thickness, dipped in sugar syrup
Fennel fronds
8 viola flowers
2 pink camomile flowers
METHOD
Pickled radish
- Place vinegar, water and sugar in a pan on medium heat, Induction setting 6. Cook, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to high, Induction setting 9 and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the radish. Pour into a jar and seal for 24 hours.
Sugar syrup
- Heat the sugar and water together in a pan on medium heat, Induction setting 6, until the sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to high, Induction setting 9. Bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Dried vegetables
- Using a food thermometer, heat the oil to 170°C in the wok on medium-high heat, Induction setting 7-8. Cook eggplant slices in hot oil until lightly golden, drain on paper towel. Repeat the process for the pumpkin.
- Place eggplant and pumpkin slices on a paper towel lined baking tray on Drying function at 90°C for 1 hour or until crisp.
Radish
- Heat 2 teaspoons of butter in a small frying pan on medium heat, Induction setting 6. Sauté the radish tops for 2 minutes. Place in oven with other dried vegetables.
Steamed vegetables
- Place a solid tray on shelf position 1. Place carrots on a perforated tray on shelf position 2 and Steam at 100°C for 3 minutes, cool.
Avocado puree
- Process the avocado pulp and lemon juice together until smooth. Place in a sealed piping bag until required.
Gascony butter
- Place the butter in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle and beat until pale and creamy.
- Gradually beat in the remaining ingredients.
- Place the butter mixture in a small pan on medium heat, Induction setting 5-6, cook, stirring constantly for approximately 4 minutes or until the shallot has softened. Keep warm on Induction setting 1 while plating up.
To serve
- Pipe 7 mounds of avocado puree around each plate.
- Roll 4 cucumber slices and place randomly on top of 4 avocado mounds.
- Place 3 carrots on each plate. Add a couple of pickled radish together with some dried eggplant and pumpkin. Place salad leaves randomly around each plate on top of the vegetables.
- Stand the dipped beetroot slices around the plate.
- Top with a few fennel fronds and edible flowers.
- Add extra parsley to the gascony butter, stir through.
- Drizzle a little gascony butter around the plate and serve immediately.
Hints and tips
- Pickled radish can be made a couple of days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Sugar syrup can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated until required. Sugar syrup can be stored for up to one month.
- The vegetables in the recipe can be cooked in the oven until crisp instead of deep fried as an alternative.
- Gascony butter can be used for many dishes to add flavour.
- Gascony butter can be stored for 3 days, refrigerated.
APPLIANCE / FUNCTION
Shannon Bennett
In 2011, acclaimed Australian chef Shannon Bennett undertook the greatest challenge of his life – moving his award winning Vue de monde restaurant to the dramatic new location on the 55th floor of Melbourne’s iconic Rialto building. From the beginning, Shannon’s goal has been to make Vue de monde Australia’s most sustainable restaurant. More than 50 cutting-edge technologies are being utilised, from an E-water system to ‘cold kitchen technology’ (no exposed flames or gas)
