Tag Archives: Heston Blumenthal

Fish Vindaye


FISH VINDAYE

I was lucky enough to go on a family holiday over the Christmas break (Thanks Mum and Dad) to the very remote island of Mauritius. Naturally I looked up places to eat and drink but also what is the most iconic dish that Mauritius has to offer. With lots of Indian mixed in with French and Creole the flavours were to die for. Upon my search I came across one dish in particular which was Fish Vindaye, close to a Vindaloo but as Mauritian have an abundance of seafood it has been adapted to suit their local cuisine. Super tasty and packed full of flavour I highly recommend trying this dish!

INGREDIENTS

– 1kg Fish fillets (Any of your favourite fish)

– 9 Cloves of Garlic

– 2.5 Tbsp Mustard seeds

– 2 Red Chilies

– 1 Tbsp Turmeric Powder

– 3 Medium Onions

– 10 Medium Green Chilies, Sliced lengthwise (I used green runner beans as we had some people who didn’t like the heat :-O)

– Salt and Pepper to Taste

– Oil for the pan

METHOD
1. Salt and pepper the fish then in a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add the oil and in batches fry the fish until golden brown. Drain the fish from excess oil on paper towel then cut into bite size pieces. Do the same with the onions, the chilli or beans and cook until just translucent, set aside.

2. Combine the mustard seeds, garlic, chilli (If using, I replaced this with onion) and a splash of water in a food processor and blitz to a fine paste.

3. In the same saucepan or Dutch oven pour in about two tbsp of oil and once hot, add the turmeric ground and paste you made earlier and stir to combine.

4. Turn the heat down low then add the fish, beans or chilies and onion into the pan with the spice and mix to combine. Season to taste and enjoy!

Roasted Pear & Crystallised Walnut Dry Ice, Ice Cream


ROASTED PEAR & CRYSTALLISED WALNUT DRY ICE, ICE CREAM

The Third Recipe I made for Omega Walnuts combines roasted pear ice cream and the previous recipe of crystallised walnuts. It got me thinking about that classic match up of pear and walnut and how I could intensify the flavours by roasting. This dish ended up being our Christmas dessert and I was quite happy to come home with an empty container. I also know that there isn’t much sugar to this recipe and I did that on purpose sometimes us adults don’t like sickly sweet treats and it made the ice cream taste even better!

INGREDIENTS

– 2 Cups Milk

– 2 Cups Heavy Cream

– 6 Ripe Pears, Peeled, Cored and Halved

– 6 Egg Yolks

– 2/3 Cup Sugar

– 1.5kg of Dry Ice

METHOD

1. Turn the oven onto 180C and roast the pears for 25 minutes or until the pears are a nice golden brown.

2. While that is happening, combine milk and cream in a saucepan on a medium-low heat until small bubbles start to appear around the edges. Remove from the heat and leave to ret for 30 minutes.

3. Once the pears are cooked blitz in a food processor until the resemble a thick sauce.

4. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together. Bring the milk mixture back up to a simmer. Whisk 1 cup of the mixture into the yolk mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the milk and cream stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until you have a nice think coating on the back of the spoon. Should take around 5 minutes.

5. Once you have the frozen ice cream in step 3 of Dry Ice, this is then you add a layer of the walnuts. Then repeat

DRY ICE, ICE CREAM

1. Pour the mixture into a heat proof bowl and allow to cook either in the fridge or if you want it to cool faster in an ice bath.

2. When the mixture is cool, place a clean tea-towel onto the bench and scoop with a large spoon scoop some ice and place in the middle of the towel. Fold over the towel and using a mallet, crush the ice into small crystals. (Dry ice is extremely cold and can burn, so PLEASE USE CAUTION when using this product)

3. Pour half your mixture into the bowl of a food mixer with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer onto a medium speed. Gradually add the ice one spoonful at a time, (being careful not to let the mixture boil over, believe me it can get messy) until the liquid has become frozen then place into a airtight freezable container. Repeat this process with the remaining mixture.

4. Once you are complete place in the freezer until needed. It can keep frozen for up to 3 weeks. Then enjoy.