April 15, 2013 by Tristan

How to make Vietnamese Master Stock (video)

Australians love Vietnamese food, and few ingredients are as essential to Vietnamese cooking than the spiced, fragrant master stock.

In this exclusive web video, chef Mark Jensen of Red Lantern Restaurant demystifies the preparation of this stock, and explains how you can use it again and again to add a unique flavour burst to a wide variety of dishes.

Learn the secrets of this centuries-old recipes, and it might become one of …

January 2, 2013 by Tristan

Plating up: the secrets of food presentation

Open your nearest cookbook. Turn on the Food Channel.  Peek in the window of the ‘hatted’ restaurant down your street. All the beautiful dishes, immaculately presented, have something in common; beautiful, large plates.

Presentation, any chef will tell you, is vital to every finished dish. While the taste of the dish may forgive lacklustre presentation, setting down a creative, well laid-out …

October 17, 2012 by Tristan

Recipe: Matt McConnell’s Portuguese Mussel Cataplana

The name of this dish comes from the unique copper pan in which it is cooked.

Available on every street corner in Portugal, the pan features two copper bowls connected by a hinge and a clasp.

The cataplana is filled with ingredients, closed and heated over a stove. It is then opened at the table, releasing a cloud of steam and the incredible aromas of the finished dish.

August 31, 2012 by Tristan

Recipe: Peter Kuruvita’s Sri Lankan Love Cake

Sri Lankan cuisine is as rich in tradition as it is in flavour. This sweet treat is much a part of the Sri Lankan food landscape as curry, and after you try it just once, you’ll know why. It’ll be love at first taste.

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Ingredients

Makes approx 30 bite-sized pieces or 1 cake
•    125g soft unsalted …

May 13, 2011 by Tristan

How to create perfect pork crackling (video)

Roast pork is an Australian favourite, particularly when served with all the customary trimmings; roast vegetables, apple sauce, gravy and, of course, crackling. To most of us, a traditional Australian pork roast isn’t complete without perfectly formed, golden crackling, but getting a consistent result can often be a challenge.

Adrian Richardson, chef at La Luna and author of the book ‘Meat’, shows how to get perfect crackling results every time. This …

April 5, 2011 by Tristan

How to make a chocolate ganache (video)

Knowing how to make a good ganache is an essential part of successfully preparing countless desserts, pastries and other sweet masterpieces.

September 27, 2010 by Tristan

Foaming for flavour

‘…with a wild mushroom foam’.

These words, or similar ones, have become increasingly prevalent on menus around the world. But what is a ‘foam’, and what can a few bubbles possibly bring to a dish?

Foam, in a scientific sense, has been a part of cooking for centuries. Every time cream is whipped, egg whites are thickened, meringue is formed or mousse …