28 simple ways to make your food more fancy
WHETHER serving eggs with salmon caviar or baby vegetables with a roast, top chefs have simple ways to add bling without breaking the bank, writes Dan Stock.
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WHETHER serving eggs with salmon caviar or baby vegetables with a roast, top chefs have simple ways to add bling without breaking the bank.
Here’s 28 ways to make your plate sing:
Caviar on toast(ies). “A great way to bring luxe to a toasted sandwich is to top it with a dollop of fish roe — either salmon, herring or if you can afford it, some caviar,” Matt McConnell of Bar Lourinha says. “The added umami kick from the roe sets it off and turns a late night snack into something more special.”
Mushroom tortilla. Matt says mushroom season is his favourite time of year, if only to make slippery jack tortillas. “I like making individually portioned tortillas bursting with wild mushroom and topped with a good spoonful of aioli. To take it a step further, shave some black truffle to really make it luxe.”
Fresh horseradish. “I love shaving fresh horseradish over the top of most things but it works so well on a beautifully grilled piece of meat.”
Kimchi. There’s always a jar of Korean kimchi kicking about in Kyle Doody’s fridge, which the head chef of Mr Miyagi adds to a simple pan-fried cheese and jamon toastie. Add as much chopped kimchi as you can handle — this replaces the mustard in the sandwich and gives a very distinctive relish-like zing.
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Luxe roast chook. “My addition to the humble roast chook to luxe it up is to add white miso,” Kyle says. Simply mix the miso with a little water and caster sugar into a paste. Paint it on the bird liberally towards the end of the roasting process, then turn the heat down to achieve a golden sweet-salty skin.
Side dishes. Nick Bennett of Arbory says adding an unexpected side dish is a great way to elevate a dish. Some of his favourite duos include: chicken liver parfait set in a creative glass and served as a side to roast beef; caramelised shallot and fried sweetbreads served as a side to pot-roasted lamb shoulder; and saffron sauce finished with Yarra Valley salmon roe served with John Dory.
Unique ingredients. “I love pickling Romanesco (a type of brassica) and tossing it through salads,” Nick says. Also look out for sapphire grapes — which are great with cheese or slightly pickled, dried and used in salads — and persimmons, which can be shaved and added to salads.
Texture and contrast. “Lashings of truffle and heaped spoons of caviar while romanticised aren’t what make a great dish. The interplay of textures is far more important,” Paul Turner of Lover says. “Crisp breadcrumbs and a hit of lemon zest will transform something like a simple braise and take it to the next level.”
Flavour match. Take your main ingredient and look at other flavours that work with it. In autumn, things like pumpkin, pears and hazelnuts will always work together. “Don’t be shy to experiment and have a bit of fun, and remember the adage ‘if it grows together, it goes together’,” Paul says.
Equipment. “An egg clacker is the kitchen tool you never knew you needed,” Jesse Gerner from Tigerbird Group says. It’s a bell-shaped tool that is used to dress up a hard or soft boiled egg for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The clacker creates the perfect seam to effortlessly slice off the top shell, making it a bit more luxe. At Nomada in Fitzroy, Jesse serves a clacked egg filled with spanner crab and tops it with Yarra Valley caviar.
Gorgeous garnish. “I always add a flower or herb or a native Australian plant to the top of any dish to add a luxe touch,” chef Romu Oudeyer says. The dish can be a simple piece of fish or meat, then add a garlic flower, for example, to add colour, scent and bring the dish together.
Finger lime. “I love using this ingredient with fish, vegetable dishes or even with desserts. It looks great on the plate and adds great citrus explosion,” Romu says. Finger lime (also known as lime caviar) can now be found at most markets.
Baby vegetables . Romu likes using baby vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, parsnip, micro radish) in dishes. “They are beautiful in their full form, and fit on the plate perfectly.”
An unexpected twist. Meg Tanaka of CIBI suggests adding flavours from an unfamiliar cuisine into your repertoire by exploring specialty grocery stores and asking for advice. “I like to mix Japanese and western flavours,” she says. “For example, to make a simple salad dressing more exotic, substitute lemon juice for yuzu juice and combine with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Or try using soy sauce or miso paste instead of salt in your marinades.”
Add some bling. “Although gold cutlery looks expensive, it’s actually quite affordable and easy to find. I have a set at home that even makes scrambled eggs look luxurious,” Jerry Mai from Annam says.
Add a foreign ingredient. Find some good-quality tinned ingredients like Spanish anchovies or Portuguese sardines. “They will liven up any cheap pasta or antipasto dish and you only need a small amount to make a big impact,” Jerry says.
Tortillas v toast. Mike Patrick from Fancy Hanks suggests turning an ordinary fry-up into a fun feast by serving eggs with hot sauce on tortillas instead of toast, “For who doesn’t love a breakfast taco?”
Glazed ham. Try glazing a ham with pineapple juice and mustard. “A beautiful ham shouldn’t be just for Christmas,” Mike says. “It makes a killer centrepiece at a dinner party.”
BBQ sides. “Spend some time making a chimichurri, pico de gallo or some easy fresh pickles to go with your BBQ meats and vegetables, will make the whole meal sing!” To make Mike’s pico de gallo: char the outside of ripe (or very green) tomatoes, and whole onions either in the coals of the BBQ or over a kitchen burner. Roughly chop, add. add fresh minced garlic, coriander, lime juice and salt to taste. “Pico de gallo should be picked up with your fingers and dropped into a tortilla or on a bun to cut through the fat and smoke of the meats or vegetables you are cooking.”
Souffle. For a very special brunch, master the art of the cheese souffle. “Trust me soufflés are not that difficult,” Alla Wolf-Tasker of Lake House says. Turn them into something particularly special by concealing a soft poached egg in the middle of each. Or better still use a large souffle bowl, conceal six poached eggs within the mixture, bake as normal. Present as the table centrepiece, and serve with flutes of bubbles.
Clever cheese. Take a triple cream brie and slice through the middle. Sprinkle the bottom layer with black truffle offcuts (or grate with a microplane; a tiny amount of truffle goes a long way and produces impressive results). Cut cheese into portions, place on warm French toast and gently heat in the oven until just soft. Drizzle with warm honey and serve.
Fabulous fruit. Take a selection of poached, well-drained autumn fruits and arrange in individual bowls. Top with a champagne sabayon. Caramelise with a blow torch and serve. “Delicious and luxurious,” Alla says.
Nice ice. “A very simply way to surprise guests when hosting a party is to always have a welcoming drink and to luxe it up just play with the ice,” Alejandro Saravia from Pastuso
says. Add a complementary garnish (aromatic herb, vegetable or fruit) into the ice to serve with your favourite G+T. When using spices such as cardamom, juniper, coriander seeds, etc Alejandro suggests roasting and lightly crushing the spice, before adding to room temperature water and freezing. For herbs, add two pieces of herb to each ice cube. Bring 1 litre of water to the simmer, then take off heat. Add a bunch of herbs to flavour. When the water is cool, strain and add to ice cube tray.
Perfect puree. “Root vegetables are so delicious this time of year and parsnips made into a decadent puree is heavenly with roast chicken or braised meat” Wilson + Market’s Paul Wilson says. Simply peel and grate 500g parsnips, simmer gently with 2 tbsp of unsalted butter for 2 mins, then add a pinch of salt then cook further on a low heat with a lid for 10 mins. Then add 120ml cream and then cook without a lid for 10 mins. Gently blend in a food processor and serve.
Add mystery. “Give your guests a conversation starter by making them ask, ‘how did they do that?’” says Quinn Spencer from Tommy Collins by Atlantic Group. Add freeze dried fruit to dessert for a crunchy explosion of concentrated flavour, or add flavoured salt to a dish. Take a tbsp of sea salt flakes and add them to a splash of pinot. Let it totally evaporate over a few days, which will leave bright red wine salt to sprinkle over some chocolate mousse.
Caviar. Adrian Li from Commune Group says as caviar is becoming more readily available, eating fried chicken, rice paper rolls or even a simple cucumber sandwich with a spoonful of Yarra Valley salmon roe caviar always makes everything feels a little more luxe.
Plating and presentation. “In restaurants, we use a lot of piping bags and squeezy bottles as an aid to plate gels/purees,” he says. “Putting a raspberry jam or mushroom puree in a bottle and squeezing out little dots or strategically placed blobs on a dish gives it a restaurant flare.”
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Truffle crackers. “This is a simple trick, blend overcooked sushi rice with truffle oil, leave it to dry and then fry into any shape,” QT’s executive chef Andy Harmer says. “It can make dishes look very exotic and will taste great.”
Plate smear. Eli Faye from Franks says for restaurant-style presentation, place a heaped tablespoon of your sauce/dip on one end of the plate, then using the back of the spoon, scrape the spoon across the plate. Add your protein to on the edge of the plate where the smear is finished, being careful not to overcrowd the plate.
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