TIPPLING CLUB GETS OUR NOD!

Well unless you have been hidden under a rock lately, you would know that the annual Thermomix Australia conference Thermofest was held in Singapore recently. With 80 plus consultants, a team of staff, Management, guests from Vorwerk and a partridge in a pear tree, we were 110 foodies let loose in possibly the food capital of the world!

The stunning Mandarin Oriental was our home for one luxurious week, and I would not be alone in saying that the meals in their Melt cafe were more than outstanding!

A highlight of the conference was our visit from newly celebrated chef and proud Thermomix owner, Ryan Clift of The Tippling Club. Ryan is a charming English born (though Australian) chef who has recently opened his unique restaurant in Singapore with his partner Matthew Bax. The pair have unique ideas in both food and drink pairings, as well as presentation. A few of us managed to go to the restaurant which hosts a degustation style choice of menus...yours truly reluctantly limited herself to the five course option only to find that most courses had more than one dish...thank goodness I limited early! Ryan added a couple of dishes for us especially, his version of Singapore Chilli Crab, and a raw ethical foie gras. (Email me about the ethical part and I will happily fill you in!) Needless to say, between frog, pigeon, jamon, confit duck, endless 'foams and fluff', (as described by Ryan himself) the most awesome truffle I have ever eaten, an ice cream shell with pistachio moss...oh the list goes on...I was totally stuffed.

Please find below the dish created by Ryan especially for Thermofest...aptly named, 'In Shades of Green.' It is not your average recipe in that there are four different processes before assembly and presentation as well as the use of the hydrocolloid, soy lecithin. We are missing the home distilled moss spray used by Ryan to enhance the whole visceral experience, but we are pretty sure you won't miss it...much! The flavors were succinct and intense, and despite it only being a mouthful, very satisfying to the palate.

Thermo Steamed Razor Clams or 'In Shades of Green'.

Clams;

Ingredients
2 live razor clam
450ml chicken stock
1 bunch chopped chives
8g soy lecithin

Method
Wash and purge razor clams in lightly salted cold mineral water.
Place chicken stock into TM bowl. Cook for 5 minutes at 90oC on speed 8.
Place razor clams into Varoma dish and set into position. Cook for 10 minutes at 90oC on speed 8 or until just opened.
Remove and cut into pasta shaped pieces, place into covered bowl to keep warm until required.
Place chives and lecithin into TM bowl and blend for 2 minutes on speed 10. Remove and strain through chinoise into tall container and use stick blender to obtain light aerated emulsion.

Basil Jelly;

Ingredients
400g water
5g (less than 1/2 tsp) kappa carrageenan
pinch salt
generous handful fresh basil leaves

Method
Place water into TM bowl, add salt and kappa and blend for 1 minute on speed 10.
Add basil leaves and cook for 6 minutes at 80oC on speed 10.
Remove and pour mix into tray or container and set in fridge.
Cut into desired shapes to serve. (Ryan simply cubed the jelly.)

Herb Moss;

Ingredients
150g breadcrumbs
30g Italian parsley
20g chives
Salt and white pepper to taste

Method
Place all ingredients into TM bowl, mill for 2 minutes on speed 10. Set aside.

Basil Oil;

Ingredients
150g basil leaves
300g olive oil

Method
Blanche basil in hot water and refresh in cold water.
Place basil and oil into TM bowl and cook for 8 minutes at 80oC on speed 9.
Remove and bottle until use. (You may strain through a coffee filter if desired to have an even more refined end result.)

Assembly;

For final presentation, scatter clams over warm plate.
Dust clams with herb moss.
Place 5 cubes of jelly around the plate.
Finish with spoonfuls of sauce foam and droplets of herb oil.
Distillation of smoked yogurt, fresh shallot and tahoon cress garnish is optional.

Also a drink recipe from Matthew, done in the traditional way, but if you would like to Thermomix it up, go ahead...you may even get a better foam!

Aperol Sour

Ingredients
60ml Aperol (Italian Bitter/Aperitif, slightly sweeter than Campari with a lighter kick)
10g freshly squeezed lemon juice
10g freshly squeezed lime juice
20g gomme (1 part hot mineral water:1 part white sugar)
1 fresh egg white
Dash Bittermans Grapefruit Bitters (Exclusively available at The Tippling Club Members Store)

Method
Shake hard without ice (called a "dry shake", this will help give your sour a really nice foamy top)
Then add block ice and shake again.
Strain over fresh block ice into your favorite cocktail glass.
Garnish with a dash of bitters and a flamed orange zest.
Flamed Orange Zest;
You will need a match, knife and orange for this one. Carefully cut a 50 cent sized piece of orange peel. Be sure not to squeeze it during the process. Hold it over the top of the drink, outer zest facing a open flame (match). Then with a quick squeeze, spritz the oils over a naked flame, they will ignite in a flash and give a lovely aroma to your foam (and should impress your friends).

So there you have it...almost an ode to The Tippling Club...if you're ever in the neighborhood, go visit.

On another completely unrelated topic; Not many entries for Monthly Mouthful this month, and in light of all the excess verbage about Tippling Club, (did I over do it??) and Thermofest, we have a little time up our collective sleeves, so feel free to keep sending me your no fail, winners every time, entertaining the masses recipes and they will be selected, cooked, tested and posted for your own judgment...and BTW, with no clear winner in January's outstanding Mouthful, we have decided to send you all a little something...just as soon as I can catch my breath!