DINNER AT WAKU GHIN SINGAPORE

My husband is a quite a foodie and loves to take me to wine and dine at fine establishments not only in our beloved Sydney but also internationally.  I lovingly call him a food snob since he likes to go to places that have “Hats” and “Stars” on their walls and whose names are mentioned in the Michelin Guide book, preferably in the top 50. 

Hence, our dinner at Waku Ghin in Singapore was no exception.  We made Singapore our stop over on the way home from South Africa. We stayed at Marina Bay Sands hotel which is not only famous for its futuristic architecture and commanding view over the city but is a great food destination hosting over 60 restaurants cooking different cuisines from the four corners of the globe.  We both are great lovers of Japanese cuisine and our choice fell naturally on Waku Ghin, famous for its modern European – Japanese cuisine and renowned chef Tetsua Wakuda of Tetsua's in Sydney.

We were greeted at the door and escorted to one of the rooms where we, and only two other couples, were seated at the bar facing the shiny surface of the stove and the copper pans on the shelf behind.  Then the chef, alas not Tetsua, appeared.  He introduced himself while his assistant showed us a board loaded with fresh produce from the sea and land out of which a 10-course exquisite degustation menu was cooked for us.

And so the magic began

 Slow cooked John Dory with Roasted Eggplant

One by one the dishes were cooked in front our eyes so we were able to watch the chef's every move, learn the names of the ingredients and the method by each dish was prepared.

 Marinated Botan Shrimp with Sea Urchin and Oscietra Caviar

The kitchen bench behind the chef

It made us feel involved in the gastronomes world of haute cuisine, we were not treated like guests but more like participants in a show created especially for us.

 Gyokuro

 Puree of Potato with Soft Poached Egg, Black Truffle and Oscietra Caviar

 Australian Abalone with Fregola and Tomato

Each dish was magical with all the components being cooked to perfection and they matched each other in perfect unison

 Braised Canadina Lobster with Tarragon

 Japanese Ohmi Wagyu with Wasabi and Citrus Soy

 Consomme with Rice and Snapper

When the time come for dessert we were asked to proceed to the main dining room with huge windows overlooking the city and boardwalk. The reason for this became apparent with the start of the most spectacular laser show we had ever seen.

Salad of Rasberry with Wasabi and Granita of Honey and Vinegar 

 Chocolate Mousse Cake with Vanilla and Macadamia

Petit Fours

Dining at Waku Ghin was one of the best gastronomic experiences in the world.  I would strongly recommend to add it to your bucket list.

BANANA & MANGO FROZEN YOGURT WITH HAZELNUT PRALINE

The idea for this dessert came to me while I was watching Donna Hay cooking banana and mango frozen yogurt.  I was immediately attracted by its simplicity in the making as well as by the minimum number of ingredients required.

Desserts are not my strong point and usually I prefer to use the skills of professional pastry chefs or chocolatiers but this time I decided to have a go.

Banana and Mango frozen yogurt with Hazelnut Praline

You will need for eight people:

6 bananas

3 mangos

1 cup (280 gr) of natural yogurt

8 wanton wrappers

200 grams of dark or milk chocolate buttons (to your taste)

Method:

Cut the bananas into rounds around 2 cm thick, place them in a plastic container and freeze.  Repeat the same with the mangoes.  It will take between 3-4 hours (depending on the temperature of your freezer) to get the fruit frozen.  Once it’s hard, get it out and empty both containers either into a blender or a food processor together with a cup of yogurt and blend until smooth.  You can serve it straight away or put it back into the freezer to harden it.

Donna Hay served it in pre-made ice-cream cones and then stuck them into an ice cream cone holder and it looked great.  However, I came up with a different idea.

I happened to have in a freezer a packet of wanton wrappers (incidentally, I bought them for another of Donna Hay’s recipes) so I took them out to defrost and once they were soft enough to bend, I brushed them with melted butter, sprinkled some brown sugar over and placed them into cup-cake tin moulds (which I also brushed with a tiny bit of butter to prevent them from sticking) lightly pressing the wrappers down into the mould and then put the tray into a 180 degrees pre-heated oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Using tongs, I removed them from the mould to cool.

Hazelnut Praline

You need:

300 gr hazelnuts

1 cup of sugar

¼ cup of water

Method:

Place hazelnuts on a backing tray and toast them in an oven at 180C for about 5 minutes.  Wrap them in a towel while still hot and give them a good rub to remove as much skin as possible.

Line the backing tray with foil.  Put sugar and water in a heavy pan and place on medium-high heat.  When the sugar is dissolved, it will gradually start to turn a golden colour.  Once it becomes golden brown, add hazelnuts, turn the heat down and stir to coat the nuts with caramel.  Keep stirring until the caramel becomes dark brown and then empty the pan into a lined tray to cool.  Once cooled, it becomes one solid sheet - break it into pieces and put in the food processor and pulse.  

I like when there is some texture in the praline so I never process it until it is completely smooth.

TO SERVE

I am not a big fan of very cold desserts so I took my banana and mango yogurt sorbet from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving.  You can leave it in the freezer until the last minute, if you prefer.

When you are ready to serve – just scoop the sorbet into the wanton cups and top with a spoonful of praline. 

Then, for extra bit of deliciousness, place the chocolate buttons into a bowl and melt them in the microwave - short cut!!! (be careful not to burn the chocolate, set the timer for 5 seconds and add another 5, if needed), then scoop it into a spoon and holding it up and above the wonton cups, tip the spoon as if you are going to pour it over but instead start quickly flicking your wrist back and forth to allow the chocolate to go all over the cups.  

As with everything creative, there are no rights or wrongs as long as you are enjoying yourself and people around you like your job.

I served this dessert as a finale to my Lazy Summer Lunch meal, but it could, of course, be prepared for any occasion

Enjoy!!!

ROASTED DUCK LEG, FRESH FIGS AND HAZELNUTS ON WATERCRESS AND RADICCIO SALAD

This recipe of duck leg salad is a great escape for those of us who want to impress their guests with fine dining but with minimum effort and maximum result as no cooking, per se, is required.  All you need to do is ask your butcher for roasted duck legs and you can do the rest.  

Duck's meat is gamey and goes beautifully with all sorts of fruits:  pears, figs, oranges.  I chose figs for their luxurious silky texture and exotic flavour.  You've got the bitterness of radicchio and endive leaves, the sweetness of ripe figs, the strong taste of duck meat and the crunch from roasted hazelnuts all harmoniously married with the help of a balsamic vinaigrette.

You need for 8 people:

1 smoked duck leg per person

2 heads of radicchio leaves

2 bunches of watercress leaves

2 small fresh figs per person (quartered)

4 tbsp of hazelnuts

Balsamic vinaigrette:

2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of Dijon mustard

2 tbsp of pomegranate molasses

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Prepare the duck legs according to the packaging instructions.

Heat the pan and gently roast the hazelnuts until golden brown, let them cool and then roughly chop.  Slice the radicchio cross-wise into thin strips, tear up watercress and place all the leaves into a big bowl.  

Take a small clear jar with a tight lid, place all the ingredients for the dressing inside the jar, place the lid back on and give it a good shake.  Taste the dressing, it should have a strong tangy taste to balance with the other flavours.  Once you are satisfied with the taste, pour the dressing over the salad leaves and toss gently.

Arrange the salad on each plate, place the duck leg on top and scatter around with roasted hazelnuts.

I served this dish as a main course for my Lazy Summer Lunch (link) but because it is quite substantial meal in itself, it could also be served at lunch on its own or as a light dinner meal without addition of any carbs.

Enjoy!!!

LAZY SUMMER LUNCH

Last Sunday we invited my husband’s friends from South Africa, who were visiting relatives in Sydney, for lunch.   Lately, when I am about to have people over, I exercise a great deal of care to find out what their dietary requirements are or whether they have any allergies.  Between wheat intolerance, dairy intolerance, nut allergies and all general food preferences one cannot be too careful.  Turned out that the husband eats everything while the wife is a pescetarian.  Apart from that, there were no further allergies or restrictions in their diet which I should have been concerned about.

Did I mention that it is summer season in Australia at the moment, and as it is quite hot and humid, it is perfect weather to have lunch alfresco?  Our apartment overlooks the ocean and, in good weather, we take all our meals on the balcony enjoying the view and a sea breeze.  To please my guests I covered the table with the tablecloth that my mother-in-law bought for me in Cape Town.  It is very summery, its is made out of thick white linen with red apples hand-painted all over it.

I knew that my menu should cater for the preferences of our guests but I also did not want to serve hot food, rather something refreshing, simple and light.  So here what I came up with:

MENU
Gazpacho soup
Smoked salmon roulade (pescetarian option)

Orange & Fennel salad 

Roasted duck leg salad  with figs and hazelnuts (meat option)

Banana & mango frozen yogurt with hazelnut praline, served in wonton cups

If smoked salmon is not your preferred type of fish, you can easily cook Asian-infused barramundi from one of my previous blogs.  If you wish to splurge a bit more, fresh oysters with balsamic vinaigrette can find a place on your table.

Gazpacho soup

When I decided to make this soup for the very first time (not sure if I can use the word “cook” since there is no cooking involved), the recipe I chose to follow called for fresh tomatoes.  As this fruit in Australia is perpetually quite expensive, $4/kilo and more, and you need to peel them, I decided to cut corners and use canned ones, and I have never looked back.

To feed 8 people you need:

2X400 grams cans of chopped tomatoes (your preferred brand)

2 red capsicums

1 medium cucumber (peeled and seeds scraped)

1 medium Spanish onion

2 cloves of garlic (I adore garlic and use 4 or 5 cloves)

4 tbs of olive oil

1 tbs of red wine vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A drop of two of Tabasco sauce

Handful of basil or parsley leaves (your own preference)

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz, I like mine to be fairly smooth with a bit of texture.  Check the seasoning and adjust to your taste.

If you and your guests are feeling a bit adventurous, add a splash of vodka to the soup.

Serve the soup cold with sprinkles of chopped basil or parsley on top and warm crusty bread on the side.

Smoked salmon roulade

To feed 8 people you need:

8-12 pieces of smoked salmon

A bunch of salad leaves

100 gr of Sicilian olives

2-3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

2 lemons sliced into wedges

2 avocados, scooped and cubed

1/2 cup of chopped dill

Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Arrange the leaves on a big serving platter, take a piece of salmon, roll it into a cigar shape and place on top of the salad leaves.  Repeat with the remaining pieces arranging them in the minutes of the clock pattern.  Scoop and cut the avocados into cubes and place them in the centre of the plate, scatter olives and dill around, squeeze lemon wedges between the salmon roulades and drizzle over with extra virgin olive oil and ground black pepper.

Enjoy!!!