If you're watching your waistline this Valentine's Day, Group Executive Chef at
Trippas White Group, John McFadden has created a healthy three-course menu that you can prepare and enjoy at home with your love bird.
Start with oysters, before moving to grilled snapper and finishing with a light dessert of poached fruit. Who said this diet thing can't include good food? Enjoy!
Entrée :
Pacific rock oysters with lemon granita
Main:
Snapper fillet, kipfler potato, capers, dill and watercress
Dessert:
Poached figs, apples and berries with light ricotta or yoghurt
Recipes:
Pacific Oysters with lemon granita
12 x pacific oysters (6 each)
200g x rock salt
500ml x water
75g x sugar
75ml x lemon juice
2 x lemon zest
Method: Granita can be made two days in advance. Zest the lemons and set aside. Squeeze lemons to make 75ml of juice. In a non-reactive pot heat water with the sugar, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3minutes, stirring to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and zest.
Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture into a non-reactive container that will fit in your freezer, let the mix cool at room temperature before covering and freezing until partially frozen. (This may take a few hours).
Scrape with a fork to create ice shavings. (If it fully sets break up the lemon mix and place it in a blender — blend or pulse in batches until it resembles shaved ice). Place shavings back into the freezer until required.
To serve: place the rock salt around the plate to help the oysters sit up and avoid falling over. Place the oysters onto the rock salt, and spoon the granita on top of each oyster. Or serve it on the side in a shot glass. Serve immediately.
Snapper fillet, kipfler potato, capers, dill and watercress
2 x 180g snapper fillet, skinned and boned
5 x kipfler potato
1/2 bch x chives (chopped)
1/4 bch x dill (chopped)
12ea x baby capers (washed & chopped)
80g x sour cream
Maldon salt and pepper
80g x baby green beans (trimmed & blanched)
1/4 bch x picked & washed watercress
Dressing
5g x seeded mustard
15ml x white wine vinegar
60ml x extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
In a bowl add mustard, add vinegar and whisk, slowly add olive oil and season. Set aside.
Method: Pre-heat oven to 180-degrees and leave a baking tray in the oven.
Place kipfler potato into cold water with salt, bring to boil and strain once cooked. When the potato is cooled slightly remove the skin. Cut into small round pieces. Mash 70 percent of the potato mix and add back to the remaining 30 percent small pieces. To this add chives, dill, capers, sour cream, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat a pan with olive oil and add the snapper skin side down when hot. Cook for 2-3 minutes before turning over (and quickly sear the white flesh). Remove once sealed. Place the snapper skin side down on the hot oven tray lined with baking paper and place in a hot oven for 5-7 minutes until cooked.
To serve: Place a disk of the potato salad in the middle of a plate about a 1cm high, lay the beans across the potato. Remove fish from the oven, rest for a minute. Dress the watercress with a little of the dressing. Place fish on top of the beans with the skin facing up, top with watercress and drizzle with more dressing.
Poached figs, apples and berries with light ricotta
2ea x figs (cut into quarters)
1pnt x raspberries
1pnt x strawberries (hulled and cut in half)
1 x apple (peeled and cut into eighths)
200gm x light ricotta or yoghurt
Poaching liquid
500ml x red wine (dry)
80g x sugar
1 x cinnamon quill
2 x star anise
3 x cloves
1 x orange zest
Method: Place all ingredients into a saucepan and simmer until sugar is dissolved, reduce heat by a third. Add figs and poach for 10 seconds, remove and set aside.
Apply the same process for the berries and apples (apples need approx 45 seconds). Set fruit aside. Reduce the remaining liquid in the pot until it becomes syrupy and strain. Allow to cool and refrigerate.
To serve: Place fruit in a bowl, pour a small amount of the cooled syrup over the fruit and top with light ricotta or yoghurt.
Home