Another article in the same magazine on "Culture Club", featured pickling (a great lesson on the subject was given by the entertaining Karena Armstrong from the Salopian Inn, last week at our cooking class. Also Paul Baker, chef of the year from the Botanic Gardens restaurant explained the art of sourdough making at another cooking class - and gave us all some to take home, feed and name!

Here are some images from last nights amazing class from Lachie Colwill of Hentley Farm

What are your favourite Sant & Abel PJ’s?

Oooooh that’s a tough one! I love them all! Right now I switch between the Bora Bora Night Shirt, the Tropical Punch short sleeve set and the blue Palm Sunday long set.

What Pyjamas do you bring back to Australia with you when you come to visit?

I always wear the Zebra trackies and long sleeve top on the plane back to Australia. They are light weight, so soft and so comfy. They look stylish too! On my recent trip back to Australia I brought back the Cactus night shirt which we did as part of our collaboration for Chiara Ferragni. Gorgeous pinks and greens!


Tell us a bit more about your recent collaboration with Chiara

Chiara discovered Sant and Abel when we did an exclusive collaboration with The Beverly Hills Hotel. She asked us to create an exclusive collection for her website, The Blonde Salad. We came up with a cactus print, based on the incredible cactus right outside the main door at the farm at Finniss, SA. We created a short sleeve set, night shirt and eye mask.


We hear you love cooking, what’s your favourite recipe?

I sure do, I love cooking and entertaining! I often experiment with new recipes but I have two firm favourites which I’ll never deviate from. Baked Thai Salmon which came from an OOP Cooking Class many years ago (I think it was Nu’s class), followed by Ottolenghi’s Meringue Roulade.

What is your favourite restaurant in L.A?

I have two! Dan Tana’s, an Italian restaurant right near my house. It became famous after Frank Sinatra used to go there for knock offs following his performances at the Troubador next door. The tuxedo-dressed waiters are arrogant yet endearing and charming. The chicken parmigiana is the best I’ve ever eaten. The atmosphere is electric and there’s usually a celeb or two there who go to escape the madness of LA.
The other is Republique. Incredible French food, fantastic wine, a great fit out and buzzing atmosphere.

Tell us more about your dog! Where you take it for walks & please tell us it wears one of the S&A bandanas!

I have a black standard poodle called Daisy. She’s six months old and spends her time going for walks and swims at Venice Beach, hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains and enjoys redistributing the neighbours' newspapers around Beverly Hills.
Yes she absolutely does wear S&A bandanas, usually the Martinique bandana which we made for The Beverly Hills Hotel!

Roast duck breast, star anise carrots, organic lentils, pumpkin seeds, ricotta salata

Serves 4

4 Duck Breast

Carrot Fondant-

2 bunch mixed heirloom baby carrots (washed & trimmed) 100g butter

4 star anise

2 tbls honey

4 sprigs thyme

1lt vegetable stock or water (set aside)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Salt

Into a heavy based fry pan or shallow pot melt the butter before adding the carrots, honey, star anise and thyme and a pinch of sea salt. Once the carrots are coated pour over stock until carrots are just covered. Once the liquid comes to a boil turn down to a simmer place and place a cartouche on top.

After 15-20 mins the water will evaporate leaving an emulsion of honey, butter and a little stock which will start to caramelise and glaze your cooked carrots.

Toss through chopped parsley and season to taste.

Lentil Salad-

100g Mount Zero French Lentils

50g pecorino romano

1/4 bunch mint leaves

1/4 cup mung bean sprouts

3 tbls pumpkin seeds

Dressing-

50ml Lirah Cabernet vinegar

1 tbls Dijon mustard

80 ml grape seed oil

40ml olive oil

70% chocolate delice, burnt green tea, hazelnuts, native mint, matcha

Garnish-

1 cup native mint leaves also known as river mint

4 tbls Matcha green tea powder

Chocolate Delice-

Makes ½ tray approx 10 serves

400g 70% dark chocolate

550g cream

120g egg yolks

40g caster sugar

6 sheets gelatine

Bring the cream to the boil and set aside

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together

Slowly pour the heated cream into the eggs, whisking well

Pour the mixture over the chocolate until it has all melted

Pour into a half bain that has been sprayed with oil and lined with go between

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Hazelnut Praline (Optional)-

200g chocolate

250g cream

Bring cream to the boil and pour over chocolate.

Praline-

250g roasted & peel hazelnuts

250g sugar + splash of water to wet the sugar

Bring sugar to the boil

Place hazelnuts on a tray with grease proof paper

Once the sugar starts to colour pour the sugar over the top of your hazelnuts.

Leave the sugar and nuts to cool on the bench before placing into the robout coupe and blending until you get a nice rough crumb.

Mix this into the chocolate and pour over the top of your delice & refrigerate for a few hours before cutting.

Matcha Meringue-

150g egg whites

300g sugar + splash of water to wet the sugar

1 tsp cream of tartar

1tbls Matcha tea powder

Place sugar and water on the stove and bring to the boil.

When the sugar mix has reached a temperature of 114 degrees Celsius take off the stove and begin to whisk your egg whites in a commercial mixer and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

Start to pour your sugar syrup slowly into the eggs.

Once you have poured all your sugar into the eggs add matcha powder and continue to whisk until the mix has chilled.

Place in a piping bag and put in the chiller until required.

His menu consisted of Salmon Gravlax for the first course, Loin of Kangaroo with beetroot and mushrooms for the main, and a chocolate pudding with lavender sorbet and caramel mousse. Once he completed each course, (accompanied by copious tips and funny quips), the dishes were served to the fortunate participants. The guest winemaker was Mark Gilbert who served some beautiful wines from his Karrawatta winery, with vineyards in Meadows, Langhorne Creek and most recently at McLaren Vale. The night was a huge success and highlighted the expertise shown by Jon Kimber and his delightful sous chef, Vera, in procuring the best quality organic produce and preparing it with ingenuity and flair.

Our favourite recipe -

SALMON GRAVLAX, OLIVE, YUZU GEL

Salmon gravlax

Ingredients

200g brown sugar

200g cooking salt

1 bunch dill (picked off the stalk)

150mL gin (recipe uses 78 degrees)

1 side of salmon (skin on)

Method

In a bowl mix brown sugar and salt.

Finely chop the dill and mix through the salt and sugar mix

Pour the gin over the salmon insuring you massage it in. Sprinkle the salt and sugar mix on top making sure the salmon is properly covered.

Allow to sit in the fridge for 12 hours to cure.

Olive crumb

200g Kalamata olives

Remove the pits from the olives.

Method

Place the olives in a dehydrator or in a low temperature oven (no more than 50°). Leave them for 1 day or till fully dehydrate.

Once dehydrated, blitz to form a crumb.

Yuzu gel

200 ml yuzu juice

1 tablespoon agar agar

Method

In medium size pot over a low heat bring the yuzu juice to a boil (don’t reduce). When boiling add in 1 table spoon of agar agar and whisk in for 1-2 min or until dissolved.

Poor into a container with a big surface area to cool down. Once the liquid is set into a gel, blitz and pass through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.

Mandarin jam

4 whole mandarin (peeled and segmented)

100mL sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water)

Method

Boil the water and sugar to form the sugar syrup.

In a medium size pot, place the mandarin segments in and cover with sugar syrup.

Cook on a low heat until a jam like consistency is formed then blitz and pass through a sieve to make a fine puree.

It has developed into an amazingly popular venue for brilliant chefs teaching delicious dishes, all of which the 30 attendees eat whilst tasting beautiful SA wines, presented by the  wine makers all of whom confer with the chefs prior to the class to match the food and wine.

Last week we had the fabulous Paul Baker from The Botanic Gardens Restaurant, (having just returned from cooking at the prestigious James Beard House in New York!)

Sharing recipes is always so special and we intend to share many from our chefs during the year, so stay tuned.

Being a sweet tooth my favourite dish from the class was the dessert:

Roasted Peaches, Whipped Coconut Panna cotta, Honeycomb

Roasted Peaches

Ingredients:

• 4 Peaches cut in half and seed removed
• 100g un salted butter diced
• 50g brown sugar
• 50ml Lirah apple vinegar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 star anise
• 5 cloves
• 1 tsp fennel seeds

Method:

Pre heat your oven to 220 degrees. (Time in the oven will vary depending on the ripeness of the peaches)

Place peaches in a roasting tray or a heavy based pan cut side up.

Cover peaches evenly with the butter, sugar, vinegar and aromatics.

Place in oven and cook for at least 10-15mins on one side. Turn peaches over and caramelise the other side for a further 10 mins.

Your peaches are ready once they are coated in the caramelised sugar and butter mix and the peaches start to soften. 

Whipped Coconut Panna cotta

Ingredients:

• 375ml coconut cream
• 375ml cream
• 50g sugar
• 10g gelatine
• 2 cups verbena leaves (can substitute for any flavour you like)

Method:

Place coconut cream, cream, sugar and verbena into a pot and slowly warm the mixture until its just about to boil. Do not boil.

Leave the flavours to steep for about 5 minutes. During this time place the gelatine sheets in a small bowl of water to soften.

Add the gelatine to the liquid and mix evenly until it has all dissolved.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and refrigerate for a few hours until set. This will set harder than a normal panna cotta.

In a small mixer place your set panna cotta mix and whip until the mixture is smooth.

Place back into small containers and place back in the fridge for 1 hour.

Honey Comb

Ingredients

• 180g sugar
• 60g glucose
• 40g water
• 10g bi carb soda

Method

Cook the sugar, glucose and water until it just starts to become a light golden colour. Take off the stove to cool for 2-3 minutes Whisk in bi carb soda. Spread onto a well oiled tray. Serve after its sets and goes cold

Our favourite recipe - LAMB SHOULDER