In the Kitchen with Hadleigh Troy

The power of concentration.

Hadleigh’s young staff member preps up the first course of the night. We watch while sipping champagne and taking notes. There is an endless supply. We don’t stop sipping. It is March 16 and we are enjoying our time. We are at Restaurant Amusé.

Chef Hadleigh Troy and Restaurant Manager Carolynne Troy are the husband and wife team who organised this special event – the City of Perth Food and Wine Festival 2010 masterclass. A small number of twenty attended the night. We started off in the waiting room where we exchanged banter and sipped on Veuve Moisans, NV Cuvee Extra Blanc de Blanc Brut from Loire Valley, France. I was already tipsy on four glasses of champers by the time my friends arrived, but I managed to hold it together. Everyone was presented with a recipe book and pen before entering the kitchen for the “main event“.

The waiting area on arrival

We learned about each of the five courses in the Petite Degustation for the night and got to eat each one later. The menu read as follows.

Marron, sea urchin and grapefruit
P. Anheuser, 2008 Schlossbockelheimer Konigsfels Riseling Kabinett, Nahe Germany

Squid, mulloway and mojama
Arlewood, 2005 Semillon, Margaret River WA

Lamb, ricotta and eggplant
Rutini, 2006 ‘Trumpeter Reserve’, Mendoza Argentina

White chocolate, vanilla and walnut

Passionfruit, guava and coconut
Chalk Hill, 2008 Moscato, McLaren Vale, SA

Hadleigh introduced us not only to his young team of chefs, but also to some of the commercial gadgets and gizmos used to help accelerate the cooking and preparation process, such as the Pacojet for sorbets and ice creams, and the blast chiller for rapidly cooling food.

Appetizer: Amuse-bouche

Hadleigh described the Amuse-bouche as a product of shaved frozen foie gras on top of white chocolate, and caviar made of saltwater to look like salmon roe. He did not tell us how he made the caviar other than that it was an intricate and delicate process. I carefully took a little of each item onto my spoon and placed the contents into my mouth. The sweet white chocolate and hints of foie gras were an interesting combination. Each burst of caviar resulted in a fresh release of saltwater, which seemingly overpowered the formerly mentioned two items, and hence caused a whole lot of confusion on the palate. It took me time to readjust to Hadleigh’s unique style of food.

The Amuse-bouche did serve as an introduction to Chef Hadleigh’s petite degustation menu. We already knew his intentions – to get us thinking, our senses re-adapting, and the tastebuds excited. I liked the idea, creativity, and technique involved in developing this appetizer. It had prepared us for the courses to come.

Amuse-bouche

Starter: Marron, sea urchin and grapefruit

A lot of technique was used in building the first starter. The marron & sea urchin pannacotta, gelatin-filtered marron consomme, and tarragon oil were combined with a marron rillette of claw and knuckle meat. A tin cookie cutter was then used to make the mixture look presentable. Caviar-like grapefruit agar agar was delicately placed on top of the mixture, and lastly, an oven baked tuile seasoned with dry seaweed was added as the crown.

The constituents of the marron rillette (being the avocado and marron meat) were bound together with lemon juice and mayonnaise. The result was a textured, sweet, butter-like mix that was very pleasant. This was unlike the pannacotta which was smooth, silky, soft, and feather-like. The grapefruit agar agar looked like crushed raspberries and was very sweet. Interlacing all parts in one spoonful got me thinking – this was like a savoury seafood cake spread with jam.

Marron, sea urchin and grapefruit

Hadleigh preparing the Marron, sea urchin and grapefruit starter

Starter: Squid, mulloway and mojama

The second dish comprised a poached fillet of mulloway on top of a bed of cauliflower squid ink puree, garnished with diced squid, sliced jamon, white anchovies, confit tomatoes, and cauliflower flowerets. A thin slice of oven crisp mojama (salt cured tuna) was the last piece that sat on top of the “stack”. The mulloway was dressed with a blend made from paprika, curry powder, cayenne pepper, lemon, orange, garlic, Dijon mustard, capers, shallots, parsley, salt and grape seed oil.

This was the best dish of the night. The cauliflower puree had the body and base which allowed the squid ink to colour it with ease. It had the texture of risotto. Without knowing that cauliflower was used, picking it out would have been difficult. The fish was a Suzuki mulloway of sashimi grade standard (fish spiked in the brain then iced, keeping it fresh for longer) from Japan, purchased locally. It was poached for 12 minutes in fish stock which meant it had a wonderful flavour. It was also very moist. The jamon and mojama added a salted and slightly sweet taste to the fish, while the roasted roma tomatoes and mulloway dressing provided some acidity to the overall dish. A beautiful starter – I could have easily eaten another. I wanted to steal my neighbour’s dish. It was very good.

The Arlewood, 2005 Semillon, Margaret River WA wine was fat, fruity, ripe and juicy. As there were lots of flavours in the squid, mulloway and mojama dish, the flavours of wine was able to carry through.

Squid, mulloway and mojama

Prepping the mulloway

Filleting the mulloway

Main: Lamb, ricotta and eggplant

The main course looked simple but involved a fair bit of work. It was a tri-sliced Dolper lamb rump on an eggplant base partnered with handmade gnocchi. The lamb and gnocchi were then dusted with orange powder and lamb malto.

Meat preparation involved searing the lamb on the outside but keeping the inside raw. This was then cut in half and seared in cling film before soaking it in water for 1 hour. As time was of the essence, the chefs had one which was “prepared earlier”. The lamb was roasted on high heat, ensuring that the fat was rendered fully out. Once rendered and crisp, it was turned over and sealed on all sides before being placed in an oven until cooked. As for the eggplant base and gnocchi, they were easy to make, whilst the orange powder was prepared by peeling oranges, blanching the skin many times and then placing it in a dehydrator for three hours at 60 degrees. This made it easy to blend into a fine powder afterwards. Last but not least, the lamb malto was made from lamb fat, rosemary, and malto (sourced from Simon Johnson).

The lamb combined with the eggplant well, resulting in a sweet, smokey, and acidic taste. The poached gnocchi was very soft if not butter-like. The lamb malto and orange powder were interesting, adding a touch of fizziness (like sherbet) to the main dish.

Lamb, ricotta and eggplant

Lamb rump in foreground, and gnocci and lamb malto in background

Lamb rump on eggplant

Interlude: Lime sorbet

Our interlude of lime sorbet was made from malto, icing sugar, kaffir lime leaves, and lime zest. It was so delicious. If Hadleigh sold this as an ice cream it would be a hit!

Palate cleanser

Pre-Dessert: White chocolate, vanilla and walnut

The pre-dessert required some time to make. It comprised of vanilla ice cream, walnut ice cream, elderberry syrup, condensed milk, and white chocolate.

At this stage we were shown the Pacojet in action. The vanilla ice cream mixture cooked over low heat at 82 degrees was poured and placed in the Pacojet. Within 4 minutes the mixture was churned ice cold. We all took spoons to have a taste – a nice vanilla ice cream. I knew that I had to buy one of these machines for home – what a time saver. It took longer to mix and heat the vanilla ice cream ingredients over induction than it did to freeze. The walnut ice cream was made in the same way. The only difference was the addition of walnuts to the mixture. These were then strained off prior to churning. The elderberry syrup involved the whisking of elderberry cordial, water, and agar agar over heat. This was allowed to cool in the fridge before being placed in a blender until smooth. The white chocolate was roasted in an oven which coloured it a dark shade of brown, giving it the same appearance as nuts.

The pre-dessert was brilliant. Both walnut and vanilla ice creams were silky smooth. The condensed milk and elderberry syrup stuck to my spoon like glue, allowing me to pick up the dusted roasted white chocolate. Licking the spoon was the ideal way to eat the chocolate. Also, the inclusion of malto provided a nice touch to the pre-dessert. The pre-dessert was simple but very good.

White chocolate, vanilla and walnut

Main Dessert: Passionfruit, guava and coconut

The last course for the night was a guava sorbet with coconut espuma and passionfruit bavarois.

Sorbet preparation involved heating guava juice, sugar, and glucose at 80 degrees before allowing to cool for churning. The coconut espuma required boiling coconut puree and then whisking it in with sugar and egg yolks before cooking as an anglaise.  Whipped cream was then added and folded into the mixture. This was then poured into a canister and charged with gas. The passion fruit bavarian cream was made of passion puree, sugar, kirsh, gelatin and whipped cream. This was then set in pyramid shaped moulds in the fridge. Shards of love letter biscuits and passionfruit pulp were used to decorate the coconut espuma.

I was a little flustered when Carolynne brought out my dessert. It had a candle in it and she asked everyone to join in and sing Happy Birthday. Fellow blogger Conor @ Hold The Beef had a similar experience earlier this year. While she tried to colour in the O’s on her plate, I rubbed the letters out with my fingers and started sucking them like a little piglet on its mum’s nipple.

The overall theme of the dessert was warm and tropical. The presentation was immaculate and the taste sensational. The light Chalk Hill, 2008 Moscato, McLaren Vale, SA wine paired well with the dessert.

Guava, passion fruit and coconut

Guava sorbet, coconut espuma, and passion fruit Bavarois

Passion fruit Bavarois

Petit Four and Coffee/Tea

Our degustation ended with petit fours and coffee or tea. I order a flat white which was made from a Rubra coffee blend. The petit fours were chocolates and little coconut cakes which we picked and popped in our mouths with ease. They were a bit ordinary, leaving us with a bit of disappointment.

Petit Four

Restaurant Amusé

At the end of the night we were greeted by Hadleigh and Carolynne as we walked out the door. The service was impeccable, the staff friendly, and the food quite good. Many would argue the food’s complexity and over complication of flavours. True yes with dishes like the Amuse-bouche and Marron, sea urchin and grapefruit. However, the rest of the petite degustation menu was remarkable. Overall the food was daring, creative, and required a lot of effort and technique.

I have just one tip for anyone who plans to dine at Restaurant Amusé. You must have an open mind, otherwise enjoyment is futile.

The Masterclass and dinner at Restaurant Amusé was held on 16 and 17 March, 2010.

Restaurant Amusé
Address: 64 Bronte Street, East Perth
Tel: +61 8 9325 4900
Web: www.restaurantamuse.com.au

Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Saturday (7:00pm – late)

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