Method

Pink Turnip, Pickled Beetroot and Breakfast Radish Salad
Top and tail the radishes, blanche the French breakfast and cherry bell radishes in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, refresh in ice water. Peel the pink turnips and cut a central core using a 4 cm cookie cutter. Cut the core into ½ cm thin discs. Blanche for 30 seconds then refresh in iced water. Put the radishes and turnips aside.

In a food processor place the pitted Ligurian olive. Process on high and slowly pour in 100 mls of extra virgin olive oil. Once the olives are a fine paste, spread the paste on both sides of the sour dough slices. Dry the sour dough bread on a tray in a pre-set 100˚C oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the bread is dry. Once the bread is dry and cool; process the bread in a food processor until you have fine olive bread crumbs. Store in an airtight container until required.  Peel the beetroots and slice as thinly as possible using a mandolin (1 mm thickness). Dissolve the sugar in the rice wine vinegar and pour the vinegar onto the beetroot reserving 50 mls. Allow the beetroot to macerate in the vinegar for 1 hour. Peel the first layer off the red marble onions or eschallots if using. Place the onions on a sheet of silicon paper. Drizzle the onions with the remaining sugar and vinegar liquid, season with sea salt and wrap the silicon paper up into an airtight parcel around the onions. Wrap the parcel in aluminium foil and place on a tray to bake in a preheated 200˚C oven for 10 minutes.  Remove the onions from the oven and check that they are tender. Put aside with any reserved juices.

To serve
Mix the crème fraiche and goat’s curd together with a small whisk in a bowl. Place one tablespoon of the goat’s curd mixture in each serving bowl. Spread the goat’s curd mixture out into a 10 cm diameter circle with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the olive crumbs over the goat’s curd. Dress the radishes and pink turnips with olive oil and sea salt. Evenly divide the radishes and turnips among the bowls placing them in the goats curd. Squeeze the beetroot slices with your hands to remove as much of the vinegar as possible then dress the beetroot with a little extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Divide the pickled beetroot evenly among the bowls.

In a small bowl combine the pine bud extract, balsamic vinegar and 150 mls of extra virgin olive oil. Whisk well and drizzle the salads with some of this dressing. You may have some excess dressing over for another use. Garnish the salads with purple violets, blood veined sorrel, red garnet and bulls blood leaves. Serve immediately. 

Eight-Texture Chocolate Cake
I have been making a version of this chocolate cake for about 15 years now. It started as a simple four-layer cake containing a chocolate base, mousse, ice cream and dark chocolate cocoa. At De Beers it became a five-texture cake and a signature dessert. This year I celebrated my eighth anniversary at Quay, so I decided to make the cake an eight-textured experience. The combination is now more complex, with a fantastic interplay of temperatures and textures. The flavour components of the cake are essentially dark chocolate, hazelnuts, caramel, vanilla and milk chocolate. I like to use a combination of Amedei Chuao (70 per cent) dark chocolate and Valrhona milk chocolate, as I consider these chocolates to be the best examples available, but feel free to use any good quality chocolate available to you. My favourite part of this cake is the sense of theatre and anticipation when we serve it in the restaurant — the hot chocolate sauce appears to melt through the centre of the cake. It is this small moment of theatre that I hope creates a lasting memory and adds to the pleasure of eating the dessert.

Chocolate Mousse
Finely chop the chocolate and melt it over a double boiler and keep warm. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Make a sabayon by combining the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla bean. Cook over a double boiler, whisking continuously until the egg yolks become thick and glossy, then remove the sabayon from the heat. Have the whipped cream nearby. Pour all of the melted chocolate into the warm sabayon and, with a large hand whisk, beat as fast as you can to incorporate all the chocolate into the sabayon.
The chocolate will begin to seize; at that point you will need to add 1 large kitchen spoon of whipped cream. Continue to whisk; the cream will begin to soften the mixture. Add another large spoonful of cream and whisk vigorously for a further 1 minute. The chocolate, egg and cream mixture will now be more workable and relatively stable. You should have half the whipped cream left. Immediately whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Place the whisked egg whites and the remaining cream on top of the chocolate mixture and gently fold through until well incorporated. Place the chocolate mousse in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours before assembling the dessert.

Caramel, Vanilla and Chocolate Ganache
Cut the butter into small cubes and soften to room temperature. Finely chop the two chocolates and place in a medium stainless-steel or ceramic bowl. Put the sugar in a small heavy-based saucepan and add enough water to just wet the sugar. Place the saucepan over high heat and turn the sugar into caramel. When the caramel turns a medium golden brown, slowly and carefully add the cream. This will cause a strong reaction and you will see the caramel and cream bubble dramatically. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the reaction settles down and the caramel has dissolved in the cream. Add the vanilla bean and whisk. While hot, pour the mixture onto the chocolate in the bowl and slowly stir. When the chocolate and cream mixture are fully incorporated, add the sea salt and softened butter. Mix well with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. It is crucial that the butter is soft before adding it. Allow the ganache to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Remove from the refrigerator 2 hours before assembly to allow the ganache to return to room temperature.

Chocolate and Hazelnut Dacquoise
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Mix the ground almonds, hazelnuts and sifted cocoa powder together. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then slowly add the sugar and whisk until the egg whites form stiff peaks. Fold the dry ingredients through the egg whites. You will need a flat baking tray lined with a silicone mat. Using a palette knife, spread the mixture out to a thickness of about 3 mm. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 6–8 minutes, or until crisp. Remove from the oven. While still warm, use a 6 cm round cutter to cut out eight discs. Allow the discs to cool completely, then store the discs in an airtight container until needed, placing a sheet of silicone paper between each disc.

Cake base
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).
Finely chop the chocolate and melt it over a double boiler, then remove from the heat and allow the chocolate to cool. Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until they are well emulsified. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until all the eggs are incorporated. When the chocolate is cool but not set, pour it into the butter mixture and beat well.
Sift over the flour and fold through the mixture.
You will need two flat baking trays lined with silicone mats. Using a palette knife, spread the chocolate mixture out to a thickness of 1 cm (1/2 inch).
Place the trays in the oven and bake for 4–5 minutes, or until set. Remove from the oven and leave the cakes on the trays to cool completely. When cool, use a 10 cm (4 inch) round cutter to cut out eight circles from the cakes. Store the cake circles in an airtight container until needed, placing a sheet of silicone paper between each cake.

Milk Chocolate Praline Discs
Put the sugar in a small heavy-based saucepan and add enough water to just wet the sugar. Place the saucepan over high heat and turn the sugar into caramel. When the caramel turns a medium golden brown, add the hazelnuts and then pour the caramel onto a baking tray lined with a silicone mat. Allow the praline to cool and harden completely. Finely chop the praline with either a sharp heavy knife or use a food processor.
Finely chop the chocolate and melt it over a double boiler, then add the chopped praline and stir to combine. Spread the chocolate and praline mixture onto a silicone mat to a 2 mm (1/16 inch) thickness. Before the chocolate sets completely, use a 6 cm (2 1/2 inch) round cutter to cut out eight discs.
When the chocolate has set completely, remove the discs and store in an airtight container, placing a sheet of silicone paper between each disc.

Chocolate Caramel Cream
Finely chop the chocolate and place in a stainless-steel bowl. Put the sugar in a small heavy-based saucepan and add enough water to just wet the sugar. Place the saucepan over high heat and turn the sugar into caramel. When the caramel turns a medium golden brown, slowly and carefully add the cream. This will cause a strong reaction and you will see the caramel and cream bubble dramatically.
Using a wooden spoon, stir until the reaction settles down and the caramel has dissolved in the cream. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Pour the warm caramel cream mixture onto the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has dissolved.
Place the mixture into the refrigerator and allow to chill completely. When the mixture is cold, transfer it into a large stainless-steel bowl. Add the double cream and whisk until soft peaks form. Refrigerate the chocolate caramel cream until required.

Hot Chocolate Sauce
Finely chop the chocolate and melt it over a double boiler. Put the milk in a saucepan and heat to about 80°C (175°F). Stir the milk into the melted chocolate and keep the sauce warm. If the chocolate sauce becomes too thick, add more hot milk.

Dark Chocolate Top Disc
For the best results you will need to temper the chocolate for these discs. You will need a chocolate thermometer and a double boiler or a chocolate temperer. Firstly line a flat baking tray with a sheet of silicone paper. Cover the tray and silicone paper with plastic wrap. The plastic needs to be wrapped completely around the tray to form a tight taut surface. The tray needs to be perfectly flat. To temper the chocolate, finely chop the
chocolate and gently heat it in a double boiler until it reaches 48°C (118°F). Allow the chocolate to cool to 29°C (84°F). You can do this by working the chocolate on a marble slab or by turning the double boiler off and carefully stirring the chocolate with a spoon. The chocolate will now need to be heated back up to 34°C (93°F). Next, spread the tempered chocolate onto the prepared tray using a palette knife. Create a smooth thin layer of chocolate about 1–2 mm (1/16 inch) thick. Before the chocolate sets completely, use a 10 cm (4 inch) round cutter to cut out eight discs. When the chocolate has completely set, carefully remove the discs from the tray and transfer to an airtight container, placing a sheet of silicone paper between each disc. Store at a cool temperature until required.

To Finish and Plate
To assemble the chocolate cake, you will need eight stainless-steel rings, 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter and 2.5 cm (1 inch) high. We have had these custom-made for us at Quay. If you can find a similar ring, you can adjust the quantities and measurements to suit. You will also need a metal tray and a kitchen blow torch.
To begin, place the cake bases on a metal tray, leaving a good space between each base.
Place a cake ring on top of each base, fitting the base into the ring. Next, add 1 large tablespoon of chocolate mousse mixture onto each base. Using a teaspoon, spread the mousse out and up the sides of the cake rings to an even thickness of about 1 cm (1/2 inch). Place the milk chocolate praline discs in the rings, on top of the mousse, and press down gently. Take 2 teaspoons of caramel, vanilla and chocolate ganache and spread this out over the milk chocolate praline disc.
Next, place the chocolate and hazelnut dacquoise disc on the ganache and press down gently. Take the chocolate caramel cream and whisk until stiff peaks form. Place 1 large tablespoon of the chocolate caramel cream on top of the dacquoise and use a palette knife to spread the cream out to form a flush layer against the top of the ring. Carefully remove a 3 cm (1 1/4 inch) diameter circle of caramel cream from the centre of each cake; you can use a teaspoon to do this. You need to ensure that you have removed at least 1 cm (1/2 inch) of depth from the surface of the cake. (Essentially this is a small hole in the top of the cake for the hot chocolate sauce to melt through the thin chocolate disc, giving the effect of hot chocolate sauce melting through the cake.)
Use a kitchen blow torch to briefly heat the outside metal edge of the cake rings. Do this one at a time. Wait a couple of seconds and slide the metal ring up from the cake. Now top each cake with the dark chocolate top disc; this disc should sit flush with the edge of the cake. Flash the top of the chocolate to ensure an even sheen. Carefully move each cake from the tray to the centre of a serving plate, using a wide, bent palette knife. Place the hot chocolate sauce into a small copper saucepan, ensuring the sauce is at a reasonably hot temperature. Serve the cake and then serve a small spoonful of the hot chocolate sauce directly to the middle of each cake. Do this in front of your guests and they will see the chocolate sauce melt through the chocolate disc into the hole you previously made, adding a little theatre to the whole experience.

From QUAY - Food Inspired By Nature by Peter Gilmore, Murdoch Books, RRP: $95.00

www.quay.com.au