Eating in Spanish

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Gazpacho: tomatoes, red and yellow bell pepper, Spanish onion, cucumber, garlic, basil, mint, chives, flavoured with orange, red wine vinegar, lemon and olive oil served with walnut and rosemary buckwheat flat bread.

S
Orange flavoured rocket topped with crispy prosciutto, sliced figs, roasted almonds and mint then topped with manchego cheese and nutmeg

M
Baked tortilla of kipfler potato, fresh peas, black olives, caramelised red onion, paprika, lemon rind and basil cooked in a saffron aioli.

D
Frozen orange shell filled with chilled cinnamon, lemon zest and pine nut ricotta and served with basil and honey baked figs.

The guest for this menu has already been chosen - fitting that I repay my Spanish conversation partner with some food in exchange for her having to put up with my stunted and 'muy corta' attempts to converse... The review will be coming shortly - in Spanish I am told...

Don't despair though, another menu will be posted shortly. I am feeling some Asian inspiration on the way so email me globalgobbler@gmail.com with your name, age, favourite food and why I should cook for you and you may score an invite to the next Gobble.

Global Gobbler guest #5 - Remy-M

Name: Remy-M
Age: 31
Occupation: Teacher as well as a protector of Indonesian monkeys
Favourite food: Apples
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: Well, i'm never going to get to Afghanistan to sample the produce so maybe this will make do?

The Verdict

The presentation was effective. The aromas were balanced and the plate was full of colour. I loved the merging of sweet corn and earthy parsnip and spicy cumin, almost too much (!) but saved by the fresh coriander – perfect balance on the palate! The condiments were not required but were perfect all the same – a tasty jam and thick sour cream.

The three citrus rinds gave this a marmalade-y flavour without the overpowering sweetness. And what a yummy salt! The almonds could have been a bit less finely chopped – and my first, and definitely not last, experience with metallic nigella seeds.

And this is where Remy's review ended...a combination of the hot sun and beverages consumed the evening prior were to blame - and not, I am promised, my cooking! My housemate enjoyed the toils of my hours in the kitchen but was hesitant in providing a photo.

So you will have to rely on my completely biased chef notes!

And the final comments from Remy: "When I asked Joel what they ate in Afghanistan he kept on telling me goat. There was no goat but I didn’t mind at all! Osama would be proud of you Joel. Thank you. Remy xo"

Only in Afghanistan - RIP 17 February 2008

E
Parsnip, cumin, fresh coriander and sweet corn rosti served with a red onion, paprika and mint jam and crème fraiche

Chef Notes

I remember having rosti at home and tried to twist it with the parsnip – didn’t have quite the same texture as I remember probably due to me undercooking the parsnip – damn health considerations! The onion jam and the crème fraiche matched well with the cumin but presentation was a bit average – reminiscent of pepper sauce served with dirty schnitzel.

S
Slow baked leeks in triple citrus rind (orange, lime and lemon), nutmeg and and sage and served with roasted almond and nigella salt.

Chef Notes

Flavours were great but the texture of the leek wasn’t as hoped –a little tough and may have needed a bit more moisture or longer cooking time. But the almond and nigella seed salt was a good mix – I think this is the end of standard salt. Dish might have worked better with zucchini or something which absorbed the flavour a little better.

M
Afghani kofta balls: millet flavoured with dates, lime zest, fresh turmeric, fennel seeds and dried chilli and coated in a crust of crushed walnuts and coriander seeds then served on tomato and cucumber checkers with a coriander, chilli and lime salsa.

Chef Notes

My favourite – I had previously used these flavours with rice and they went even better with millet which is a lot more moist. The walnut crust had a Middle Eastern flavour and was perfect crunchy exterior for soft millet. Maybe some goats cheese with the millet would have given it a melting aspect. Happy with the presentation but I don’t think the coriander salsa was right – more Asian than Afghani.

D
Baked pears stuffed with a pistachio, date and rose petal paste and served with cardamom and rose water yogurt then garnished with honey frozen rose petals.

Chef Notes

Pears were a little overcooked and a touch dry – maybe poaching them first or else more liquid. But the pistachio and date paste was good consistency – chewy with a roasted crunch, not sure what the rose water added… The cardamom flavour was surprising – haven’t tasted it outside of blended dishes so nice to isolate it – maybe needed to use thicker yogurt or even mascarpone next time.

Only in Afghanistan - the Osama Diet

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Parsnip, cumin, fresh coriander and sweet corn rosti served with a red onion, paprika and mint jam and crème fraiche

S
Leeks slow baked in triple citrus rind (orange, lime and lemon), nutmeg and sage and served with roasted almond and nigella salt.

M
Afghani kofta balls: millet flavoured with dates, lime zest, fresh turmeric, fennel seeds and dried chilli coated in a crust of crushed walnuts and coriander seeds then served on tomato and cucumber checkers with a coriander, chilli and lime salsa.

D
Baked pears stuffed with a pistachio, date and rose petal paste served with cardamom and rose water yogurt and garnished with honey frozen rose petals.

So you've tried every other diet and need some inspiration? Introducing the Osama Diet... Want to experience the flavours of Afghanistan without ending up in Guantanamo? Email me globalgobbler@gmail.com with your name, age, favourite food and why I should cook for you and you may score an invite to a meal inspired by a country which sits proudly at the top of the Department of Foreign Affairs 'do not travel' list.

Global Gobbler guest #4 - Jordan

Name: Jordan

Age: 27

Occupation: Budding Kofi Annan – in the early stages of becoming a property magnate

Favourite food: Squid and harissa

Why he deserves the Global Gobbler experience: With a background in hospitality and an inherent understanding of flavour composition garnered from a lifetime of consumption of different cuisines on several continents, I felt that I was a perfect candidate for one of Joel’s intriguing meals.

The Verdict

Whether or not there is the absolute comprehension of disparate flavours that talented chefs sometimes display, experimentation with food must always be applauded, especially when the intention behind the experiment is to offer an enthusiastic health-oriented alternative, that is based on ingredients not commonly found in the Australian pantry. In the search for a new experience or the opportunity to impart some hard-won insight, perhaps there would be a mutual benefit discovered over a glass of wine and some nouveau cuisine.

To begin, Joel served a fresh salad of nectarine, wakame and radish with honeyed ginger and sesame oil, tamari coated seeds, and raisins. The dish had a lot of potential, particularly the pairing of the nectarine and wakame, but may have been better served by the use of daikon rather than radish. It should be noted, however, that daikon had sadly been unavailable at the markets that day. I found the seeds and raisins to be an interesting component, and certainly very tasty, but I am not sure that they added anything to the salad itself, which was complicated enough. Better, I think, to use them as a pre-appetiser. In all, however, with a bit of fine-tuning, this could have been an excellent dish.

Next we had a personal favourite of mine, soba noodles, of which I have many fond memories, invariably alongside warm sake and cold nights in Tokyo. Flavoured with miso and coconut oil, the noodles had a pleasant oiliness and were very more-ish, but were a touch overdone. Typically soba should be quite firm to the bite. With three side dishes, the dish was intricate and interesting. The first, sesame and soy marinated white cabbage was just right; the second, pickled ginger, always welcome; and the third, soy and wasabi flavoured granny smith apple puree, extremely adventurous and well worth the effort. It could only have been improved with the use of firmer apples, more experimentation and perhaps a touch of mirin. Again, all that was needed here was a little bit of refinement, and more confidence with cooking times.

The third course was nori hand rolls filled with avocado and hatcho miso paste, pureed pumpkin, red capsicum and cucumber. Probably too complicated, but valiant. The dish would have been better had the nori been toasted, and the pumpkin not pureed. The high water content of pumpkin almost guarantees excessive absorption by the seaweed. The avocado was excellent and I would have preferred a simpler mix of ingredients with that as a base.

For dessert Joel served up a cherry and mint jelly with fresh smashed cherries and a coconut milk granita. Points have to be given for a first experimentation with agar-agar, but unfortunately this did not turn out well. Coconut milk is such a strong flavour that care has to be taken with its use and I am not sure of the wisdom of using it as a sole ingredient. I also find cherries to be invariably better when fresh and unadulterated.

On the whole, this was a worthwhile exercise that certainly allowed me to experience flavour and ingredient combinations that I have never contemplated before. My only words of advice would be to caution against unnecessary complication. Japanese food, as in Japanese culture, is a celebration of the appearance of simple perfection. For those, such a myself, without the ability or inclination to aspire to such a lofty ideal, it is better to stick to simple ingredients prepared simply. However, without experimentation, the world would be much duller place . . . .

Japan on a Plate - RIP 19 January 2008

E
Salad of yellow and white nectarine, wakame and red radish flavoured with honeyed ginger and sesame oil, ringed with tamari roasted seeds (pepita and sunflower) and raisins.

Chef Notes
This turned out well and had the sharp radish flavour, sweet nectarine and salty wakame. Was maybe a little wet. I think the seeds gave the salad a much needed crunch to the texture and that familiar salty soy flavour. As noted in the review – where was the daikon!?


S
Soba noodles flavoured with kome miso, shallots and coconut oil served with (1) sesame and soy marinated white cabbage, (2 ) pickled ginger and a (3) soy and wasabi granny smith pulp.

Chef Notes
I still haven’t mastered soba noodles – I though the coconut oil and miso would prevent the ‘glug’ factor but not to be. Maybe if I had let the noodles cool then used poured the coconut oil/miso over the top like a sauce it might have been more successful – still, the flavour was interesting enough to try again. The cabbage good – the finer the better while the apple and wasabi pulp was tangy – needed more wasabi or a different apple variety to really take off.

M
Nori rolls filled with an avocado and hatcho miso paste, black sesame seeds, rice wine vinegar flavoured roasted pumpkin, red capsicum and cucumber and served with soy and wasabi.

Chef Notes
A bit of a let down from how I imagined this dish would turn out. The pumpkin was too moist and didn’t take on the rice vinegar flavour of traditional sushi rice that I anticipated. Possibly needed a grain to give it some structure – maybe shitake flavoured barley?

D
Cherry and mint agar agar jelly served fresh sliced cherries, coconut milk granita and fresh mint.

Chef Notes
The jelly/slice/brick was a bit tragic. My first foray into jelly was an interesting one which yielded a flavourful slice – similar consistency to quince paste and without the transparent characteristics of jelly. Nearing the end of cherry season you could was evident in the flavour of the cherries. And the coconut milk – I forget that not everyone is as satisfied with the flavour of coconut as me! Will definitely by giving the agar-agar a second go and hopefully the result is a dessert which doesn’t require a knife to eat it.

Japan on a Plate

Buddah’s Tears green tea to begin...

E
Salad of yellow and white nectarine, wakame and red radish flavoured with honeyed ginger and sesame oil, ringed with tamari roasted seeds (pepita and sunflower) and raisins.

S
Soba noodles flavoured with kome miso, shallots and coconut oil served with (1) sesame and soy marinated white cabbage, (2 ) pickled ginger and a (3) soy and wasabi granny smith pulp.

M
Nori rolls filled with an avocado and hatcho miso paste, black sesame seeds, rice wine vinegar flavoured roasted pumpkin, red capsicum and cucumber and served with soy and wasabi.

D
Cherry and mint agar agar jelly served with fresh cherries, coconut milk granita and mint leaves.

A trip to Japan is definitely on the cards - until then I will have to make do with wakame, soba ginger and soy.

Any Japanese expats want to judge just how far from traditional fare my interpretation is? The deal remains open (scroll down to the end for an explanation of the deal) - send me an email with your name, age, favourite food and why I should cook for you - and chances are an invite will follow. よい食欲

Global Gobbler guest #3 - Sten

Name: Sten
Age: 25
Occupation: Architect and general style queen
Favourite food: Cheese
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: My last healthy meal before slumming it in London on mushy peas, bacon sarnie and Yorkshire pud.

The Verdict
Joel’s healthy vegetarian French is comfort food balanced with freshness prepared with a whole lot of imagination.

The sometimes matching, sometimes contrasting of textures which marked the beginning of the meal continued through the courses, crescendo-ing (true!) to the ice cream which is not ice cream.

It was radical! The entrée, a stuffed zucchini, was more a dessert! Sweet, sticky, warm. The world needs more vegetable puddings served with pinot.

The real applause for this dish goes out to the texture of the zucchini – cooked to perfection with a melting firmness which ensured the contents, prunes, peas, mint and red onion combined without losing their individual flavours.

The second course was the stand out for visuals, acid green on dark claret. The flavours were also the most bold – earthy beetroot and tart lemon wedges, perhaps fighting, perhaps dancing. I can see the mash trend in culinary circles definitely heading in the purple direction.

The comfort food settled down for the main. This was the dish I’d been most looking forward to as I love a fritter. But does cauliflower have a flavour? If it does, buckwheat owns it. But the fritter’s texture was outstanding; moist and melting with the bite of nutmeg and coriander the lift of chives.

Perhaps after such a flavourful ‘small’, the fritters should have been smaller, so there was less volume and more crispness to contrast with the fritter interior.
The rosemary capsicum relish was delicate and not too sweet and the goat’s cheese and chive spread Moorish.

The dessert was a revelation as I generally eat dessert only under obligation. Lets leave the un-announced cameo of pistachio and balsamic frozen bites to one side (a strange experiment which would be ideal in smaller quantities as a drinking snack). And the stuffed and grilled fig, deliciously sticky and sweet with the crunch of walnuts and fresh hit of sage, was also lacklustre in the company of my first and without doubt best experience with fresh figs.

Fresh ripe figs served with what I call the most delicious ice cream but what Joel calls goats vanilla cream. The action of scraping juicy fig pulp and scooping tangy sweet ricotta onto a spoon was glorious. The use of vanilla beans as opposed to essence lifted this dessert from outstanding to truly memorable.

The meal on reflection was nicely balanced, volumes not overdone and each dish retaining its own very distinct character. Did I experience the upper echelons of French dining? My taste buds thought so, while my waist escaped to a health retreat – during the same meal.

Thankyou Joel

French Revolution - RIP 12 January 2008

E
Zucchini filled with peas, mint soaked prunes, paprika, ricotta and balsamic caramelised red onion.

Chef Notes
Everyone does stuffed zucchini and I don’t think I really differentiated this enough. The prunes, ricotta and mint combined well but I think the filling needed to be a bit firmer. It still tasted fine and looked good but I felt it was missing something – maybe some roasted seeds – and perhaps a bit more paprika – classic French(?)


S
Lemon roasted asparagus spears resting on a tarragon beetroot mash topped with grated macadamias.

Chef Notes
The taste of the mashed beetroot was so sweet but still had that root vegetable flavour. The tarragon and lemon lifted it from a being too heavy. The roasted asparagus turned out well and I think the grated macadamias were simply a visual addition. Could have almost turned this into a dessert...next time.


M
Nutmeg and coriander flavoured cauliflower and buckwheat fritters topped with a chive and goat cheese spread and served with red capsicum, rosemary and date relish.

Chef Notes
Interesting flavours... The cauliflower gave the fritters a creamy texture and the bite came from the coriander seeds and nutmeg. Perhaps a few more herbs would have freshened it up and also making the fritters a little thinner and crispier would have required less chew action and the toppings could have played a greater role.

D
(1) Figs stuffed with cinnamon ricotta, sage, walnuts and grilled with honey. (2) Fresh fig topped with vanilla creamed goats ricotta and served with frozen sweet and sour pistachio.

Chef Notes
Fresh figs – hard to mess these up and equally hard to improve them! The figs still had some bite so the sweetness of the vanilla cream combined well. It was definitely worth getting the vanilla beans – such a different flavour from the essence and with the lemon zest, honey and goats ricotta…This dish was lucky to make it to the table! Not so sure about the sweet (honey) and sour (balsamic vinegar) pistachios…maybe needed to be grilled instead of frozen? Or else served as a separate dish. The grilled figs were less spectacular but the walnut and sage worked well. Best served cold I think once everything is set.

French Revolution

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Zucchini filled with peas, mint soaked prunes, paprika, ricotta and caramelised balsamic red onion.

S
Lemon roasted asparagus spears resting on a tarragon beetroot mash topped with grated macadamias.

M
Nutmeg and coriander flavoured cauliflower and buckwheat fritters topped with a chive and goat cheese spread and served with sweet capsicum relish.

D
Figs two ways: (1) Stuffed with cinnamon ricotta, sage and walnuts and grilled with honey. (2) Poached in an orange and mint glaze then served with an apricot cream and sweet pistachio dust.

Like what you see? All you need to do is send me an email...introduce yourself (name, age and what you do), tell me your favourite food and put together a pitch of why i should cook for you. Good luck!

Global Gobbler guest #2 - Cat

Name: Cat
Age: 24
Occupation: Creative genius – too good for acting school
Favourite food: Anything Thai
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: I've eaten my way around the world, love everything involving food and i'm food critic waiting to happen!

The Verdict

I’ve been to a lot of places in the world and eaten a lot of different sorts of food but Denmark is somewhere I’ve never quite gotten to, nor have I any experience of Danish food, save for the token pastries, back in the good old gluten days.

I’m not convinced that Saturday nights meal has brought me any closer to experiencing the delights of Danish cuisine, however, I certainly experienced a creative array fusion dishes, containing many of my favourite foods presented in captivatingly adventurous ways.

My main criticism of Joel’s experimentation has nothing to do with the ingredients used- so many marvellous flavours ingeniously combined- it rather lies mainly in the presentation and portion sizes- small things I know, but definitely aspects worth perfecting for a special meal.

The soup was lovely and thick, delicately flavoured with thyme, and the sweetness of the fig and crunch of the walnuts gave great texture to the dish. The caramelized onion could perhaps have been finely sliced and stirred through rather than blended with the soup to make its presence more obvious. Perhaps try experimenting with another herb so that the thyme in the soup or garnish has something to complement it? Sage with the figs? Garnish with black cracked pepper and salt.

The hollowed cucumber certainly looked impressive when it was served, and I would have been impressed by anyone who could have managed a whole plate of this dish. Delicious, yes, but far too big- especially with the expectation of desert limiting my capacity to consume savoury items.

The filling of the cucumber was really interesting and inventive, the consistency could have been more solid for my taste, perhaps add more avocado? I liked the cucumber’s texture and colour in combination with the filling but perhaps find a way to combine the two in a way that makes it possible to finish the whole plate.

Chickpeas are a real favourite- especially when you can tell your host has gone to the trouble to do all the soaking themselves. The best part of this dish was the nigella seeds that add an interesting quality to the standard combination of spinach and chickpea.

The garnish-like addition of tomato was like a meal in itself- knowing my inability to consume large amounts of raw tomato I spread the garlic (yum!) mix across just a few slices of tomato. Slicing the tomato more thinly without altering the quantity of garlic used would look attractive and be more realistic for a small stomach! Maybe look for a larger variety of tomato that gives wide slices that can be thinly sliced.

Talk about saving the best till last! This desert is ingenious. All the flavours combine well to make a desert that is rich in flavour but not heavy- sweet but not sugary and seemingly decadent without being sinful.

My suggestion for these combinations would be to stir the macadamia nuts through the carob coconut oil mix rather than through the yoghurt and set in a conical shape. That way you can really get a good mouthful of the mix- and it draws the eye upward- which is uplifting for the spirit too! There should be more food feng-shui! The quantity of the yoghurt mix rather overpowered the carob part in the horizontal fashion that the desert was presented- literally smothering it, my preference would have been to drizzle a small amount of the lavender infused yoghurt as a sort of dressing that would complement the carob rather than compete with it. Top the conical mould with honey comb and garnish with lavender and I am in heaven!

Thanks Joel for combining great food and great conversation- and for inspiring me to get inventive in the kitchen, and really think seriously about the marathon!

xx

A Danish Delivery - RIP 18 December 2007

E
Carrot, thyme and caramelised onion soup topped with shredded red cabbage, figs, walnuts, thyme and olive oil.

Chef Notes
The onions made the soup so sweet and combined with the figs I thought it may be a little overwhelming as an entrée but the cabbage cut through and gave it a surprising texture – maybe could’ve done with some sort of spice…nutmeg…paprika…




S
Hollowed cucumber filled with a cream of avocado, sage soaked raisins, lemon juice and zest, shallots, alfalfa sprouts and cinnamon and served with grated red radish, sesame seeds and raisin juice.

Chef Notes
Hollowing the cucumbers proved more difficult than I thought and ideally they would have been thinner. The filling didn’t quite achieve the taste I was expecting – next time either less raisins or more avocado – radish was a last minute addition some presentation value.







M
Thyme cooked chickpeas pan fried with nigella seeds, red onion, lemon juice and baby spinach. Served with thinly sliced roma tomatoes topped with roasted garlic fresh basil and olive oil paste.

Chef Notes
Nigella seeds made this dish – less dusty than cumin and not as sharp as caraway – a little more salt when frying the chickpeas would have been ideal. Tomatoes…perhaps could have been grilled with the garlic paste on top?


D
Lavender infused yogurt served on frozen carob, coconut oil and honey slice ganache and accompanied by a chunk of honeycomb and fresh lavender.

Chef Notes
Presentation was disappointing – I though the yogurt would have thickened more than it did but the taste of both ganache and yogurt was just what I wanted – macadamias could have been honey roasted maybe. Take II of the dish later that night when Cat had left turned out slightly better.

First cut followed by Take II

A Danish Delivery

E
Carrot, thyme and caramelised onion soup topped with shredded red cabbage, figs, walnuts, thyme and olive oil.

M
Thyme cooked chickpeas pan fried with nigella seeds, red onion, lemon juice and baby spinach. Served with thinly sliced roma tomatoes topped with roasted garlic fresh basil and olive oil paste.

S
Hollowed cucumber filled with a cream of avocado, sage soaked raisins, lemon juice and zest, shallots, alfalfa sprouts and cinnamon and served with grated red radish, sesame seeds and raisin juice.

D
Lavender infused yogurt served on frozen carob, coconut oil and honey slice ganache and accompanied by a chunk of honeycomb and fresh lavender.

Denmark...hopefully there aren't any Danes who want a taste of home... Same process as last time - an email introducing yourself and telling me why I should cook for you and these once-off flavours could be yours to enjoy. Don't delay - globalgobbler@gmail.com

Global Gobbler guest #1 - Mary-Jo

Name: Mary-Jo
Age: 29
Occupation: Chinese medicine practicioner
Favourite food: Olives
Why she deserves the Global Gobbler experience: In exchange for all those needles and cups!

The Verdict

The photo at the start of the ‘Imagining India’ post isn’t the way I’d imagine India – I think Indian food and I think of dahl, curries, pappadums even. The India Joel imagines is fresher and more deconstructed, you can see and taste each separate ingredient, even as you appreciate their sometimes unconventional combining.

We started with a thin slice of nashi pear, its cool crunch contrasting with smooth blended avocado, cumin and tahini, topped with carrot, plump currants and spiked with mint leaves. This is visually appealing food, with bright colours more evocative of India than the food itself – bright orange carrot against avocado green and the white disc of pear

The side was visually spectacular. A pale red yoghurt accented by greens of cucumber and mint. It also tasted amazing, the roasted tomato and paprika yoghurt was the perfect accompaniment to thin ribbons of cucumber, red onion, mint, and sneaky green chilli lurking to give a cool heat. There were also cumin-roasted cashews, again a balance of smooth and crunchy, cool and hot, red and green.

I managed to eat both of my grilled eggplant steaks and the sweet potato mash flavoured with tamarind and coconut milk, though I was filling up at this point, maybe my fault for bringing wine and beer along! The texture of this course was great, the potatoes grated then slowly cooked rather than simply boiled and mashed yet remained creamy thanks to the coconut milk, and freshened by the fresh coriander garnish.

Dessert was so good I ate it all - what I thought was almond cake turned out to be lemon-infused millet with coconut shavings. Sweetness was provided by a slow-cooked sauce of crushed dates, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg and star anise that had spent all day simmering. The dessert maintain a fresh taste through the bed of fresh mint it was served on and the lemon zest garnish.

A lot of effort went into designing and creating this food, and all I had to do was appreciate it…. it was so good I even did the dishes! The outdoor setting was perfect for a Melbourne summer’s night, althoughthe mosquitos also had a tasty meal.

Global Gobbler is a once in a lifetime experience I (my belly in particular) won't forget in a hurry. Now to organise my ticket to India...

Imagining India - RIP 1 December 2007

E
Canapé of nashi pear topped with cumin, avocado and tahini paste, finely grated carrot, mint tea soaked currants, fresh mint leaves and cumin.

Chef Notes
Went down well – was trying to go for something completely refreshing to start things off and the nashi and mint combined well. Perhaps a little too much tahini or the avocados were a little overripe. Maybe could have done with some sesame seeds.

S
Shaved cucumber, red onion, Vietnamese mint, lemon juice and green chilli salad set in a soup of yogurt and paprika roasted tomatoes and topped with cumin roasted cashews.

Chef Notes

Didn’t know how this would turn out – thought it might be too many flavours with the paprika, cumin and chilli – was perhaps fortunate to forget the grated turmeric although the strong orange would combined well with red soup and green salad. A little more chilli next time to so the experience isn’t comfortably mundane.

M
Slow roasted eggplant topped with a tamarind and coconut sweet potato puree and fresh coriander.

Chef Notes
Haven’t had much experience with tamarind and perhaps overdid it a bit… But the coconut milk and fresh coriander offset any over-powering sweetness.




















D
Lemon and coconut millet served on fresh mint leaves and topped with a reduction of dates, coconut milk, lemon juice, star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, fennel seeds and cardamom pods.

Chef Notes
Was close to sweetening the millet with honey but glad I didn’t. The syrup had so many flavours that the 'bland' taste of millet was a perfect accompaniment. Fresh mint and lemon zest helped contrast the rich flavours.

Imagining India

E
Nashi pear sandwich spread with avocado and tahini and filled with coleslaw of cucumber, carrot, cumin currants and fresh mint.

M
Grilled eggplant topped with tamarind and coconut milk infused sweet potato mash and fresh coriander.

S
Cucumber, basil and chilli salad dressed with tomato and turmeric yogurt and topped with roasted cashews.

D
Millet flavoured with honey, lemon, nutmeg and coconut milk and topped with fresh mint.


Tempted? Want an invite? Then check out the conditions in my first post: "Let the Gobble begin..."

Let the Gobble begin...

Global Gobbler

I’ve cooked for my family, my friends and myselves (plural) and have run out of people willing to spend their night eating and talking.

Why the blog?

• I need to test recipes on alternative and probably more refined palettes.


• I need a valid excuse for spending my working week planning my weekend in the kitchen.
  

You get:

• 2-3 courses of once-off degustation. Free. That’s right, I cook – you gobble.


• Quality conversation if the food is average, otherwise, eating will take precedence.


• A copy of the menu complete with recipes, suppliers and notes.

To recieve an invite, you need to:

• Introduce yourself (name, age, favourite food, why I should cook for you and anything else you think is relevant).


• Review the meal–a la John Lethlean - just a couple of paragraphs which i'll publish the following week.


• Come to the table with an open mind!

The degustation will take place at either my place or yours depending on location.

Still interested? Then flick me an email...