Smoking the Salmon

Last night Steve and I enjoyed a delightful meal at Healesville Hotel . While dining there we really enjoyed their food and I can well understand how they scored two hats in the latest Melbourne Good Food Guide.

I had a delicious smoked salmon entree – it had a small amount of smoked salmon, shaved fresh salad vegetables like asparagus, beetroot,goats cheese,a light salad dressing and a creamy sauce with fresh herbs as a garnish.

We followed this dish with lunch at Medhurst Winery, with the most delightful fisherman’s platter. This consisted of a smoked trout dip, smoked salmon, white anchovies,a mixture of fresh and toasted bread slices,steamed potatoes tossed in a light french dressing,sauté red cabbage, and a small pot of yoghurt sauce with capers.

This got me thinking of which elements I had enjoyed and why.

1. Eating starts with visually looking at the plate – arrangement of colour is crucial – both chefs started with beautiful fresh ingredients and placed a mixture of young food items together.They also didn’t put too much of any one item on this plate.

2. Texture is critical with these dishes. The crunch was provided by the vegetable slices and the crunch of the bread both fresh and toasted. At the same time the salmon is soft.

3. Sweet and savoury are also important. The acid from the lemon or vinegar in the dressing helps balance the smoked salmon and the trout. The capers also help balance the sweetness.

4. Fresh salad leaves or vegetables provide another flavour layer and texture. Try tossing freshly steamed vegetables into a salad dressing for extra flavour.

5. The salmon and trout are salty but nicely balanced by mayonnaise,sour cream and yoghurt dressings.

Check this salad recipe by Martha Stewart

Crunching the crackle

Steve Olivia and I had a delicious brunch with new mates Dom and leslie. Dom followed a long evening of drinking beer with a large plate of Pork Belly and crisp potato cakes finished with a dark balsamic glaze. He was really enjoying the crunch of the crackle !!

I am often asked in my kitchen by customers how to get great roast pork with crackle.

Here are some helpful hints.

1. Choose organic pork – female young pork is best – it will have more fat and better flavour.
I believe some of the mass producers are breeding leaner animals,which may not produce good crackle.
2. Some cuts will produce better crackle simply because they carry more fat. Choose leg, belly or loin.
3. Ask your butcher to score the skin – in one direction and relatively deep.
4. Unwrap the pork – pour boiling water over the skin – this will shrink the skin and improve the pork for crisping.
5. Leave the pork open in the refrigerator – this will dry out the fat and skin and will aid in the cooking process.
6. Rub the scored skin with salt and oil.
7. If you marinade the pork leave the skin part sitting out.
8. Roast at a very high temperature like 220c for at least 30 minutes.

Check this recipe out<a href="http://http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/cook/recipe/ital
ianstyle-roast-pork-20121123-29uy3.html" title="Roast Pork"