Week two in the MasterChef Australia kitchen has been a bit of a family affair with some guest appearances by judges’ family members.
In the elimination round this week the contestants were set the challenge of reinventing one of three family favourite staples in Andy Allen’s childhood kitchen, as shared by Andy’s mum Maree. The bottom five dishes then went onto the elimination round. This super pretty vegetarian twist on the meat and three veg classic had everyone in raptures, and its contestant securing their spot in the competition for another day.
Swapping meat for veg is an easy way to help promote sustainability by decreasing the environmental footprint of food production. At AGN we are committed to reducing carbon emissions in the gas network and to achieve this we are targeting transitioning to 100% renewable gas in our distribution networks by 2050 in the form of biomethane and renewable hydrogen; this means you can keep enjoying choosing gas for cooking your MasterChef creations today, knowing a renewable future is coming.
We are very proud to have delivered 100% biomethane to the MasterChef kitchen stovetops, demonstrating the future of cooking. Read the story behind renewable gas in the MasterChef kitchen here.
Carrot and Three Veg
Ingredients: (Serves 2)
Carrot Swirl
- 3 large carrots, peeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 20g butter
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 5 sprigs of thyme
- salt and pepper, to taste
Pickled Carrots
- reserved carrot strips from carrot swirl
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
Pom Puree
- 2 medium size potatoes
- ¼ cup cream
- 30g butter
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ tsp nutmeg, grated
- salt and pepper, to taste
Pumpkin Fondant
- 3cm slice butternut pumpkin, from bottom end
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Pea Puree
- 200g frozen peas
- 20g butter
- handful of fresh mint
- ½ lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Mint Oil
- ½ bunch mint
- ½ cup olive oil
- 10 spinach leaves, optional
- ½ lemon, juiced
- salt, to taste
- micro sorrel leaves to garnish
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. For the Carrot Swirl, slice carrots with a potato peeler. Reserve 5 strips for Pickled Carrots and place the remaining slices in a medium bowl with olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper to marinade for 10 minutes.
3. To assemble the carrot swirl, start with one ribbon and roll it as tight as possible. Add another ribbon, continuing to roll around the original carrot ribbon. Keep adding ribbons, one after another, until you have carrot swirl approximately 7cm in diameter.
4. Tie string around the swirl to hold the carrots in place. Heat a small oven-proof fry pan with olive oil on a medium high heat. Gently place the swirl in the pan, then add the butter with the garlic and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes, basting with melted butter so that the butter covers all of the carrot, and it cooks evenly. If the garlic and thyme are burning, remove from pan. Transfer the pan to oven and cook for 5-10 minutes, until carrot is tender. Remove from oven and using a blow torch, caramelise the top of the carrots until golden.
5. To make Pickled Carrots, combine carrot strips, vinegar, sugar, and water in a bowl and set aside.
6. For Pom Potatoes, place 2 washed potatoes in medium saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 20 – 25 minutes, or until completely tender.
7. Remove cooked potatoes and allow to cool slightly. Chop into cubes and then pass through a sieve, using a silicone spatula, into a medium bowl.
8. In a small saucepan combine cream, butter, garlic and cook on a medium heat until incorporated. Slowly add the warm mixture to the pureed potatoes and mix until incorporated – the mixture should be nice and smooth. If it is still dry, add more cream or butter. Add nutmeg and season to perfection with salt and white pepper. Strain again through the sieve into a piping bag with a round nozzle.
9. To make Pumpkin Fondant, cut at least three 2 x 2cm cubes of pumpkin. In a small oven-proof frypan, heat olive oil on a medium high heat and pan fry the pumpkin until golden and caramelised on all sides. Transfer frypan to oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and season well.
10. For Pea Puree, add peas to small saucepan of boiling water. Cook until heated through. Drain and transfer to the cannister of stick blender.
11. Puree with mint and cubes of butter, adding one at a time until smooth and incorporated. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Pass through a sieve and transfer to piping bag with round nozzle.
12. To make the Mint Oil, combine mint and oil in a stick mixer cannister and blend with the mixer until smooth and green. If the oil is not green enough, add a small amount of spinach leaves for colour. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Strain through sieve and transfer to squeezy bottle.
13. To assemble place carrot swirl in the middle of the plate. Arrange the 2-3 pieces of pumpkin fondant on one side of the swirl, pipe pom puree and pea puree in between the fondant and swirl. Twist strips of pickled carrots and tuck these in between the other elements on the plate. Arrange sorrel leaves over the elements and drizzle with mint oil.
