Australian Gourmet Traveller - (10)October 2020 (1)

Rosemarysyrupcake

withmeadcream

SERVES8 // PREPTIME 25 MINS// COOK1 HR 10 MINS(PLUSCHILLING)

“I don’thavemuchofa sweettooth,butI finda reallygood

cakehardtobeat,”saysGeorgeWintle.“I quitelikeadding

savouryandearthyelementstodesserts– I thinkit givesa bit

more complexity rather than having layers and layers of sugar.”

2 lemons(400gm)

4 eggs,atroomtemperature

150 gmcastersugar

250 gmalmondmeal

¾ tspbakingpowder

Rosemaryflowers,toserve

MEADCREAM

200 mlliqueurmead(weused

Maxwellliqueur mead)

325 mlmilk

40 gmbutter

80 gmcastersugar

4 eggyolks

30 gmcornflour

1½ tbspplainflour

1 sheetplatinum-strength

gelatine(3.5gm)

ROSEMARYSYRUP

150 gmcastersugar

50 gmhoney

3 large sprigs of rosemary

1 Forthemeadcream,place

meadliqueurina saucepan

andboilovermediumheatuntil

reducedbyhalf(10minutes).

Setaside.Heatmilkandbutter

ina saucepanovermedium

heatuntilbutteris meltedand

milkis hot.Whisksugarand

eggsina bowluntilthickand

pale.Whiskingcontinuously,

slowlyaddmilkmixture.Return

topan,thensiftovercombined

floursandmixwell.Soak

gelatineina smallbowlofcold

wateruntilsoft(5minutes).

2 Returnpantomediumheat,

whiskinguntilmixtureis thick

andflouris cooked(3minutes).

Whiskinreducedliqueurand

drainedgelatine,thenstrain

througha finesieveintoa bowl.

Coversurfacecloselywith

plasticwraptopreventa skin

formingandrefrigerateuntil

firmandcold(1 hour).

3 Meanwhile,forlemoncake,

pricklemonswitha skewer,

placeina saucepanandcover

withwater.Boiluntilverysoft

(30 minutes), topping up with

boilingwaterif necessary

toensurelemonsremain

submerged.Drain.Whencool

enoughtohandle,quarter

lemonsandremoveseeds,

thenprocessuntilsmooth.

4 Preheatovento170°C.

Greasean8 x 180ml(¾-cup)

miniloafpan.Lineholeswith

bakingpaper,sothatpaper

reaches3cmabovetherims.

Usinga standmixer,whiskeggs

andsugaruntilverythickand

pale(5minutes).Sifttogether

almondmealandbaking

powder.Gentlyfoldinpuréed

lemonandalmond-mealmixture

intoeggmixtureuntiljust

combined.Dividecakemixture

amongholesofpreparedpan.

Bakeuntilgoldenanda skewer

insertedinthecentrecomes

outclean(30minutes).Cool

cakesinpanfor 10 minutes

beforetransferring to a wire

racktocool.

5 Meanwhile,fortherosemary

syrup,combinesugar,honey

and200mlwaterina saucepan

overmediumheat.Bringtothe

boil,stirringtodissolvesugar.

Simmeruntilreducedslightly

(2-3minutes).Removefrom

heatandstandfor3 minutes.

Addrosemaryandsetaside

toinfusefor 10 minutes. Strain

andsetaside.

6 Removecakesfrompanand

brushliberallywithrosemary

syrup.Transferchilledmead

creamtothebowlofa stand

mixerandwhiskuntillightand

fluffy(3-4minutes).Spooninto

a pipingbagfittedwitha 1cm

plainnozzleandpipeover

cakes.Servedrizzledwith

remainingsyrupandsprinkled

with rosemary flowers.●

At22,GeorgeWintlehasa resumémost

chefswon’tcomeclosetoreplicatingintheir

entirecareer.Theyoung-gunVictorianchef

hasworkedinsomeofAustralia’sbest

restaurants,includingOakridge,thedearly

departedPressClub,andVuedeMonde.

If that’snotimpressiveenough,in2018,

Wintlelaunchedanindustryinitiativecalled

EatTheIssue– anannualfundraisingevent

thataimstotacklethestigmaassociatedwith

mentalhealthbyencouragingconversation

andadvocatingforculturalchange within

thehospitalityindustry.

“It’sa platformwherewe[hospitality

workers]canstarthavingfrankandopen

conversations,”explainsWintle.“Goneare

thedayswhereyougrityourteethandsay

‘Yes,chef’toeverydemand.Weneedtostart

makinga moreconsciouseffortinmanaging

physicalandmentalhealthinthekitchen.”

Wintlehasrecentlypackeduphischef’s

knivesandmigratednorthtoworkalongside

JamesViles(ex-Biota)atEmiratesOne&Only

WolganValleyluxuryresortintheBlue

Mountains.Butit washistimeatOakridge

inregionalVictoria,undertheguidanceof

co-executivechefsJoBarrettandMattStone,

whichhelpedshapedhim both personally

andprofessionally.

“Theculturetheybringtothatrestaurant

is remarkable,”saysWintle.“Mattis,without

a doubt,mybiggestinspirationandmentor.

Hisdedicationtocreatinga moresustainable

planetandfoodsystemis somethingI really

admire,andultimatelywanttocontinue.”

Inadditiontofindingnewwaystominimise

foodwaste,Wintlelikestoexperimentwith

fermentation;asseeninthisrosemarysyrup

cake,whichWintleusually makes with his

ownhoneymead.

“Workingsocloselywiththegarden[at

Oakridge]andlearningaboutsustainability

reallyhelpedmechoosewhatkindofchef

I wanttobe,”saysWintle.“I thinkyoushould

alwayscookfora purpose.Mypurposeis to

educatedinersandpeersonhow we can eat

our way to a better future.”

GeorgeWintle

Sous-chefatEmiratesOne&Only

Wolgan Valley, NSW

90 GOURMET TRAVELLER

WORDS KARLIE VERKERK.