104 GOURMETTRAVELLER.COM.AU
Soft meringue with ice-cream
and kelp oil
“Even though dried kelp or kombu is Japanese, it’s
always associated with Noma,” says Clugston. “When
you roast kombu it’s rich and dark and packed with
umami and salty, almost like liquorice. Everyone knows
how to make a meringue and the ice-cream can be
bought, but the kelp oil gives it the wow factor.” Try
top-quality extra-virgin olive oil in place of kelp oil.
Prep time 10 mins, cook 1¼ hrs (plus infusing)
Serves 8
1.5 litres vanilla ice-cream
Kelp oil
100 gm dried kombu
200 ml grapeseed oil
Soft meringue
100 gm white sugar
50 ml (about 1½) eggwhite
500 ml (2 cups) pouring cream1 For kelp oil, preheat oven to 160C and roast
kelp on a baking tray until crisp (1 hour). Break up,
then process with oil in a blender. Leave to infuse
for 1 hour, then strain through a sieve, pressing
down on the sedimentto release asmuch oil as
possible (reserve sediment for another use, such
as the grilled fish recipe on p176). Kelp oil will
keep refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.
2 For meringue, boil sugar with 60ml water in
a saucepan to soft-ball stage (118C; 8-10 minutes).
Meanwhile, whisk eggwhites and a small pinch of
salt with a hand-held blender until soft peaks
form (1-2 minutes); the meringue should slowly
collapse back into the bowl when you lift the
beater. Aim for the sugar syrup and eggwhite to
be ready at the same time. Gradually pour the
sugar syrup into the eggwhite while whisking
continuously on medium-high speed until the
mixture cools (8-10 minutes). Meanwhile, whip
cream to soft peaks, then carefully fold into
meringue to keep it airy.
3 To serve, put 1 tbsp kelp oil in each serving
bowl, top with a scoop of ice-cream and cover
with the meringue.#Avocado and kiwi salad
“When I put a version of this on the menu at Le 6,
I imagined summer back home – so many avocados
that you can buy them from honesty boxes on the side
of the road,” says Clugston. “It’s just really good done
simply, but with a taste of everything – salty, sweet,
fruity. It’s also great served with caviar.”
Prep time 15 mins
Serves 4
3 kiwifruit, peeled and cut into bite-sized
pieces
1 ripe avocado, cut into bite-sized pieces
110 gm (½ cup) green olives, such as Sicilian,
pitted
1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed well and drained
2 heaped tbsp mixed (loosely packed) small
lemon verbena leaves and marigold petals
(optional; see note)King prawns and brown butter
“Every time I go back to Australia we go on surf trips
up to Yamba and we buy a couple of kilos of cooked
prawns, and sit on the headland and eat them with
a dipping sauce,” says Clugston. “This recipe changes
the sauce from tartare to brown butter and it’s like
a delicious mayonnaise that goes really well with
the seafood.”
Prep time 15 mins, cook 25 mins
Serves 6 (pictured p102)
1 kg cooked king prawns, peeled with tails
intact
Lemons wedges, to serve
Green salad leaves dressed with lemon
vinaigrette, to serve
Brown-butter sauce
2 eggs, at room temperature
160 gm butter, diced
Lemon juice, to taste
1 For brown-butter sauce, cook eggs in
a saucepan of boiling water to soft-boiled
(5 minutes). Transfer to a bowl of iced water
to cool (10-15 minutes). Heat a saucepan over
low-medium heat, add butter and cook, whisking
occasionally, until nut-brown (4-5 minutes; it
should taste sweet and nutty). Strain butter
through a metal sieve into a heatproof bowl
and set aside until just warm (10-15 minutes).
Peel eggs, transfer to a jug and blend with
a hand-held blender until smooth. Gradually
add butter in a thin steady stream, whisking
continuously, as you would with mayonnaise,
and blend until thick. Season with salt and
lemon juice to taste. Brown butter is best
used within 2 hours. Keep at room temperature
until required.
2 Arrange prawns on a plate with lemon wedges
and dressed leaves and serve with a bowl of
brown butter.Avocado and kiwi saladLemon dressing
1½ tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp finely grated lemon rind1 For lemon dressing, whisk ingredients in a bowl,
season to taste.
2 Combine salad ingredients except lemon
verbena and petals in a bowl. Add dressing,
season to taste and toss gently to coat. Transfer
to a platter or serving plates, scatter with lemon
verbena and petals, and serve.
NoteLemon verbena and marigold are available
at nurseries.