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By clare, August 12, 2010 12:00 pm

I am in Victoria for the week visiting family, and it makes talking of winter nights in Cairns seem a bit comical – it’s freezing here, and I’ve got everything rugged up. Nonetheless, we do have our own version of winter, and I still do crave those wintry dishes. I recently put together the dish below, and it is great winter fare – lush, flavoursome and comforting.

Beef cheeks with mandarin and prunes

1.8 to 2kg beef cheeks

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1 tablespoon smoky paprika

6-7 whole red shallots, peeled

1 head garlic, peeled

2/3 of the skin of 1 large mandarin

1 1/2 cups pitted prunes

2 teaspoon flaky salt

1 bottle cabernet merlot, flamed

1 bottle (750ml) sugo/passata (plain Italian tomato sauce)

a little water to cover if needed

1 bay leaf

flour, salt and pepper to dust beef

olive oil to brown beef

Season a cup or so of plain flour well with salt and fresh ground black pepper, dust beef in the seasoned flour and brown in the heated olive oil over a medium heat until well browned. Remove beef cheeks to slow cooker, pour off most of the remaining oil then add the wine and heat then flambe. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker, set on low and cook for 6 – 6/12 hours.

VARIATION

Substitute 3 cups black sapote pulp and 1/2 cup lemon juice for either the sugo or the red wine.

serves 6-8 people

© Clare Richards 2010

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By clare, March 9, 2010 2:47 pm

I thought it might be of interest to some readers to see the main items that will be covered in the Produce Glossary of Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen. As you may already know this cookbook is the first of what will be several volumes, and in each one a new set of produce will be featured. You may also know that in the produce glossary I am focusing on featuring produce which is available in markets and quality retailers, and/or grows easily at home, but with which many people are not so familiar. One aim of Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen is to provide information that assists people to experiment or make greater use of the fantastic array of produce we have available in tropical Australia.

Because there is a great range of information already available on fish and seafood, they are not featured in the Produce Glossary. (If you are looking for information, go to http://www.fish.gov.au/fishnames/search.php).  The cookbook dedicates a whole chapter to recipes for the superb fish and seafood of Northern Australia, so there is lots of information on recipe ideas and ways of cooking fish and seafood in the recipe section.

As we are right in the midst of editing at present this list may vary slightly from the final version, but it is likely to be pretty much as below:

Abiu (Pouteria caimito)

Allspice (Pimenta dioica)

Aibika or New Guinea Spinach (Hibiscus manihot)

Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.)

Annatto (Bixa orellana)

Bamboo shoots (Bambusa spp., Dendrocalamus spp.)

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia)

Black sapote (Diospyros digyna)

Brazilian Spinach or Sambu Lettuce (Alternanthera sissoo)

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)

Canistel (Pouteria campechiana)

Carambola (Averrhoa carambola)

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)

Cassava (Manihot esculenta)

Ceylon spinach (Basella alba)

Chinese Keys (Boesenbergia rotunda)

Choko (Sechium edule)

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylandicum)

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao)

Coconut (Cocos nucifera)

Coffee (Coffea Arabica)

Cordyline or Ti leaves (Cordyline fruticosa, C. terminalis)

Coriander, long leaf (Eryngium foetidum)

Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii)

Custard Apple (Annona atemoya)

Davidson plum (Davidsonia pruriens)

Drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera)

Durian (Durio zibethinus)

Galangal (Alpinia galanga)

Ginger (Zingiber officinale, Zingiberaceae)

Granadilla (Passiflora quadrangularis)

Guanabana (Annona muricata)

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora)

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)

Jicama (Pachyrhizus erosus)

Kankong or Water Spinach (Ipomoea aquatica)

Lime, Finger (Citrus australasica)

Lime, Kaffir (Citrus hystrix)

Lime, Tahitian (Citrus Latifolia)

Lime, West Indian (Citrus Aurantifolia)

Longan (Dimocarpus longan)

Lychee (Litchi chinensis)

Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora)

Mamey sapote (Pouteria sapota)

Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia)

Mushroom plant (Rungia klossii)

Mango (Mangifera indica)

Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)

Mint, vietnamese (Persicaria odorata)

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)

Oregano, cuban (Plectranthus amboinicus)

Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius)

Papaya (Carica papaya)

Pepper (Piper nigrum)

Plantain (Musa spp.)

Pitaya (Hylocereus spp.)

Pummelo (Citrus grandis)

Radish, Daikon (Raphanus sativus)

Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum)

Rollinia (Rollinia deliciosa)

Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota)

Snake Beans (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis)

Star Anise (Illicium verum)

Star Apple (Chrysophyllum caimito)

Sweet leaf (Sauropus androgynus)

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas)

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)

Taro root & leaves (Colocasia esculenta)

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)

Wattle seed (Acacia spp.)

Wild Pepper leaves (Piper sarmentosum)

Wing bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)

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By clare, September 5, 2009 1:45 am

Friends and family are dubbing me the black sapote queen because I’ve been immersing myself in its uses while the season lasts.  That’s the nature of preparing a seasonal tropical cookbook; many tropical fruits are only available when they are in season (some exceptions being the stock that is bought in by the big chain supermarkets from overseas, some of it frozen then defrosted on the supermarket produce shelves, resulting in people getting some poor experiences of what the fruit should really taste like, fresh from the farm).  So it’s carpe diem, sieze the day, as I chase enough kilos of each type of produce to do my recipe testing while they are still abundant.

So this week I’m still the black sapote queen, but in a week or two it’ll probably be the jackfruit queen as black sapotes become less abundant, and jackfruit starts becoming more available.  Then it will be jaboticaba, then chillis, then…..

Anyway, here are some notes and photos to help you identify and make the best use of black sapote while we’ve got them.

Black sapote

Black sapote (Diospyros digyna) is native to sections of the Mexican coast and lowland forests of Central America, and is now grown in significant amounts in tropical and sub-tropical Australia.  Like avocados, the fruit is best bought under-ripe and ripened at home.  This is necessary with black sapote as the fruit moves from firm and unripe to very soft and ripe in a short period of time (some I’ve had have done it in 6 hours!), and once ripe and soft is likely to split if handled too much.

Like avocados, if black sapote are picked before they are properly mature they will never ripen properly.  So how do you tell a mature black sapote when you are buying them green and unripe?  The best means of choosing fruit is to check that the calyxes on the top of the fruit are lifted slightly off the skin.  If they are sitting flush to the skin it is likely that the fruit has been picked too early and so may not ripen fully.  The fruit in the following photo demonstrate the difference.  The fruit at the front has been picked mature, the calyxes are lifted slightly from the skin, and it is now ripening.  The two fruit at the rear have calyxes sitting flush with the skin, and despite being bought at the same time from the same batch of fruit, are not ripening and it is likely they will not be useable.

To prepare black sapote for eating out of hand or scooping out the flesh to use in cooking, I find the following the easiest method, and it’s similar to how you cut open an avocado.  Once you notice the black sapote softening give them another day or so and then they are ideal to use.

Cut them in half around their middle and twist one half slightly then pull the halves away, and the seeds will be lifted out of one side, which then makes it easier to scoop them out of the remaining half.  If you are eating the fruit out of hand, you can then just squeeze a light drizzle of lime juice over the flesh and tuck in with a spoon.

If you are removing the pulp to use in cooking, scoop the flesh out of the skin.  The skin is very thin, so I usually scoop out to about 3 – 5mm from the skin so that the fruit doesn’t buckle and split.

Then, if the skin is still holding together I’ll gently scoop the remaining flesh off the skin.

The pulp can then be stored in the refrigerator for a few days if not needed immediately, and it also freezes very well.  If you don’t need the pulp straight away it is best to put it straight into the freezer as it defrosts quickly and so is easy to remove from the freezer and use as needed.

© Clare Richards 2009

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By clare, September 4, 2009 12:32 am

Our first photography session is done, so soon there will be shots loaded here at Clare’s Kitchen.  We ended up working with three dishes; black sapote rich chocolate mousse; papaya soup; and tropical rock lobster with triple citrus sauce.

Since then I’ve been busy trialling some other recipes, including a mamey sapote cake.  But for now, here’s the black sapote rich chocolate mousse, so make the most of the season’s fruit with this decadent dessert.  This recipe will be in my cookbook Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen.

Black sapote rich chocolate mousse

250g 55% cocoa dark chocolate

60g unsalted butter

3 tbsp strong coffee, or coffee liqueur

1 1/2 cups blended and strained black sapote pulp

3 egg yolks

(It is important not to over cook chocolate, so only heat it until the chocolate is just melted.  When heating the chocolate custard mixture, stop the heating if the mixture shows signs of splitting or too much darkening of the mixture.)

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler over hot water, or in the microwave on 80% power for 2 minutes checking and stirring every 30 seconds.  Mix egg yolks and black sapote pulp together well with a spoon, then mix in with melted chocolate.  You can then give it a blend with a stick blender to ensure it is fully incorporated.  Place mixture either back into the double boiler over hot water, or back into the microwave on high for 2 minutes, checking and stirring very well at each 30 second mark.  Pour even amounts into 6 small ramekins, allow to cool completely, then cover with wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.  Can be made a day or two prior to use, and can also be placed into the freezer 8 hours prior to serving if you want to present it as a super rich shot of chocolate ice cream.  Great as is, but also lovely served with a pool of passionfruit on top of the mousse, and accompanied with a glass of coffee liqueur.

© Clare Richards 2009

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By clare, August 1, 2009 3:24 am

I am hooked on my black sapote red wine gravy.  Last night we had it with roast chicken, and this morning I quickly pan-steamed a pile of Brazilian spinach then added the remaining gravy, and served it with bantam eggs, grilled Roma tomatoes from the Atherton Tableland and crispy bacon from Northern Smallgoods, butchers in the small town of South Johnstone.

Before my Hunter Valley mates Shaun and Doug left at lunch we had crisp breadfruit chips, served simply with flaky salt and freshly ground pepper.  Well cooked until crispy and golden, the chips have the capacity to soak in the lime juice and remain crisp.  I prick them lightly with a fork to assist the lime juice to soak into the centre of the chips.  There was no more gravy in which to dip them, but I did it last time I made them and it was divine.  Here is my black sapote red wine gravy recipe, and the general directions for making crisp breadfruit chips:

Black sapote red wine gravy

The brilliant gel texture of black sapote and the ease with which it develops caramel flavours when pan cooked makes it a great base for gravy.  Unlike red wine jus, this will ‘sit’ on the meat and so end up in your mouth, and not be left on the plate or down your shirt front!  This gravy only takes a few minutes to make.  Have your black sapote pulp ready, and cook the gravy once your meat is cooked and resting.  We love it with steak, and it will go well with roast beef and game meats such as duck, venison or kangaroo.  This recipe will be in my cookbook Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large clove of garlic (or 1 med and 1 small clove), sliced finely

½ tsp Australian flaky salt

1 cup black sapote pulp

½ cup red wine

freshly ground black pepper to serve

Method

Heat a fry pan over medium heat and add olive oil.  Once oil is moderately hot, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just enough to release aroma but not brown.  Immediately add black sapote pulp and salt and squash around pan, mixing into oil/garlic mix.  Keep stirring and squashing black sapote pulp for another 1 to 2 minutes until the gravy becomes a bit more liquid and smooth in appearance.  Add the red wine and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the wine is incorporated and the gravy is bubbling slightly.  Mix in any juices drained off resting meat and cook for another 30 seconds or so.  Serve gravy separately, or spoon over meat and finish with a grind of fresh black pepper.  Serves 2 to 3 people.

Notes

This is very more-ish so err on the generous side.  If you are serving 6 people I would suggest that you triple these amounts.  If you want a flash finish, rub the finished gravy through a sieve with a spoon before serving.

© Clare Richards 2009

Crisp breadfruit chips

Serves 3 – 4

Use a mature but green firm breadfruit.  Slice off the skin layer, cut around the stem, slice into four quarters through to the core, then insert the knife along one of the cuts and prize that section away from the core, after which each section can be removed from core and stem.  Slice each quarter into slices of even thickness, about 5mm thick.  Heat about 4 cm of oil in a pan or fryer.  It is hot enough when the tip of a slice inserted into oil sizzles and bubbles.

Gently place slices into oil so that each has room to float.  Turn slices every 1 – 2 minutes.  Oil should be bubbling consistently but not wildly.  Cook slices until they are golden with golden-brown edges and have dehydrated in thickness slightly.  Remove chips to a plate lined with several layers of absorbent paper and sprinkle immediately with flaky salt and cracked pepper.  Drizzle with lime juice if desired just before eating.  Great as a snack on their own, with dips, or as an accompaniment to meals where you would usually serve potato chips.

© Clare Richards 2009