Challenge 4- love

As it was Valentine's Day, what better way to celebrate the theme love but with lots of seafood.

I headed down to the Fish Markets with many like-minded people and got myself a dozen Sydney Rock oysters and a great big mudcrab. Yum!

As I had the MasterChef Cookbook Vol 1, I thought I'd test out
Lucas Parsons' Singapore Chilli Mud Crab and the Pressure Test Apple Tarte Tartin.

So for entree was the yummy oysters with an eschallot and red wine vinegar dressing, yummy! Pepe surprised me with my favourite Tasmanian Kreglinger Vintage Brut 2004.

Lucas Parsons' Singapore Chilli Mud Crab

serves 2

prep time 20mins

cooking time 6mins


Ingredients

1 live mud crab (1.25-1.5kg)

1 tbs peanut oil

Chilli Paste

2 small red chillis, chopped

10g fresh ginger peeled and chopped coarsely

2 large cloves garlic coarsely chopped

1 tbs peanut oil

Chilli Sauce

1 cup (250ml) tomato paste

Juice of 2 limes

30g coarsely grated palm sugar (in 100ml of warm water)

1/4cup (60ml) of tomato sauce

3/4-1 tbs black bean sauce to taste

Garnish
Coriander leaves and lime wedges to serve

Method

Cook mud crab in boiling salted water for 10-15mins. Drain and refresh in iced water. Prepare the crab lifting the tail flap and easing off the back shell. Remove and discard the gills, liver and brain matter and rinse the crab well. Using a cleaver or heavy knife, cut the crab into four pieces.

To make chilli paste, use a mortar and pestle to pound the chillies, garlic and ginger to a paste. Add 1 tbs pf the peanut oil and combine well.

Heat wok with peanut oil until hot and smoking. Add the chilli base and stir for 30 seconds. Add the crab pieces and cook for 30 seconds, stirring continuously, then add the chilli sauce and cook, uncovered for 5 mins or until sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, arrange the crab in a large bowl, then pour over the sauce. Scatter with coriander leaves and serve with lime wedges.


Let's say it was delicious and gone in seconds.

Apple Tarte Tartin

recipe by Kate Nichols

Serves 2

Ingredients

3 Golden Delicious apples (I used Granny Smiths as this is how I remember a good apple tarte tartin)
1 tbs lemon juice
½ cup (110g) caster sugar (you could probably use 1/4 cup as the apples were so sweet)
20g unsalted butter, chopped
Ready-rolled puff pastry sheet
Icecream to serve (I used Maggie Beer's Vanilla Bean & Elderberry Icecream)

1. Preheat oven to 220C (200C fan forced)

2. Peel apples, cut into quarters, remove cores (cutting each quarter at the core so it has a “flat” side), and toss the quarters in a large bowl with the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the sugar.

3. Using a 20cm frying pan as a guide, cut pastry into a round slightly larger than the pan, prick with a fork.


4. Melt butter in a 20cm non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cover with the remaining sugar. Cook over medium-low heat, shaking pan occasionally to spread around any dark spots that appear, until a rich caramel forms.

5. Place apple quarters into pan, rounded side down, arranging them around pan. Cut remaining apple to fill gaps. Cook the apples over medium heat for about 10 minutes until caramel is bubbling up in the pan, shaking pan occasionally to prevent burnt spots.

6. Lay the pastry over the apples, tucking any protruding edges around edges of pan.

7. Place the pan in the oven, cook for about 25 minutes, or until the puff pastry has risen and cooked. The pastry should be dry and flaky. Stand tarte in pan for 10 minutes before carefully turning out onto a serving plate. Serve with cream or icecream.


After having attempted Apple Tarte Tartin a few times, this recipe has been the best one yet and definitely one to do again.