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Raising a glass to our unsung heroes this International Chef's Day

International Chef's Day Recipe Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear aprons, too. This October, Le Cordon Bleu Australia is raising a glass to chefs across the globe on International Chef's Day. As a leading culinary arts institution, we pride ourselves on our commitment to training the next generation of chefs worldwide.


The more you know, the more you can create. There's no end to
imagination in the kitchen.
- Julia Child

Today, we shine a spotlight on the hardworking chefs, hospitality managers, business owners and entrepreneurs who dedicate their life to ensuring the happiness of others through food. To celebrate, Le Cordon Bleu Melbourne chef and lecturer Mariano Velazquez has created a beetroot tartare that will have you and your dinner guests wanting more. Unleash your inner chef with this step-by-step recipe.

Smoked Beetroot Tartare with Pickled Baby Beets, Beetroot Chips and Liquorice Caviar Recipe

Serves 6
Preparation time: 6
Cooking time:
Total time:

Ingredients

Smoked beetroot tartare
  • 3 medium sized beetroots
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Pickled beetroot
  • 1 bunch heirloom beetroots
  • 1 L water
  • 100 ml white wine vinegar
  • 100 g sugar
  • Star anise, peppercorns, fennel seeds, cloves, coriander seeds and salt, to taste
Beetroot chips
  • 500 g beetroot, peeled and diced
  • 5 g agar
Alginate bath
  • 5 g alginate
  • 1 L water
Liquorice caviar
  • 40 g liquorice paste
  • 201 g water
  • 5 g gluconolactat
  • 0.6 g xantana
Dijon and feta cheese espuma
  • 250 ml cream
  • 100 g feta cheese
  • 1 tbs Dijon mustard
Garnish
  • Micro watercress
  • Roasted hazelnuts, halved
  • Horseradish

Method

For the smoked beetroot tartare

1. Season the beetroots whole, wrap them in foil and roast at 160°C until cooked. Peel and cut in 6mm dices.

Pickled beetroot

2. Dice the butternut squash into 1 cm cubes. In a pan, sweat the butternut squash with half the butter over a low heat. Once soft, about 10 minutes, remove 50 g of the squash and reserve for plating. Remove the remaining butternut squash from the pan and crush with a fork.

3. Wash and dry the girolles, then pan-fry in the remaining butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool, then roughly chop half the girolles and combine with the crushed butternut squash. Season to taste. Reserve the remaining girolles for plating.

Beetroot chips

4. Put the beetroots in a sous vide bag and cook in a circulator at 85°C for 3 hours. Blend it into a puree. Put a third of the puree in a pot with the agar and boil it for 2 minutes. Spread this puree on a lightly oiled acetate sheet and dehydrate. Cut in strips and deep fry.

Alginate bath

5. Prepare the alginate bath in advance, combining alginate and water with a hand blender and letting it sit.

Liquorice caviar

6. Blend liquorice, water, gluconalactat and xantana until smooth. With the help of a syringe make droplets of the liquorice mix on the alginate water. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and rinse in clean water. Use immediately.

Dijon and feta cheese espuma

7. Melt the feta cheese in the cream. Add mustard and sieve it into a siphon gun. Charge twice.

Garnish

8. Season the diced beetroot with horseradish, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and lemon to taste. Using an 8cm metal ring, place the beetroot in the centre of the plate. On top of the beetroot, add the caviar, espuma, sliced pickled beetroot and beetroot chips. Finish with roasted hazelnuts and micro watercress. Using a smoking gun and a cloche, smoke the dish with apple wood chips and remove the cloche in front of your guests for that extra wow-factor.

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