Delish recipes were all the rage in the MasterChef Australia kitchen tonight. But, to be fair, that’s the case every episode!
If you came out of the show with a serious food craving (and who could blame you?!), you’re in luck. We present to you two of the inspiring recipes cooked up by the MasterChef Australia contestants:
1) Confit Duck Leg with Braised Red Cabbage, Smoked Potato Puree and Duck Port Jus
2) Black Pepper Pork Curry, Chana Dahl Curry, Chilli Pineapple and Rice
Recipe #1: Confit Duck Leg with Braised Red Cabbage, Smoked Potato Puree and Duck Port Jus
Serves 4
Ingredients
Confit Duck Legs
200g table salt
8 sprigs thyme
12 black peppercorns
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4 duck legs
1kg duck fat
1 bulb garlic, halved
2 shallots, quartered
Handful thyme sprigs, extra
12 black peppercorns, extra
Braised Red Cabbage
½ red cabbage
150ml red wine vinegar
200ml red wine
3 tsp salt flakes
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ tsp ground allspice
1 orange
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
6 sprigs thyme
12 black peppercorns
125g unsalted butter
1/3 cup cherry or raspberry jam
Salt and pepper, to taste
Smoked Potato Puree
700g potatoes
1 large leek
85g butter
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup cream
2 tbsp smoked olive oil
Duck Port Jus
500g duck bones, finely chopped
40ml olive oil
1 brown onion
1 carrot
1 leek
150ml port
100ml red wine
500ml duck stock
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
6 sprigs thyme
150ml port, extra
50ml red wine, extra
2 sprigs thyme, extra
50g cold butter, cubed
Salt, to taste
Micro herbs or thyme leaves, to garnish
Method
1. Preheat oven to 80oC fan forced.
2. For the Confit Duck Legs, place the salt, thyme, peppercorns, star anise and cinnamon in a blender and blend until broken down and combined.
3. Rub mix over duck legs and set aside in fridge for 45 minutes.
4. Place the duck fat in a saucepan over low heat until completely melted.
5. Wash seasoning mix from duck legs and dry with paper towel. Place in a roasting dish and cover with the melted duck fat. Add garlic, shallots, thyme and peppercorns. Cover tightly with foil and place into oven on lowest rack for 18 hours.
6. When ready to serve, transfer duck legs to a tray. Adjust oven setting for 200oC fan grill.
7. Place the duck legs under the grill until golden, about 10 minutes. Season skin with salt and set aside to rest.
8. For the Braised Red Cabbage, shred the cabbage very finely using a sharp knife or mandolin and place in a glass bowl.
9. Add red wine vinegar, red wine, salt, brown sugar, allspice and juice of the orange, as well as the squeezed orange halves.
10. Wrap the star anise, cinnamon, thyme and peppercorns in a piece of muslin cloth. Pound with rolling pin to crush the spices. Add pouch to the bowl and mix all ingredients well.
11. Cover the bowl and set aside in the fridge for 18 hours.
12. After 18 hours, remove spices then place contents of the bowl and butter into a large saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender but not too soft, about 45 minutes. Stir through the jam, then season to taste with salt and pepper, to taste.
13. For the Smoked Potato Puree, peel and chop potatoes into quarters and place into large pot of cold water. Add salt and bring to the boil. Cook potatoes until tender.
14. Chop leek finely, and place into pan with the 20g butter. Cook until leeks are caramelised and tender. Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth.
15. Place milk, cream and remaining butter into a small saucepan and heat until butter has melted. Stir through the leek puree. Pass potatoes through a ricer, or sieve, and stir through the leek mixture and smoked olive oil. Season to taste and set aside.
16. For the Duck Port Jus, place the duck bones in a fry pan with the oil. Brown all over until very caramelised. Remove from pan and transfer to a slow cooker.
17. Add the finely chopped onion, carrot and leek and cook until lightly caramelised. Add to the slow cooker. Deglaze pan with port and wine, then add to the slow cooker with the stock, star anise, cinnamon and thyme. Cover and cook on lowest heat for 18 hours.
18. Place extra port, wine and thyme into a small saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Set aside.
19. Strain stock from slow cooker into a saucepan and reduce by half. Add to port wine reduction.
20. Simmer sauce until thickened and season to taste.
21. Whisk in cold butter, one piece at a time and set aside.
22. To serve, place a spoonful of smoked potato puree onto each serving bowls. Place a spoonful of braised red cabbage alongside the potato. Place a duck leg on top of each plate and pour jus over the top. Garnish with micro herbs or thyme leaves.
Recipe #2: Black Pepper Pork Curry, Chana Dahl Curry, Chilli Pineapple and Rice
Serves 6
Ingredients
Roasted Curry Powder
2 tbsp coriander seeds
6 dried chillies
1 cm piece cinnamon
1 sprig curry leaves, leaves picked
3 cardamom pods
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, finely grated
1 pandan leaf, chopped
Marinated Pork Belly
1.8 kg pork belly, with bones
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 ½ tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Roasted Curry Powder
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp salt flakes
1 tsp tamarind puree
1 tbsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
Slow Cooked Pork Sauce
500g pork bones
2L chicken stock
½ cup coconut cream
¼ cup tomato paste
¼ cup chopped tomato
1 tbsp coconut oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 pandan leaves, tied in a knot
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
10 curry leaves
40g ginger, sliced
2 tbsp Roasted Curry Powder
2 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp kithul treacle
1 tbsp tamarind puree
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cm piece fresh turmeric, finely grated
½ tsp ground turmeric
Salt, to taste
Chana Dhal Curry
2 cups Chana dhal, soaked overnight
1 tsp Roasted Curry Powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
3 cups water
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
10 curry leaves
4 dried chillies
1 long red chilli, sliced
Coconut Rice
1 ½ cups long grain rice
1 cup coconut milk
1 pandan leaf, tied in a knot
1 cup cold water
¼ tsp salt
Black Pepper Pork Curry
1 tbsp coconut oil
10 curry leaves
Marinated Pork Belly
Slow Cooked Pork Sauce
Kithul treacle, lime juice and salt, to taste
Chilli Pineapple
½ small ripe pineapple
80g variety fresh chillies (birds’ eye, long red, jalapeno)
2 tsp hot chilli powder, or to taste
½ tsp kithul treacle
Salt, to taste
Lime wedges, to serve
Method
1. For the Roasted Curry Powder, place coriander seeds, dried chillies, cinnamon, curry leaves and cardamom pods in a frying pan. Toast over low heat, swirling pan continuously, for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
2. Add cumin, fennel, mustard and fenugreek seeds, lemongrass, pandan and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant and toasted. Transfer to a spice grinder and process to a fine powder. Set aside.
3. For the Marinated Pork Belly, remove belly from the bone and set bones aside. Cut flesh into 4 cm cubes and place into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well to ensure pork is evenly coated. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge for 18 hours.
4. For the Slow Cooked Pork Sauce, combine the pork bones with the remaining ingredients. Set aside.
5. Turn a slow cooker on to low heat. Add coconut oil, ginger, garlic, pandan, lemongrass, curry leaves, apple cider vinegar, chicken stock, coconut cream and treacle and pork bones to the slow cooker and mix to evenly combine. Ensure pork bones are covered with liquid, add a little water if required. Cover with the lid and cook for 18 hours.
6. Once cooked, strain sauce into a saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Season to taste.
7. For the Chana Dhal Curry, wash soaked Chana dhal until water runs clear, then drain well.
8. Transfer to a medium saucepan along with the curry powder, turmeric and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the dhal is almost cooked through about 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and cook until the dhal is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
9. Place the coconut oil into a small saucepan and once hot, add the mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, dried chillies and sliced long red chillies. Cook for one minute then remove from the heat. Spoon on top of the dhal just before serving.
10. For the Coconut Rice, wash the rice until the water runs clear and soak for 15 minutes in cold water. Drain well then place into a medium saucepan.
11. Add remaining ingredients and cover with a lid. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside, covered, for 15 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork before serving.
12. For the Black Pepper Pork Curry, turn on pressure cooker to sauté mode.
13. Add coconut oil and once hot, add marinated pork belly and sauté to seal the pork.
14. Add up to 1 litre of slow cooked pork sauce into the pressure cooker, cover and cook under high pressure for 25 minutes. Release the pressure and balance the sauce with treacle, lime juice and salt, to taste. Reserve in pressure cooker to keep warm.
15. For the Chilli Pineapple, peel and core pineapple, then dice into 5mm cubes and place into a bowl.
16. Finely dice fresh chillies, removing seeds and white pith inside each chilli and add to the pineapple.
17. Add chilli powder, kithul treacle, lime juice and stir to combine.
18. Season with salt to taste just before serving and a little more treacle for a touch of sweetness if needed.
To serve, place elements into separate bowls and serve with lime on the side.
Cook with First-rate Appliances
When it comes to cooking up a storm, it helps to have the right appliances (after all, you don’t want to risk getting eliminated from the kitchen by the MasterChef Australia judges!). Shop the Philips 8L All-in-One Cooker and the Crock-Pot Express 5.7L Easy Release Oval Multicooker online or in store today.
More recipes from MasterChef Australia
Loved these recipes? Check out 4 more recipes from the previous episode of MasterChef Australia.