[Always Open]: Masterchef Ongoing Challenge 1.0

Ingredients

Bananas
Custard
Mint
Lemons
Egg
Carrots
Leg of Lamb
Golden syrup
Breadcrumbs
Tomatoes

Use at least five of the ingredients above to create a desert and a starter suitable for a resturant meal

Creating the Dish:
It was actually quite simple - I mostly bake, but I've cooked and watched cooks enough that it gave me inspiration quite quickly when I saw the ingredients list.

For the starter, it was the breadcrumbs ingredient that lead me to the idea of frying the lamb. I also know that most starters are layered, and looking through the list, I figured that the easiest ingredient to choose for that would be the tomato, but a plain tomato is not quite appealing. However, tomatoes are extremely hard to cook, for they will not often hold if cooked too long - hence came the idea of caramelizing them. The tangy, citrusy taste of the lemon seemed to fit well with the lamb, and with the added brown sugar it gave the perfect mixtured to get a sauce that would caramelize the tomato slices. But tomatoes, uncooked or cooked, are too runny to hold together a dish. Bread was the simplest option, and dipping it in lemon juice followed by sprinkled brown sugar brought back the previous used ingredients, making sure the taste would not be lost or incompatible. Finally, the decoration was quite simple - bringing back the lemon was the simplest option, and the mint gives a touch of color and is easily taken aside when it's time to eat.

The dessert was actually a bit more complex to come up with, mostly because of the custard and not wanting to make a misuse of it. Finally, the idea of using it as a bottom layer came. Finding the cake to add in the mix was easy - seeing as custard is rather thick and so a bit heavy, I wanted to make sure topping it with a cake would not make it too heavy a dish. Angels Food Cake is extremely light, with a very spongy texture and a simple flavor. However, I was intent on using as many ingredients on the list as possible, and though a touch of fruit seemed fitting, I was not sure how a simple banana would taste - that's when the idea of using a banana flambe came. Putting it together next was easy enough - the whipped cream added to hold together the cake and banana quarters. Finally, a drizzle of golden syrup and sprinkle of powdered sugar added a nice enough decoration to make the dish as nice looking as it was tasty.



the drawings are a fail but yay for bonus point XD

Starter: Marinated Lamb-Skewers with Mint-Yogurt & a Carrot Salad

Ingredients

• Leg of lamb (diced saddle of lamb if you can)
  
• 1 large onion, finely grated
  
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  
• 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
  
• 1 small bunch of flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
  
• chopped fresh thyme
  
• Olive oil for brushing
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
  
• cherry tomatoes
  
• salt
  
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the Minted Yoghurt

• 200g Greek natural yoghurt
  
• 2 tbsp chopped mint

For the Carrot Salad

• 2 large carrots, peeled and halved
  
• 2 kohlrabi, peeled
  
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  
• 4 tsp cumin seeds
  
• 4 tsp lemon juice

Lamb Skewers

Grate the two onions, and put in a large mixing bowl. Add 6 crushed cloves of garlic, dried chilli flakes, parsley, thyme, seasoned with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Add a generous helping of olive oil, and the juice of one lemon. Mix.
Remove meat from the bone of the lamb and dice into roughly 2cmx2cm cubes. Marinate in bowl for 1-2 hours (covering the bowl with cling wrap).

Once marinated, skewer lamb cubes on skewers, alternating with cherry tomatoes. Brush barbecue or pan with olive oil and cook on each side for about one-two minutes.

Note(s):
-Preheat a charcoal barbecue 40 minutes ahead of cooking or a gas barbecue 10 minutes ahead of cooking. If using a cast-iron griddle pan, heat it over a high heat, then lower the heat slightly before cooking.

-Cover bamboo skewers with cold water and leave them to soak.


Mix the yoghurt with the chopped mint, half a teaspoon of salt and some pepper to taste, decant into a shallow serving dish and set aside.

Carrot Salad:

Finely shred the carrots and kohlrabi, on a mandolin or on the coleslaw setting of your food processor so you get nice long, thin, crunchy strips. If you have the necessary skills, julienne the vegetables.

Put these in a bowl with a large pinch of salt and mix well together.

Heat the sunflower oil in a small pan, add the cumin seeds and, as soon as they start to sizzle, add them to the vegetables with the lemon juice and toss together.

Serve all elements together.

Inspired by Rick Stein’s recipe: Turkish Kofta Kebabs with Minted Yoghurt

Dessert: Lemon Curd Tart

Ingredients

For the tart shell:

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing, at room temperature
  
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 1 3/4 cups plain flour
  
• Pinch salt

For the lemon curd:

• 4 lemons at room temperature
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
  
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
  
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Tart:

Mix the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk; at this point it is important that you do not overwork the dough. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the chilled tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice, or weights if you have them. This is called blind baking, and prevents the pastry from puffing up. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Lemon Curd:

Zest each of the lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith, then squeeze the lemons to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. On a low heat, melt all of the ingredients in a pan slowly, so as to prevent the mixture from curdling. Do this for about 8-10 minutes, or until it has thickened – this should happen at a heat just below a simmer.

Turn the heat off. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, and pour it into the tart base. Allow the curd to set at room temperature.

Alternatively you can bake the tart in a 240 degree C (460 degrees F) oven for 5-6 minutes, cool at room temperature, and finally chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Those were all awesome!

MarieC - 770 HP
FaerieOfDoom - 650 HP

Round 2

Ingredients

Oranges
Ketchup
Cinnamon
Cabbage
Goat Cheese
Potatos
Chicken wings
Garlic
Toasts
Coffee (grains)

Use at least five of the ingredients above to create a desert and a starter suitable for a resturant meal