18° recipes from Chef Ivan Musoni
We believe that no one does summer food as well as Eastern Mediterranean cultures do, and for that reason we invaded the kitchen of old leany-bendy’s 18°. Here, chef Ivan Musoni rules with an iron ladle and a mortar. Recognised at the Jeunes Restauraterus d’Europe, chef Ivan is a food-passionate Italian family-man man.
Recipes from chef Ivan Musoni
Entrée
Cod fish brandade with red onion marmalade
Cod fish brandade
500g salt cod fish
500g potatoes
150ml cream
20g butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped
50ml olive oil
Bay leaf, thyme, mint, salt and pepper
1 Place the salt cod fish in a bowl and soak in cold water in the fridge for one day, changing the water every 6 hours.
2 Boil the potatoes in water until completely cooked, and drain.
3 Drain the cod fish and place in a large pot; cover with water and add bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 mins until fish flakes easily. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the broth. When fish is cool enough to handle, flake into a separate bowl, ensuring the bones and skin are removed and discarded.
4 Smash warm potatoes with a ricer or a fork and add to the flaked fish. Add chopped garlic, parsley and fresh ground black pepper. Stir in cream and olive oil, alternating a little at a time, mixing lightly with a wooden spoon. The final consistency of the mixture should resemble lumpy mashed potatoes – not too runny. Taste for seasoning.
5 Swirl a little olive oil into a baking dish and spoon in the brandade mix. Leave the top slightly rough and coat with breadcrumbs, parmesan and dot with butter. Roast until golden brown – about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a little parsley.
Red onion marmalade
800g red onion, chopped
30ml olive oil
30ml balsamic vinegar
100g brown sugar
3 bay leaves
50ml red grape
Salt and pepper
1 Heat the oil in a preserving pan, add the onions, a pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook over a low heat for about 30 minutes until the onions soften and turn translucent. Be sure to stir the mixture occasionally to prevent burning. It is at this crucial point the delicious caramel taste is developed.
2 Raise the heat a little, add the grape and balsamic vinegar and stir to combine. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat before stirring in the brown sugar. Keep the heat on low and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
3 Remove the pan from the heat, taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Crispy polenta
500ml milk
500ml water
200g polenta
Salt and pepper
1 In a large saucepan, bring the water and milk to a boil.
2 Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the pan and whisk in the polenta.
3 Whisk constantly for 3 to 4 mins to prevent lumps, then simmer for 45 mins, partially covered, stirring every 10 mins or so until the polenta is thick, smooth and creamy.
4 Check for seasoning then pour into a flat oven tray and set aside to cool.
5 To make the polenta crispy, heat in the oven at 100˚C until done.
Main
Rack of lamb with dukkah gremolata
Lamb rack
4x 350g rack of lamb
100g rosemary
100g thyme
50g salt
30g black pepper
200ml olive oil
200ml lamb stock
Dukkah gremolata
150g dukkah spice
40ml olive oil
15g lemon zest
30g parsley leaves
15g garlic cloves
80g breadcrumbs
1 Place the lamb rack into a plastic bag. Add all ingredients to marinate it with. Place it into a fridge for 24 hours.
2 Chop garlic, parsley leaves and lemon zest very fine and mix it with dukkah spice, add breadcrumbs and olive oil.
3 Roast the lamb rack in a pan and finish the cooking in a 170˚C pre-heated oven for about 15 mins. Take it out of the oven and let it rest for another 5 mins.
4 Toast the lamb rack with dukkah gremolata and cut it into small cutlets, dress those on the plate and finish with the sauce.
Dessert
Warm lokma, spiced orange syrup
Lokma
1¼ cups warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 lt vegetable oil
1 In a measuring cup, add yeast and sugar to warm water. Stir until dissolved. Allow to sit for 5-10 mins.
2 In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast water and stir with oiled wooden spoon until a dough-like consistency has formed.
3 Cover and place in warm area and allow to rise for 1½ hours or until doubled in size. Preheat vegetable oil to 175˚C.
4 Spoon dough by the tablespoon into vegetable oil and cook for about 2 mins until golden brown in colour.
5 Repeat with remaining dough and drain on paper towels.
Spiced orange syrup
3 cups sugar
1 cups water
2 tbsp orange juice
2 oranges
Pinch of four-spice mix
1 Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and heat on a medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
2 Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer on low for about 10-15 mins, until it become a syrup consistency.
3 Do not stir frequently because the sugar will make the syrup cloudy. Peel the oranges and cut out the segments.
4 Mix the orange segments with four-spice mix and the syrup.
5 Drizzle the spiced orange syrup over the fried warm lokma dough balls and serve immediately.
Beach House recipes from chef Michéle Müller
Park Hyatt’s Beach House is a summery dining option for when you want to feel like you’re on holiday without actually taking one. And chef de cuisine, Michéle Müller is the German-born, internationally travelled woman of gastronomy who is behind its success.
Entrée
Pumpkin and lentil salad with roasted garlic, zaatar and pomegranate dressing
60g pumpkin or butternut squash
60g lentils (cooked)
3 cloves roasted garlic (not peeled)
5g each carrot, celery, onion, leek (finely diced)
1 sprig each thyme and rosemary
30ml olive oil
1g fresh zaatar
5gr pomegranate
20ml extra virgin olive oil
4ml raspberry vinegar
3ml pomegranate syrup
1g parsley leaves
Maldon salt and pepper
1 Peel and cut the pumpkin, then place on a roasting tray and season well with salt, pepper, herbs, olive oil and add unpeeled garlic cloves. Roast for 15 minutes at 190°C.
2 Cut the vegetables into very small dice and blanch the mix together with the lentils.
3 Season with salt and pepper.
4 Make a dressing with the extra virgin olive oil, pomegranate syrup and raspberry vinegar. Mix well and add the chopped zaatar (thyme). Mix with the cooked lentils.
5 Prepare the dressing with the lentil mix, fresh zaatar and pomegranate seeds to pour around the salad.
6. Plate up the roasted pumpkin, the dressing and garnish with fresh picked parsley.
Main
Char-grilled cuttlefish with tomato and oven baked shallots
200g local cuttlefish
1 plum tomato
2 shallots
10g rocket lettuce
10g frisee
3g garlic (chopped)
1g chilli (chopped)
1g parsley
20ml extra virgin olive oil
10ml preferred dressing
1g each rosemary and thyme
Maldon salt and black pepper
1 Cut the cuttlefish into portions and marinate the pieces in chopped garlic and chilli. Cut the tomato in half.
2 Chop the herbs and mix them with chopped garlic and olive oil, then brush the mixture over the tomato halves.
3 Bake the tomatoes in the oven at 90˚C for 1½ hours.
4 Place unpeeled shallots on an oven tray, cover with salt and bake in the oven for 15-20 mins.
5 Remove the shallots from the salt, allowing them to cool and then peel.
6 Warm the tomato and shallot in some of the marinade.
7 Char-grill the cuttlefish while putting a heavy weight on it to prevent it from curling.
8 Plate everything, garnish with rocket lettuce and frisee and drizzle some oil around the plate.
Dessert
Catalan cream (six people)
600ml milk
50g sugar
Zest of ¼ lemon
4 egg yolks
24g corn flour
25g sugar to glaze
1 Boil milk and sugar.
2 Mix the remaining ingredients together.
3 Take the milk off the heat and add the egg mixture to the milk.
4 Mix well and make sure there are no lumps. Pour into six ceramic moulds and chill for 4 hours.
5 Sprinkle with sugar and caramelise with a burner. Decorate with a biscuit (optional).
Blue Grill recipes from chef Zlatko Gersak
Summer is all about turning up the grill fire. And when it feels too hot to do it yourself, we’re blessed with restaurants like Blue Grill. Yas Island Rotana’s signature restaurant and steakhouse has a new chef in its kitchen. Chef Zlatko Gersak says that among the best ingredients for summer are berries – which are good when used to make a compote or just by themselves with some fresh vanilla cream.
Entrée
Tomato and mozzarella salad
1 beefsteak tomato, sliced
1 buffalo mozzarella
5g rocket lettuce
5g red onion, diced
10ml balsamic vinegar
10ml olive oil
Sea salt and pepper
1 Place tomato slices one by one on a plate to form a ring.
2 Tear the buffalo mozzarella and place in the middle.
3 Put lettuce on top of the mozzarella.
4 Place onion over the tomato.
5 Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
6 Season to taste.
Main
Red mullet
180g red mullet
120g new potatoes (quartered)
50g broad beans
6 cherry tomatoes (quartered)
3 Kalamata olives (sliced)
1 garlic clove (sliced)
Chopped basil
1 Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper and place skin side down in a frying pan and cook for 1 min on medium heat.
2 Finish cooking in the oven, making sure skin side is down, for 4 mins at 200˚C.
3 Cook potatoes and toss in butter and herbs.
4 Place olive oil in a pan on medium heat and cook garlic, olives, tomatoes and broad beans. Top with basil.
5 Place potatoes on the plate, then the mullet, then top with the vegetable mix.
Dessert
Lemon cheesecake with crunchy lime meringue and blueberry sauce
Lemon cheesecake filling
900g cream cheese
100g castor sugar
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
75g lemon zest
40ml lemon juice
Cheesecake base
125g ground almonds
125g butter (melted)
125g flour
125g castor sugar
Lime meringue
150g egg whites
300g castor sugar
Zest of 1 lime
Blueberry sauce
100g frozen blueberries
25ml water
10g castor sugar
Filling
1 Mix cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl.
2 Mix eggs and egg yolks together and combine with cream cheese mixture gradually.
3 Add lemon zest and lemon juice.
Base
1 Make a crumble with ground almonds, butter, flour and sugar and bake at 180˚C for 15 mins.
2 Spread in base of a baking tin and then fill with cheesecake filling mixture.
3 Steam bake at 150˚C for 35 mins.
Lime meringue
1 Beat egg whites, gradually adding sugar until soft peaks are formed.
2 Mix in lime zest for flavour.
3 Spread the mixture on parchment and bake in a slow oven at 250-275°C for 1 hour, then allow to dry and cool.
Blueberry
1 Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and heat slowly, without bringing to the boil.
2 Mix carefully without smashing the berries.
3 Remove from heat and allow to cool before pouring over the cheesecake.
