RECIPES JARED INGERSOL STYLING IMOGENE ABADY PHOTOGRAPHY NICKY RYAN

Prosciutto with chardonnay & melon salsa & sage biscotti

Serves 6

180g flour
30g polenta
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
A few grinds of black pepper
1 bunch sage leaves, chopped
3 eggs
6 tbsp olive oil
24 slices prosciutto

Salsa:

200g rockmelon flesh, finely diced
200g watermelon flesh, finely diced
50g eschallots, finely chopped
1/4 bunch mint, leaves removed and chopped
60ml chardonnay vinegar
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. To make biscotti, combine flour, polenta, baking powder, salt, pepper and sage in a bowl and make a well.
2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and olive oil until combined. Pour into the well and mix with your hands until combined. Turn out onto a floured bench and knead until smooth. 3. Divide dough in half, then roll until you have 2 logs about as round as a 20 cent piece. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool on a rack, then use a bread knife to cut into 5mm slices. Place onto a clean baking tray in a single layer and bake for another 30 minutes or until crisp and golden.
4. To make salsa, place all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.
5. Place a mound of salsa on each plate with 3-4 slices of prosciutto and a stack of biscotti

Chive tarts with enoki mushrooms

Makes 24

Tarts:

2 bunches chives
100ml full cream milk
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp cream
Salt and pepper
24 x 3cm ready-made tart cases

Mushroom topping:

100g enoki mushrooms
1 tsp truffle oil
1 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
A dash of lemon juice
A sprinkle of chopped chives
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 120°C. Finely slice chives, place into a small container with milk, egg yolks, cream and seasoning, then blend with a stick blender or whisk.
2. Place tart cases on a tray and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully pour in the custard while cases are still hot. Return to the oven for about 6-8 minutes until they are just set - they should still have a little wobble when you tap them.
3. To make tart topping, start at the cap end of the mushroom and cut into 5mm batons. Only cut to the point where the mushroom stems start to clump together, about halfway down. Combine mushrooms, truffle oil, parmesan, lemon juice and chives in a bowl, and season to taste. Place a spoonful of mixture on top of each tart to serve.

Whole salt-baked snapper with sauce gribiche & new potatoes

Serves 6

2-3kg Saxa rock salt or flossy salt
1 x 2kg whole snapper
1kg new potatoes, halved
3 garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
Salt and black pepper

Sauce gribiche:
3 eggs
100g cornichons, coarsely chopped
50g salted capers, rinsed and drained
120ml extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch tarragon, leaves coarsely chopped
1 bunch chervil, leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp Temeraire Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Select a tray large enough to fit the fish. Lay down some salt, place fish on top, then mound remaining salt over the fish until it is completely covered
- you may need more salt depending on the size of your fish. Bake in hot oven for 40-50 minutes; you can test whether the fish is done by inserting a skewer.
2. To make the sauce gribiche, boil eggs for 6 minutes or until whites are set and yolk is still runny. Run eggs under cold water until cool enough to handle, then peel. Place all ingredients in a bowl and use a pestle to crush and combine everything until you have a coarse, rustic sauce.
3. Put potatoes in a saucepan with garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender.
4. To serve, bring snapper to the table, crack the salt crust with a knife and lift out a piece for each guest. Serve with potatoes and pour over a little of the sauce gribiche.
Note: Ask your fishmonger to clean, gut and scale the fish for you.

Chocolate chip cookies & cream semifreddo with berries

Serves 6

200ml cream
100ml Pauls Premium vanilla custard
18 Arnotts Premier chocolate chip cookies
3 punnets of fresh berries
1 lemon, juiced
50g icing sugar

1. Whip cream until it forms soft peaks, then add custard and whip until just combined. Do not over-whip!
2. Dip cookies in the cream and coat well on all sides. On a tray, place cookies on top of each other in 6 stacks of 3 cookies each, then use remaining cream to thickly coat the sides and smooth out with a spatula. Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
3. Cut berries, squeeze over lemon juice and dust with sugar. Mix vigorously, almost mashing the berries, until they are well coated. Cover with cling film and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes.
4. To serve, simply place a generous heap of berries on each plate and then top with a cookie semifreddo.