i cook a family lunch
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday March 31, 2011
What's for lunch? Felix's Lauren Murdoch serves up simple, delicious fare for her sister's family.So who is Lauren Murdoch?Her nanna made wonderful biscuits, her uncle was a butcher who kept the family in amazing pork roasts and her mother decorated cakes and picked grape leaves from the family backyard to pickle for dolmades. Murdoch, 38, studied nursing for a year before realising she was more interested in pots and pans than bedpans. Her first gig was at the now defunct Atlas bistro in East Sydney. A year on the dessert section at Rockpool, five years as sous chef at MG Garage under Janni Kyritsis and a stint as a private chef for an American family in the Hamptons rounded out her education. For nearly six years, she has worked for Merivale Group - as head chef at Lotus in Potts Point and Ash St Cellar and, since December, at Felix, also on Ash Street.And what about Felix? In April 2010, Merivale's Justin Hemmes and Murdoch did their research for Felix on the ground in New York, eating at spots including restaurant impresario Keith McNally's Balthazar and Pastis. Murdoch came back to Sydney with a kit full of ideas to deploy at Felix, the new French bistro that Hemmes had charged her to head. "At Balthazar we had an amazing raw seafood platter," she says. No doubt the inspiration behind Felix's seafood bar. But while Felix doffs its cap to New York's Parisian-inspired bistros, it's unmistakably Murdoch's food. "It's French-influenced food but with my twist."Is there a signature dish?Lamb pie, saut’ed mushrooms, tarragon jus: "It's Damien Pignolet's flaky buttery p’t’ bris’e," says Murdoch, explaining that the pie has a domed top, pithivier style, and a filling of braised lamb shoulder with onion, garlic, stock, allspice. "It's very pure and simple." At home, what are her essential ingredients?"I have to have good butter: lightly salted Lescure is the one I usually use." Add to the list anchovies, parmesan, good olive oil, tomatoes, parsley, onions and olives. A quick home-cooked meal might be a vegetable soup or chicken and pearl barley soup (see recipe at right). But since opening Felix, Murdoch hasn't used her apartment for much more than sleeping. "There's not much at home in the way of food at the moment, to be honest." Any special ideas for entertaining?Murdoch shares a favourite family cocktail: "We have a beautiful cocktail that we do with fresh raspberries, ginger beer, mint and vodka."What about food shopping?"I like Norton Street Grocer at Bondi Junction; I might get cheese and salami from the deli and they have quite good fruit in season." Gourmet butcher Victor Churchill makes her list, as does a surprise entry - Dinky-Di Pies & Patisserie on Old South Head Road, Rose Bay, for "fantastic sausage rolls". How about eating out?Spice Temple and Rockpool Bar & Grill. "I like their sides, I like their mushy peas; everything they do there is fantastic." Chat Thai on Campbell Street and Mamak on Goulburn Street make the grade, too. Chicken and pearl barley soup with peas, parsley and lemon1.5L chicken stock2 chicken marylands1 onion, peeled and diced1 stick celery, diced5 cloves garlic, finely chopped50g pearl barley 150g fresh peas, shelledsalt and ground white pepper2 tbsp chopped parsleyfinely grated zest of 1/2 lemon1 tbsp extra virgin olive oilCombine chicken stock, chicken, onion, celery, garlic and barley in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until chicken is very tender and falling off the bone. Remove the chicken, shred the meat and return to the soup. Add peas and simmer for about 5 minutes or until cooked. Season with salt and white pepper.To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with parsley, lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil. Serves 6Whole snapper baked in paper with fennel and roasted garlic2.5kg snapper, cleaned and scaledsalt and pepper1 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed2 baby fennel bulbs, trimmed and shaved100g butter, chopped 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley2 lemons, sliced into 3mm rounds2 whole heads garlic, halvedPreheat oven to 180€šC.Season the snapper on both sides and inside the cavity with salt, pepper and the crushed fennel seeds. Cut several incisions on both sides of the flesh to allow even cooking. Stuff the cavity with the shaved fennel, half the butter and half the parsley. Lay out a sheet of baking paper large enough to wrap the fish in and place half the lemon slices on the paper with remaining parsley and the heads of garlic. Place the fish on the paper and top with the remaining lemon slices and dot with remaining butter. Wrap the paper around the fish to secure the parcel and place in a large baking tray. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until flesh is just cooked.Serve the fish in the paper with a spoon to collect the juices. Serves 6Salad of shaved fennel, radicchio, parsley, mint and feta2 baby fennel bulbs, trimmed and shaved1 head radicchio, leaves torn2 witlof, leaves torn1 red witlof, leaves tornhandful celery leaves from the heart 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves only 1/2 bunch mint, leaves only100g sheep's feta, crumbledDressing1 tbsp white wine vinegar3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil€š tsp sugarpinch saltfinely grated zest of €š lemonCombine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.For dressing, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl, then drizzle over salad and toss gently to combine.Serves 6Plum and almond tart with whipped creamPastry240g plain flour 1/2 tsp salt180g unsalted butter, dicedFilling8-10 blood plums, depending on size300g caster sugar4 eggs 1/2 tsp vanilla paste 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon400g sour cream100g almond meal100g slivered almonds50g demerara sugarwhipped cream, to serveFor pastry, combine flour and salt in a food processor. Add butter and whiz until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add 3 tbsp chilled water and process until mixture just forms a ball. Remove, form into a flat disc, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for an hour.Preheat oven to 200€šC.Roll pastry out on a lightly floured surface and lay into a greased 28cm tart tin with a removable base. Line pastry with baking paper and weights and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove paper and weights and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until dry and pale golden. For filling, cut 2 cheeks from each plum and set aside. Chop the remaining flesh from around the seed and place in an ovenproof dish. Add 100g caster sugar, toss to combine and bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on ripeness) until just tender. Place eggs and remaining caster sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add vanilla, cinnamon and sour cream and whisk until smooth. Spread almond meal in the base of the pastry case, then scatter the cooked chopped plums over. Pour the egg mixture over, reduce oven temperature to 180€šC and bake for 20-30 minutes or until just set. Remove and place plum cheeks on top of tart, scatter with almonds and bake for a further 10-12 minutes until cooked.Sprinkle with demerara sugar and serve with whipped cream. Serves 6
© 2011 Sydney Morning Herald
