Two Delicious Recipes from Head Chef Simon Ward

Simon Ward (pictured) is the head-chef and part-owner of Fitzroy’s newest food institution, Hammer & Tong. As the culinary mastermind at some of Melbourne’s finest restaurants including Vue de Monde and Dukes, Simon is quickly making Hammer & Tong a must-dine-at restaurant in Melbourne. You can find out more at www.facebook.com/HammerandTong412

Simon has put together two recipes for us which you can use to re-create these delicious meals at home.

The first recipe is for Quinoa Bircher, a contemporary take on ‘Bircher Muesli’ that is lower in sugar and absolutely delicious. But you will need to start this recipe one day in advance. The second recipe is for Lamb Ribs…enough said, don’t you think?

Showcasing a casual take on fine dining, Simon’s signature style and love for fresh, simple ingredients with a twist are complemented by hand selected wines and a team that knows their stuff – there isn’t a question these guys cannot answer!

Now it’s over to Simon…take it away Simon!

Quinoa Bircher

Ingredients:
2 cups Rolled oats
½ cup Red quinoa
½ cup Black quinoa
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup goji berries
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup currants
¼ cup shredded coconut
¼ cup slivered almonds
3 ½ tblsp coconut sugar
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 ¾ cup Apple juice
1 ½ cup coconut milk

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients except for the coconut sugar.

2. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients and coconut sugar. Use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps of sugar, and that it is fully dissolved in the liquid.

3. Combine all together, mixing to ensure that there are no areas of dry ingredients separate from wet ingredients. This should resemble a textured wet cake mix.

4. Leave to absorb in the fridge overnight with a cartouche to stop a crust forming on the top from air drying it out. A cartouche can be made from either using baking paper or glad wrap touching the top of the mixture. The difference in the mixture once it is ready will be visual. You should be able to tell that all of the fruits and oats have absorbed the liquid of which there will not be a huge excess.

To serve: we serve our bircher muesli with fresh natural yogurt and some berry compote (a nice reduced sauce of mixed berries and very little sugar)