Last week, Masterchef Australia (season 14) set an invention test where contestants had to create a dish that clearly reflected two cuisines. That set me wondering what I’d cook up if I were in the fabled Melbourne kitchen. I started thinking about Japanese-Italian pairings, and this is what I created.
INGREDIENTS
12 truss tomatoes (smaller than standard, but not cherry tomatoes)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 tbsp mirin
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
150g Chèvre (goat’s cheese), preferably dusted with ash
4 tbsp coriander leaves & stems, finely chopped
2 tbsp continental parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 long red chilli, deseeded & finely chopped
For the garnish:
6 tbsp extra virgin oil
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp mirin
coriander leaf tips
METHOD
In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, peanut oil, mirin, sesame oil and pepper. Place the cheese in a medium bowl and add the sauce mixture, stirring with a fork to combine.
Add the herbs and chilli, and mix thoroughly. The mixture should be pliant but firm. If it is too dry, add a little more peanut oil and combine thoroughly until you reach the desired consistency. Set aside.
Take a truss tomato in one hand and, using a small very sharp knife (I sharpened mine just for this task), carefully make a circular incision about the diameter of your thumb where the stem joins the fruit. Take care not to make cracks in the wall of the tomato. Angle the knife tip and lift out the stem plug and internal stem (the pedicel and placenta).
Using a teaspoon, insert the handle end into the cavity, and scoop out the remaining seeds and pulp. There should be three clumps of seeds. If any white structures remain intact, carefully loosen these with the tip of your knife and gently scrape out using the teaspoon handle until the cavity is clear. Repeat for remaining tomatoes.
Take a tomato in one hand and carefully insert a teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the cavity. Press down gently with your thumb to ensure there are no air pockets. Turn 120 degrees and repeat, and repeat again. Discard any lingering seeds or pulp that is squeezed to the surface. Keep adding more cheese mixture until you have completely filled the cavity. Smooth off the top, remove any cheese from the skin of the tomato, and place incision facing up on a flat plate. Repeat the process for remaining tomatoes. Refrigerate until set.
In a small bowl, combine the extra soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and mirin. Set aside.
To serve, drizzle one tablespoon of the olive oil in a circle around a small plate (I used ordinary side plates). Repeat with one tablespoon of the soy balsamic mixture. Place two tomatoes, incision facing down, to one side of the plate, and garnish with a coriander sprig. Repeat for remaining plates. Serve immediately.
Serves 6.
iDigress 