Macadamia Nut and Cheese Beignets with Native Reduction - Chef Recipe by Clayton Donovan

Ingredients

For the beignets:

100mL water
25g butter
150g sifted plain flour
4g baking powder
65g coarsely ground Brookfarm macadamia nuts
3 egg yolks
2g finely chopped dill
2g finely chopped parsley
25g finely grated parmesan cheese
5g semolina
1g roasted ground fennel

For the carrot and fennel reduction:

200mL fresh carrot juice
1g fennel seeds
15g caster sugar

For the balsamic and wattle seed reduction:

200mL balsamic vinegar
1g wattle seed
50g caster sugar
50mL red wine

For the Davidson plum syrup:

200mL fresh Davidson plum juice
1 tsp sesame oil
200mL sugar syrup
2g fresh ginger
1 tsp xanthan gum

For the apple foam:

450mL apple juice
1 Tbs lecithin

Method

To make the beignets:

Heat water and remove from heat. Add the butter to melt it. Mix remaining beignets ingredients together until combined. Roll mix into small balls (dessertspoon-sized) and fry until lightly browned in hot oil. Finish off in the oven for 4–5 minutes at 150°C.

To prepare the carrot reduction:

Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil , then simmer until thickened. Strain.

For balsamic/wattle seed reduction:

Put all the ingredients except wattle seed into a pan, bring to the boil and simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and add the wattle seed.

For Davidson Plum reduction:

In a pan infuse the ginger in the sugar syrup with the sesame oil and bring to the boil. Strain into the Davidson plum juice, add xanthem gum, stir then strain the mixture again.

To make the apple foam:

Heat lecithin and apple juice together in saucepan until they reach blood temperature. Froth with hand-blender then pass through a fine sieve. Mix again with blender to create a foam without over-agitating mixture. Do not allow to cool.

Serve the beignets with roasted seasonal baby vegetables, topped with extra
parmesan cheese, and dress the plate with the three reductions and the foam.
Garnish with 10g LSA (linseed, sunflower and ground almond mix).

Credits: Recipes and Images from Byron Bay; a Taste of the Region, published by Tancred Holdings Pty Ltd and Nelly le Comte Photography.

Photo Credits: Recipes and Images from Byron Bay; a Taste of the Region, published by Tancred Holdings Pty Ltd and Nelly le Comte Photography.