The Cook and the Chef

The 1980's (4x13)

Ημερομηνία προβολής: Μάϊ 06, 2009

This week the 1980s are making a comeback, as Simon and Maggie celebrate the time when Aussie food came of age and the work of three very special cooks: Gay Bilson, Tony Bilson and Janni Kyritsis. In the 1980s Maggie was busy running her famous restaurant The Pheasant Farm. Simon fondly remembers eating there as a teenager but he did think it all looked like organised chaos! Maggie realises that she wasn’t the only one working hard in the '80s though: it was an age of growing wealth but as disposable incomes expanded our spare time dwindled. To save precious time more people were going out to eat, so it was a great age for Australian restaurants as emerging chefs carved out a distinctive Aussie style. One of the best restaurants of the '80s was Gay Bilson's Berowra Waters. Maggie has fond memories of an amazing meal she ate there, so as a tribute to Gay and to Berowra Waters’ remarkable chef Janni Kyritsis she cooks her version of that memorable meal: sweetbreads with pigs’ trotters! Simon loves the dish but also cheekily suggests that his dog Iggy would love it, because he’s a big fan of pigs’ ears! Another great chef who was doing amazing things in the 1980s was Tony Bilson, and Simon’s a big fan of his work. When Simon stopped working in Asian restaurants and started in hotels he struggled at first to master the tricky art of making stocks, so someone suggested he should read Tony’s book. Simon feels forever indebted to Tony for the great advice he found there, so this week he pays tribute by making a brown beef stock, then using that stock to make a delicious consommé with herbed crepe. Recipes: - Pigs ears with sweetbreads and remoulade sauce - Brown Beef Stock - Remoulade Sauce - Consommé with Herb Crepe