Even though Philippe Keller has worked behind the scenes at several previous Bangkok Chefs Charity gala dinners, this year, in his new role as the Dusit Thani Bangkok’s executive chef, he is being regarded as a first-timer at the banquet since this is the first year he has got the chance to prepare a dish of his own devising for what is to be the sixth edition of this annual affair.
Executive chef Matthew Bennink of Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok, and executive chef Philippe Keller of Dusit Thani Bangkok.
Keller’s cooking partner for the event, Matthew Bennink, is a relative newcomer to these parts, however, having relocated here from Shenzen, China only last August to assume the position of executive chef at the Shangri-La Bangkok.
The two have formed a temporary partnership to prepare the first course at this year’s fund-raising feast: pheasant consomme with Thai spiced confit leg, sweet basil dumpling and summer flowers.
“The theme for this year is to add some sort of ‘Thai essence’ to the culinary creation. After throwing some ideas back and forth, we thought it would be a great idea to incorporate products from the Royal Project, whose pheasant, when made into consomme, is rich but yet still light,” explained Bennink, who hails from Australia.
Soup-making involves several important processes, the Aussie chef noted, the first step being to make a stock that is rich and full of flavour to serve as the base for the pheasant consomme.
The second process is the clarification of the stock which involves mixing the protein (pheasant) with egg whites, carrots, celery and onions and then whisking the whole into a beautifully clear, golden hued soup. Slowly heating the consomme brings the protein to the surface allowing it to be skimmed off to leave a clear liquid.
“If you don’t have a good stock, it’ll be difficult to make a nice consomme, and for this consomme we have allowed the pheasant to speak for itself,” he said.
Another component of the soup, the dumpling, is made from pheasant breast and leg meat that requires overnight marination before being cooked in an oven at a very low temperature for three to three and a half hours.
“We incorporated lemongrass, galangal, ginger and coriander into the marinade for the pheasant breast and leg to give it more Thai flavours,” said Bennink. “We also have a small parcel on the bottom of the soup, which comprises lightly sauteed tomato dice wrapped in Parma ham. All of these flavours combined leads to a light and refreshing experience, with no single flavour overpowering any of the others.”
An Iron Chef Thailand contender, Keller described the gala dinner’s first course as a Western dish with a Thai touch. “It might look easy,” he said. “But the delicate consomme technique must be done correctly to get the right flavour and colour.”
A native of France, Keller says he places as much importance on the presentation and appearance of a dish as he does on its flavour, and he follows this approach even for something as seemingly simple as a soup. “Compared to other dishes, you can’t show as much as creativity in presentation [with soups], so we have tried to nicely present the pheasant consomme by floating on top petals of edible summer flowers from the Royal Project.”
Pheasant consommé, Thai spiced confit leg and sweet basil dumpling, summer flowers.
Pheasant consomme with Thai spiced confit leg, sweet basil dumpling and summer flowers
Preparation:
- For the pheasant stock, place the bones, carrots, onions, celery and leeks on a baking tray and then roast them in an oven pre-heated to between 190 and 200°C for about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, place in a medium-sized stock pot and fill it with water, adding the bay leaves and peppercorns. Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Once the stock has come to the boil, turn it down to a very low simmer and cook for 6 to 8 hours. Take off the heat, strain and allow the stock to cool.
- For the consomme, pour the pheasant stock into a medium-sized pot and place to the side. In a food processor, blend together the chicken/pheasant meat, egg whites, carrots, onions, celery and salt until well incorporated. Place the pot of stock onto the stove over a low heat and while the stock is still cold whisk in the egg whites, vegetable and chicken/pheasant mixture.
- As the stock becomes hotter, the protein (egg and chicken/pheasant) will slowly cook and form a “raft” at the top of the pot. It is important that the heat is not too high otherwise the “raft” will stick to the bottom or sides of the pot and burn. Allow the “raft” to form completely before removing it, skimming the surface of the consomme using a ladle.
- Approximately 20 to 25 minutes after the “raft” has formed, the consomme should be clear (golden in colour) and can be strained through a paper filter. Depending on the strength of the flavour, you may need to reduce the consomme. The consomme can either be used straight away or chilled for use at a later time
- For the confit leg and breast, place the pheasant meat in a small tray, cover with the coriander, galangal, lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves and season with some salt and pepper. Wrap the tray in cling film and leave it in the refrigerator overnight for the flavours to infuse. The following day, pour some melted duck fat into a deep pan and add the pheasant legs and breast, ensuring they are fully submerged in the fat before covering the pan with aluminium foil. Place this into an oven preheated to between 90 and 100°C and cook for 3 to 3.5 hours or until the meat starts to fall away from the bone. Remove from the oven and allow the legs and breasts to cool in the fat. Once cold, remove and take the meat off the bone ready for the next process.
- For the dumpling filling, combine the blended breast meat, shredded leg meat, chicken jus and finely chopped basil in a small bowl, adding salt and pepper to taste. Place in the refrigerator.
- For the plain pasta dough, place all the ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to bring them together. Once the dough starts to form, lightly dust your work bench and kneed your dough until it is smooth. Place the dough to one side, cover it with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for one hour.
- For the basil pasta dough, place the eggs and basil in a blender and blend until smooth. In a small bowl combine the egg and basil mix with the semolina and plain flour and use your hands to bring them together. Once the dough starts to form, lightly dust your work bench and kneed your dough until it is smooth. Place to one side, cover with a damp cloth and allow to rest for one hour.
- To make the dumpling, roll the plain pasta dough out to #7 thickness twice and place to one side. For the basil pasta dough, roll out to #7 thickness and place to one side. Cut the plain pasta dough into two halves, place one half to the side and cut the other half into tagliatelle. Then cut the basil pasta dough into tagliatelle of the same length as the plain tagliatelle.
Lay the half of the plain pasta dough that you didn’t cut up onto a lightly floured bench, placing on top one piece of plain tagliatelle and then next to it one piece of basil tagliatelle. Repeat this process until the width of the pasta dough is covered. Carefully put this through the pasta machine again at #7 thickness twice, binding the pasta dough into one, creating white-and-green striped pasta dough.
Cut the pasta dough into 4cm x 4cm squares and place a teaspoonful of filling into the middle, brush the edges with egg wash and bring the opposite edges, working from top to bottom, together to form a small dumpling.
- For the parcel, gently heat the olive oil in a small frying pan. Add the tomatoes and lightly saute for 2 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place a teaspoonful of the Parmesan and tomato filling in the middle of each slice of Parma ham, folding over the edges to form small parcels.
To assemble:
Place the Parma ham and tomato parcel at the bottom of a bowl (you can warm the parcels slightly in advance, if you want). Pour hot consomme into the bowl until it just about covers the parcel. Cook the dumpling in salted boiling water until it is al dente, remove and place it on top of the parcel. Garnish the consomme with a few edible flowers.
