Serge Viera shares his 'Memories of the Coral Reef'

Published on February 16 2012.

Serge loves to create “artistic work with flavours that will make people remember the meal” such as this dish, Memories of the Coral Reef, which comes from his love of Australia.

Serge has received multiple awards in his young life including the Bocuse d’Or in 2005. He was second chef to Regis Marcon at St Bonnet Le Froid and is well known for his interest in sustainability as well as his passion for seasonal, local produce. “Emotion is not molecular, it is culinary”, he says about his menus.

In France, he is known to order in full lobes of foie gras from Rougié, France's leading producer, which he de-veins himself, portions and freezes to grill, roast, use in terrines or pair with seasonal fruit such as strawberries and rhubarb.

During Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, diners will have the chance to enjoy regional French dishes - matched with Dom Perignon - prepared by Serge and fellow chef, Jacques Marcon. Serge will also join Thierry Marx, Jun Yukimura, Sang-Hoon Degeimbre and Luisa Valazza to present over the Festival's Langham Melbourne MasterClass weekend.

 

Ingredients

Serves 4

BARRIER

2 kg Gambas shell cut into small pieces

4  Ripe tomatoes cut into ¼

250gm  Celeriac diced into 2cm pieces

1  Large fennel diced into 2cm pieces

300gm Shallots diced into 2cm pieces

200gm Onion diced into 2cm pieces

20gm  Fresh ginger

1  Orange - zest only

1 Lemon - juice only

4 Bay leaves

10 Thyme sprigs

10 Black peppers

4 Green cardamoms

1 tsp Espelette powder

.5gm  Saffron powder

200ml Olive oil

5Lt  Fish stock

1lt  White wine

100ml Pastis/Pernod

100ml  Cognac

Salt to taste

400gm Cream

FENNEL PUREE

400gm  Fennel finely sliced

2 Eshallot finely sliced

20gm Butter

½  bay leaf

1 Thyme sprig

100gm Chicken stock

LEMON JELLY

150gm Water

30gm Lemon juice

12gm Sosa

Salt to taste

JUS OF SHELLFISH AND PEPPERMINT 

200gm Shellfish stock (juice left over from cooking the shell fish)

1 Eshallot

2 Thyme sprigs

20gm  Butter

200gm Cream

200gm Milk

100gm  Peppermint

SAFRON MAYO 

1 Egg

1 Egg yolk

20ml White wine vinegar

1gm Saffron powder

1 Small clove of fresh Garlic

10gm Dijon mustard

200ml  Vegetable oil

50ml EVO oil (must be a sweet olive oil not bitter)

Salt and Pepper to taste

TOMATO OIL 

Reserved oil form tomato compote 

HERB OIL 

200gm Vegetable oil

100gm Mixed green herbs (washed)

SHELLFISH 

100gm Vongelo clams

100gm Pippies

100gm Mussels

150gm  White wine

3  Eshallot

15gm  Butter

100gm Razor clams

GARNISH 

4 Cucumber strips

4 Cauliflower shavings

4 Dill sprigs

4 Chive tips

8  Edible flowers

4  Purple perilla cress

4  Chick pea cress leafs

20gm Butter

20gm Chicken stock

Method

BARRIER 

Roast gambas shells in the olive oil in a brat pan, add the tomato and vegetables. Deglaze with the Pernod and cognac, reduce then deglaze again with the white wine and reduce again.

Add the fish stock and all other ingredients, simmer for 2 hours then strain through a fine sieve and reduce.  Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

FENNEL PUREE

Sweat the sliced fennel and eshallot in the butter without colouring it. Add the thyme, bay leaf and chicken stock and then cover the pot and cook the fennel is very soft, remove lid and continue to cook out any excess water. Once most of the water has been cooked out blend until very smooth.

LEMON JELLY 

Mix the lemon, water and salt together and warm slightly. Add the Sosa and whisk well, bring to the boil and pour on to a hot tray and spread out evenly (be quick as the jelly sets rapidly). Once chilled, cut out a round shape ready for used

JUS

Sweat the sliced garlic and eshallot and add the stock then reduce by ¼.
Add the peppermint blend well, season and pass.

SAFFRON MAYO 

Mix the saffron in with the white wine vinegar and warm a little to get the full colour and flavour out of the saffron, cool the vinegar and make as normal.

HERB OIL 

Blanch the herbs. Once very cold squeeze all the water out of the herbs and dry again on paper towel. Blend the herbs with the oil until warm and then pour into a coffee filter or chux towel and let drain overnight.

Note: do not press the oil through the filter or chux, let the herbs dry naturally. 

SHELLFISH 

Rinse all seafood in fresh water for 2 hours before cooking. Sauté the eshallot in the butter, add the shellfish and wine and cover and cook until the shells are open. Drain from the stock and set the stock aside for the peppermint sauce. Remove all the shellfish from their shells and clean any last pieces of sand or gut from them. Sort them with razor clams as well evenly into moulds ready for service.

Remove the clams from their shells. Clean the clams in salt water and slice into small pieces.