Braised Wallaby Tail and Wild Pine Mushrooms - Chef Recipe by Simon Evans and Thomas Chiumento

Ingredients

A dish made from ingredients foraged from the forest plated to look like the forest floor.

1kg wallaby tail
2 pine mushrooms
10g passion berries
10g macadamias
10g raisins
10g pine nuts
100g rye bread
1 Tbs finely chopped and partially dehydrated tarragon
10 pickled muntries
50g enoki mushrooms
6 yarrow leaves
250mL reduced beef stock
5g mushroom powder

Method

Put the wallaby tail pieces in a cryovac bag, seal on full and place in a water bath heated to 82 C for about 8 hours. Alternatively, braise in beef stock for 6 hours, or until the meat easily falls away from the bone.

Once the meat is cooked, strain and retain the liquid. Carefully pick away the meat, removing any loose bones, once picked return some of the cooking liquid back to the tails.

Lightly toast the macadamias, pine nuts, passion berries and raisins until the nuts are golden and the fruit is further dehydrated. Blend with the rye bread until a large moist crumble is achieved.

Slice the pine mushrooms into thumb size pieces and deep fry the enokis until crisp.

Place the picked wallaby tail and reduced beef stock into a saucepan and heat until the stock has been completely reduced and the tail is rich and glossy. Taste, season, taste and adjust.

Saute the pine mushrooms first in hot oil, then in foaming butter for no longer than 60 seconds. Drain on a paper towel and season.

To plate:

In a black bowl, place a large serving spoon of wallaby tail in the centre of the plate and spread out evenly.

Scatter the pickled muntries on top, followed by the crumb and then the tarragon scattered around the plate.

Place the fried enoki mushrooms on top, lightly covering the meat, followed by the yarrow leaves.

Finish by sprinkling the mushroom powder over the top.