Creating a special menu is a little like creating an artwork. There are the initial sparks of inspiration, a little seed of an idea starts to germinate in the brain and sprouts appear as the idea takes shape and develops into something more substantial. There’s the experimentation phase where you get your hands on a variety of ingredients and try to come up with new ideas and build upon existing ones. You might use a technique that’s new or a material that’s unfamiliar and find that you are drawn in a specific direction. Layer upon layer, you build something delicious and draw on your experiences and emotions to guide you to a place of creative fulfilment.
 
We recently had the pleasure of working with seed enthusiast and prolific artist, Sophie Munns. Sophie’s passion for seeds and her techniques used to explore them inspired us to delve into the world of the edible seed and create a menu that showcased the humble seed and all it’s magic.
 
Our journey culminated in a day long workshop where Sophie guided students to look at seeds through an artist’s lens and we supported this exploration of seed in an edible fashion.
 
Below are all the recipes from the day and a little taste of the workshop.
 

 
Cucumber seed, dill & cardamom seed granita
Serves 3
 
• 70ml water
• 70g white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dill seeds
• Seeds from 7 cardamom pods
• 2 telegraph cucumbers, peeled until seeds are just visible*
• Juice of 1 lime
• 14 ice cubes / 1 tray
 
In a medium pot combine the water, sugar, dill seeds and cardamom seeds. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Place cucumber seeds, ice, lime juice and 4 Tbsp sugar syrup in a blender. Blitz until granita forms.
Serve immediately.
 
*We used the rest of the cucumber in a cucumber pickle salad which I will share here very soon.
 

 
Signor Pots’ Wattle Seed Sourdough
Makes 1 loaf
 
• 150g sourdough starter (100% hydration)
• 340ml water
• 540 bakers flour
• 3 tsp wattleseed
• 17g fine sea salt
 
Baking time:
Lid on: 22 min
Lid off: 14 min
 
SEE “Signor Pot on Sourdough” post for technique.
 

 
Roasted Sunflower & Pumpkin Seed Tahini
Makes 2 cups
 
• 210g sunflower seeds
• 210g pumpkin seeds
• 65g tahini paste
• Juice of 3 lemons
• 300ml cold water
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 50ml olive oil
• walnut oil, to serve
• black sesame seeds, to serve
 
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Place seeds on separate trays lined with baking paper and roast for 20 minutes, checking every 4-5 mins and mixing through. Remove from oven and rest for a minute.
Add seeds to a food processor. Blitz for 8 minutes until a fine smooth nut butter consistency forms. Use a spatula to scrape down sides throughout the process.
When the desired consistency is reached add the tahini paste, lemon juice, cold water and oil, blitzing between each addition. Add salt to taste. If the mixture splits, add more lemon juice or water to bring it back.
To Serve, place in a bowl, drizzle with walnut oil and scatter black sesame seeds over the top.
 

 

 

 

 
Super Seed Salad
Serves 3
 
• 1/3 cup raw organic buckwheat, , reserve a bit extra for garnish
• 1 cup cooked buckwheat
• 1/2 cup peas, blanched
• 1/2 cup broad beans, blanched and shelled
• 4 Tbsp pickled nasturtium seeds (we picked ours from the garden and used this fantastic recipe)
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• Seeds of 3 large tomatoes
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp Quinoa crisp, reserve a bit extra for garnish
• Maldon sea salt
 
For the Dressing:
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp seeded mustard
 
For the Quinoa crisp:
• 2 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 cup red quinoa, washed and strained
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 pinches salt
 
To make the Quinoa crisp:
Preheat oven to 190°C.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Cook for 20 minutes till crisp, stirring through every 5 minutes.
 
To make the Salad:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Reserve some raw buckwheat and all the quinoa crisp for later. Mix the dressing in a little jug and pour over the salad, mixing through to coat. To serve, dish the salad into bowls, top with raw buckwheat and quinoa crisp and little parsley flowers.
 

 
Injera Flatbread
Makes 5 large flatbreads
 
• 3 cups teff flour
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• melted coconut oil
 
Mix flour and water together in a large bowl till the flour is incorporated into the water.
Cover and leave for 24 hours (the mixture will ferment and start to puff up a bit).
Add salt and baking powder to the bubbly flour and water mix. Stir through (the mixture will deflate as you do this).
Heat a large nonstick frying pan (with lid) on medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp oil to the pan and spread it around. Ladle mix into the pan, starting from the middle of the pan until the surface area is covered. Place lid on and leave to cook for 7 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Repeat cooking process till mixture is finished.
 

 

 
Almond, Fig & Pistachio Florentines
Gluten Free
Makes 18
 
• 60g candied peel, chopped
• 45g dried cranberries, roughly chopped
• 45g soft dried figs, roughly chopped
• 20g pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
• 60g slivered blanched almonds
• 15g gluten free flour
• 45g butter
• 60g demerara sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp double cream
• 200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
 
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Put the fruit and nuts in a bowl, sift over the flour and toss together until the flour is evenly distributed.
Melt butter and sugar in a pan over medium heat till combined.
Remove from the heat and stir in salt and cream. Pour the butter mixture over the fruit and nuts and mix to combine.
Dollop rounded teaspoons of the mixture on to the baking trays and flatten out as much as possible without leaving holes, making sure they are well spaced out on the trays.
Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown all over, then leave to cool completely on the tray.
When cool, temper chocolate and use a small cake spatula or knife to coat the back of the cookies. Leave chocolate to dry. Store florentines in an airtight container.
 

 

 
Sesame Seed Fudge w. Pistachios
Makes 18 pieces
 
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup pistachios
 
Line a small dish or Tupperware with baking paper.
Heat the honey in a small pot over medium heat till it reaches “soft-ball” stage (118°C) on a candy thermometer. Warm the tahini while the honey is cooking. When the honey is ready, add the warmed tahini and stir very well. Mix in pistachios.
Pour into the prepared dish and cover with baking paper. Refrigerate till hard and cut into squares to serve.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
 

 

 
xxBlighStBistro.