This amazing dessert by chef Peter Gilmore pays tribute to the Sydney Opera House
Gilmore is a uniquely talented chef, as gifted with desserts as he is for the savoury dishes that have made Quay one of Australia’s most lauded restaurants. His “snow egg”, a poached meringue with an ice cream centre on granita, became a national sensation when it was one of the dishes in the 2010 Masterchef final.
Now he’s created a new meringue-based dessert for Bennelong that looks set to become as equally famous, turning a classic Australian dish, pavlova, into a tribute to Bennelong’s incredible setting inside the Opera House sails.
Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House opens today, with Peter Gilmore, who is also executive chef at Quay, in charge of the kitchen.
As Gilmore gets ready for the restaurant’s debut tonight, Business Insider asked him to tell us about the dessert. Here’s what he said:
Every restaurant needs a signature dessert and I feel this may be Bennelong’s. This is my interpretation of the classic Australian pavlova.
Poached meringue is filled with a seasonal fruit. To start with we will be using rhubarb and raspberries. The poached meringue is then inverted on to the plate with the fruit inside.
The meringue is topped with piped whipped double cream and Italian meringue in an alternate pattern, which represents the gloss and matte style of the tiles on the Sydney opera house.
The Pavlova is then completed with crisp meringue sails in a symbolic abstract form.
Sold!
The best part about it is you can simply head to Bennelong for dessert.
That’s right. You don’t need to have it at the end of a huge meal. Anyone can rock up and order it at the bar.
Source: Business Insider Australia, Simon Thomsen, July 1st 2015
