Poussin with crispy skin, roasted tomatoes and Egyptian bread

This is a favourite simple dinner.  I get French free range poussin (they are really well priced here) and simply cut them down the centre.  I sprinkle the skin liberally with salt and then leave them UNCOVERED in the fridge for a day or two.  The skin goes completely dry. 

I then drizzle them with a little bit of olive oil and bung them in a hot oven for about 20 - 25 minutes. They are impossible to overcook (pretty much) done this way, all the moisture stays in and that skin is as crisp and delicious as chicken skin can be.

Served on a flat piece of Egyptian bread simply with roasted tomatoes and herbs it's an absolute winner of a dish.  Chewy and crunchy and sweet and chicken.  Yummy.  Oh and no that's not too much salt for this...it sits on the top due to the dried skin so seems like more than it is.   Chicken needs to be well seasoned in my opinion.

Potato and leek ravioli, roasted potato skin sauce, leek powder.

This recipe was in the Australian Gormet Traveller and appealed to me immensely.  The roasted potato skin sauce?  What a brilliant idea and the leeks were roasted till brown and dry then ground into a fine powder for a slight bitter note which added immense complexity to this delicious and rather creative dish.  The ravioli were filled with a delicious concoction of parmesan, potato, butter and leek.  Can't go far wrong with that foursome.

I talked Andy into making it.  This is the result....and it tasted DREAMY.  

Japanese dressed noodles, toasted sesame seeds, miso marinated salmon

Again, a light fresh and absolutely delicious way to serve salmon.  

Fresh FRESH local grilled mackerel salad with haloumi, mint, watermelon and olives

Beautifully balanced, fresh light flavours that absolutely highlighted this lovely fresh fish.

Hamour, fennel, potatoes, yellow cherry tomatoes and saffron aioli

Another complete classic combination of flavours and it's simply a classic for a reason.  Utter perfection.

Passionfruit tartlet, passionfruit ice-cream, freeze dried raspberry powder and whole freeze dried raspberries

Yes apart from the raspberries all home made including the pastry.  I really REALLY love lemony, passion fruity, berry tartness in desserts and this one is a complete sweet tart crunch creamy delight.

Rabbit saddle, loin and belly flap stuffed with mushrooms served with rabbit mushroom jus

Another one out of Cut to follow the entree of liver ravioli.  I adapted this dish a little by ditching the puy lentils in favour of a simple jus with sautéed mushrooms as a sauce.  

Another absolutely gorgeous dish courtesy of Josh Emmett.  The rabbit is stuffed, tied and rolled into a cling film parcel and cooked just under simmer for about 17 minutes, finishing it off in a pan with some butter.

Yummy yummy scrummy scrummy.  Really.  As with all dishes of this nature I balance the sauce at the end with Jerez sherry vinegar, salt and sugar (a touch sometimes brings a sauce together).

Truffle oil is used here.  I am so over celebrity chefs completely dissing truffle oil (yes Bordain that's you).  We in Dubai don't have access to truffles at all.  Not possible.  Even if we did they'd be so crazily priced it would push the option out of my budget limit without a doubt. Why the heck shouldn't we feel OK about using a drop or two of truffle oil to bring that earthy truffle flavour to a dish that no other ingredient can provide?  OK so the truffle oil often contains no actual truffle.  Who cares???  

Thanks Josh for being realistic about this often derided ingredient!