To celebrate the gift of learning, chef Kane Pollard has reinvented the seminal recipes he was taught as an apprentice. The basics of this particular recipe have stayed with Kane over many years as he’s grown into a head chef, and he is now sharing his reimagined take on carpaccio to spark a love of creative cooking in others.

Recipe Kane Pollard | Styling Natalie Homan | Photography Brendan Homan

Beetroot carpaccio with shallot sour cream
serves 6

for shallot sour cream
300ml cream
30ml live yoghurt
2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
cracked pepper and salt

Mix cream and yoghurt together thoroughly. Place in a sterilised, sealed jar and hold at 40 degrees overnight without moving it. Place jar in fridge and allow to chill. Place sour cream and diced shallots in a small mixing bowl. Mix together with a spoon and season to taste. Lots of cracked pepper works well in this dish.

for beetroot
4 beetroots, tops off and washed well
50ml sticky balsamic vinegar
50ml olive oil
1 tablespoon of salt
50ml water
rocket or leaves of choice to garnish

Line a tray with a layer of foil, topped with a slightly smaller layer of baking paper. Place all ingredients in the centre, and wrap up tightly so steam doesn’t escape. Roast at 180C for 1 hour until tender. Unwrap, drop the heat to 140C and continue to cook for another hour to intensify the flavour. Chill in the fridge, retaining the roasting juices. Slice into half centimetre rounds and set aside.

To serve, on a plate, dollop shallot sour cream in a mound in the centre. Use back of a spoon to push shallot sour cream out from centre to create a large well in the middle and a curved wall of sour cream on the outside. Arrange beetroot slices in well, dress with the pan-roasting juices and garnish with rocket.

 

This recipe first appeared in the August 2023 issue of SALIFE magazine.