Masterchef - Philippa Sibley-cooke, Ondine
The Age
Tuesday August 20, 2002
Sure, the co-head chef at flash city restaurant Ondine can turn out intricate, classically based desserts with the best of them. A mousse of Valrhona's Pur Caraibe and a cognac parfait glace here, a vacherin of poached rhubarb with yoghurt sorbet there. But for the restaurant's lunchtime menu, Philippa Sibley-Cooke likes to keep things simple. A creme brulee, say, or the perennial fave for winter, apple and rhubarb crumble. Maybe it's the addition of gingernut biscuits to the topping, or maybe it's because it's made by a master, but the crumble is a ripper, as legions of lunchers will attest. "It rocks out the door," says Sibley-Cooke.
Apple and rhubarb crumble
Serves 8
Topping
175g plain flour
100g sugar
125g butter
100g gingernut biscuits
? tsp ground cinnamon
? tsp ginger powder
Fruit
500g granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
250g rhubarb (peeled)
300g sugar
method
• For the crumble topping, place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
• For the fruit, place the apples in a pan with 100g of the sugar and cook until slightly brown down but not pureed. Cut the rhubarb into 2cm lengths and cook with remaining 200g sugar until tender (don't overcook or it will be mushy).
• Mix the two fruits together, divide into individual serving dishes or one large dish. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit and heat in a moderate oven until the topping begins to colour. Serve with vanilla icecream or cream.
© 2002 The Age