Will Stewart and Steve Flood Meatless Meat Interview

Will and Steve's Hot Bun From 'Fish' Bae Recipe

Ingredients
Below is in order of build, from the bottom up
80g vegan semi-brioche bun (Butler & Bentley)
40g white cabbage & caper slaw (25g white cabbage, 10g Kewpi no egg mayo, juice from wedge of lemon, pinch of lemon zest, pinch of sea salt, teaspoon capers, pinch of dill)
1x Quorn Lemon & Black Pepper Crumbed Fish Free Fillet
50g hot sauce (12g capsicum paste, 5g pomegranate molasses, 3g cayenne pepper, 3g cumin, 10g toum, 15g olive oil, 2g sea salt)
30g preserved lemon aioli (preserved lemon, Kewpi no egg mayo, garlic toum)
15g sweet & sour cucumber (Lebanese cucumber, pickling brine)
1x fried cornichon - garnish on top using a wooden skewer (baby cornichon, tempura batter)

Pickling brine:
Creates one litre
600ml water
400ml white vinegar
160g sugar
15g sea salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
10g garlic cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1x star anise

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to the boil over a high heat. Remove from the heat when it hits boiling point, sieve immediately and leave to cool. Refrigerate.
Thinly slice cucumber and combine with cold pickling brine. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Tempura batter:
45ml aquafaba (keep cold)
5g baking soda
30g rice flour (sifted)
30g corn flour (sifted)
1 cup sparking water
Ice cubes

Put the cold aquafaba into a bowl.
Place ice cubes at the bottom of a larger bowl. Rest the smaller bowl on top of the ice cubes.
Whisk the aquababa until frothy.
Add cold sparkling water, cornflour, rice flour and baking soda and whisk until smooth and runny.
Coat each cornichon in rice flour then dip in cold batter and deep fry on 180 until crisp.
Season with sea salt straight out the fryer.

Method
Method: Slaw – in a bowl, combine finely sliced white cabbage, kewpi no egg mayo, lemon juice, lemon zest, sea salt, capers and dill.
Hot sauce – in a bowl, combine capsicum paste, pomegranate molasses, cayenne pepper, cumin, toum, salted butter, olive oil, sea salt.
Preserved lemon aioli - very finely chop the preserved lemon, combine with the mayo/toum.
Cook the Lemon & Black Pepper Crumbed Fish Free Fillet as per the instructions on the packet.
Straight out the oven, toss in a bowl with 50g of hot sauce to coat.
Cut the semi brioche bun in half and grill on the insides only.
Build the burger in the order detailed above.
Serve.

Interview with Will Stewart and Steve Flood

Question: What is Quorn?

Will Stewart and Steve Flood: Quorn is a healthy and sustainable substitute for meat. Quorn products contain mycoprotein, which is a protein-rich food source. Their range of delicious products includes vegetarian and vegan versions of every day favourite meals and ingredients, including the new Vegan Gourmet Burger and Fish Free Fillets in battered and lemon and pepper crumb.


Question: What inspired you try meatless meat?

Will Stewart and Steve Flood: We are from the UK and grew up knowing Quorn products, so it has always something we already loved! There are times where we want a break from eating meat for our health, but still want the taste – so teaming up with Quorn to launch Vegan Gourmet Burgers and Fish Free Fillets was really a no brainer for us.


Question: Where you able to tell that the Quorn Vegan Gourmet Burger was meatless meat?

Will Stewart and Steve Flood: It's pretty similar, once it's cooked it and assembled in a burger, the patty is still very juicy and flavoursome!


Question: Why have you decided to embrace meatless meat?

Will Stewart: Working in hospitality and restaurants over the past few years, I've seen real shift in demand for meat free options. This has required plenty of innovative approaches to designing a well-balanced menu. The development sessions got me thinking far more about the alternatives to meat which is why I started looking at meatless meat. From an environmental sustainability perspective and with population growth tracking how it is, humans need to be looking at sources of protein that reduce the impact upon the environment. Not only can that, eating too much meat cause detrimental effects to the gut.

Question: How can we start using meatless meat, at home?

Will Stewart: With the new Quorn offerings, eating meatless meat at home couldn't be easier. We've created a couple of funky little recipes to showcase how delicious the products can be. My advice would be to give it a crack, you won't look back.


Question: Can you share your top tips for cooking and eating meat free?

Will Stewart: Tips for eating meat free would be looking at innovative products like Quorn, as a substitute. When you do buy meat, buy good quality meat, in smaller quantities that you can really enjoy once or twice a week. You'll really notice the difference in quality. Then you can start to use the incredible meat free offerings available, making sure that you play around with flavours that can accompany it. For example, cook your broccolini on the barbecue grill and serve with toasted nuts and seeds with a sweet tahini. It's all about variety. Question: How can we make all our home c


ooked meals healthier?

Will Stewart: Home cooked meals can and should be healthy (don't think for one second I don't eat lots of butter and cheese!) and it's not hard to do so. With the Quorn Vegan Gourmet Burger and Fish Free Fillets, you're getting plenty of protein, low fat and cholesterol. Again, plenty of fruit and veg in goes a long way to supporting a healthy diet. I also can't emphasise enough time the need to reduce refined sugar. By doing so, not only will you be healthier but your palette will change for the better.


Question: What five ingredients could you not live without, in your kitchen?

Will Stewart: Olive Oil, Maldon Salt, Sichuan Pepper, garlic and brown onion.


Question: What's next, for you?

Will Stewart: Next stop for us is the second of three restaurant openings at Green Square in Zetland, then overseas to London to the O2 arena for the fourth Butcher and the Farmer.

The Ultimate Burger Battle

Top chefs Nelly Robinson (Nel.), Will Stewart and Steve Flood (The Butcher and Farmer and My Kitchen Rules), have teamed up in Australia's first-ever vegan burger battle to launch three delicious new Quorn products – the Vegan Gourmet Burger, Lemon & Black Pepper Crumbed Fish Free Fillets and Battered Fish Free Fillets.

The trio have developed recipes featuring the new Quorn products to demonstrate that going meat free is easier and more delicious than ever.

The latest innovations from Quorn include the Vegan Gourmet Burger – a burger experience that boasts a thick cut with a quarter-pounder taste with no compromise on look, taste and texture, and Quorn Fish-Free Fillets – a healthy and sustainable take on the Aussie classic of fish and chips.

The number of Australian adults adopting a flexitarian or vegetarian diet are steadily increasing, with the latest figures showing that 2.1 million, or 11.2% of the population1 follow an all or mostly all vegetarian diet.

Like many others, Nelly, Will and Steve have become more conscious of how much meat they are consuming, and are working to reduce their intake while inspiring others to do the same. As chefs, taste is a priority, and the vegan recipes show that going meat free can be full of flavour and excitement.

Nelly says, "Growing up in the UK I've been a fan of Quorn since I was young – in fact, when I was a kid I couldn't even tell the difference between Quorn and real meat! The new innovations just keep getting better, and I'm excited for people to try the new Vegan Gourmet Burger and Fish-Free Fillets. The salt and vinegar batter on the fish brings back memories of pub fish and chips back home and that real fish texture has really been captured in the new Fish-Free Fillets.

"My vegan chipotle burger recipe contains just the right amount of spice and enhances the meat taste and texture of the burger. I've also done a Mexican-inspired fish burger with the jalapeño and tomato salsa, and I know people will love the addition of onion rings –my all-time favourite burger topping!"

Will and Steve say, "We are aware there is a need for all of us to live a more sustainable life, and one way to do this is through reducing our meat intake. Whether you're looking to go meat-free for environmental or health reasons, the Quorn Vegan Gourmet Burger and Fish-Free Fillets are great alternatives that also tastes delicious.

"Our Hot Bun From 'Fish' Bae recipe is the perfect combination of fresh crunch and decadent sauce, with a capsicum and cayenne pepper based hot sauce and lemon aioli. The Bae-con Double-Dip Cheese 'Burger' is great for people wanting to go meat-free without compromising on the meat taste and texture of a burger."

Gill Riley, Marketing Director for Quorn International, says: "The launch of our Vegan Gourmet Burger and Fish Free Fillets is another way that Quorn is leading the way in both innovative and delicious meat alternatives. The new products are a breakthrough with incredible taste and texture, that have been five years in the making.

"We're excited to partner with Nelly Robinson, Will Stewart and Steve Flood for the launch of the new products. We're passionate about showing people that a meat free diet can be full of flavour and excitement, and we hope the chef's recipes inspire people to try to incorporate meat free meals in their diets.

With two delicious varieties, Crumbed Fish Free Fillets with a lemon and black pepper crumb and Battered Fish Free Fillets with a salt and vinegar flavoured batter, Quorn Fish-Free Fillets are a delicious, sustainable and healthy fish alternative. Low in saturated fat, this breakthrough innovation means that for the first time ever people can now enjoy a Quorn version of the Aussie summer classic, fish and chips.

Found in the freezer section of the supermarket, Quorn's Lemon & Black Pepper Crumbed Fish Free Fillets, Battered Fish Free Fillets and Vegan Gourmet Burgers are available in Coles stores nationwide.
RRP is $7.00 per pack.
Visit www.quorn.com.au or @QuornAustralia on Facebook, and @quorn_au on Instagram.

Interview by Brooke Hunter