August Newsletter 2018
August 31, 2018
Sous Vide News
Welcome to our August newsletter. If you have worked in as many different restaurant kitchens as I have, you’ll start recognising various tools of trade, both big and small: from palette knives to offset icing spatulas, portable induction cookers, and even immersion circulators. For years now, many of those kitchens also used something that looks like a cross between a black squirt gun and a battery-powered hookah. It’s called a Smoking Gun, and it has a wonderful ability to elevate any dish.
So this month we have put a lot of work into compiling the best recipes, tips and tricks, chef interviews and industry news that relate to the new Breville|Commercial Smoking Gun Pro – a great addition to any kitchen!
In this issue:
Chef Talk – Interview with Rochelle Godwin of Mörk Chocolate
Product of the Month – Upgrade to the Breville|Commercial Smoking Gun Pro®
How to Make – Smoked Butter
An Aperitif with a Twist – Smokin’ Champagne Cocktail
Thanks and enjoy the read this month!
Dale and Libby Prentice
Main photo: Mörk Chocolate in North Melbourne
Chef Talk
Rochelle Godwin of Mörk Chocolate talks about the Smoking Gun Pro
By Dale Prentice
I had the great pleasure to talk with the store manager Rochelle Godwin at Mörk Chocolate about how they use the Breville|Commercial Smoking Gun Pro to create their renowned theatrical (and now BuzzFeed-famous) Campfire Hot Chocolate: a smoke-enhanced hot chocolate that you’ll smell before you see! A Smoking Gun Pro charged with Beechwood produces the smoke responsible for the campfire element of this drink: a smoke-filled stemless wine glass, served with a handmade pottery beaker of hot chocolate, volcanic salt and a blow torched marshmallow on a stick (your edible spoon). It’s mouth watering just thinking about it!
I asked Rochelle a few questions about the origins of Mörk and some of the speciality hot chocolate (or iced chocolate in summer!) drinks they have on offer at their brew house in North Melbourne, and why they switched from the Polyscience Smoking Gun to the Breville|Commercial Smoking Gun Pro…
Product Of the Month
Upgrade to the Breville | Commercial Smoking Gun Pro®
As a flexible hand-held device, the Breville|Commercial Smoking Gun Pro is super easy to use for infusion and finishing with a variety of smoky flavours and aromas including various wood chips, teas, herbs, spices, hay, and even dried flowers.
Apart from adding natural smoke flavour to meat and fish, we’ve seen chefs use it across the menu in subtle ways, like adding nuances of flavour to vegetables, cheese and butter, or adding light whispers of smoke to help deepen the flavour of desserts.
Bartenders can even take their beverages to the next level and use the Pro to smoke a glass, the booze, or an entire cocktail to create different levels of smokiness.
If you have been using the original PolyScience Smoking Gun, then the upgrade to the Breville|Commercial Smoking Gun Pro is well worth the investment. In fact, everything about the Smoking Gun Pro is so much better that chefs and bartenders who have the original version ought to seriously consider replacing it. The improvements to enhance performance, usability and longevity to withstand commercial use will certainly make everything better!
“With the old PolyScience Smoking Gun we use to have three smoking guns on rotation. We were always anxious that it would stop working in the middle of a rush, and every morning we had this arduous routine of cleaning them. The new gun from Breville|Commercial is one hundred times better. The extra power also means it is quicker to light, faster and cleaner to use.”
Rochelle Godwin of Mörk Chocolate
The Smoking Gun Pro® is available at various stockists throughout Australia. To find your closest stockist please visit our website.
How to make Smoked Butter
Smoked everything, all the time! That should be our motto. This simple recipe will add an element of surprise to corn on the cob, salmon off the grill, mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach or even fresh crusty bread. Your restaurant guests will want to know your secret!
An aperitif with a twist
Smokin’ Champagne Cocktail
Cocktails are super fashionable, elegant and chic, and we love the combination of different ingredients that go into just one drink. And this delicious aperitif has indeed a twist! By combining both theatre and flavour, you’ll be adding another dimension to this celebratory champagne cocktail.
