In Memory of Bill Granger
Bill Granger, famous Australian cook and restaurateur, died peacefully in London on Christmas Day 2023 at the age of 54, far too young. His wife, Natalie Elliott, and three daughters, Edie, Ines and Bunny were at his bedside.
A very devoted husband and father, he was also much loved by all of us who had the pleasure of working with him.
Image Credit: Mikkel Vang/mikkelvang.com
I was so shocked and saddened to hear of Bills recent passing.
It's such a loss to the world, he made us all so happy with his restaurant concepts and inspirational cook books.
I worked with Bill for many years as his right-hand man and Global Creative Chef. We travelled the world opening restaurants in iconic locations such as Sydney, London, Seoul, throughout Japan and Hawaii…
It was so rewarding to hone and refine all our ideas from travelling, and realise them on a plate at one of his global restaurant locations.
We also collaborated closely on the bold flavours and recipes for his celebrated cook books - Bills Italian Food and Bills Everyday Asia - with the talented Mikkel Vang shooting, myself cooking, and everyone else doing the hard work! We had the fun part.
There were also restaurant and other promotional shoots with Petrina Tinslay, and many happy memories of working with the entire team at Bill’s HQ, his home in Notting Hill, London.
I feel awfully sad for Nat and the girls he left behind..
And so in memory of Bill, a visionary, talented, genuine soul, here are three Bill Granger classic recipes in tribute..
Julian x
Bill’s Ricotta Hotcakes with Honeycomb Butter
To ensure your hotcakes are deliciously fluffy, it’s really important to choose the right flour and prepare it properly. I use soft cake flour and I always double sift both the flour and baking powder. Prioritise the quality of your ricotta. Ricotta is the key ingredient in Bill’s hotcakes, so choosing the best you can find will really enhance the flavour of the dish. I like to use Westcombe ricotta from Somerset. Although you won’t necessarily be able to taste the cheese flavour of the ricotta in your pancakes, it will add an extra sweetness and is also key to their soft texture.
Ingredients
For the honeycomb:
Light-flavoured Oil for greasing 150g Caster Sugar 75g Golden Syrup 1 1/2 tsp of Bicarbonate of Soda
For the honeycomb butter:
250g Unsalted Butter, softened 2 tbsp Runny Honey 90g Honeycomb, above recipe or shop-bought, crushed
For the hotcakes:
300g Ricotta 175ml Milk 4 Eggs, separated 125g Plain Flour 1 tsp Baking Powder 50g Butter
To serve:
Icing Sugar 1 Banana, halved and sliced lengthways
Method
To make the honeycomb:
Lightly oil a 20cm cake tin. Place the sugar and syrup in a heavy-based pan over medium-low heat.
Swirl the pan to dissolve the sugar, then stir with a spatula until dissolved – this might take 10-15 minutes, so be patient and do not let the mixture bubble at this stage.
Turn up the heat, use a sugar thermometer if you have one, and heat the mixture to 155°C or until a dark amber caramel.
Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the bicarbonate of soda until golden and foamy. Be careful not to overstir: you want to retain as much air in the mixture as possible.
Carefully pour into the tin. Leave to harden and cool for 90 minutes. Break into chunks and crush with a rolling pin.
To make the honeycomb butter:
Blend the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Roll into a log, wrap in greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
To make the hotcakes:
Mix together the ricotta, milk and egg yolks.
Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into another bowl. Add the ricotta mixture and stir to combine.
Beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter in two batches with a large metal spoon.
Melt a little butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Add 2 tablespoons of batter per hotcake, cooking in batches.
Cook over low-medium heat for 2 minutes, or until golden underneath. Turn and cook the other side until golden and cooked through.
Serve dusted with icing sugar, with the sliced banana and honeycomb butter.
BILL GRANGER’S PAVLOVA
Blood Orange and Rose Pavlova.
This is another Bill Granger classic. I've made mine with blood oranges but you can use almost any fruit - strawberries, raspberries, mango and passion fruit all work well too!
INGREDIENTS
6 Egg Whites 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 225g Caster Sugar 80g Soft Brown Sugar 1 tsp Cornflour 2 tbsp Arrowroot Rose Water 2 tsp Willys Apple Cider Vinegar
To serve
300ml Cream 150g Greek Yoghurt 500g Blood Oranges, peeled and sliced 3-4 mm 1–2 tbsp Honey Chopped Pistachio
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, vanilla and 3 drops of rose water from a pipette until stiff peaks form. Adding the caster sugar and brown sugar slowly.
Halfway through add the arrowroot, corn flour, and apple cider vinegar.
Continue whisking the egg whites, adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until all the sugar is incorporated and dissolved and the mixture is thick and glossy and forms lovely soft peaks.
Using a large kitchen spoon, scoop out a portion of the whipped whites.
I like them to be free form so just with a quick flick of the wrist, dollop the meringue mix sideways of the spoon.
Place in the oven and reduce the temperature immediately to 120°C. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven, prop the door ajar and leave the pavlova inside until completely cooled.
Lightly whip the cream and yoghurt together and using a table spoon, pop a tablespoon of the mix onto the cool meringue.
Toss the sliced blood orange in the honey and arrange over the top of each pavlova. Sprinkle with a handful of chopped pistachio and serve.
BILL GRANGER’S CRAB AND CHILLI LINGUINE
Seafood pasta is always a summer classic, but it’s so hard to find a good fish let alone unpasteurised crab meat! This hearty version with crisp garlicky breadcrumbs suit chillier weather perfectly. This is my second favourite recipe of Bills..
INGREDIENTS
500g Cherry Tomatoes, halved 4 tbsp Olive Oil, plus extra to drizzle 1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes 3 Garlic Cloves, roughly chopped 400g Linguine Pasta 50g day old Sourdough Bread, whizzed into breadcrumbs in a food processor
300g fresh Unpasteurised White Crab Meat Handful flat-leaf parsley leaves
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4.
Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up in a single layer in a roasting tin. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and scatter with the chilli and half the garlic. Season lightly with salt. Cook for 30 minutes until roasted and sticky.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water, according to packet instructions, until al dente. Drain, reserving 300 ml pasta water. While the pasta cooks, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and remaining garlic and fry, stirring, until golden and crisp. Set aside.
Return the pan in which you cooked the breadcrumbs to a high heat and tip in the drained spaghetti, pasta water, roasted tomatoes, crab and parsley.
Toss until well combined, fold through the breadcrumbs and some extra olive oil and serve…