Around the Table with Pamela Maudy

Images by Alyssa Selin

To mark the release of our colourful new kitchen collection, we sat down with Pamela Maudy, a French-born chef and director of MIRA, at her hinterland home in Federal, NSW. Mulling over Pamela’s work, you might find it hard to distinguish food from art - a coalescence of years spent in Parisian kitchens and a childhood touring galleries and museums at her parents’ side. This week, Pamela has taken inspiration from our new range, coloured in beloved IN BED shades, to craft two recipes from her creative kitchen: a herbaceous green risotto, brimming with spring produce and finished with a touch of MIRA - dried fenugreek for earthiness and warmth. And for dessert: religieuse, a French pastry dating back to the 19th century, filled with jasmine cream and blackberry jus. Bon appétit.

On the beginnings of MIRA...

I was born in Paris, grew up on the Sunshine Coast, and returned to France for ten years at age 20. I initially studied fashion design and business and am grateful my parents always dragged me through art galleries and museums while travelling as a child. My husband and I moved to Australia from France just after covid, after a few months cooking in Mexico. At this point I had been either managing kitchens as a head chef or cooking for fashion events in Paris through an events agency. 

I think that I had always had a desire to start my own project, and this came to fruition when we found ourselves in the Northern Rivers, with an encouraging and very creative community. Layla from Softedge Studio was my first client and collaborator on a food installation. Things naturally spawned from here, and I set up MIRA as a creative culinary studio and events company, now also managing organisational aspects of events, styling, drinks and all things related. It’s just me now on the day-to-day, but Geoffrey and I still collaborate on prop and set design, and we’re currently developing a small furniture and object range that will launch through MIRA as well.

set up MIRA as a creative culinary studio and events company, now also managing organisational aspects of events, styling, drinks and all things related.

Pamela's religieuse sit proudly atop our Dove Grey tablecloth and Lilac napkins

On where inspiration lies…

Mostly from visual art, design and architecture. I grew up surrounded by galleries thanks to my parents, and those early experiences definitely planted something. I’m drawn to movement and form, and the way something seemingly functional can carry emotion or energy.

A lot of my inspiration also comes from the brief. I usually begin with a client’s idea or a mood we’re trying to create. I’ll often sketch to start shaping the display, then build the menu around that. Sometimes the colours or forms come first, and the food follows. Other times, it’s a combination of conversations, images, or materials that push me in a direction. I’m always collecting references in my head, it’s a bit of an ongoing thread.

There’s a quiet strength in IN BED’s pieces.  They don’t overpower but instead, they invite you to layer.

I tend to build a menu or visual language around colour and surface, and the linens gave a beautiful base to start from. The lilac napkins matched well with bowls I had from Softedge Studio, and the lake blue tablecloth really helped to pop out the greens in the risotto I made. There’s a quiet strength in IN BED’s pieces.  They don’t overpower but instead, they invite you to layer. The way something feels,  its texture and weight,  plays a big role in how I think about food too. I often incorporate fabrics into my food installations; perhaps a remnant of my fashion studies and overall love of clothing! Fabric runs in the family; my grandfather and grandmother met working in the fabric section of a famous Parisian department store in the 1940s.

Our Lilac linen napkin, contrasts beautifully with our Cocoa linen sheet, draped across Pamela's sofa

On Pamela's hinterland home…

We’ve been here for just over three years now, I think! I live with my husband Geoffrey (and our two cats!). It’s a cute a-frame with lots of qualities but also some odd design features. I’m grateful for our large backyard, as it provides privacy and greenery with plenty of wildlife. Our home is calm, minimalist and holds all of our treasures from our previous lives, both together and separately in France. Though it’s not perfect, It reflects the way we work and think,  there’s always something in process. Geoffrey is often building or photographing something, I’m usually testing or preparing for an event. The kitchen is definitely the heart. It’s a quiet space that holds room for ideas to grow.

On her favourite locals...

In Byron, Bar Heather is definitely the number one for me. Ollie the chef has a refined and audacious style that reminds me of all the restaurants I loved in Paris. He does classics with the right clever twist and has a true focus on quality, local, organic produce without needing to brand it as such. I think we share the same values. For coffee, networking and socialising, I love to go to Tones in the industrial estate. It’s a calm and well designed space and the owners have become good friends. 

As most of my events are in Sydney these days, I use each trip to make sure I’m discovering new spots. For fashion I love Poepke, coffee; China Town Country Club (the light in the morning is really pleasant), Caravin for a sidewalk drink and Bar Copains or Poly for dinner. We don’t have any Chinese restaurants in Byron which is mindblowing, so I do love trying new places in Chinatown too. When I make it to Melbourne for work, my go-to is Florian!

A vibrant green risotto is served amongst our linen tablecloth in Lake and napkins in Dove Grey 

Pamela's recipe for Spring Green Risotto

Green herb coulis, asparagus and shucking peas. Serves 4. 

Ingredients

Green coulis

  • 2 leeks, green tops only

  • 1 bunch parsley, picked

  • 1 bunch dill, picked

Risotto

  • 2 shallots, finely diced

  • 240g arborio rice

  • 150g peas, shucked

  • 1 bunch asparagus, cut on a bias into 1cm pieces

  • 80g pecorino, finely grated

  • Dried fenugreek leaf, to taste

  • 1.2L water with vegetable stock dissolved

  • 150ml dry white wine

  • 80ml olive oil

  • 80g salted butter

  • 1 lemon, zested (plus juice, to taste)

Method

Green herb coulis

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

  2. Rinse the leek tops thoroughly to remove any dirt, then slice finely (approx. 0.5mm) to ensure quick cooking.

  3. Blanch the leeks until tender, around 2 minutes. You want the fibres softened but the green vibrant.

  4. Using a fine mesh strainer, transfer leeks to a blender.

  5. Blanch the herbs in the same water for around 1 minute, then add to the blender.

  6. Blend at high speed until smooth, then pass through a fine mesh strainer using the back of a ladle.

  7. Cool over ice to preserve colour. Set aside in the fridge.

  8. Rinse the pot and use it to heat the vegetable stock.

Risotto

  1. In a wide saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

  2. Sweat the diced shallots until translucent. Add fenugreek and arborio rice, stirring gently until rice becomes slightly translucent.

  3. Deglaze with white wine and let it reduce until almost dry.

  4. Begin ladling in the warm stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly.

  5. Continue this process until rice is al dente.

  6. Add asparagus and peas; cook for 2 minutes until just tender.

  7. Stir in the butter and pecorino vigorously to emulsify.

  8. Add green coulis and lemon zest, season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice to taste.

  9. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • The key to the coulis is blending while hot and chilling immediately.

  • The colour and texture of the risotto depend on building slowly — don’t rush the stock.

  • Fenugreek adds a warm aromatic note; use sparingly.

Pamela's recipe for Jasmine Cream Religieuse & Blackberry Jus 

Ingredients

Blackberry Jus

  • 1 punnet fresh blackberries

  • 80g verjus

  • 2 tsp caster sugar

Whipped Jasmine Cream

  • 15g dried jasmine flowers

  • 750ml thickened cream

  • 50g icing sugar

Choux Pastry

  • 175g water

  • 75g skim milk

  • 7g caster sugar

  • 5g fine salt

  • 150g unsalted butter

  • 150g all-purpose flour

  • 187g egg, whisked

  • 1 egg, for egg wash

Craquelin

  • 80g unsalted butter

  • 100g raw sugar

  • 100g all-purpose flour (Khorasan is a great alternative)

Method

Blackberry Jus

  1. Combine blackberries, verjus and sugar in a bowl.

  2. Marinate in the fridge. Strain before serving, reserving both fruit and liquid.

Craquelin

  1. In a food processor, blend butter and sugar, then add flour until just combined.

  2. Roll between two sheets of baking paper to 2mm thickness.

  3. Chill until firm (approx. 1 hour), then cut into 40mm discs. Keep chilled until baking.

Choux Pastry

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C (fan-forced).

  2. In a saucepan, bring water, milk, sugar, salt, and butter to a boil.

  3. Remove from heat, stir in flour. Return to low heat, stirring vigorously until the dough pulls from the sides and a light film forms on the bottom.

  4. Transfer to a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Beat until steam has dissipated.

  5. Gradually add the whisked egg, beating until the dough is smooth, glossy and pipeable.

  6. Rest dough for 10 mins. Pipe onto lined tray: equal numbers of 40mm and 50mm rounds.

  7. Smooth tops with a damp finger. Brush with egg wash.

  8. Place a craquelin disc on top of each. Bake for 30 mins.

  9. Without opening the door, ensure colour is golden brown. Once done, turn off oven and let them cool inside to dry fully. Avoid opening the door during this step — sudden changes in temperature may collapse the choux.

Whipped Jasmine Cream

  1. Infuse jasmine flowers in the cream overnight (or gently warm and steep for a faster method, then chill thoroughly).

  2. Strain and whip with icing sugar until soft peaks form. Store chilled.

To Serve

  1. Fill the choux from underneath using a piping bag and tip. Make a small “X” incision to ease the entry.

  2. Stack the smaller choux atop the larger to form a religieuse.

  3. Spoon or pour blackberry jus over or around each stack. Serve with marinated berries.

 

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