Lauraine’s blog
1 January 2011
It’s the last day of the year. A chance to think about the good stuff and the best meals I enjoyed outside New Zealand. Here are the highlights in no particular order. Pic is the condiments at Helen Darroze in Paris.
The Food Carts of Portland, Oregon. What a responsible and sympathetic city council that licences immigrants and young cooks to cook the delicious treats of their homelands and imaginations and serve them from carts placed in parking lots and unused building sites around the city. The best I tried? Ziba’s Pitas; unlike anything that is ever served as ‘pita’ here in NZ. Tasty spiced meat or vegetarian with fresh cheese in a soft flaky warmed bread pocket.
Two San Francisco restaurants not to miss. Flour and Water, and La Mar. Flour and Water, despite the long queues, is worth the effort to get there. Fabulous fresh seasonal food served with a casual style that is delightfully refreshing in a world of tortured food. Everything we ate, we had spotted at the farmers market at the Ferry Plaza that very day. And La Mar, on the SF waterfront introduced me to Peruvian cuisine; causas, empanadas, ceviches and to top it all, Pisco Sours. Brassy, bright and happy.
Quay’s breathtaking views almost out-muscles the breathtaking food at this amazing restaurant on Sydney’s Circular Quay. Eat your heart out Melbourne! Peter Gilmore made it into the World’s Top 50 and so deserves it for his imaginative, stylish food that is oh-so-beautifully presented. The dessert with wild raspberries, sorbet and cream- in- the-jelly sphere was the best I ate all year.
Berowra Waters Inn, with Dietmar Sawyere at the helm we found the most perfect place in the world to go for lunch. Fly in a seaplane from Rose Bay or drive the ridiculously crowded highway to the upper reaches of Sydney’s Pittwater to this hideaway. Fabulous service, fabulous setting, fabulous food. The oyster beignets with vichyssoise have to be the best entrée I was served at a restaurant in 2010.
CSA & OOOBY. Community Supported Agriculture. I really admire the concept and delivery I saw in San Francisco and Portland of the weekly food box filled with fresh produce grown by a local farmer. Participants pay up in advance and the farmer can grow his crops, safe in the knowledge they will be enjoyed and consumed by an appreciative audience. (Also loved the OOOOBY initiative in New Zealand!)
The fishy restaurant tour I took of England’s South West. Lunch at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant, even better (yes) fish and chips at the Porthminster Café in St Ives, Mark Hix’ Oyster and Fish Shack at Lyme Regis, and Michael Caines’ careful cooking at the Abode Hotel in Exeter with freshly smoked haddock and a poached egg for breakfast following on from amazing red mullet for the previous night’s dinner. Seafood is alive and kicking in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.
Back in London, highlights were the luxurious and centrally sited Langham Hotel (don’t miss the elegant cocktail lounge or the High Tea), JJ Sheekeys comforting fish pie, anything at Ottolenghi in Upper St Islington, and as ever the dazzingly fresh fish, Japanese style cooked by kiwi boy, Nic Watt’s, team at Roka. Still the best restaurant on the world.
Britain’s adherence to freshly produced sustainable food extends right down the food chain to fast food outlets like Leon, Prêt A Manger and Eat. Truly admirable and a huge lesson for New Zealand where we seem to just coast along on our supposed green and clean image.
Ballymaloe House, and Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry, Ireland. The wonderfully warm family led hospitality, the magnificent gardens and farm for the school, the Sunday night buffet presided over by Myrtle Allen and the sheer energy of Darina Allen are unforgettable.
Helene Darroze, Paris. A female chef with a comfortable two starred restaurant serving delicious south-western cooking. The trolley, complete with state of the art slicing machine delivered the most mouthwatering dried ham from the southwest to our tale as a gift to start a feast that was truly memorable.
Brasserie Bofinger near the Bastille in Paris for a surprise birthday for a dear friend. It may not be cutting edge food, but the service and atmosphere of those old belle époque brasseries of Paris is not to be missed. And my lobster with a large pile of crunchy French beans was a real treat.
Food in Hong Kong. China’s National Day with fireworks and a feast to remember at Hutong on the 47th floor overlooking the Harbour. A degustation dinner at the ritzy flagship restaurant in The Langham in Kowloon. The bustle of the gigantic shopping centre and endless food halls at Langham Place in Mongkok. And the noodle bar in the Cathay business class lounge is a pretty smart idea for weary travellers.
28 December 2010
In recent weeks we’ve seen that to make a cook book a best seller, the author probably needs to be on TV and plaster the cover of the book with their very recognisable face. Jamie, Rick, Nigella and now our own Annabel have done exactly that with stunning results. But that’s left a large number of very good books sitting on the shelves when they should be in our kitchens, propped on the bench as we cook from them. So here’s a few of my recent acquisitions that I am loving cooking from.
- Saraban by Greg and Lucy Malouf (Hardie Grant)
I have been a long term fan of Greg Malouf’s spicy Middle Eastern cuisine since he did a guest chef star stint at Soul Bar. I already have a reservation to eat at his Melbourne Momo restaurant when I am over there in March for Masterclass. So this gorgeous book which is the tale, with recipes of Malouf’s journey through ancient Persia and modern Iran has already become a favourite of mine. I love the use of saffron, of rice, the fragrant herbs and the array of vegetables that bring inspiration to my table. And above all I get to take a peek through this wonderful chef’s eyes, at a land I will probably never get to visit. The photography is stunning.
- Curry Easy by Madhur Jaffrey (Random House)
If there’s a more elegant cook than the fascinating and stylish Madhur Jaffrey on this planet I would be amazed. Born in India and first and foremost known for her acting ability, Madhur has documented the cuisines of India in her books and BBC television shows. (And she’s coming to Auckland for the Writer’s festival in May.) Her newest book Curry Easy is a superb collection of recipes made easily, yet without the slightest ‘dumbing down.’ What she has done is make the curries more approachable with a smaller array of spices, so this is a book to motivate any cook to produce curries from the entire Indian subcontinent with ease and style.
- ‘The Cook’s Herb Garden’ and ‘The Cook’s Salad Garden’ – both revisited and extensively rewritten by sisters Mary Browne, Helen Leach and Nancy Tichborne (Craig Potton)
Three talented South Island sisters have spent hours working on revamping their lovely garden books. With useful notes and stories on how to grow, harvest and cook all the plants (and more) that are possible to nurture in a New Zealand garden, this pair of well produced books are a must in a country where almost 60% of the population is now making some effort to grow their own veggies and herbs. A delight to have in my kitchen.
- The New Zealand Vegetable Cookbook by Lauraine Jacobs, Ginny Grant & Kathy Paterson (Random House)
No apologies for recommending my own books! Kathy, Ginny and I worked hard to put this book together and had a lot of fun along the way. It seems there haven’t been many definitive veggie cook books since the days of Digby Law in the 70’s and early 80’s when cream and butter ruled, and olive oil was bought at the chemist, so this is a new take on our diet, We have put together some stunningly simple ideas to jazz up the veggies on our plates. And it's all arranged seasonally so there’s no excuse for not eating the food that is in abundance when it is fresh from the soil.
- Comfort; Food for Sharing. Recipes from the New Zealand Guild of Food Writers (Random House)
In November this fabulously useful book almost slipped under the radar when it was published. The generous food writers of NZ shared their favourite recipes, all written with friends in mind, who might need a little tender loving care. It’s all food that is easily transported and can be prepared a head for a friend or family in need. But it doesn’t stop there, as these are such good recipes they will quickly become favourites for your own family. And the entire royalties are being donated to the Starship Children’s Hospital Foundation. That’s reason enough to buy this excellent book.
19 December 2010
I have just spent three days hosting Darina Allen, one of the world’s true good food gurus. Darina probably needs no introduction as she’s on TV on the food channel, in our bookshops with a long list of super books, is a hard working ambassador and champion of Irish food, a dedicated leader of Slow Food and Terra Madre, and principal of the Ballymaloe Cookery School which she runs with her husband Tim in Shanagarry, County Cork. She’s also a concerned and loving mother to four adult children who are all married and all live within 15 minutes of her home, and who have so far provided Tim and Darina with seven grandchildren (the next is on the way.)
We had visited the Allens at Ballymaloe in September this year, and so had a privileged insight into their life’s work which is truly commendable (see my previous blog about our experience there, posted on 19 October.) But it was an equally good experience to move about Auckland and see the city’s food scene through Darina’s eyes. ‘Passionate’ is an overworked word, but this Irish cook is utterly passionate about organically raised food, about artisan farmers’ products, farmers markets and traditional cookery.
Her most recent book is “Forgotten Skills of Cooking; the Time-Honoured Ways are Best – over 700 Recipes Show You Why” and that title tells it all. Everything is in there that a cook should know, from traditional rice pudding, roasts and cured meats to recipes with modern twists such as crispy chicken livers with lime that I am going to have for supper tonight. But it’s the amazing extent of very helpful notes and explanations that make this book stand out above everything else I have read recently.
Darina spoke about her book, her passions and her life at Ponsonby cookbook store, Cook the Books on Thursday night and it was sad for the 30 or so people who were on the waiting list who missed out. About 60 fans (one had even driven from Whanganui) and cooks crammed into the store, sipped on Vidals wine and enjoyed treats prepared from Darina’s recipes by store owner Felicity O’Driscoll. Everyone fell in love with Darina and her passion for good food, and the store sold out of her Forgotten Skills book and several others.
I took Darina to our local New World supermarket and was impressed how quickly she managed to drill into the shelves, spotting and commenting on the many artisan products there. (Thank goodness New World Remuera ’s owner, Adrian Barkla stocks such a diverse range.) By the time we got to the check out, a simple trip to buy milk, lamb and sausages had turned into a major shopping expedition and we had local cheeses, three sorts of local organic yogurt, plenty of fruit including fresh seasonal apricots, butter and more. But all were products I was proud to see she’d spotted as good local high quality food.
We also visited two markets; the Parnell Trust farmers’ market in Parnell Rd, and the La Cigale French market. It’s slow going with Darina, as she stops and talks to all the farmers, tastes their products and makes notes everywhere. She loved everything, especially the Cathedral Cove macadamias and was delighted to meet Sue Pilkington, the leader of the local Slow Food convivium who with her son Hamish sells these Coromandel grown nuts at La Cigale. Once again we returned with bulging bags of produce Darina could not resist, despite the Allens leaving after our lunch later that day for their holiday trip around New Zealand.
We ate several meals at home, and Darina willingly helped with the preparation. She stewed apricots, adding masses and masses of sugar until they became almost jammy. She and Tim both loved the moist chewy Bavarian style rye bread we buy from Diehls bakery on Auckland’s North Shore, lovingly slathering every slice thickly with New Zealand butter. We enjoyed tiny spring lamb chops cooked on the barbecue one evening with friends (I was going to buy racks of lamb, but Darina insisted we choose the mid-loin chops with their even coating of fat – she was right, they were delicious.) And she found cream in the fridge and was quite amazed when I handed her my trusty old Swift Whip rotary beater to make whipped cream to pile onto dessert, in an eighth of the time it would have taken with the whisk she had reached for.
And as she set the table for our meals, she insisted on sea salt to sprinkle on everything. (She’d brought Maldon salt in her luggage but loved the New Zealand flaky salt from Marlborough.) The next two weeks will see Darina and Tim travelling around Central Otago (and hopefully visiting Milford weather permitting), Mt Cook, Christchurch, Hawkes Bay for the Farmers' market on Boxing Day and then travelling in a campervan through Northland which will include a return to Matakana Farmers’ Market which Darina was so impressed with on a visit four years ago that she vowed to return to again.
My husband, Murray was more than impressed with her energy and passion and told me last night he knows the secret of Darina’s success in the culinary world. “What’s that?” I asked. “Salt, sugar and butter,” he replied. He’s right about that of course, and it occurred to me that those ingredients are part of the forgotten skills of cookery in this modern age where fast and furious has tended to dominate the slow, the tasty and the seasonal food that should be at the heart of the food we all prepare. Enjoy New Zealand Darina, as we enjoy your fabulous passion!
Pic; Darina Allen at the Cook the Books store.
16 December 2010
Delicious hapuku as cooked by Vaughan Mabee. See story below.
16 December 2010
Vaughan Mabee started his culinary journey in the kitchens of Cin Cin on Quay, in the historic Auckland Ferry Building. From that start (a place where many young Kiwi chefs have begun) he has risen to the top, just like cream, to cook most recently at the restaurant currently rated Number One in the world’s list of Top Restaurants, Noma, in Copenhagen.
Vaughan's early CV lists his head chef position at the ridiculously young age of 21 at the now disappeared Praxis in Auckland where he experimented with unique New Zealand ingredients mixed up with classic European cuisine. That didn't last long, so he found a position at Killarney St on Auckland's North Shore before heading off to the USA.
Near San Diego, the ritzy La Valencia Hotel stands in a prime position overlooking the La Jolla coastline. In this lovely Californian Mission-style hotel Vaughan became Executive Chef of the flagship restaurant, The Sky Room. This is where he admits he finally found his true passion for modern cooking and produced meals that wowed the locals from far and wide.
His next career step, to Europe, truly took him near the top, for he won a position heading up the "workshop" for Martin Berasategui's eponymous and cutting edge restaurant in San Sebastien in northern Spain. Vaughan was now in the thick of the experimental and avant garde cooking that has seen Spain lead the charge of modern food. He worked on developing menu ideas and recipes for Berasategui, who consistently scores top ratings in Michelin, the World’s Top 50, and everything that matters in the restaurant world.
From there it was short European hop to Noma. Rene Redzepi has had much written about him and has been instrumental in taking a new turn with his very modern food. He's moved from the experimental, almost- scientific style of food, to ensuring his diners experience the true tastes of fresh pristine produce. What appears simple may be quite complex but is always very delicious. A perfect place for a Kiwi with Vaughan's experience and enthusiasm to work. Lucky man!
Few New Zealanders will be lucky enough to ever taste this style of cuisine, so I was really privileged to be invited to lunch on the Island Passage, a small luxury catamaran cruiser. Vaughan is currently working the southern summer in the ship’s galley, pampering up to twenty guests on cruises in the South Pacific and around the New Zealand Coast this season. He cooked a four course light luncheon for five of us that was superbly styled, utterly delicious and a showcase of everything he loves about his home country.
To start, tiny pieces of pristinely fresh kingfish were served, topped with “scales” which proved to be the most delicately sliced grapes, and garnished with baby watercress, a wafer made from sago that had been cooked, then deep fried and was a playful take on Chinese-style prawn crackers. To finish the dish Vaughan had made a jus of mussel juices which had amazing depth of flavour.
My favourite course was the main, two nuggets of butter poached flaky fresh hapuku nestling into a bed of caviar lentils and cauliflower puree, topped with charcoal dust and bathed in the most divine seafood bisque style sauce that had everyone literally licking their plates. (See the pic above.)For dessert Vaughan had delved into his childhood memories of New Zealand fruit and created a trio of ices; frozen tamarillo granita, feijoa sorbet and olive oil ice cream. This was all food that was light, intriguing and left me wanting another spoonful or two each course. Fabulous!
As I walked off the little ship, I pondered just why so many of our chefs go overseas, (well that’s obvious when they can get experience like Vaughan has had) but then so few return. I can think of many top rated New Zealand born and trained chefs who now reside and cook at the top of their game in Sydney, London, Melbourne, New York, Bali and many more places. Our loss is the world’s gain.
Pic: Vaughan Mabee in the galley of the Island Passage.
1 December 2010
Red Velvet cupcakes by Antony Kapeli Sua, Year 10 Student, Papakura High School. See my story below.
1 December 2010
In the age of food-is-a-competition as seen on television every night, it was a great relief for me to be involved in a competition that was not staged nor hyped and psyched, and where emerging cooking skills were displayed and rewarded. And these cooks were all 14 years of age.
I had the privilege of being head judge at the Chelsea School Bakeoff yesterday. Five finalists, from the five geographic regions of Auckland City came together in the Technology Suite at Botany Downs Secondary School. Their purpose was to bake and decorate cupcakes in an hour and a half. My purpose, along with two other judges, Monique Farrell from Chelsea sugar, and Brett McGregor of Masterchef fame, was to select a winner from the five talented bakers.
They were amazingly self-assured, and had all obviously practised and honed their skills in both their home kitchens and at their schools. The finalists and their cakes:
- Jaimee Harris from Avondale College whose theme was Alice in Wonderland, and produced an exquisite set of cakes that looked utterly professional and tasted delicious.
- Larissa Curry from Sancta Maria College with dainty little cupcakes that included the pink Breast Cancer logo, in remembrance of her grandmother who has recently passed away.
- Christine Love from Onehunga High School with some really luscious white chocolate and fresh raspberry cupcakes decorated with white chocolate curls.
- Peter Witton from Northcote College whose cakes looked so professional they could have been in any smart cake shop.
- And the winner, Antony Kapeli Sua from Papakura High School, who showed flair, innovation and skill beyond his years with his beautifully light Red Velvet cupcakes decorated with a creamy meringue based icing.
It is really heartening to see the future generation attacking the task with enthusiasm, confidence and flair. I know some of these kids, who have already acquired a terrific set of skills, will go to find career paths in the culinary industry, and I hope that next year all New Zealand kids get a similar chance to display their love of baking and cooking.
26 November 2010
Martin Bosley
$90 rrp - Published by Godwit
I was honoured to be asked to review this book for the prestigious Beattie's Book Blog. Here's my review.
"There would be no argument with placing Martin Bosley amongst the very top of the list of innovative and accomplished New Zealand chefs. Like all real stars of the kitchen it has taken years of hard slog to claim his niche position as the leading restaurant chef of the Wellington culinary scene. He inspires many cooks and professionals throughout the country and overseas with his regular writing in various magazines.
So it’s no surprise that his new cookbook, eponymously named ‘Martin Bosley’, as is his waterfront restaurant, is a magnificent volume that has been produced with style and elegance. It’s a handsome book to drool over, bound in a stark white hard cover that seems like an empty canvas belying the luscious food within. Jane Ussher’s crystal clear photography breaks new ground for cookbooks (how hard could it be to shoot 19 different tartares and make them all look as fresh as the dew at dawn?) with the food so graphic that a child would probably want to pick it up from the page.
Bosley’s text is illuminating and gives us real insights into the innovation, passion and depths of flavour that emanate from his kitchen. He’s generous too. He has written about his staff, past and present, his suppliers, and his mates who have supported him through the years on his path to the top. His stories of his days of the much loved and lamented Brasserie Flipp are particularly poignant and his honesty is heart-warming as he describes himself as a rather angry and arrogant young chef of the time.
The food ranges from the more bistro-style recipes that were the menu favourites at Flipp, through to cocktails, amuse-bouches, the afore-mentioned tartares, main courses and desserts he now serves at his restaurant perched above the Port Nicholson Yacht Club. It’s all food that any chef would envy, and it will be appreciated by diners who wish to ponder over their meals long after they leave the restaurant. It is however really sophisticated cuisine, and I can imagine that an accomplished home cook would still take hours to prepare many of his dishes. It’s dramatic fare, with streaks, strikes, and strokes of flavour audaciously embellishing the plate.
That said, a cook could break the recipes down, for all the components of the dishes served at Martin Bosley are given their own little recipe within the recipe. Some will not work without the specialist equipment and the skilled staff that are required to produce this truly avant-garde restaurant food, but there’s still plenty of tempting stuff that even I may try if I can find fish fresh enough, or am presented with truffles, caviar or lamb’s tongues.
And my favourite part of the book? The utterly stunning full page portraits of everyone connected with the restaurant. They are amazing!"
22 November 2010
I am starting to think about Christmas and have decided that this year I am going to dig out some of the favourite recipes I created in my years at Cuisine. I have posted my absolute favourites on the RECIPE section of this website and you can scroll back down to find turkey, ham, salmon , lots of seafood, cocktails, Christmas vegies and of course the recipe for our family Christmas cake.
If you want to download the recipes to your own computer it is easy.
Go to www.myrecipebook.co.nz - It's easy to join up and then you keep these recipes for ever!
19 November 2010
When I travel, the food is paramount. I have been intrigued by food for longer than I care to remember, and believe the exploration of another country, its culture, history and even the geography can be carried out through the food. I get quite cross about the way New Zealand is promoted, with endless pictures of pristine landscapes, photos of idiots bungy jumping and seeking vicarious thrills, and completely overlooking the amazing food and wine experiences that most visitors rave about when they’re here.
So I have to hand a heart felt accolade to the Malaysian trade and tourism offices for their new initiative to publicise Malaysia. Some clever strategists within their organisations realised that there were excellent Malaysian restaurants in England, New York and New Zealand where diners could enjoy authentic Malaysian food. And so they have harnessed these restaurateurs in a sassy programme, the Malaysian Kitchen. The idea is that diners will eat in Malaysian restaurants, develop a taste for this deliciously different cuisine and hopefully think about visiting Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Kuching, Penang, Langkawi and many other of the other interesting destinations in Malaysia.
Last night the Malaysian Kitchen initiative was launched by the Malaysian High Commissioner, Dat’Hasnudin Hamzah at the Taste Auckland food festival that is running over the coming weekend at Victoria Park. This weekend visitors to the festival can watch cooking demonstrations, taste dishes prepared by chefs from Auckland’s Malaysian restaurants and enjoy cultural shows in the Malaysian Kitchen marquee.
Malaysian food is a delicious experience. The cuisine is a meld of Indian, Chinese and Malay dishes and features curries, noodle dishes, sambals, satays, laksas and much more. It is subtly spiced, fresh and always delivered to the table the minute it is cooked so the fragrant aromas are enticing and appetising. And for those who are a little shy about spice, the sauces and sambals can be added to taste so that the food is not searingly hot unless you like it like that.
Above you can see a pic of Chef Nicky from Tastes of Malaysia restaurant in Panmure cooking up a storm for Breakfast TV (and for my breakfast; char kuey teow - delicious fried rice noodles ) this morning. Nicky and others will be bringing a taste of the Malaysian Kitchen this weekend and through out the coming year to diners seeking culinary adventures. Sounds far better than bungy jumping to me!