Lauraine’s blog
1 April 2011
Even the most ardent Reublican would find it hard to resist the incredible Tea Royale being served throughout April in honour of the marriage of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton. I wore my tiara to the launch of this special event this week.
The Langham Hotel almost invented Afternoon Tea in their superb classical London property, back in 1865, so they really know their stuff. I can't even begin to describe the savoury trolley, but the highlights for me were the little Yorkshire pudds with rare roasted beef and horseradish cream, and the most sublime prawn and spring onion sandwiches.
The cake stand with all the sweet treats (eight of them, including a peppermint jelly on chocolate crunch) is pictured above and speaks for itself. I will be taking my mum along for sure as at $59 incuding a glass of Champagne and tea or coffee is a very small price to pay for a truly regal event.
1 April 2011
I'm pleased I went to the Auckland International Cultural Festival on Sunday. Despite damp weather, it was incredibly heart warming to see so many cultures on display in one large site in Mt Roskill. More than 40 countries were represented in a day long celebration of music, dance, crafts, sport and food.
A country or region's cuisine has always been at the heart of every culture and it is something that transcends border changes, emigration and relocation. When people are displaced it is comforting to see that they take comfort in cooking up the treats and the everyday meals they grew up on in their homeland. It's also the way they can often make an income when jobs are not easy to come by.
There was so much pride on display and a wonderful ambient feeling of cameraderie and friendship in both the music and the food of so many different people.
Some of the higlights for me were the amazing Ethiopan coffee, brewed on site and served in delicate little china cups, the aromatic baking of the Finnish people, the tiny dim sum of the China Society, the Serbian breads, an array of Somalian dishes, sweet Indian treats, our own Maori Rewana bread, Croatian pies, delicious and unusual food from the Karen Society repreesnting Burma, and so much more.
In the Malaysian Pavilion a host of specialties were cooked by local Malaysian restaurants, and their Trade Commissioner, Mr Md Shaiful Md Sharif had flown in specially from Sydney to support his country. (The tireless Auckland mayor Len Brown was there too.) Jacky from KK's was cooking his satay with a lovely sauce (pictured above) and I took a bag full of other delicious Malaysian curries from A Taste of Malaysia and Sri Puteri restaurants so the festival continued at home for me.
19 March 2011
There’s nothing like the intensity of attending Masterclass. Over two days attendees can go to eight sessions of culinary workshops, cooking demonstrations and wine tastings. Held in The Langham Melbourne, the stars rock up from around the world to strut their stuff to a sell out crowd, as a finale to the wonderful two weeks of the Melbourne Food and Wine festival. I was there for the weekend only.
This year’s themes were Women in the Kitchen, the Lost Arts and Masters of Spice. One of drawcards was no less than Nigella Lawson, but as attending her session meant travelling to the Convention Centre and sitting amongst a cast of what appeared to be thousands, I was more than happy to stay within the hotel. Miss Lawson did attend the opening night cocktail party and up close I can report she has that very English perfect porcelain complexion and very real curves from all those midnight trips to the fridge. She’s fabulous!
Perhaps the best presenter I watched was Angela Hartnett, who, after years of working for Gordon Ramsey, has her own restaurant, Murano in London. She had plenty to say about Gordon and it was all incredibly positive. She was well organised, skilled and had superb communication skills. I loved her tomato terrine and will get out and pick more outdoor grown tomatoes at Mrs Young’s garden in Mangere this week to make that. In 75 minutes she successfully made tortellini including the pasta, the tomato terrine and a stunning chocolate mousse. Murano is now at the top of my list next time I’m in London.
Other Women in the Kitchen I loved were Margaret Xu, who has a tiny restaurant in Hong Kong and impressed with her Forgotten Lemon Chicken, Anna Hansen the Kiwi chef/owner of The Modern Pantry in London who cooked up freestyle fusion food that shows her knowledge of Asian ingredients (her take on steak and chips was really very good) , and two of my favourite cooks, Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer who did a duo act, chattering away while cooking their own dishes.
I loved Zachary Pellacio from the Fatty Crab in New York with his lovely Malaysian inspired food, and Roy Choi of Kogi who is a cool dude with trucks that race around Los Angeles each night serving tasty $2 tacos and dazzle customers with street food that is fast, easy and accessible (he has a bar and restaurant too, but it was very hard to nail him on their exact location.) The session with the most personality was when George Colombaris took to the stage with his Greek mother, Mary. It was so much fun and made even more so by the interjections of the King of Wit and Kitchen Wisdom, Matt Preston who is absolutely larger than life. George and Matt judge together on Australian Masterchef and they are stars. But for my money, Mary was the true star of this performance.
And amongst all these sessions of tastings and cooking I managed one wine class. The Bledisloe Cup of wine. Helen Masters, winemaker at Ata Rangi and Tom Carson who makes wine for Yabby Lake and Heathcote Estate presented four varietals, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Shiraz/Syrah and Cabernet Merlot. There was one from New Zealand and one from Australia in each category and even though I am a Kiwi girl who loves her local wines, I have to admit that in every case, I preferred the wine made across the ditch. For the record: Coldstream Hills 2009 Chardonnay, Yabby Lake Block 2 Pinot Noir 2008, Heathcote Estate Shiraz 2008 and Cullen Diane Madelaine Cab/Merlot 2007. Go Aussie Go!
Pic above: Angela Hartnett on stage.
17 March 2011
Taste of Sydney; We’ve seen Taste Of Auckland here last November at Victoria Park, and I was lucky enough to be across the ditch for the sister event in Centennial Park last Thursday on opening night. The evening gave me an opportunity to observe the effort that goes into promoting New Zealand food products to a market that’s hungry for good food. Under the umbrella of NZTE, Whitestone cheeses (their Windsor Blue is outstanding) , Kohu Rd ice-cream (how the crowd loved that Golden Syrup flavour), Wines from New Zealand (a huge variety offered for tastings), fresh vacuum-packed shellfish including clams and Greenshell mussels, and Regal Salmon.
Elsewhere Villa Maria wines and Giesen wines showcased their ranges and it was almost impossible to find time to talk with the people on any of the stands as they were kept busy pouring and serving food for an appreciative audience.
For me, it was exciting to see how well the Aussies have taken to our food. Particularly impressive is the effort Regal Salmon has made to promote their lovely salmon. Lyndey Milan, former food editor of Australian Women’s Weekly, TV star and the undoubted queen reigning over Sydney’s culinary scene, told me she truly believed our King Salmon, a species not grown or found in Australian waters, is absolutely top notch. Lyndey had been taken to the Marlborough Sounds on a press trip to observe the salmon farms last year, and admitted they had been moved to tears by the care that goes into raising these very special fish (or ‘feeesh’ as the Sydneysiders say).
Top Sydney chefs were strutting their stuff and Matt Kemp, Head Chef at Restaurant Balzac and Alex Herbert, the delightful Head Chef and Co-owner of Bird Cow Fish used our salmon for signature dishes on their stands. They wandered over with plates to try and I was really impressed with both; fresh salmon potato cakes made by Alex, and Matt’s seared King salmon with a salad of pomegranate, mint and feta. Really delicious and paired with a special Sauvignon Blanc from Giesen, I was in heaven. Too bad about any Aussie food on show. I’m proud to be a Kiwi.
Pic. Matt Kemp with Regal salmon canapes.
11 March 2011
The hottest reservation in Sydney right now is Felix. Part of the Ivy complex, centrally located in George St only a few steps from Martin Place, it’s classic brasserie, offering traditional brassiere food, even if a few dishes have a slight nod to current Australian cuisine. It’s fitting that of all the nine eating options and nineteen bars that Merivale.com has unleashed on the city on this one site, that Felix draws the keenest crowd. It seems to be the latest step on the evolution of the brasserie, and there’s no equal in New Zealand.
Brasseries dominated the Parisien dining scene for decades. Grand in conception, accessible for most diners and boulevardiers, these classic establishments offered simple yet wonderful French food with a goodly selection of beers on tap, wines and plenty of Champagne. When I was a language student in Paris in the seventies, the brasserie La Coupole in Montparnasse was the place to go. There’s an iconic interview with Micky Jagger that was filmed there, and countless writers have included tales of long lunches, liaisons and dinners. Like all the grand brasseries of Paris, such as Terminus Nord, Flore, Lipp et al, art nouveau or belle epoque décor reigns, and banquette seating and freshly shucked oysters are de rigueur.
Many of Paris’ brasseries are now owned by the Group Flo, and have perhaps lost a little of their individuality, tending to process customers like they are all tourists. There’s a wonderful story in Adam Gopnik’s Paris to the Moon of how the regulars and neighbourhood tried to thwart the sale of their favourite haunt to this group. They lost. But my favourite Brasserie Bofinger, despite being owned by the Flo group, is still an essential call for me whenever I return to Paris. We even chose it last year to surprise a friend for a very significant birthday celebration.
The master of ‘restaurantism’ in New York, Keith McNally successfully recreated the Parisien model with his Balthazar brasserie in Soho. You’d swear you were in an old French institution with brass railed sections, plenty of banquettes, and a seedy paint job deliberately created to look like the place has been there forever. Superb classic dishes like steak and fries, pan fried whole sole, fishy soups and of course trays of freshly shucked oysters on the menu, and not forgetting wonderful sourdough bread and ice cold butter. No self respecting brasserie would ever serve olive oil! Balthazar is as hot as the day it opened, and you’re likely to sit next to a film star or a Ponzi trader.
So Felix had heaps of inspiration to draw on and have done the brasserie thing really successfully, albeit with a shiny new look rather than the distressed décor of Paris and New York. The bar especially is a gem, with plenty of room to imbibe while waiting for a table, even when you score the necessary reservation.
And the food at Felix? Deliciously authentic. There’s great hunks of chewy bread, ice cold butter (yay!) and a menu that’s not too long and not too complex. Five varieties of Sydney Rock oysters shucked to start, then a delicious smoked trout salad with sweet caperberries and lots of really fresh tiny greens, which reminded me of the perfect French bean salad with fresh lobster I had eaten at Bofinger last year; crisp, simple and very refreshing. There’s wonderful Reuben sandwich in a nod to New York, and tripe cooked Lyonnaise style or flank steak with a mountain of crisp golden chips in deference to France. French wines by the glass (the Sancerre was perfect with my oysters) good puds too and excellent coffee. I will be back, even if the Ivy folks think Felix is a bistro, rather then the brasserie it is.
330 George St, Sydney ph 61 2 9240 3000
18 February 2011
My neighbour had her two tiny grand daughters staying and their early rising, constant demand for attention and feeding, and frequent trips down to the beach were making her somewhat frazzled. So I made dinner for her. Next morning she asked me for the recipe for the gently braised chicken thighs I had prepared and delivered to her, along with crispy roast potatoes and beans and peas with mint.
Too many times I cook something that’s really scrumptious, but, as I am prone to spontaneous cooking that’s inspired by great produce rather than recipe books, I often can't recall exactly what I have done. (My son learned years ago to beg me to “write it down now Mum so we can have it again.”) And so I told Rosemary how I had browned the flour-dusted chicken pieces in oil in Le Creuset casserole and then removed them from the pan, added chopped fennel and aubergines to the residue with a little cumin, browned that and then returned the chicken along with fresh herbs, some chicken stock, salt and pepper and chopped preserved lemon. Once it came to a simmer I added the lid to the dish and transferred it to the oven. Her question was, “How long do you cook it for?”
My reply was to “cook it until it is delicious.” Now, I know that’s not really helpful, but it is very true. Oven temperatures vary, the sort of pan you cook in affects the result, and it also depends on how long you browned the meat/poultry etc in the first place and how big the pieces were, if they were on the bone or not, and other minor influencing factors.
When food writers record recipes, they write down exactly what they experienced. (At least we hope they all test their recipes at least once or twice before they print them.) What they cannot do is predict the exact temperature of your oven, what pan you will use and even what size you cut your food up. I once had the wonderful wine writer Ralph Kyte-Powell for dinner and cooked him a duck dish that had appeared in a magazine. He loved it and asked where I got the recipe. When I told him he was astonished. He had cooked the same recipe a week earlier and said mine was far more delicious than his. We discussed what we’d done. Ralph had stuck to the recipe and prescribed cooking times, while I had cooked the duck for a whole hour longer until it was truly tender and really falling off the bone. In other words, I had cooked it until it was delicious.
I heard on the grapevine the other day that the food writers in a life-style magazine have been briefed to provide recipes that only put simple ingredients together with minimal cooking. In other words, ASSEMBLING rather than COOKING food. Some may like that sort of recipe but there will be no room on those pages for a simple instruction like ‘cook until delicious’. Such a shame!
6 February 2011
On the 1 June 2010 I stuck my neck out on this blog and revealed my shopping habits. I went as far as to say I shopped at the Foodstuffs stores (Four Square, New world and Pak n’ Save’) and it was unlikely I would ever darken the door of their opposition supermarket chain, Progressive (Woolworths, Foodtown who have now almost all morphed into Countdown stores.) The reasons are there on my blog, http://www.laurainejacobs.co.nz/blog/?mode=post&post_id=101, and since then I have had many discussions with many people who have come to agree with my sentiments.
I also have spoken publicly, whenever given the chance, about how to shop so that a fresh and chemical-free diet is assured. So it was with a bit of that “I told you so” feeling that I read the lead story in today’s Sunday Star Times. The headline was ‘Gassing fakes meat freshness’. It was all about how Progressive Enterprises have acknowledged that some of the meat packs they sell are pumped with carbon dioxide and oxygen to extend their (refrigerated) shelf life. An Australian consumer magazine has found this and other refrigeration technology makes it possible for meat to be stored for months, and potential health hazards are posed because ‘harmful bacteria could grow to dangerous levels, while the food remains attractive to the eye.’ Perhaps a necessity when meat is increasingly processed in centralised facilities, as no doubt it is as part of Progressive’s centralised distribution system.
Foodstuffs, however, according to the SST article, do not gas flush ANY meat products. Good on them, and they will continue to get my dollars. (Dollars which stay in New Zealand!)
It’s all very scary. My mantra is ‘shop-from-the-displays-of-fresh-food-around-the-periphery-of-the-supermarket-and-only-venture-into-the-aisles once-a-month.’ That way you get to take home fresh food; meat, vegetables, fruit, fish, deli items, dairy products, and bread. These products are on the outside as that area is more accessible and often needs special daily or even hourly supervision and handling. All the stuff in the aisles is there because it is shelf-stable and doesn’t require the same sort of servicing. I can do a foray into the aisles about once a month and pick up all the necessities of life that lurk there; washing and hygiene products, the basics for baking and cooking, and cans or jars of food for total emergencies. The shelf items that are edible almost all have stabilisers and preservatives and additives chemicals that can harm my body. Fresh foods just don’t have this potentially evil stuff.
But if our supermarkets start tampering with what we perceive to be fresh food, we’re going to be in trouble. We must all wake up to what it exactly is that we’re putting in our bodies and vote with our shopping habits. I know where I will continue to shop. Somewhere I can see a real butcher.
21 January 2011
One of the things I love about summer is the ease with which I can throw a simple platter of great food together, with a little help from the store cupboard. I always have fresh tomatoes (they are outdoor grown and full of flavour right now - shame on anybody not seeking them out at their local farmers market), red onions (ditto), apple cucumbers (ditto) and of course basil that's everywhere; in the garden, in pots on the deck and on my kitchen bench. And from my pantry, canned Spanish sardines (Albo brand from Sabato) and Spanish octopus in its own ink (ditto).
And so I can whip up the platter pictured above in the time it takes to boil the orchard fed free range eggs. It's as simple as put the eggs on, chop the tomato, onion and cucumber and pile it into the middle of the plate and drizzle it with some lovely EVOO and torn up basil leaves. Open the cans of sardines and calamares and place them at each end. The eggs are ready now, so peel them under cold running water, cut in half and wedge them onto the plate too.
And to go with this easy lunch, some fresh corn as I am not eating bread presently. And for drinking, I like an ice cold beer. Right now it will be a choice of Leffe Blonde (if I am not watching my pennies) or Steinlager Pure which I recently discovered. Not sure just why this discovery took so long, but I am a fan.
How easy and how delicious is that?
13 January 2011
In the picture above you can see Muzza with his pride and joy of the week; a 17.5kg kingfish caught from his boat Raindear. (The name is a play on my nickname, 'Laurainedeer' and that's quite some joke as I have never been out on the ocean with him!)
So we have enjoyed kingfish fillets panfried in oil and a little butter with lemon juice, kingfish sashimi and a wonderfully fragrant kingfish curry (the recipe is on the recipe page of this website). Fabulous eating and for once Muzza probably justified the money he spends on petrol for that boat. Fresh fish is fabulous to eat when you're over looking the ocean, and we have had superb snapper regularly this summer, along with locally gathered tuatuas and the local Mahurangi oysters.
This is the time of the year when the locavore in me really comes out. I don't need to go further afield for food, as I can feast on an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables from the local farms sold daily at their gates, and from the Matakana farmers market each Saturday.
We are loving the spuds (Rua, Red Rascal and Agria) which hardly need more than a quick wash under running water before cooking as their skins are so delicate. The outdoor tomatoes are simply delicious; full of flavour and rich red juices. There are about five varieties of beans to be found, which I simply steam and dress with avocado oil.
And then there's fennel, radishes, cucumbers, sweet corn, red onions, watermelon, plums, blueberries, late harvest mandarins, and courgettes till they come out my ears. Now this week the aubergines are ripening and I grilled some on the barbecue and they were sweet, creamy and smoky all at once! (Recipe on the recipe page).
I have herbs growing in pots on my deck, more herbs in the garden and I am in summer heaven.
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.