16 December 2010

HAPUKU AT ITS BEST

Delicious hapuku as cooked by Vaughan Mabee. See story below.

16 December 2010

A TASTE OF NOMA (ALMOST).

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

THE WINNING CUPCAKES

Red Velvet cupcakes by Antony Kapeli Sua, Year 10 Student, Papakura High School. See my story below.

1 December 2010

I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE

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 - THE BOOK

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

RECIPES FOR CHRISTMAS

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

TASTES FROM THE MALAYSIAN KITCHEN

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!

9 November 2010

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL COOKING CLASS

Kathy Paterson and I go back a long way. We had fun cooking together back in the hey-day of cooking schools when we ran Austin's Cooking Scho0l in the 80's, when Grey Lynn was hardly the favoured and flavoured suburb of fashionistas and trendies that it is today.

So it was fun to take the stage again together today to do a class at Nosh to promote recipes from our gorgeous new "New Zealand Vegetable Cookbook". We did two sessions and the pic above is from the evening class when 50 keen cooks turned up and enjoyed five seasonal recipes. What a lovely crowd, and so nice to see so many friends, faces and fans from my Austin's and Cuisine days.

My favourite way with asparagus, grilled and served with anchovy and lemon sauce, and kumara fritters topped with smoked salmon and creme fraiche kicked the class off. Then it was three glorious salads including a Spanish tomato and snowpea salad with guindillas. I have posted the recipe on the recipe page in case you haven't got a copy of the book yet. And thanks Christa at Nosh; we hope will be back soon!

5 November 2010

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE!

What makes a good restaurant great? Auckland has a ton of good eating houses, despite the view from Wellington that the capital reigns supreme in matters culinary. If I had wanted an excellent meal tonight I could have gone to (in no particular order) French Café, Cibo, Siddart, Euro, Prego, The Grove, Two Fifteen, Ella, Engine Room, Antoines, Prime (lunch), Dine, Rocco, Toto, Soto, Mollies, Molten, Clooney, Kermadec, Sails, Vinnies, Delicious, Michael Meredith’s or Soul. All serve lovely food, and almost all have professional staff to look after me. Their wine lists are considered with fine choices and the ambience and surroundings are filled with interest and intrigue when they’re full. And then there’s a tier of other places that are a little more casual but still worth visiting in Ponsonby, Parnell, the eastern suburbs and the Shore. And I haven’t even started on the amazing array of ethnic establishments.

But knowing the customer base is what really sets a good place apart from the rest and I think there are about 1300 restaurants and cafés in the central region that don’t cut the mustard like the ones on the list I have made. Keeping a data base of customers and communicating with them regularly is like gold for a restaurant. And having a programme of events to invite that customer base to, is essential. From the list above I receive regular information from five. Yes, only five! And everyone knows how interested I am in restaurants and how often I eat out. It’s easy to find me.

This past week has been interesting as Soul has really stepped the pace up for the city’s top spots. Garden of Soul has been installed, complete with an exciting programme of events to appeal to the different customer segments. Xanthe White, a young celebrated garden designer has installed clipped topiary decorations and a hedge installed to mark the end of the garden. But the star of the garden is the installation of dozens of hanging floral baskets that dangle over the diners on the terrace and decks.

And to celebrate this Garden, Soul's owner Judith Tabron and her team have organised a whole series of special events. There are Wine Down Sundays, cocktail parties, White Mischief party and women’s lunches on the deck. And for my sins and probably because I am known for my eating out habits (I can cook too!) I will be speaking at one of these lunches. My subject: Why French Women Don’t Get Fat. I’ve just been in France so it should be fun as I have lovely eating experiences to share from the city where I first commercially cooked. Tuesday 16 November at noon. Call Olivia on 09 356 7249 to book. See you there!

5 November 2010

GARDEN TO TABLE

Last weekend I hosted Stephanie Alexander for a quiet weekend at our beach house. Stephanie runs the Kitchen Garden Foundation in Australia and has a programme with children growing and cooking vegetables in about 1400 school gardens across Australia. She was in Auckland to support the Garden to Table Trust which has been working on a similar pilot scheme here over the past three years. Three schools East Tamaki, Meadowbank and Peninsular primaries are piloting the programme with much success.

On Thursday evening Stephanie was guest of honour at a delicious fundraiser for the Trust in Auckland , held in St Matthews in the City. The venue with its soaring cathedral like roof looked totally amazing. An incredible edible garden had been created inside the entrance and table decorations were all edible plants, fruits and vegetables.

It was an event founded on generosity. Everything was donated and I cannot even begin to imagine how much of the volunteer time went into the organisation. Sue Fleischl of the Great Catering Company and the Great Hiring Company went far beyond the call of duty in arranging the layout, logistics, staff, equipment, pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres and even provided her kitchen for the out of town chefs to prep. The Langham provided accommodation, and countless generous souls around the city gave auction prizes and the ingredients and wines for the dinner.

For everybody who attended the food and wine were the real stars of the evening. (Sorry Stephanie!) A rock-star line up of chefs cooked at six stations and their dishes were accompanied by matching wines. It was a great showcase for fresh New Zealand produce and our delicious wines.

Kate Fay of Cibo cooked a very smart lamb dish with accompanying Villa Maria CS Syrah Viognier 2006 , Phillip Johnson of Ecco in Brisbane cooked his fabulous beetroot risotto with blood orange, matched to Craggy Range C3 Chardonnay Kidnappers Vineyard 2008, Jonny Schwass from Christchurch dished up a lovely smoked Regal salmon with a cauliflower pannacotta served with the lovely Saint Clair Block 9 Big John Riesling and the Sugar and Spice girls (aged between 8 and 12 yrs) prepared a prawn dish with avocado, paired with the spicy wonderful Matawhero Gewurztraminer 2009.

My personal favourites of the evening were the Mudbrick Viognier that their chef from their Waiheke Vineyard restaurant, Andreas Lindberg matched to his ethereal dish of pork belly with dainty vegies from their own garden, and the hearty venison pie made by Martin Bosley from Wellington matched with Brick Bay’s Martello Rock 2006, a Bordeaux blend form their Matakana vineyard. And I loved the choice on arrival; Selak’s Methode Traditionelle 2006 or a minty grapefruit, cranberry and vodka cocktail made with Ocean Spray juices and Purple Monkey Finger Vodka (an innovative new vodka made with Ruawai kumara.)

What a feast and $90,000 approx raised. Well done and thanks to all the wineries and chefs I worked with for their part in this munificent event.