Lauraine’s blog
21 February 2014
Imagine this. Perched at the chef’s table in the kitchen of the new Gusto restaurant. Sean Connolly is in fine fettle, sitting with six of us, ordering up a host of treats, pouring wine and telling tales. And then, out comes some crisp bruschetta, a block of the very fine Lewis Road Creamery butter and a tin of Ortiz anchovies. Sean slices great slabs of butter onto the toasted bread, and tops each with a tangy anchovy. Wow! The combination of crisp, crunchy, salty, tangy and meltingly luscious fat was heavenly.
Another masterstroke move from Sky City who seem to be shifting their focus (or maybe our perception of their business) from gambling to the restaurant industry. Following the enormous success of The Grill where Sean set new heights for steak and bloke-ish dining in the city, he’s been given free reign to head the kitchen in this new Italian influenced restaurant in the lobby and rear of Sky City Grand Hotel. Exactly what was needed there, as I am told the breakfast buffet serves up to 300 people each day with a gourmet array of fine fare.
His menu is filled with dishes that all scream ‘eat me’, ‘pick me’, ‘you know you want me’. Lovely little plates of nibbly bits like olives, parmigiano reggiano, antipoasto, bruschetta and meatballs that are also designed to serve the clients who sit in the lobby over a drink or two.
The range of smaller plates or starters includes some fresh salady stuff, an amazing take on vitello tonnato, the best tomatoes (Curious Croppers) with buffalo mozzarella, and an amazing selection of pasta dishes, all made in house. The risottos are made from scratch when ordered.
But the main courses are the real standouts; crumbed veal cutlet, a hearty kingfish tail saltimbocca style, wild rabbit cacciatore (Hey Sean, we have rabbits here at Omaha Beach if you run out) and the signature dish, line caught whole snapper from Coromandel that is cooked in ‘acqua pazza’ and smothered in passata. Or in other words, fresh sea water shipped in from Coromandel to poach the fish (deliciously salty) and locally made in a dense tomato sauce with those fabulous Curious Croppers, in a joint venture with Sean Connolly. It was salty, rich and oh so moist.
We had a lovely selection of Italian wines, some wicked rum baba to finish and will be back, soon. So much choice at Sky City and the new Gusto is first and foremost a hotel restaurant. But one with a difference. I love the way the space is intimate within but still opens up to the lobby in such a way that you can’t miss it. Don’t.
4 February 2014
Nothing like opening the fridge, surveying the contents and seeing the makings of a tasty dinner. Tonight is curry night and I have no idea, when pushed for time, what I’d do without the Asian Home Gourmet range of spice pastes. Sometimes too much hot food in hot weather can be overpowering (why do they eat curries in the hottest countries?) But at risk of corrupting a nation’s favourite my favourite is the Singapore Nonya Chicken Curry paste. It’s tasty and makes terrific curry. That’s what we’ll be eating tonight. Here’s my recipe.
1 large eggplant, cut into large chunks
1 small red onion, finely chopped
6 tbsps grapeseed oil
8 small Perla potatoes, halved
Asian Home Gourmet Nonya curry spice paste
3 cups water
1 tomato, chopped
6 little pork sausages, halved
5 leaves curly kale
Handful of green beans, trimmed
1 cup coconut cream
Heat the oil into a large heavy deep frying pan and add the eggplant. Fry on all sides until it is browned. Add the onion and potatoes with the contents of the curry sachet and stir well together over the heat. Add the tomatoes and the water and bring to a simmer. Add the kale and simmer, covered for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile brown the sausages and blanch the green beans. Add them just before serving with the coconut cream. Reheat and serve with steamed basmati rice.
Serves 4
3 February 2014
Life's a beach. Especially for me, tucked up recuperating from some surgery here at our home away from home at Omaha Beach.
The only thing is I feel the need to produce something light and interesting for lunch each day - an easy task as my pantry shelves are well stocked and there's always a surfeit of fresh produce from the Matakana Farmers Market. So I can whizz a salad up like this one in no more then 15 minutes.
Here's what you will need:
2 fresh sun- ripened tomatoes, chopped into chunks
6 small Perla spuds, halved and steamed for 12 minutes
2 free range eggs, boiled for 8 minutes
1 can sardines (preferably Albo brand)
large handful of washed rocket leaves
Peter Gordon's avocado oil and pomegranate dressing
Put everything on a platter, drizzle over the dressing and eat outdoors in the sunshine with an icy cold beer.
Serves 2.
2 February 2014
On a whim we rolled up to Depot mid week for our first meal out for 2014. As usual a small crowd was gathered on the footpath, waiting, waiting, waiting.
However if there's one place that treats potential diners well in this town, it's Al Brown's diner style destination restaurant. A stack of warm woolly throws to snuggle into and keep the cold wind at bay, and staff who are on their toes and deliver a beer or wine to keep everyone happy while taking their turn in line.
I have no idea why more people haven't copied Al's concept of serving up food that everyone wants to eat. From the freshly shucked oysters and clams to the obligatory sliders that are just 2 or three bites of perfectly cooked fish, mayo and sweet little buns that kick start the meal, the food in this place is heaven.
It's casual, reliable, and the kitchen overseen by the genius chef Kyle Street, pumps out a never ending stream of dishes that are exactly what New Zealand 'kai' is all about. You may have to perch at a table with others but as it is all so amiable these may end up to be your new best friends.
Here's what I ate after those starters: a remarkably fresh 'sashimi' of kingfish served with a apple mayo and sticks of fresh apple (I think, as I was only allowed one bite for the husband got all territorial over this dish).
Then a salad of very thinly sliced prosciutto with grilled peach slices, rocket leaves, roasted macadamias and just enough blue cheese to make it interesting.
I'd been told to try the bone marrow, a take on Fergus Henderson's specialty at St John's in London. I have had
f
Fergus' version and I must say Depot's take on it is better as the large bones are split in half down the middle then roasted and so all that gorgeous fatty inner part is richly browned and really melting. (Fergus cuts the bones the other way and the fat remains rather pallid, even if it is delicious.) Accompanied by a parsley and red onion salad and a pile of thin toast, this may be one of the most gutsy yet superb dishes of the moment.
Last up was the large kingfish belly, also roasted and served with a generous dollop of aubergine kasundi and more toast. We literally scraped every segment of flesh from those bones as you can see from the pic above.
If you haven't been to Depot, or even if you have make sure you go soon. This is relaxing food you could eat every night and perfect to linger and enjoy over a tumbler or two of wine, some ice cold beer. Great service too and if you're lucky like we were, Al Brown, the man himself may even wait on your table.
Depot, Federal St, Sky City Grand. No bookings.
2 February 2014
A couple of years ago I went to Sicily. The food was fantastic; far better than I possibly imagined it might be. We ate superbly everywhere we went and had amazing meals of fresh seafood, the most delicious pork feast imaginable and enjoyed some superb wines.
One evening we stayed on a olive estate near to Ragusa and our party of ten were invited to help prepare the meal. My job was to cook the eggplants. They were ripe, tiny dark purple orbs of deliciousness and were destined to be simmered in a fresh tomato sauce with freshly picked basil from the state gardens. The essence of summer!
Such an opportunity to learn rarely comes my way as I first had to slit each eggplant and then fry it in a large dish of olive oil until tender. Since then I have always, always fried my eggplant, whether whole, quartered, sliced or cut into chunks, before finishing it in sauce. The resulting dish is deliciously flavoured and there's never hint of dryness or wooliness that eggplant sometimes suffers from.
Above I have photographed eggplant slices that have been fried in plenty of lighter style olive oil, interspersed with slices of tomato fresh from the garden and Massimo's fabulous mozzarella from Matakana Farmers Market.
All that remains is to pour over half a jar of Sabato's tomato and basil pasta sauce, some salt and pepper, and bake the dish in a 180C oven for 25-30 minutes.
Lovely on its own or to accompany chicken, lamb, beef or pork.
28 January 2014
Sometimes I put a few delicious leftover vegetables into the fridge, knowing that is almost criminal to waste them. And then a few days later in my weekly cleanout, I end up tossing them.
Well, this year I am determined not to waste food if it can be possibly helped so last nights leftover green beans, carrots and a few wedges of potato, combined with some leftover coconut cream became the base for a simple fry-up.
I melted some coconut oil in the pan, and tossed in the vegetables. They heated through quickly and then I added the leftover coconut cream from a curry we had enjoyed two nights ago. Once this bubbled up, I cut a 200g piece of fresh salmon into chunks and tossed them in too.
As soon as the salmon turned opaque, I seasoned the panful of what was now a delicious fry-up with some salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. The final touch was a little chopped basil.
Utterly tasty and amazingly simple and economical. If leftovers can be transformed as easily as this, we will be eating well in the coming weeks.
2 January 2014
Happy New Year! To see the new year in and celebrate the New Year's Day birthday of my very good friend, Noriyo, we had an elegant evening.
I was thrilled to be able to serve an hors d'oeuvre that is a very new simple recipe I have created; inspired by ingredients from two of my favourite foodie people. I used seared duck breast from Lucy at Saveur Duck, and
Purple Heart potatoes, a new variety that Marie of Quail Farm in Omaha Flats grew this year - waxy and full of flavour. Here's the recipe:
- 4 small duck breasts, trimmed
- salt, pepper and 2 tsps five spice powder
- 4 large purple heart potatoes
- olive oil, salt pepper and fresh thyme leaves
- 4 tbsp spicy tomato or plum chutney
Score the skin of the duck in shallow criss cross cuts and season with salt, pepper and five spice.
Place in a frying pan ,skin side down and turn on the heat. Cook for about 10-12 minutes over gentle heat until the fat runs and the skin is crisp and golden. Turn the breasts over and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes. Remove, cover with cling wrap and a thick tea towel and allow to rest.
At the same time, scrub the potatoes, slice into 2.5 cm thick rounds and toss in a roasting pan with the oil salt, pepper and thyme leaves. Roast at 200C for 10 minutes until softened. Cool the slices.
To assemble, place the potato slices on a serving plate. Dab each slice with a little chutney. Slice the duck breasts and then top the each potato slice with the duck. Grind over extra pepper and add a few sprigs of herbs or micro greens. Makes about 30.
31 December 2013
Happy New Year and here's a wonderful tart to serve over the new year holidays.
This tart is at its best when served warm with whipped cream or yogurt and will work equally well with ripe peaches or nectarines.
Blueberry and nectarine frangipane tart
- 75g butter, softened
- 75g sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp pure vanilla
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 tbsps flour
- 100g ground almonds
- 4 nectarines, stoned and sliced
- 1 punnet blueberries
- 3 tbsps icing sugar
For the shortcrust pastry
250g flour * 180g butter, ice cold *
1 tablespoon caster sugar * 1 egg yolk *
1 tablespoon water
To make the pastry case, put the flour, butter and sugar in the food processor and pulse together to combine. Add the egg yolk and water and mix briefly until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Turn out on to the bench and knead together to form a ball. Chill for about 20 minutes.
To bake, roll the pastry out on a floured bench, and line a 24-26cm loose-bottomed flan tin. Rest the pastry shell for at least 20 minutes before filling and baking.
Preheat the oven to 190˚C. To make the filling, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs slowly, add the vanilla and lemon juice, and fold in the flour and almonds. Cover the pastry shell with the sliced peaches and blueberries.
Spoon the almond frangipane mixture over the fruit, evenly. Bake on a preheated baking sheet for 10 minutes, and reduce the temperature to 180˚C. Bake a further 15 minutes until the frangipane feels firm to the touch. Take from the oven, sprinkle the icing sugar over and finish in the oven for 10 minutes so the top browns nicely.
Serve warm or cold with blueberry ice cream or whipped cream.
Serves 6-8.
23 December 2013
It is a Christmas favourite in New Zealand. The spiny rock lobster, more generally known as the crayfish, will be consumed in huge numbers over the next seven days. At its best it is sweet, delicate, a trifle rich and very moist.
If you have a live crayfish you are really lucky as you get to control how long it is cooked. Drown it first, or put it in the freezer, so it doesn't escape when it goes into the boiling water you will need to cook it. (Remember the screams in Julie & Julia?)
Fill your largest pan with salted water, bring it to the boil, plunge the crayfish in and let it boil for no more than 5-7 minutes. (The legs should be able to be pulled free easily and the shell should turn bright red.) Immediately plunge the cray into a sink full of cold water so it stops cooking and cools quickly. Carefully take all the meat from the shell, including the legs. Arrange on a serving platter. My son informs me that the red part of the flesh is one of the most perfect foods for your health!
For the best ever sauce to go with the crayfish you will need a 300ml bottle of Lewis Road cream, one juicy lemon and a cup of mint leaves, sliced. Bring the cream to the boil with the grated lemon zest. Add the lemon juice with a little salt and freshly ground pepper and simmer another minute or two. Add the sliced mint and pour over the crayfish meat while still warm. Heaven!
20 December 2013
Z is for Zuni Café in San Francisco. It is an exceptional place, for once you have eaten there you will want to go back and back. Under the guidance of co-owner and chef Judy Rodgers, the food was always cooked and served the way food should be. Sadly Judy passed away last month and although reports have reached me to say that her standards and terrific attention to producing flavour in every single dish with every single ingredient shining through remain, she will be heart-achingly missed.
Her menus and recipes live on through her cookbook. Judy only wrote one cookbook but it is as thorough a book as has ever been written and is sure to be found on the shelves of absolutely every food lover who has ever heard of both Judy and Zuni. If you only try one recipe it should be her bread salad and roast chicken. Fabulous!
We have reached the end: Z. This has been terrific fun and many thanks to Stephanie Alexander who instigated the Challenge to follow the alphabet for 26 days. In honour of her new app for her amazing cookbook, Cooks Companion, I conscientiously posted an idea to represent the letters of the alphabet each and every day. Congratulations also to Trudi Nelson of Fresh and Darren Lovell of Fishbone in Queenstown who also rose to the Challenge each and every day. Darren did his letters from his restaurant garden.
It has been such fun I am thinking of a new Challenge for 2014. The Daily Bite; a post about food, each and every day. Who's game?