Category Archives: Recipes

May 16, 2014

Braised Beef Cheeks w Truffled Mash and Horseradish

It’s that time of the year in the capital when the Food Show has come to a close and we are all waiting with great expectation for the start of the Wellington on a plate festival. It was another good year of the Food Show with several thousand people through the doors sampling food and wine, checking out new products and attending demos and masterclasses by some of NZ’s top chef’s and personalities over three days. I was fortunate enough to be there for the whole three days and was lucky enough to be involved in the judging for a fiercly fought Chef of the Capital chef competition. A three hour competition where chefs have to prep and cook a three course menu for four matched with wines and beverages. As part of the Food Show this year the hotel created a pop-up version of it’s Artisan Restaurant, so we had a fun filled three days cooking and serving Cloudy Bay clams, Braised beef cheeks with truffled mash and Coconut panna cottas with feijoa, all washed down with some home made Rhubarb/Apple and Cucumber/Juniper sodas. Below is the recipe for braised beef cheeks.  

Ale braised beef cheeks w truffled mash and horseradish
Serves 6
I know it seems like such a waste to use a really nice craft ale for cooking but please use something half decent, maybe a couple that you forgot to put in the fridge just yet...
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
3 hr
Total Time
3 hr 30 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
3 hr
Total Time
3 hr 30 min
Beef Cheeks
  1. 1.5kg Beef Cheeks
  2. 1 stalk celery
  3. 1/2 carrot
  4. 1/2 onion
  5. 1 sprig thyme
  6. 1 sprig rosemary
  7. 2 bay leaves
  8. 6 pepper corns
  9. 2 bottles nice ale
  10. Red wine (to cover)
Potato Mash
  1. 750g potato, agria
  2. 250ml cream
  3. 180g butter
  4. flakey sea salt, white pepper
  5. truffle oil
For the beef cheeks
  1. Trip off any really large pieces of fat (or if you're like me at home leave them on) and sear in a nice hot pan with a little oil until a rich dark brown colour. Roughly chop the vegetables into large pieces and brown off also. Place in an oven proof dish large enough to be about 3/4 filled by all the ingredients and place the beef cheeks, vegetables and all the other ingredients including the herbs and beer into the baking dish. Top up with red wine to make sure that the beef cheeks are mostly covered. Top with the lid or baking paper and cook at 140C until very tender and falling apart, about 3-4 hours. Drain through a sieve keeping the braising liquor. Place the liquor in a pot and reduce on the stove top until lightly thickened.
For the mash
  1. Boil the potatoes in some cold salted water, drain and then return to the pot and cook on a low heat for 1 minute to dry out. Pass the potatoes through a mueli or potato ricer (or use a potato masher if you really have to...) Heat the cream and butter together and fold into hot potato, season with flakey sea salt and white pepper. Add truffle oil to taste just before serving.
Notes
  1. Serve piping hot with a decent spoonful of horseradish and some watercress or fresh greens such as spinach or kale.
MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/

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April 23, 2014

Biltong recipe

Here’s a perfect snack for watching the Rugby while making the most out of your hunt. 

Biltong
Serves 6
This is my version of Biltong, or South African beef jerky. My South African chef friends will do doubt want to attack me over it's authenticity but this is Biltong the way I like it...
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Prep Time
25 min
Prep Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 1kg Beef (such as striploin, I prefer a little bit of marbling in my Biltong)
  2. 250ml Red wine vinegar
  3. 6g Smoked Paprika
  4. 1g Chilli powder
  5. 2g Fennel seeds
  6. 8g Coriander seeds
  7. 4g Sea salt
  8. 1g White peppercorns, ground
  9. 12g Unrefined brown sugar (such as Muscavado or Demerera)
Instructions
  1. Remove any sinew or silver skin from you meat and cut into strips along the grain. You can cut into whatever size you like however the thicker you cut it the longer it will take to dry, I cut mine into 15cm long and 1/2cm thick strips.
  2. Coursly grind your fennel and coriander seeds using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. You want to still be able to see the spices so don't grind to a fine powder.
  3. Combine everything together and mix well.
  4. Marinate your strips of meat in the marinade for 2 hours and then dry in your dehydrator.
Notes
  1. You can dry out your Biltong whichever way works best for you. The traditional way is to hang it up somewhere dry and ventilated up to a couple of weeks although the two methods I have used have been with a commercial oven and at home a store bought dehydrator. Try the recipe and you can use whatever red meat you like and adjust the level of spices according to your taste, I like mine with a little bit of a kick.
MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/

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December 7, 2013

Home-Made Egyptian Pastrami

IMG_2470 - Copy (2)Curing your own meat can be very rewarding. It might sound difficult or time-consuming but it isn’t really. There is about an hour of actual work involved maximum and the rest is just sitting back, relaxing and waiting. This recipe uses beef but there’s no reason why you couldn’t use any other red meat such as venison. Curing meat in ways such as this was used as a type of preservation before refrigerators but we still do now because it’s so damn tasty. Once ready make sure you slice as thinly as you can and can enjoy in lots of different ways such as in a sandwich or part of a meat or antipasto platter.

Egyptian Pastrami
Yields 1
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Prep Time
1 hr
Prep Time
1 hr
Ingredients
  1. 2kg Beef Striploin (or other lean meat)
  2. 75g Sea Salt
  3. 75g Sugar
  4. 100g Garlic (peeled)
  5. 50g Fenugreek powder
  6. 50g Paprika (smoked variety preferably)
For the beef
  1. Remove all fat and silver skin/sinew from the beef and in two legnth-wise to about the same size as a big salami. Mix together the sugar and the salt and pour over the beef. Place in the fridge covered with cling film for three days, turning the beef each day to ensure that it is evenly cured. After three days wash off the salt and sugar mix from the beef with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the beef in an appropriate dish and place another dish on top. Place on top as much weight you can in the form of maybe full cans, jars, bottles etc, it doesn't matter what it is so long as there is a decent amount of weight pressing down on the beef. Return to the fridge and leave for three days. Check every now and again and if any liquid has come out of the beef then discard the liquid and return the beef back to the fridge.
For the marinade
  1. Take the garlic, fenugreek and paprika and blend in a food processor to a paste. Coat the beef in the paste making sure the beef is 100% covered with a layer about 3mm thick. Hang the beef with some string in a cool, dry place out of the sun for about 10 days. Once ready you can slice the beef and enjoy however you like. The outer coating is edible or you can discard if you like. Keep wrapped with cling film in the fridge or freeze.
MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/

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October 31, 2013

Rhubarb Frangipane tart w honey mascarpone and mulled wine syrup

rhubarb frangipane tart

Rhubarb Frangipane tart w honey mascarpone and mulled wine syrup
Serves 10
A nice wintery dessert although you can be creative and replace the rhubarb with any fruit that's in season such as plums, figs or quince.
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Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
1 hr 45 min
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
1 hr 45 min
Rhubarb
  1. 6 Rhubarb sticks
  2. 1C sugar
  3. 1C water
Sweet pastry
  1. -see Chocolate Tart Recipe
Frangipane
  1. 120g butter
  2. 120g sugar
  3. 130g ground almonds
  4. 3 eggs
  5. Zest of one lemon
Mulled wine syrup
  1. 375ml rhubarb poaching liquor
  2. 250ml red wine
  3. 1 vanilla pod
  4. 2 clove
  5. 1/2 orange zest
  6. 1 cinnamon quill
Honey mascarpone
  1. 300ml mascarpone
  2. 75g honey
For the rhubarb
  1. Cut rhubarb into lengths. Make a stock syrup by gently heating the sugar and water until the sugar dissolves. Cook the rhubarb in the syrup in a low oven covered with tin foil until just under cooked. Remove from liquor. Reserve the poaching liquid for the mulled wine syrup.
For the Frangipane
  1. Make the sweet pastry and blind bake (see chocolate tart recipe). Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the finely grated lemon zest and almonds. Place the rhubarb in the baked pastry case, top with frangipane mix and bake at 160 for 30-35mins turning once, until golden brown and cooked through.
For the mulled wine syrup
  1. Combine all the ingredients together and simmer until reduced by ¾. Should be able to coat the back of a spoon but not “sticky”.
For the mascarpone
  1. Combine together gently. Be careful not to over mix or it will split. You can adjust the sweetness as desired.
MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/

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October 24, 2013

Coconut and kaffir lime panna cotta w passion fruit pulp

This is an excellent dinner party dessert; make it all before hand and just pull it out whenever you’re ready.Coconut Panna Cotta

Coconut and kaffir lime panna cotta w passion fruit pulp
Serves 8
This is a very simple dessert but with some really nice tropical flavours. The coconut is quite rich so you want to serve it with something a little acidic like the passion fruit to balance the cream and the sweetness.
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
4 hr
Total Time
4 hr 20 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
4 hr
Total Time
4 hr 20 min
Panna cotta
  1. 350ml coconut cream
  2. 100ml milk
  3. 60g sugar
  4. 4 kaffir lime leaves
  5. ½ stalk lemongrass
  6. ½ vanilla pod – split/scraped
  7. 2 leaves gelatine
Passion fruit
  1. Fresh passionfruit
  2. Icing sugar (if desired)
For the panna cotta
  1. Bring all ingredients except the gelatine together to the scald in a pot and leave to infuse. Stir to dissolve sugar. Bloom the gelatine in a little cold water and then dissolve in the still hot mix. Pass. Cool down over a bowl of ice until starting to thicken, set in ramekins.
To serve
  1. Dip the ramekins in some hot water for a few seconds to just start to melt a little of the dessert enough to release. Turn out onto a cold plate. Serve with some of the freshly scooped passion fruit pulp.
MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/

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July 15, 2013

Chocolate tart with blackberry compote & vanilla crème fraiche

With anything rich and creamy as this it is good to serve with something that acts as a foil and cuts through  the richness of the custard filling. Here I serve with blackberries and creme fraiche. Try and use the best quality chocolate and let it shine. I don’t use any sugar in the chocolate filling, I want to taste the chocolate, not sugar. Copy of A48W3492  

Chocolate Tart w blackberries and creme fraiche
Serves 10
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Prep Time
50 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
1 hr 35 min
Prep Time
50 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
1 hr 35 min
Sweet Pastry
  1. 125g Butter
  2. 125g Sugar
  3. 250g Flour
  4. 1 Egg
  5. Flour for dusting
  6. Melted butter
  7. Blind baking rice
  8. Eggwash
Chocolate Custard
  1. 600ml Cream
  2. 80ml milk
  3. 4 egg yolks
  4. 2 vanilla pod
  5. 480g chocolate
  6. 4 star anise
Vanilla Creme Fraiche
  1. 80g Creme Fraiche
  2. 1 Vanilla pod
  3. Icing sugar to taste
Blackberry Compote
  1. 150g Sugar
  2. 100ml water
  3. 150g Blackberries
Sweet Pastry
  1. Cream butter and sugar, add flour and egg, mix to combine.
  2. Rest for 30 minutes.
  3. Roll out pastry and chimise the tart tin with melted butter and flour.
  4. Dock the pastry, line with baking paper filled with rice and blind bake at 140˚C until cooked.
  5. Eggwash and return to the oven for 1 minute.
  6. Cool.
Chocolate Custard
  1. Scald the cream and milk with the split/scraped vanilla pod and star anise.
  2. Whisk onto the egg yolks and then whisk in the chocolate.
  3. Pass.
  4. Pour custard into pastry case and cook at 140˚C until there is a slight wobble, about 20-35 minutes depending on your oven.
Vanilla Creme Fraiche
  1. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod.
  2. Mix the creme fraiche with the seeds and icing sugar to taste - not too sweet.
Blackberry Compote
  1. Bring sugar and water to the boil, simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add blackberries to the pot and simmer for 2 minutes then remove from the heat.
MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/

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July 11, 2013

Chilli Garlic Squid with Lime and Coriander

A48W3540

I first tried fresh squid when working at Elements in Lyall Bay and have never looked back. If you have only tried the pre-frozen tube variety then you don’t know what you are missing. Once chemically tenderized, frozen and then defrosted there is virtually no flavour left and I don’t even bother these days. Whole fresh squid seems to be gaining a little bit of popularity and should be prepared simply. One of my favorite ways is to salt n pepper fry it with some sticky soy sauce; it was the first way I ever tried squid and is still one of my favorites. The other is to sear and lightly cook in a hot pan with some chilli and garlic and tossed with some freshly squeezed lime and picked coriander.   To prepare the squid Cut the squid down the length of the tube and remove all the insides. Cut off the tentacles and throw out the offal and beak (or save for an awesome burly next time you’re fishing!). Cut the suckers off the tentacles and you are ready to go.  

Chilli Garlic Squid with Lime and Coriander
Serves 4
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. 500g whole fresh squid
  2. 5 cloves garlic
  3. 3 whole red chilli
  4. 4 limes
  5. 1/2 bunch fresh coriander
  6. 20ml Light olive oil
  7. Flakey sea salt
  8. Vegetable oil (for cooking)
Instructions
  1. Slice the squid into strips.
  2. If you feel it needs tenderizing you can marinate in some plain milk overnight however I think it is usually unnecessary if you cook the squid lightly; it should have a little bit of 'bite' anyway.
  3. Finely slice the garlic and the chilli (leave the seeds in unless you really don't like a bit of kick) and roughly pick the coriander leaves; a few bits of stalk are fine.
  4. Get your fry pan as hot as you can (it should be pretty much smoking) then off the heat (just in case) add a little bit of cooking oil and then the squid and return to the heat.
  5. Make sure your pan is big enough to easily hold twice the amount of squid you are cooking.
  6. The trick with squid and a lot of seafood is to cook it quickly on a high heat, if your pan is too small or you add too much squid at once the temperate of the pan drops and you won't be searing but will be stewing! In which case you will get no colour and all the water (and flavour) will come out of the squid and make it tough.
  7. Cook your squid for about 20 seconds then throw in the sliced chilli and garlic and cook for another 20 seconds.
  8. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.
  9. Squeeze in your lime juice, add the olive oil and season with flaky sea salt (I don't like using pepper with seafood).
  10. What you are doing here is effectively making a rough and ready vinaigrette out of the lime juice, squid cooking juices, olive oil and the aromatics.
  11. Add the picked coriander and toss all together.
  12. Divide among 4 plates and serve with some crusty bread to soak up the juices if you so desire. Can garnish with some reserved coriander.
MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/

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May 26, 2013

Tom Kha Goong – Thai prawn soup

WR8A9383Until I worked with Thai chefs I thought Tom Yum soup was Tom Yum soup. There are actually many variations; all different and delicious in their own way. Now here’s a quick Thai lesson as I see it:

Tom Kha = Creamy soup (coconut cream or evaporated milk)

Tom Yum = Clear soup

Gai = Chicken

Goong = Prawns

Talay = Seafood

Here is my recipe for my favorite Thai soup, Tom Kha Goong, or spicy prawn and lemongrass soup with coconut and mushrooms. Feel free to use chicken stock but I actually prefer to shell the prawns and use the heads and shells to make my own prawn stock.

 

Tom Kha Goong
Serves 6
Thai prawn, coconut and lemongrass spicy soup
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Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
25 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 200g Prawns
  2. 800ml Chicken Stock (or prawn stock)
  3. 2 sticks Lemongrass
  4. 3-4 Fresh red chilli
  5. 100g Straw mushroom (canned is still ok)
  6. 100g punnet Cherry tomatoes
  7. 3cl Garlic
  8. 1knob ginger (or galangal)
  9. 2-4 Limes (juice)
  10. Fish sauce (nam pla) - to taste
  11. 1/2 bunch Coriander
  12. 200ml Coconut cream (or evaporated milk)
  13. 6 Kaffir lime leaves
Instructions
  1. Peel and slice the ginger, slice the garlic and slice the lemongrass and chilli (reserve some chilli for garnish).
  2. Pound lightly the kaffir lime leaves with your knife handle to release some of the oils.
  3. Bring the stock to the simmer and add the ginger, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and chilli. Infuse for 15-20 minutes. Halve the mushrooms and add to the soup with the whole cherry tomatoes and prawns and gently cook until the prawns are just done.
  4. Add the coconut cream.
  5. Season with some fish sauce and lime juice and a little sugar if you like.
  6. Transfer to bowls and finish with some of the reserved chilli and coriander.
MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/
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May 22, 2013

Brawn w smoked oysters, celeriac remoulade and cider reduction

Brawn w pickled tongue, smoked oysters and vanilla cider reduction

You can’t get much more old school than brawn. If you haven’t tried it you’re really missing out, just don’t be put off that it is essentially a jellied boiled pigs head. If you don’t want to make it with the other accompaniments then you can serve a big slice of it with some crusty baguette and chutney. 

Brawn with smoked oyster, crackling, cider and celeriac
Serves 12
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Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
4 hr
Total Time
4 hr 45 min
Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
4 hr
Total Time
4 hr 45 min
Brawn
  1. 1 pigs head
  2. 2 carrots
  3. ½ leek
  4. 2 sticks celery
  5. 3 cl garlic
  6. 3 bay leaves
  7. 2 sprigs thyme
  8. 1 onion
Pickle mix
  1. 400ml Red wine vinegar
  2. 400g Sugar
  3. 800ml water
  4. 4 star anise
  5. 4 cloves
  6. 4 bay leaves
  7. 2 sprig thyme
  8. 12 peppercorns
  9. 8cl garlic
  10. 1 tspn Coriander seeds
Pork crackling
  1. pork skin
  2. salt
Tea-smoked oysters
  1. 1 dozen oysters
  2. 50g Brown sugar
  3. 50g Jasmine tea
  4. 50g Rice
Vanilla and Cider reduction
  1. 500ml Cider
  2. 200ml Apple juice
  3. 1 Vanilla pod
Celeriac Remoulade
  1. Celeriac
  2. Mayo
  3. Wholegrain mustard
  4. Italian Parsley
Brawn part 1
  1. Remove tongues and set aside to pickle.
  2. Soak heads in running water to remove any blood.
  3. Place in a pot with the peeled carrots and all other ingredients, top with water and simmer until meat is falling off the bone.
For the tongues
  1. Simmer tongues in pickling mix until very tender (may need to top up with water if it evaporates too much).
  2. Set aside and remove outside skin and any fat etc. Roughly shred.
Brawn assembly
  1. Pass and keep the veg.
  2. Shred the meat medium coarse, discarding any sinew and skin/bones.
  3. It’s nice if you keep some skin, fat and anything that isn’t bone.
  4. Dice three carrots and mince with your knife one onion and one leek. Mix together with the pickled tongue the meat and veg, season, roll tight and torque in glad wrap (or set in a terrine mould) and leave to set overnight.
For the crackling
  1. Scrape fat off back of pork skin and score, cut into 1cm x 5cm pieces, season, press and roast in a hot oven until crispy.
For the smoked oysters
  1. Allow smoke mix to get going well before placing oysters on rack over it
  2. Turn off flame-cover loosely –allow to infuse, store in light olive oil w bouquet garni.
For the reduction
  1. Split vanilla pod and scrape the seeds out into the pot, combine all ingredients and simmer to a light syrup.
For the remoulade
  1. Julienne celeriac, soak in acidulated water.
  2. Drain and dry, fold though mayo, add dijon to taste and chopped herbs.
  3. Season.
MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/

 

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May 17, 2013

Lamb rack recipe and E-book on it’s way…

Here’s a preview of the upcoming E-book. For this particular recipe I used  Leelands lamb shoulder racks. Leelands Lamb is run by Bill French in Invercargill, New Zealand and in my opinion their lamb is one of the best in the world. Here I have used a lamb shoulder rack and cooked it pink. Unless you have a very high quality lamb shoulder then I would suggest you use a traditional lamb rack for this.

Dukkah crusted lamb w artichokes, beetroot & brains

 

Spice crusted lamb shoulder rack, salt n pepper brains, Jerusalem artichokes, broad beans, beetroot puree
Serves 8
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Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
45 min
Cook Time
30 min
Lamb brains
  1. one per person
Lamb racks
  1. ½ rack per person
Court Bouillon
  1. (see basics)
Salt n pepper flour
  1. 500 gr tempura flour
  2. 2 T gr. black pepper
  3. 2 T sea salt
  4. 2 t seven spice
  5. 2 nori sheets toasted-ground
  6. Spiced beetroot puree
  7. 20g coriander seeds
  8. 20g cumin seeds
  9. 5 g allspice
  10. 1kg beetroot
  11. 60g greek yoghurt
  12. 30ml olive oil
  13. 2 tspn balsamic
Vegetables
  1. Jerusalem artichokes
  2. Broad beans
Dukkah
  1. Store bought or make your own (see basics)
For the spice flour
  1. Grind together the spices and mix well with the flour.
  2. Keep in an air tight container.
For the brains
  1. Combine all the court bouillon ingredients together and simmer for 15mins to infuse.
  2. Drop the brains in, simmer for 2mins and then remove from the heat and leave for 5-10mins, then drain.
  3. Can cool in the fridge for later use or use straight away.
  4. Dust in the salt n pepper flour and deep fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and season.
For the puree
  1. Bake the beetroot in the oven at 160 with a cup of water until tender. (This will take about an hour). Check half way through to make sure the water hasn’t evaporated; you only need about a centimetre in the bottom of the tray.
  2. Once cooked remove, discard the water and rub off the skins while still hot. You will want to use disposable gloves for this.
  3. Roast off the spices and grind to a powder.
  4. Cut the beetroot roughly and while still hot blend together with all the other ingredients.
  5. Season.
For the veg
  1. Peel the artichokes and cook in salted water until just cooked.
  2. If you overcook they will turn to mush.
  3. Peel the broad beans and wash.
To serve
  1. Roast the lamb roll in dukkah after resting for 10mins then carve.
  2. Pan fry thin slices of the Jerusalem artichokes in a little oil, butter and garlic.
  3. Add broad beans at the end.
  4. Serve the lamb on the artichokes and broad beans with beetroot puree, the fried brains and a little jus and herbs.
MacLean Fraser http://macleanfraser.com/

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