Stomping about in our drought!
Posted: 8/02/2010 6:18:04 p.m.
Well last week the lads kicked off Masterchef NZ and what a wee bit of chat on facebook and my culinary students during the week. Thanks for all of those who felt they had left me off as a judge! I guess I am still a bit undiscovered . . .
So the question first fired at me was whether I thought Mr Burdon had not a lot to say on Episode One with Simon pushing his brand (hey, why not?). And many felt Ray was the geeky/baddie guy?*# Hard to tell you all, after just one episode but I did like how Imagination TV managed to tone down the sensationalism from the Aussie judges and pitch our kiwi lads nearer to Masterchef UK. My students have been use to my unusual concoctions at times and wondered whether the contestants had little pep talks from me somehow on chocolate coated asparagus and food cooked with coca cola. Actually, once when I was working in Wellington, we use to do a roast duck with a coca cola marinade. I tell you what is interesting is seeing how Simon and Ray (I don’t know Mr Burdon) view the food they assess based on their own philosophy. Like, Simon loves the molecular interplay, dropped and pulled sauces; gels and foams; whereas Ray doesn’t like that style of food at all, simple food done well without all the fussiness. I say good on them selecting (sorry Mr Burdon but they made the right call) the Nelson girl who managed to pull herself out of a destructing situation and turn her one chance around – I agree, this is often a true sign of good cook when they don’t allow a curve ball to blow them out the window. This selection in my mind gave the show some early integrity. Many have asked how they got through so many auditions in the main centres. All that I know is that they had one of the judges and TV production company sit in on the interview first with the contestants dish, if successful from there, they then had the cook off the next day. So Like betting on a racehorse at the TAB, who do I think will win? Whom I do not know, but I will be placing my bets along the way that it will food cooked simply, integrity of the ingredients allowed to speak and flavours that will work as a whole in the dish and someone who is honest and picks themselves up from defeat. Stay tuned . . .
Meanwhile, the very successful NZ on a Plate 2 is re-screening on TVONE on Saturdays at 9am. I get a chance to fling my kai tower around and knock out a sri lankan love cake on 20th February. For a full listing of chefs and dates, check out tvnz.co.nz/nz-on-a-plate/show-2967985 and watch them online. Series 3 with Paul Mercurio and his trusty kiwi bandits are planned for filming this year. Oh yeah, and this current show is flying the sky’s of AirNZ lifestyle channel, so you can pop open a bevy and check it all out
To finish my blog, with not a lot of rain drops happening up here in the winterless north, I took to kayaking from Wellington’s Bay to Ngaruru for an espresso and cooking Spanish leg of lamb pocketed with anchovies, lemon peel & thyme, the anchovy oil rubbed into the skin and a scattering of sumac, smoked paprika powder and sea salt then into the BBQ. Next day I had six fine women wanting the recipe, intrigued about how someone would stuff meat with little salty fish. Goes with out saying, don’t write it off until you try it! It is sexy . . .