Risottos & winter warmth

It's a Wrap!

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 22:30:00 -0700

Hands on Pastry Class

Visa Wellington on a Plate 2011 has come to a close, Floriditas Restaurant has been busy and many diners tried our lunch or dinner offerings.

For the first time this year we ran a hands on pastry class, where six people per class, got to work their way through some classic pastry recipes and left with a new found confidence for making pastry and a box of their own creations.

Over six sessions students of differing ages and abilities have made magnificent light fluffy choux pastry, beautifully layered puff and tender rich shortcrust, with ease, giving it a sharp professional look without stress and all in no time at all.

Rolling pastry with even pressure,daring to blind bake and enjoying the power to create their own delicious masterpieces.

Tara, my Zest Food Tours assistant was terrific, she was everywhere anticipating every move. We have worked together before so it was a hugh pleasure to work with her again.

Tara's knowlegde andskill allowed us both to spend plenty of time with our students giving them individual tuition in the areas they were.

For the last Sunday session, Emma, from Floriditas stepped in as assitant and with Judy our Zest Food Tours guide.

Its been interesting to see the things that people are concerned about when it comes to pastry and skills that had previously been passed down by mothers and grandmothers that are just getting lost.

Rolling technique and pastry that is too dry appear to have been the main stumbling blocks for people.

Often the length of a recipe appears to put some off, but having it shown to you and giving it a go makes it managable.

Thanks to everyone who gave it a go and mastered their fear of pastry.

So what will we do for next year,what are your biggest cooking fears?

Julie

WOW is here!

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 22:15:19 -0700

Marc’s in-sight into WOW

2011 World of Wearable Arts is here once again, yet this year 3 weeks, for us WOW is buisier than Xmas…. its intense and a lot of fun.....a true thrill

Brunch service is fast, and we accommodate on a first come – first served basis we don’t take bookings, unless you’re a larger group. A handy hint is to avoid meeting on the hour or ½ an hour, arrange to meet slightly before, then your first in line for a table. We love WOW…. but hate table rage…. my advise, relax, enjoy, we are going to look after you. If we are full, we will start you of at the bar with coffee or a glass of something stronger, try our French white peach nectar and bubbly…delicious.

Dinner service – my advice, come in for a 5pm/5.30pm dinner; let us know that your heading to the show, we will book you a cab, if you wish. I think it’s a good idea to be down at the arena before the show, they have so much pre show entertainment going on which is great to watch with a glass of vino in hand…but don’t forget to go to the loo, before you head in.

We have some great product for sale…our famous Raspberry Jam, which our beloved Ailsa labels with her fine gold writing, and Morning Noon and Night (The Floriditas Cookbook) by myself and Julie $55, which includes a $20 floriditas gift voucher, for your next visit.

Look forward to seeing you all, any special requests flick me a email.

Enjoy the show

Marc

WOW - Marc’s in-sight into WOW

2011 World of Wearable Arts is here once again, yet this year 3 weeks, for us WOW is buisier than Xmas…. its intense and a lot of fun.....a true thrill.

Look forward to seeing you all, any special requests flick me a email.

Enjoy the show

Marc

August Arrives

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:39:27 -0700

We are roaring through 2011,gearing up for Visa Wellington on a Plate, World of Wearable Arts, and not to forget Rugby World Cup,

the jury is out on how that will be for us. The plan as always, is to be ready for anything!

Wellington on a Plate 2011, sees us teaming up with Nga Waka Wines from Martinborough.

Roger Parkinson who was the first wine maker to visit us as we opened and found our feet with the direction and scope of the Floriditas Wine list.

Nga Waka Home Block Chardonnay, was a fine introduction to Roger and his wines.

Wine selection;

2009 Sauvignon Blanc ,

2004 Riesling,

2009 Chardonay

2009 Pinot Noir

www.ngawaka.co.nz

Lunch

To Start

Green split pea & roasted fennel seed spread, Thyme roasted balsamic baby beetroot & grilled flatbread

Grilled haloumi, green olive & lemon salad with grilled flatbread

Main

Grilled thyme marinated chicken, white bean puree, radicchio & mint salad

Tuatua’s steamed with saffron, herbs & fennel

with garlic rubbed whole wheat sourdough bread

To Finish

Madagascar Milk & Dark Ghana chocolate, hazelnut torte, orange toffee sauce & Cointreau crème

Coconut & lime tart with coconut sorbet & brown sugar tamarillos

Choice of two courses and a glass of wine

$35

Dinner

SET MENU

CHOICE OF 2 GLASSES OF NGA WAKA VINEYARD WINE

$70 per head

To Start

Pork & chicken terrine, apple cider vinegar pickled onion & grilled ciabatta bread

Rocket & walnut pesto, smashed green olives & Pea tendrils & parmesan linguine

Main

Char-grilled aged black angus sirloin, cavalo nero & rosemary roast potatoes

Crumbed Ecco pork chop,

warm red & green cabbage slaw,& baked vincotto apples

To Finish

Dark Ghana chocolate mousse cake, Pedro Ximenez raisins,

Crème fraiche & sherry glaze

Baked Vanilla ricotta, caramel pears & gingerbread crumbs

Burguesa de Floriditas.

James wanted to call it the F Burger, but derision was our response to that idea.

Our burger offering for lunch is a Warm buttermilk bun,thyme & parmesan crumbed chicken,crunchy iceberg lettuce and lashings of chimichurri,

a wickedly good Argentinian green sauce, with parsley, coriander, cumin, green chilli, smoked paprika, lime juice and red wine vinegar.

There is also a burger & Tuatara Pilsner beer option

Hands on Pastry course.

For some years now we have had people through the bakery as part of Zest Food Tours. One thing that has struck me about these passionate cooks is their total fear of pastry.

I mentioned this in passing to Catherine,owner of Zest and the hands on course was born. it sold out in about 30minutes with Cath texting to say we had 25plus on the waiting list.

Thought we would fill the classes its hands on and only 6 in each but was surprised at the speed and interest generated. We now have 40 on the waiting list and need a larger venue!

Suppliers

BRACADALE FARM; Walnuts & Hazelnuts

COPIA: Extra virgin olive oil, Martinborough

COQ AU VIN; Free range chicken

FLORIDITAS BAKERY; Whole wheat sourdough, flat breads, buttermilk burger buns

HARRINGTONS; Ecco pork

MELA; Apple cider vinegar

NGA WAKA VINEYARDS

OTAKI FORKS LIMES; Limes

TUATARA BREWRIES, Plisner

WHITTAKERS, Madagascar Milk & Dark Ghana Chocolate

YELLOW BRICK ROAD, Tuatua

ZANY ZEUS; Haloumi, crème frachie, mascarpone, ricotta

Hold on to your hats its all go.

Julie

Risottos & winter warmth

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:30:00 -0700

Risottos & winter warmth.

With winter here and the shortest day upon us, I have found myself craving and cooking winter comfort food; slow cooked skirt steak on my days off to make rich pie fillings with leafy winter greens such as cavolo nero, hearty rich casseroles to accompany wet parmesan polenta, and even a “retro” potato, cheddar and chard bake made up of incredibly wet mashed potatoes containing lots of cream and well seasoned, then topped with blanched chard and cheddar…truly delicious hot and bubbling! on a cold winter’s night. But back to risottos, I’ve always been a pretty good risotto maker, my friend Lisa Wilde introduced me to a very basic risotto dish about 18 years ago, which became a favourite to make all those years ago, – lemon & parmesan risotto, (great when there is nothing in the fridge at home) and featured on our dinner menu with lamb shortloin, rolled in parsley and mint for a long time. At the restaurant I have always tried to make our risottos interesting and inventive, but simple and delicious, creamy and oozy. Some of the best flavour combinations like asparagus with gremolata crumbs, chard and cheddar, sorrel risotto served with pan-fried fish, to name but a few. We have added salads on top; such has watercress and goat’s cheese, or dressed radicchio to add another dimension. Yesterday in a cookbook shopping frenzy buying 5 new cookbooks I discovered Vegetables from an Italian garden…a Phaidon book. What a beautiful book – season by season recipes truly understanding and respecting seasonal greens, something we always try to do at Flo’s treating each ingredient with respect, no ingredient more important than the other. Anyway I came across a risotto recipe – fennel, gruyere & pink peppercorns, that sounds like dinner tonight I said to myself, with a big bowl of freshly made chicken stock in the fridge, but I couldn’t resist slightly changing the recipe and served it with the last red butter crunch from the garden, adding fennel tops and young celery leaves to make an interesting salad. Here’s my version.

Fennel, gruyere, chopped dill and pink peppercorn risotto

50g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

2 large fennel bulbs, thinly sliced on a mandolin, fennel tips & fronds reserved

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

300g of Arborio rice

1 – 1.5 litres Chicken stock, heated

100g gruyere grated

5 Tbsp of chopped fennel top or dill

1 tsp of slightly crushed pink peppercorns (Spice Trader available from Moore Wilsons)

Maldon sea salt

Melt half the butter in your risotto pan and cook the onion for 5 mins over a low heat till translucent, add the fennel, nutmeg and olive oil, season with salt and cook for 10 mins until the fennel is tender. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 -2 minutes until the rice is coated in olive oil.
Add a ladleful of the hot stock and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, then continue process until all the stock as been absorbed and rice is tender, I always have a glass of wine in my hand at this stage so can take from 20 to 40 mins, I think its getting a feel for your rice, thinking about texture and creaminess. Once your rice is tender, add your gruyere and fennel top or dill and remaining butter, check creaminess and seasoning and add a little more stock if need be – consistency should be that of wet porridge.
Serve to warm bowls and sprinkle with the crushed pink peppercorns.

My advice on risotto; you want it to be creamy, oozy, wet porridge like, think about the ingredients, never leave them un balanced through the rice, if you are using herbs or leafy greens, cut them up finely so they fleck through the rice. Never serve glug or stodge. Always check the seasoning & be creative, while mushroom or porcini risotto has its place in the world….using in-season interesting mushrooms….think outside the square, the combinations are endless.

Love making it, learn from your rice, be inventive & get a real feel for your risotto.

Here we are, with a new Floriditas website, so we can let you know what we are up to here in Cuba Street.

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 01:00:00 -0700

So what’s going on?

Floriditas turned six in March this year, hard to believe it really. When we set up Flo’s we said let’s give it ten years .The past six years have gone in a flash, still lots to do yet, so let’s give it another ten years!

The website now lets you see what we are up to, so have a look at our menus and wine list and share our recipes and seasonal inspiration from Floriditas and what we are up to at home.

Working as usual on new dishes, and reviving some much loved dishes for the winter season, fish pie, porridge with Pedro Xiemenx sherry raisins and tamarillo and dark chocolate tart.

The first tamarillos are in the bakery and when peeled & macerated in a little brown sugar they are superb. So many uses, and full of such good things - vitamins A,B6,C,E & thiamine.

Fresh local walnuts & hazelnuts feature on all the menus at present from the McDonalds Farm, at the base of the Tararuas. The nut crop this year is very high quality and quantity with the “Meyric” walnuts being exceptionally creamy.

Feijoas abound with their flesh creamy and jelly like. I deliberately detour via the bakery walk-in to take in the deep rich fragrant scent. Feijoas lightly poached, with vanilla and local limes for breakfast or with softly whipped cream and brown sugar Pavlova for dessert, but best of all eaten with a knife and spoon, unadorned at any time of the day.

Thanks to all especially Gary & Jonathan for getting us here.