Impress this Autumn with Mr Pickles

IMPRESS THIS AUTUMN

RECIPES MAURICE MONTERO | IMAGES ASHLEE DECAIRES

One of the great things about Mr Pickles, in Hamilton, is the ever changing menu. Heavily influenced by the seasons, with a good dose of experimentation in the kitchen, you are always guaranteed to find something new and delicious. Head Chef and co-owner Maurice Montero has shared a couple of his favourite dishes, including his famous croquettes. While Maurice’s partner in crime Mat Pedley offers up the perfect match for each—it’s not called Mr Pickles for nothing.

EASY TIRAMISU FOR ADULTS ONLY

This is the easiest tiramisu you’ll ever make and sacrilegious to Italians because there is no zabaglione (whipped heated eggs and sugar) involved. Make this delicious dessert ahead of your dinner party and finish it off in 10 seconds. If you want to make it extra special you can garnish it with crushed Flake and some gold leaf to really wow your guests.

SERVES 4

TIRAMISU CREAM

400g/2 x 200g packs mascarpone 75 ml marsala wine (available from Vetro Hamilton) ½ cup icing sugar 400ml whipped cream, whipped to yoghurt thickness

COFFEE MIXTURE FOR LADY FINGERS

2 double shots strong coffee 50ml marsala wine 3 tbsp icing sugar 1 packet lady fingers cacao to garnish

To start, whip the cream up to yoghurt thickness and keep cold in the chiller. In another bowl add the mascarpone, marsala and icing sugar and mix together till smooth.

Fold the cream and mascarpone mixture together with a spatula till the cream is incorporated. Set aside until ready to build the tiramisu.

Mix the coffee (make sure it’s nice and strong) with the icing sugar and marsala. Take a whiskey glass and put a tiny layer of the mascarpone cream on the bottom. Dip the lady fingers in the coffee mixture and place on the cream. Repeat this till your glass is full, finishing with mascarpone mixture.

Cover and set in the fridge until ready to serve. Finish the tiramisu by sprinkling cacao over it.

Serve with what else but an Espresso Martini for a double hit.

CROQUETTES WITH HABANERO MUSTARD

2kg beef cheek 1 brown onion, peeled and roughly chopped 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped 1 stalk celery roughly chopped 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp of black peppercorn Place the beef cheek, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns in an oven dish. Cover with water and wrap the dish with tin foil. Place the oven dish in a preheated oven at 170°C and cook for 2.5 hours till the cheeks are falling apart. If they don’t fall apart, cook them a bit longer (the bigger the cheeks the longer they will take). When the cheeks are cooked, strain the liquid in a pot and reduce the liquid by half to be used to make the roux.

Remove the layer of fat off the cheeks and break them apart.

BROWN ROUX

100g butter 1 small brown onion, finely chopped ½ cup all-purpose flour 4-5 cups of reduced stock from cooking the beef cheeks In a separate pot, add the butter to melt, add the onion and cook on low heat till they are translucent. Add flour and keep stirring till the flour browns.

When the flour is brown, add the stock little by little, whisking it into the flour mixture (use a long whisk because it will be steaming and boiling vigorously). 1tsp ras al hanout (available from Vetro) 1 tsp ground white pepper 1 tbsp parsley salt When all the stock is incorporated, add the beef cheek, ras al hanout, parsley and white pepper and season the mixture with salt to taste. Pour the mixture into a baking paper lined oven dish and fill with the mixture to about 2.5 cm high and cover with baking paper. Cool this mixture down till it is firm and set. At this stage cut the mixture in cubes of 2.5 cm. You can leave this for a few days or freeze till needed.

CRUMB

1 cup of all-purpose flour 4 egg whites 2 cups of Panko Breadcrumbs Season the flour with pepper and salt, blitz the Panko in a food processor till nice and fine, whisk the egg whites with a tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt till liquid. Flour the croquettes and shake the excess off. Wet your hands with the egg white and rub all the crevasses with egg white. Drop them into the Panko and cover them. Repeat egg white and Panko just before frying.

TO FINISH

Deep fryer or pot with canola oil Al Brown’s habanero mustard Deep fry the croquettes at 170°C till golden brown and serve with habanero mustard.

A firm favourite on the Pickles menu, there is a little bit of work involved to put these delicious morsels together, but this can all be done ahead of time. Meaning you can have all the prep done a day in advance. Just deep fry before serving and then sit down and enjoy them with your guests and a glass. Mat recommends a Central Otago Pinot Noir like Burn Cottage Moonlight Race.

An autumn melon and ham salad with a twist. Instead of using ripe melons, autumn is a great time to use New Zealand figs. Pair this with the creamy Clevedon buffalo cheese and transform a classic into something special. Make the mayonnaise well in advance and whatever cheese and prosciutto you have left over will make for a great sandwich the next day.

COFFEE MAYONNAISE

2 egg yolks 10ml water 1 tsp Dijon mustard dash of rice vinegar 1 cup canola oil 1 espresso shot (cooled down) salt and sugar to taste (on bitterness and roast of coffee) In a food processor, add the egg yolks, water, mustard, vinegar and start mixing. Slowly add the oil to incorporate till mixture thickens. Place mixture in a bowl and fold in the cooled down espresso shot and season with salt and sugar. This will keep a week in the fridge. TO FINISH

6 pieces of witloof (Maurice says you can find these at The Gouda Shop in Hillcrest and Rototuna) olive oil lemon juice 1 packet sliced prosciutto 4 fresh New Zealand figs 1 jar Clevedon marinated buffalo curd (available from La Cave) fresh black pepper Spread a thin layer of buffalo cheese on a plate with a spatula. Cut the witloof in 2cm chunks and season with a dash of lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Mix this and lay over the plate (you can do separate plates or one big one for family style). Loosen the sliced prosciutto and drape over the witloof. Add a few dollops of coffee mayonnaise on top of the prosciutto. Cut the figs in quarters and drizzle with olive oil, flaky salt and cracked black pepper.

Mat says serve this fresh autumnal salad with a drier style Riesling, like the Central Otago Rippon young vine.

Mr Pickles Down the Lane, 298 Victoria Street, Hamilton mrpickles.co.nz

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