Cuisine

BAR BITES

Find out what happens when you team master mixologist Mikey Ball with ‘One to Watch’ chef Zennon Wijlens at Paris Butter to create the ultimate bites and sips for entertaining.

Food by Zennon Wijlens Drinks by Mikey Ball Photography Jason Creaghan

Cocktail supremo Mikey Ball teams with chef Zennon Wijlens at Paris Butter to create the ultimate bites and sips for entertaining.

There’s just one thing head chef Zennon Wijlens wants to know about a dish before adding it to the menu at acclaimed Auckland restaurant Paris Butter: is it delicious? That might seem a loaded question – what’s delicious to one person might not be so appealing to another – but for the Paris Butter crew it neatly captures their raison d’être. “Deliciousness is the number one thing in our kitchen,” Zennon says. “With all of our food, we not only focus on flavours but how it eats. Balance is key. When you’ve got the perfect mouthfeel it’s salty, sweet, slightly bitter, crunchy but with soft notes. When you can tick all those boxes as opposed to having five different components on the plate, that’s delicious. Everything has to be there for a purpose.”

Zennon has been refining his definition of deliciousness since he left school to become a chef at 16. He’s worked with a roll call of notable chefs in New Zealand and Australia in that time, honing his craft at places such as Etch by Becasse, Momofuku Seiōbo, Spice Temple and Cumulus Inc. He was at Hong Kong airport, on his way back to New Zealand after nine months of travelling (during which time he’d eaten at 34 of the World’s Top 50 Restaurants), when he saw a sous chef job up for grabs at Paris Butter.

Executive chef and owner Nick Honeyman wanted his traditional French bistro to evolve, and Zennon turned out to be just the person to help him do that. “I feel super lucky, because Nick is so supportive of everything I bring to the party, and even though he’s in France at the moment we are still bouncing ideas off each other every day,” Zennon says. “I’ve only been at Paris Butter for about two-anda-half years, but the evolution we’ve had in that time has been amazing. We still have the same ethos; we use the best New Zealand produce and we use a lot of classic French techniques, but we use Japanese and Asian seasonings, which really speaks to both Nick and my food styles.”

Innovation is welcome in the Paris Butter kitchen – the team have regular sessions trying out new ideas and combinations through ‘Test Kitchen Tuesdays’ and ‘Staff Projects’ on Saturday nights. “It’s great for the guys to be creative and think outside the box. We take the approach that five minds are better than one, so we get everyone’s opinion. We take on everyone’s feedback and nine times out of 10, it comes back a better dish.”

That attention to detail and innovation extends to the drinks list, too. Zennon is full of praise for cocktail supremo Mikey Ball, a drinks consultant and regular Paris Butter collaborator who has developed cocktails to pair with the three favourite Paris Butter recipes shared in this issue.

“Mikey is amazing and his cocktails are very forward-thinking. In my eyes, a cocktail is very similar to a dish; there are a lot of creative elements. We have a great understanding; he’ll come to me with a drink idea and I’ll create a dish around it, or I’ll talk to him about a dish I’m creating and he’ll develop a drink.”

Mikey’s extensive hospitality career includes a stint as general manager at Paris Butter, where he says it was a privilege to help create the restaurant’s cocktail culture. “There’s so much creative energy at Paris Butter, which makes it amazing and really challenging at the same time,” he says.

“Bartenders and chefs think about ingredients and flavours so differently, so I love running things past Nick and Zennon. There’s a lot of nice R&D involved in a custom-made drink.” LUCY CORRY

KINGFISH TARTARE WITH XO SAUCE & BUTTERMILK SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES / COOKING 45 MINUTES

This dish marries two of my favourite things: raw fish and XO sauce. I have substituted bacon for the traditional dried fish and scallops, which adds a lovely smoky, rich flavour that

I find more well-rounded. The Shio kombu, powdered dashi and mushroom soy can be found at your local Asian supermarket.

XO SAUCE

1 red onion, diced

2 long red chillies, deseeded 20g grated ginger 50ml oil

50g chopped bacon 50g caster sugar 50ml mushroom soy

(we use Healthy Boy brand) 50ml Chinese cooking wine

Blend the onion, chillies and ginger in a food processor. Put the oil and bacon in a pot and cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat, then add the onion, chillies and ginger and cook on a low-medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and cook on the lowest possible heat for at least another 30 minutes until it turns a deep red colour. Set aside. 400g raw kingfish, diced XO sauce (see recipe) 2 teaspoons Shio kombu 3 teaspoons chives, thinly sliced ⅓ cup buttermilk

½ teaspoon powdered dashi nasturtium flowers, to serve

Mix the diced kingfish with the XO sauce, kombu and chives. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, a pinch of salt and the powdered dashi.

To plate, arrange the kingfish tartare in the centre of a bowl with the nasturtium flowers sitting on top, then pour the buttermilk around the tartare. You can also take a teaspoon of the oil from the top of the XO sauce and add it to the buttermilk, to make a visually appetising split sauce.

SERVE WITH FABERGE HI-BALL SERVES 1 / PREPARATION 5 MINUTES

A light, refreshing and dry play on the classic Collins, this hi-ball brings together a high level of herbaceousness, sherbet sweetness and refinement to present a super well-rounded quencher.

30ml dry gin (we recommend Scapegrace

Classic or 1919 Dry Gin)

20ml boysenberry & bay leaf

cordial (see recipe)

East Imperial Yuzu Lemonade pea shoots or tendrils, to serve

Build all ingredients except the garnish in a highball glass, packing it with cubed or large block ice. Garnish with pea tendrils.

BOYSENBERRY & BAY LEAF CORDIAL MAKES 600ML / PREPARATION 7–10 MINUTES

1 cup boysenberries

(can be frozen if out of season) 1 cup caster sugar

1 cup cold water

½ teaspoon citric acid 1 medium-sized bay leaf,

ripped into 4–6 pieces

Add all the ingredients to a blender, set on low (if you have a Thermomix, level 2 setting) for 6 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve and leave to strain for a couple of minutes until you have extracted all of the syrup. Bottle, label with the date of production and keep chilled for up to 2 months. This recipe makes more than you need, but the syrup is great in homemade sodas, on ice cream or as a sweetener in other cocktails.

OYSTERS WITH COCONUT GRANITA SERVES 2 / PREPARATION 20 MINUTES PLUS OVERNIGHT FREEZING / COOKING 5–10 MINUTES

This is a great way to freshen up the amazing oysters we have in New Zealand with some tropical notes.

1 cup coconut water

4 tablespoons desiccated coconut 1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt juice of 1 lime

6 freshly shucked oysters sorrel flowers, to serve

Prepare the granita the night before by mixing the coconut water, desiccated coconut, sugar and salt together and bringing to 60℃ or a light simmer. As soon as it simmers, pull it off the heat. Whizz the mix in a blender, strain into a container, then freeze overnight.

To serve, put a few drops of lime juice onto each oyster. Remove the granita from the freezer and scrape with a fork until it resembles snow. Place a tablespoon of the granita on each oyster and serve immediately, scattered with sorrel flowers. Match with a jubu soda (recipe page 20).

“BALANCE IS KEY. WHEN YOU’VE GOT THE PERFECT MOUTHFEEL IT’S SALTY, SWEET, SLIGHTLY BITTER, CRUNCHY BUT WITH SOFT NOTES.WHEN YOU CAN TICK ALL THOSE BOXES..., THAT’S DELICIOUS.”

SERVE WITH JUBU SODA SERVES 1 / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES

A delicate, zesty and fragrant sparkling tea taking influence from the traditions of hi-ball culture, and the significance of sakura and its treatment in the Sōraku district of central Japan. This drink both cleanses and builds freshness with the oysters, providing a well-rounded experience in both food and drink.

40ml blended Scotch whisky (we use

Chivas XV or Monkey Shoulder) 20ml sakura tea soda (see recipe) 6–8 drops ume plum vinegar 6–8 drops Ballin’ Taiheke Hop Bitters East Imperial Soda Water kombu and edible dianthus flowers,

to serve

Build all the ingredients except the garnish in a rocks glass or stemless wine glass, packing the glass with cubed ice. Garnish with kombu and edible dianthus flowers.

SAKURA TEA SODA MAKES 650ML / PREPARATION 15 MINUTES

50g sakura green tea (we recommend

t leaft sakura rose green tea) 500ml hot water at 80℃ (blend 20%

cold water with 80% boiling water) ¼ teaspoon tartaric acid

1 cup caster sugar

Add tea to the freshly boiled and blended water. Leave to steep for 4–5 minutes, then pour through a fine strainer. Add the tartaric acid and sugar and whisk until dissolved. Bottle, label with the date of production and keep chilled for up to 1 month. This recipe makes more than you need for the cocktail, but it is great as a base for iced tea or to add freshness to desserts such as ice cream. Or use to cure or pickle gherkins, carrots and seaweed.

CLAMS, PAPRIKA & PINENUT MILK SERVES 2–4 / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES PLUS COOLING TIME / COOKING 5–10 MINUTES

This is one of our favourite snacks on the Paris Butter menu. The sweetness from the clams pairs amazingly with the smokiness of the paprika and the nuttiness of the pinenut milk. 12 clams

100ml oil

3 tablespoons smoked paprika 50g pinenuts, toasted ¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar fennel fronds, to serve

Heat a large pot on a high heat. Once hot, add the clams and 100ml water, cover and leave for 1 minute or until the clams have just opened. Remove from the pot and put them into the fridge. Once cool, remove the top half of the shell from the clam and free the meat from the bottom half. Thinly slice the clams and arrange in the bottom half of the shell.

For the paprika oil, combine the oil and paprika and bring to a simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes, then set aside. Strain through a fine sieve and place in the fridge to cool.

Put the pinenuts in a blender with 1 cup water and the salt and blend on high speed for 1 minute. Strain through a fine sieve, season with the sherry vinegar and set aside. To serve, arrange the clams with 1 tablespoon of pinenut milk, ½ teaspoon of the paprika oil and a garnish of fennel fronds.

SERVE WITH NOPALES SERVES 1 / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES

A dry, crisp and vibrant sour, to mimic the zesty prickly pears of Mexico and the way their balance of sweetness, acidity and often salty savoury notes elevates shellfish dishes to another level.

45ml premium blanco tequila (we recommend Olmeca Altos or Herradura Plata) 20ml raw pear shrub (see recipe) 30ml freshly squeezed lime juice 10ml orgeat syrup (see recipe

or use store-bought) 10ml chickpea brine (from a can)

or ½ egg white paprika, to serve orange coin, to serve

Put all ingredients except the garnish into the base of a shaker set, put on the lid and dry shake (without ice) hard for around 10 seconds. Pop the lid off, pack the shaker with cubed ice and wet shake (with ice) hard for around 10–15 seconds, until the shaker is frosted. Remove the lid and strain through a fine strainer into a chilled coupe. Zest with an orange coin, then discard the coin and dust the top with paprika.

RAW PEAR SHRUB

MAKES 1 LITRE / PREPARATION 30 MINUTES PLUS 72 HOURS RESTING TIME

400g (approx 3–4) pears, finely diced 400ml raw apple cider vinegar 1kg caster sugar

Put the pears and vinegar in a large mason jar, making sure the pears are coated, cover the pears with a square of Chux cloth (or similar) to keep them submerged, then cover the top of the jar with a cloth and seal with a rubber band. Leave in a cool, dark place for 72 hours.

Remove the cloth and strain the liquid into a small pan, add the sugar and stir on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bottle, label with the date of production and keep chilled for up to 1 month. This recipe makes more than you need for the cocktail, but the syrup is great as an acidifier in iced tea and as a sweetener in desserts, and gives a great hit of sourness in salsas and condiments.

ORGEAT SYRUP

MAKES 500ML / PREPARATION 30 MINUTES PLUS 4 HOURS INFUSING TIME

2 cups blanched almonds 1½ cups sugar

30ml brandy

½ teaspoon orange flower water

Pulse the almonds in a blender until finely ground. Set aside.

Combine the sugar with 1¼ cups water in a pot over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Boil the syrup for 3 minutes, then add the ground almonds. Turn the heat to low and simmer for another 3 minutes, then slowly increase the temperature to medium-high. Just before it starts to boil, remove from the heat and cover it with a lid. Allow to infuse for at least 4 hours, then strain it through two layers of cheesecloth, setting aside the ground almonds for another use.

Stir the brandy and orange flower water into the syrup. Bottle and label with the date of production and keep chilled for up to 2 months. This recipe makes more than you need for the cocktail, but the syrup is great in coffee, cakes and other sour cocktails. ■

CONTENTS

en-nz

2021-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://cuisine.pressreader.com/article/281663963174978

Slick & Sassy Media Ltd