New Zealand Egg Burger

Back in the late 70's when the NZ'er was at uni (university) he used to frequent Gibb's Burger Bar in Palmy (Palmerston North) he would play Space Invaders with the Aggie's (Agricultural students) grab an egg burger and then head off in the ute (utility vehicle) to a party. Every single word is abbreviated in New Zealand - I have a theory, it's a way of speaking without a hint of seriousness, a way to keep things light and easy........anyway back to the egg burger. 


Montauk is all about seafood but sometimes a burger really hits the spot and this summer I sampled some good ones; the Navy Beach burger has a delicious bacon 'marmalade' and The Gig Shack on Main Street makes a mighty juicy bison burger, these are very fine burgers indeed, but for me nothing quite beats the strange combination of a fried egg on top of beets and meat; the New Zealand egg burger. It works best if the beets are tinned and in my opinion the egg should be only slightly sunny-sided over, of course many sauces can be added, in the absence of ketchup (on Labor day) we used my homemade brown sauce and mayonnaise, we also shoved in a slice of homegrown tomato and a piece of crisp lettuce. It's a mammoth of a burger with a riot of flavors and one that requires a lion's roar for that first bite - not for the dainty eater.


I cheated and bought my burgers from Gosman's Market, my favorite place to shop for groceries in the summer, they have the freshest flipping fish, top quality cuts of meat and the cheese selection is fantastic (Humboldt Fog) it's our own little slice of gourmet heaven down at the docks. 


New Zealand Egg Burger


hamburgers
buns 
tinned beets
mayonnaise/ketchup/brown sauce
fried egg
lettuce
tomato


If making the burgers from scratch use good quality ground meat such as Angus beef and be sure to add Worcestershire sauce to the mix. I used brioche rolls from Gosman's, they are oversized and accommodate all the fillings, they are even better when slightly toasted on the grill, kaiser rolls or ciabatta would work just as well. The all important egg; fry it to your liking but make sure you know your dinner guests well if you're going for the runny version!


The Stacking Order
Put mayonnaise on the bottom bun followed by lettuce, then the burger followed by tomatoes then the beets followed by the egg, then your choice of ketchup/brown sauce, put the other bun on top of the stack and open wide. Choice.

A Sad Journey To A Beautiful Winter

I left Montauk on a 90 degree day, it was one of many this Summer, good for the hamlet and good for the tomatoes, a day later I arrived in New Zealand to a cooler temperature and much sadness. My Mother-in-Law died suddenly on July 12th, she was a vibrant 77 year old and I don't think she ever had an idle moment in her life. There would be no Stonecrop without her (and her husband Denis), she weeded, moved rocks, planted trees, kept the books, made the lunch, attended every important event at the vineyard, harvest time, meetings about irrigation, the list is endless and she did all of this in addition to taking care of grandchildren, visiting friends and family in need, volunteering for various groups in her community, she never forgot a birthday or anniversary..... and there were many, each year many cards and letters were thoughtfully and beautifully written and posted to various destinations around the world.

Margaret lived on the Parewanui Road just outside of Bulls and it is here she created a magnificent garden which she lovingly tended to for over 37 years, it is lush with native New Zealand trees and shrubs, she loved her rose garden and she had special roses that came from her father's garden.

She had lemon trees, tangerine trees, a feijoa bush that my husband planted in 1981 and a huge fig tree.

Margaret made an assortment of delectable goodies with the bounty from her garden; jams and chutneys, damson gin, stewed Washington apples and she made the most memorable and exquisite cakes.

People in New Zealand are very generous with food and this generous spirit is overflowing after a terrible loss, after the funeral family and friends gathered back at Parewanui Road, there were hearty pumpkin soups, pies and date loaves, meals were put in the freezer in the garage; chicken casseroles, lamb and potatoes, pikelets, egg and bacon pie, this was all done quietly without any fuss or anyone wanted to take credit, just with kindness.

It was Winter but there were flowers blooming in her garden; stunning camellias, large pink ones and dramatic reds, erigeron was sitting pretty at the front of the border, there were lemons and tangerines on the trees. Gardening continues in New Zealand during the Winter unlike here where we shut up shop, it can be a bit chilly but not 'hats and gloves' chilly. Early morning after a frost is particularly beautiful; looking out of the kitchen window - a diamond dusting over the hinoki tree and the lawn leading out to the paddock past the pohutukawa tree.

I have long been excited about gardening in New Zealand and especially with native plants; muehlenbeckia, corokia cotoneaster, (New Zealand has more divaricating plants than any other country) Marlborough daisy, Chatham Island forget-me-nots, puka, rengarenga, hebes, coprosma, and then there are the magnificent trees; totara, rimu, kauri, kowhai, karo, pohutukawa, rata, manuka, lancewood, coprosma, puriri, to name a few. These are the ones I have become familiar with over the years, from visiting gardens like Otari in Wellington, my friend Wendy's stunning garden in Blenheim and our own native garden that Margaret and Denis started for us at the vineyard.

For many of us who love to garden it's a place to find peace and solace, it's also a special place to be close to our loved ones who spent years digging in the dirt, moving this plant 'here' and that plant 'there' watching a seedling become a mighty tree, anticipating the blooms on a favorite shrub, scratching that persistent itch - the joy of gardening.

Before I left to return to Montauk we spotted two Tui's in the puriri tree, Denis told me 'they pair for life'.

See you in the garden Margaret.

A Tarty Grosart

I planted a gooseberry bush about six years ago, waited patiently and just observed the little hairy berries each year, this year I had enough for jam. The gooseberry has always been popular in England for fools and pies and as a sauce to accompany oily fish such as mackerel (the French call it groseille a maquereau, the mackerel currant) the Scots favor it too and apparently it grows in abundance in the Shetland islands and the Orkneys. I am awfully fond of the sharp green berry, we had bushes in our garden in England and so did my Grandparents, I still remember picking them through the thorns as they'd bobble about on the straggly branches, there was something a little bit spooky about them; the tiny hairs, the transparent flesh revealing the insides, then came the popping in the mouth, the crunch, the shocking release of tartness! 


Gooseberries are high in pectin so they are perfect for jam and green ones make the best. As you can tell from the photo I left mine on the branches too long but the jam was good, not as tart, maybe a bit more plummy, but still tasty and a pretty pink color too. The following recipe will also appear in Edible East End Magazine in the September issue along with a lovely picture of the jam taken by my friend, the photographer Ellen Watson.


I think I have the only gooseberry bush in Montauk, some were spotted at a farm stand in Sagaponack, I'll have to start recruiting fool lovers in Montauk. They grown so well here, gooseberries, I mean.

Montauk Gooseberry Jam

a quantity of gooseberries 

the same quantity of sugar

water

Wash and top and tail the gooseberries, put in a heavy based saucepan with water not quite covering, simmer for 15 minutes until fruit becomes soft but still holding shape, add sugar and stir until dissolved, bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, then test for setting; put a small amount of the mixture on a saucer that has been chilled in the freezer; allow to cool; the mixture should be thick and jammy and with a skin when pushed with the finger; continue boiling if it's not thick enough and repeat setting test.

Cool and transfer to sterilized jars and refrigerate. 

You sit on the veranda drinking tea and your ducklings swim on the pond, and everything smells good. . . and there are gooseberries.' Anton Chekhov

A Rosy Outlook

Watermelon is the ultimate summer fruit, nothing quenches the thirst quite like a chilled slice of the sweet, crunchy, watery (85%) fruit. About a month ago I was chopping the rind off a watermelon for a watermelon, feta and black olive salad (see below) and remembered seeing a pickled watermelon rind recipe in one of my books (Stephanie Alexander) so I got pickling, the process is a bit fiddly, but I love the idea of being able to use the entire fruit. After a month of pickling in a sugary clovey bath the white fleshy rind along with the pickled lemons were finely chopped and added to the following recipe, which would also work just as well without the 'pickled' element; there was something just a little bit too christmassy about the taste, (for a 90 degree day) it must have been the cloves, nonetheless it was tasty and zesty.

watermelon salsa

Red, white and blue - watermelon, cucumber and borage flowers, add a splash of white balsamic vinegar, some mint and you have yourself a refreshing little Independence Day salsa!

July 4th was a scorcher of a day here in Montauk and it looks as though the heat will be sticking around for a while. Here are a few other simple but refreshing and cooling watermelon dishes for hot summer days.

watermelon gazpacho

combine chunks of cucumber, red pepper, watermelon, add parsley and basil, a splash of red wine vinegar, some sea salt and extra virgin olive, serve very chilled.

watermelon with feta cheese and black olives
cut the watermelon into bite size pieces and assemble on the plate with cubes of feta and black (I prefer kalamata) olives. These flavors work so well together; the cooling sweetness of the watermelon, the saltiness of the cheese and the fruitiness of the olives. 
It can be served as a salad or as a dramatic pre-dinner snack.


watermelon with feta cheese and lemon zest olive oil
cut watermelon into small wedges and top with feta, squish the cheese with a knife so that it's firmly in place then top with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and lemon zest.


watermelon and ginger beer
add ginger beer to pureed watermelon for a refreshing summer drink.

First Of The Season

Long time no post - weeding, sowing, planting, edging, mowing, hence the dirty fingernails, dodgy back and the large gap between posts. Other things have been neglected too - there is wood to carve and let's not forget the business to run - getting up early helps. I am trying to get into a routine of doing the gardening chores early in the morning and early in the evening in an effort to free up the rest of the day for more pressing activities. The dog has to be content with playing ball in the back yard as getting to the beach doesn't seem to happen as frequently in summer as it does in winter, she does have her own pool though; a cast-iron tub, perfect for cooling off after hours of lounging......I need to teach that dog more tricks, like how to use a hoe.


Last night we had striped bass, it was the first catch of the season for the NZ'er and hopefully not the last, it was as usual delicious, we also pulled the first of the salad greens. It really did feel like summer in Montauk - we were sitting outside without long sleeves, the stone patio dotted with an array of sandy flip flops was still warm from the day's rays and as we dined we listened to the strangely comforting sound of 'Mustang Sally' coming in waves from Nick's bar in town. We did 'cheers' to our meal of 'firsts'.


'Oysters' I exclaimed to my husband, he agreed (it's a rarity) I have eaten many borage flowers in my time and I recall more of a celery flavor, but the flowers I put in our salad last night tasted of the sea, what a strange delight! We ate some more to be sure.... yup, 'oysters' - This surprise taste got me thinking; a small plate of borage served with a glass of Muscadet, wouldn't that be an interesting summer appetizer? especially for people who don't/won't/can't eat oysters....I can't imagine. Or a borage fritter? The possibilities seem endless.
I do like the borage flower in the vegetable garden, it's one of those special delicate sapphire blues, comfrey is the same, but they both have a thuggish habit, they need a lot of   room.

I was asked to write a piece about my garden and fishing and cooking by the publisher of 'On Montauk' a little gem of a booklet for folks taking a break in Montauk, it's in the latest issue, another first....published author! Apparently I am overly generous with the comma, the truth is I am not a writer, I am a sculptor, a gardener, vineyard owner, probably some other things too, but I do like to write, I really do even though I am not sure about when to use a colon or a semicolon: but I am learning.

Stay tuned for tomatoes and gooseberries.

Summer And Stonecrop

We have fired up the barbie and put the umbrella up, summer is almost here and soon we'll be eating the delicious Montauk striped bass, perfect timing as our 2009 Sauvignon Blanc is now on the shelves. After a winter of cooking hearty soups and stews I am ready for crisp, clean and zesty food and a much repeated simple summer dinner in our house is pan-fried striped bass served with fat slices of tomatoes and mesclun from the garden, no frills, no fuss. Tomatoes dominate our vegetable garden - we do fuss over them because we have had some spectacular failures, last year I harvested about three, but 2009 wasn't a good year for tomatoes, it was however a great year for our grapes.


This year's Stonecrop harvest was a happy event, the rain held off and we had exceptional fruit; both the sauvignon blanc and the pinot noir and a very good picking crew, even the loading of bins occurred without incident - oh, the stories we could tell.

Having a foot in both hemispheres we are constantly connected to the changing and opposite seasons, we monitor wind and rain, the heat and the frosts. In the summertime when we are picking tomatoes, cutting herbs and pulling mesclun from our Montauk garden, thousands of miles away in Martinborough on Dry River road at our Stonecrop vineyard, the vines will be pruned and then all will be quiet for a while during the winter months. Then when it's bakery hot here in August there's a chilly wind blowing through Martinborough coming from the cold southerly Tasman sea and when we are blanketed in snow here in Montauk the grapes are ripening and glistening in the late New Zealand autumn sun.  

Summer in Montauk for us is about fishing, barbequing, tomatoes, salad greens, flowers and herbs - going to the beach early in the morning before the crowds, although one can always find a beautiful deserted beach in Montauk in the middle of summer in the middle of the day, it just requires a bit of a hike. Most of all summer for us is about sharing fresh food and our wine with friends; Montauk friends, city friends, faraway friends.

And the stories - it's all in the bottle - the handpicked grapes, the seasons, the blood, sweat and tears and the love of the land.

Note: The picture of the tomatoes was taken in 2007 - it was a good year for tomatoes.

Blooming Good Time

The shads are flowering early this year, last week the one in my backyard was a bare-naked winter tree and now it is donning a pretty white bonnet. To see the landscape packed with shads is breathtaking - gentle clouds of white and restful hues of green, a beautiful spring tapestry quietly rolling over the hamlet. A friend has a party every year to celebrate the blooming shads and the view from her deck is spectacular; high up on the hill, shads as far as the eye can see, all the way down to the water. Celebrations for blooms, for seasons, for the harvest......my kind of party, my dad used to have a potato party - the potato barrels were emptied in front of an enthusiastic and rowdy crowd, sometimes there was a glut but more often just a few measly spuds were unearthed (much applause and cheers) anyway it was always a good party, and potatoes seemed like a good enough reason for a knees-up.


I made deviled eggs for the shad party, I wanted to make something jolly looking and spring-like, my fellow shad lookers approved.


This is a beautiful piece about the shads in Montauk written by Hilary Ostlere.


Deviled Eggs


10 hard boiled eggs
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
a couple of splashes of lea and perrins
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
a splash of fish sauce
salt and black pepper
cut chives
smoked paprika


Cut the eggs in half and gently remove the yolks into a bowl, mix in the remaining ingredients, (except the chives and paprika) until you have a smooth and creamy paste, spoon mixture back into the hollowed egg whites, add the chopped chives and sprinkle  with smoked paprika.


A note about smoked paprika - I am going to sound like Simon and Minty on 'Posh Nosh' (love them!) but.....I used hot smoked paprika from Le Vera region of Spain, it really is exceptional, oaky and smokey without knocking your socks off - Kalystan's in New York have a vast selection of smoked paprika.


These little devils are divine with champagne and pretty good with Stonecrop 2009 Sauvignon Blanc too - more about the new vintage in the next post.