Gong Hey Fat Choy

Long time no post........my blog has become smog; a sleeping log; a hibernating blob. Time to get get off the couch of inactivity and get back to my table of contents with gusto! Excuses? I have a few: Christmas; seasonal sickness; Stonecrop Wines; milestone birthday to consider.......however the Winter has kept me (and my fellow Montaukers) housebound for weeks on end and add to that a shin splint......the ideal conditions for writing a post or two, you would think.


So here goes with the first of 2011. I was fortunate enough to celebrate Chinese New Year with friends at Ping's Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown, the entire menu was selected by Kev and Viv and we were seated at two huge round tables with about 12 people at each. Plate after plate of delectable dishes kept on coming, it was noisy and busy and it was a wonderful feast! I had the privilege of sitting next to one of the menu makers which made the evening's dining even more special.


My family has a long tradition of celebrating Chinese New Year sometimes at restaurants in London but more often it would be spectacular banquets at my friend Cheng's house in Wivenhoe. Major birthdays were also celebrated at Chinese restaurants such as my 18th when I choked on a mouthful of Blue Nun, in those days it was the only wine you could find in a Chinese restaurant. Going to see a film (we never said movie) at the Odeon in Colchester followed by a meal at the Lotus House just down the hill was an exciting night out for two young gals from Wivenhoe, we always had the sweet and sour pork balls, shrimp toasts, beef chow mein and a shrimp chop suey. I learned how to use chopsticks at the Lotus House at age thirteen, the music was exotic and the wallpaper flocked, the waiters always outnumbered the diners and wore ill-fitting suits, I don't believe it's there now but I can still hear us (me and my childhood friend Jackie) laughing and crunching on prawn crackers. Then there was the run up the hill to get the last bus home.


When I lived in London we (me and NZ'er) used to go to Wong Kei (we naughtily called it the Wonkey) for the best wonton noodle soup and a heavy helping of abuse from the waiters, for a romantic dinner we would go to Cheng Du in Camden but one of my favorites was a tiny place on Lisle Street (one of the most deliciously curvy streets in London) it was the most uninviting looking restaurant; spartan with hostile lighting and awkwardly arranged tables, there was always much screeching of chairs as people would try and 'fit' in, but the food was excellent and I swear every time I went there to dine David Yip (The Chinese Detective) was also there (a very good series by the way) I cannot remember the name of this place with the harsh lights and the orange slices at the end of the meal, but I fear a gastropub may have taken its place.


Chinatown New York; I love it, I get my bok choy and choy sum at the very end of Elizabeth Street and when they have pea shoots (dou miao) I rather greedily load up on them. Then I head to Dynasty to get my udon noodles and whatever else grabs my fancy, sometimes I can linger/loiter for too long in the spice section.......the privet berries have me thinking.


Run rabbit run!

Pinot Noir Pairs

Thanksgiving is but a distant memory now, a pleasant one mind, who wouldn't enjoy spending that special holiday with good friends sitting around a big oak table (heavenly chandelier above) and a view of the Atlantic. Our hostess has a very attractive quality; she's a great cook but she is also completely unflappable, she casually prepares tasty canapes, makes the gravy, mashes the potatoes and fries her delicious artichokes with a kitchen full of rowdy guests with not so much as a furrowed brow. This year she also made roasted kale, we devoured the earthy, crispy treat in between sips of champagne.


So I have been on a kale quest lately, surprisingly it is sold in our local supermarket (produce not its strong point, but I won't hear a bad word against our funny little IGA!) I have also been experimenting with dishes that go well with our Pinot Noir; recently I made a turkey risotto with mushrooms and sage (still going strong in the garden) and back in October when I picked my cranberries in the dunes I made a spicy ginger, cranberry and Pinot Noir sauce, and added a little dollop to the risotto, all the elements worked well with the Pinot; creamy, earthy and tangy with a hint of perfume from the sage. Cranberries go surprisingly well with Pinot because of the tartness, (a very sweet fruit sauce would not be such a happy union) a great way to get a sauce to pair well with Pinot is to well........add some Pinot.


Pinot Noir is a very versatile food wine, it is capable of handling a wide range of flavors, you can drink it with your turkey and your grilled fish and of course lamb, duck is a winner. Kale has an earthy, velvety quality, add the smokiness of the bacon and you have a good Pinot pairing. I served the kale dish with steak, some would say a heavier wine is required for beef, but hey, it all tasted pretty darn good, I think we should eat the foods we like and drink the wines we like and not be too dogmatic about such matters, most of us are too busy to worry about getting that perfect match, but, there are of course some spectacular pairings..........


I am a huge mushroom fan, it's a 'meaty' vegetable (good for the vegetarians at the table) and when paired with Pinot it's a magical match made in heaven; earthy and luscious; a sensual affair. As this will be a regular feature (Pinot Noir Pairs) expect to see some sexy fungi dishes from my repertoire.

Maples And Plums

The two maples in the garden are about to enter a restful period after putting on a spectacular grand finale, last week the Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' was shimmering the cleanest, purest, yellow, its brilliance made me smile as I caught flashes of it through the mullions, a reminder of how much I love this season of exuberance and decay, now it is receding to hues of burnt gold, singed umber and sepia on the edges, soon its pretty frock will lie crumpled and faded on the garden floor, but wait! this tree has a glorious resurrection and will reveal its striking naked red frame to the frigid air and will maintain a festive complexion throughout the winter. The other maple, Acer palmatum 'atropurpureum' is living up to its name but there are also ruby reds and glowing ambers all fired up for the final flourish.


Deep purple plums (figs are good too) nestled in a sweet golden batter, a dessert for fall if ever I saw one. I make a lot of clafoutis, it's my reliable dessert, the one I make confidently and the one that can be made with any fruit (savory ones are good too) that happens to be in season. After a dinner of roasted lamb chops, Jansonn's temptation, green beans with hazelnut oil and roasted red peppers, we sat beside the roaring fire with our friends and ate slices of clafoutis with cardamom cream, the NZ'er makes a good fire; there's a lot of preparation, but I like to add the occasional carefully selected log and do a bit of prodding while daydreaming about gypsies and fires. Ahhhh, another evening in Montauk replete with stories and good cheer and the warmth and magic of the fire. 


Plum Clafoutis
Adapted from a recipe - Potager by Georganne Brennan


about 8-10 medium sized plums
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup marsala wine (I have also used maraschino)
2 tablespoons water


batter
1 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup all purpose flour


Halve plums and in a saucepan bring brown sugar, marsala and water to a boil until a medium thick, brown syrup forms, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the plums, let them soak for about 30 minutes, turning them over once. Preheat oven to 350f, butter a round baking dish that is at least 1 1/2 inches deep and 12 inches diameter. Make batter by combining all ingredients in electric mixer and beat for about 5 minutes or until mixture is frothy. Lift figs from syrup with a slotted spoon and place in baking dish, pour batter over figs and bake in oven until puffed and brown and a knife inserted comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

Turn The Beet Around

Now is the time for the comfort of old-fashioned food, fires in the evening and serious games of Scrabble; a time for hunkering down and settling into the slow change from fall to winter. A chilly snap last week had me baking up a storm; cauliflower soup, pear and cranberry bread pudding, a toffee apple sauce, apple and lemon verbena jam, slow roasted beets and local roasted spuds with sage. I embrace the quietness of the cooler months, walks with friends, hats and gloves and a big pot of soup bubbling away on the stove. Potato dishes such as Jansson's temptation will be made with great regularity providing us with the starchy sustenance that we need and desire as the nights draw in.

The trees are doing their brilliant kaleidoscopic fall presentation and my cimicifuga is flowering at the bottom of the garden, it's looks a little bit spooky at night, the white flowers shifting about behind a birch tree, but during the daytime they take on a comical pipe cleaning brush quality, anyway when they flower I know that Halloween and Thanksgiving are just around the corner. 


But it feels like spring out there, it's positively balmy, the heat has us all a bit confused; one feels like getting the flip flops out again along with that chilled bottle of rosé, but to be truthful I really can't get quite as enthusiastic as my fellow Montaukians about an Indian summer in October; I have replaced floppy hats with furry ones and light cotton fabrics with wool (and possum) all the summer clothes have been packed up along with the idea of that 'last swim' and I am ready for cold temperatures and piping hot food.


The hearty beet is perfect for roasting, the addition of these spices not only fills the kitchen with wonderful exotic aromas but adds a festive touch to this often neglected root vegetable, the skin falls away easily revealing the crimson jewel-like flesh, a feast for the eyes and the belly. We had ours with lamb chops, a creamy potato gratin, mushrooms cooked with anchovies and sherry and of course a few glasses of our 2008 Stonecrop Pinot Noir.


Roasted Beets with Spices


4 medium beets, quartered
spices - I used cloves, cardamom, cumin, allspice and turmeric
(nutmeg, chilli pepper coriander can also be used)
olive oil, maldon sea salt, freshly ground pepper


Preheat oven to 400f, put the beets in foil (double layer) sprinkle on the spices, salt and pepper and olive oil, close foil at edges and roast for about 45 minutes or until tender. The skin peels off easily but wear gloves unless you desire cerise fingers for Halloween.

Note to NZ'er - there is no such word as looky.

Season Of Plenty

The land and sea have been generous; cranberries were picked in the dunes, pears were gathered roadside, bluefish were caught and smoked, the NZ'er caught a big striper surfcasting down at the Point, we have been harvesting bowls of big beef tomatoes and there's no shortage of herbs especially sage which I was able to supply to a friend with a restaurant who needed it desperately for her gnocchi.  


There have been some surprises in my garden; in the Spring I divided one sanguisorba and rather haphazardly planted it in various locations, now in October the garden is dotted with the beautiful droplets of blood-red flowers. A pale lemon pineland hibiscus with a deep burgundy center volunteered itself in my herb garden, what a special treat to discover it growing between the shiso. The Rosa glauca (love those hips) appeared after a two year absence, in a different spot. The lemon verbena is positively tree-like and I have been making tea with its deeply fragrant leaves. The toad lily (tricyrtis hirta) has been blooming for months it seems, as has the erigeron in the cracks of the stone path, but the longest bloomer in the garden has been the gaura, I love this little gem of a plant, it gently waves its fairy wand in the cooling Montauk breeze and mischievously continues to twinkle as others are fading and leaves are falling. As dusk approaches the tiny flowers magically light up the garden, I desire a meadow of it.

A friend told me about a pear tree in a Montauk garden, it sits on the edge of the property and right now the pears are falling, they conveniently fall on to the footpath (and not so conveniently on the road) the owners of the tree do not seem too concerned about harvesting the fruit, I hate to see good fruit go to waste or even worse become fruity roadkill on route 27, so I took a bucket and got me a hefty load of local pears.


Pear and Cranberry Chutney
Pears from Montauk - Cranberries from Napeague


about a cup of cranberries
4 pears peeled and chopped 
grated fresh ginger (I used about a 1/4 cup)
1 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
my choice of spices - a pinch or two of ground star anise and a pinch of five spice powder, you can use cinnamon or cloves, for a more traditional taste.


Put everything in a large saucepan, bring to boil then reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes, or until pears and cranberries are soft.

You must not know too much or be too precise or scientific about birds and trees and flowers and watercraft; a certain free-margin, and even vagueness - ignorance, credulity - helps your enjoyment of these things.
Walt Whitman

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.