It’s show time
Denise Irvine samples a cooking lesson from Wintec tutor Carl Houben ahead of next weekend’s Great NZ Food Show.
Today I’m getting a lesson in cooking vanillascented snapper with green pea and chive risotto, seared scallops, pea puree, and a frisky-crispy pickle on the side.
Wintec culinary tutor Carl Houben is conducting his class-of-one in the vast Wintec catering kitchens. Next weekend, he’ll be doing this lesson with 20 people at the Great NZ Food Show, held on May 5-6 at Hamilton’s Claudelands Events Centre.
For this preview, I’m finding out how a chef chooses a dish to teach to a class of varying skill levels, and what you might learn.
Houben says he likes to put together a complete dish, demonstrate some sound techniques and add a few creative elements. There’s some additional coaching on knife skills, the importance of keeping a tidy bench, and how you can substitute ingredients.
“I love the training element,” Houben says, as he shows how to finely chop a shallot using the classical French brunoise cut where it is diced into tiny cubes.
The shallot underpins his pea puree: it is sweated in olive oil, some water and white wine is added, then green peas; they simmer for a bit before being blitzed in a blender for a velvety green result.
I’m on the risotto of one part arborio rice to three parts vegetable stock. The rice is swished in hot olive oil to start and the stock added a little bit at a time.
It’s a lesson in patience. Chef says you don’t need to stir it constantly, just keep an eye on it. “Feed it with stock.” I produce a creamy risotto finished with peas, fresh chives from Houben’s garden, and a lug of mascarpone for extra richness.
Houben cooks the snapper fillets (skin on). He dusts them with vanilla salt, puts them skin-side down into a smoking hot pan of olive oil, gives them a wiggle so they don’t stick, presses them with a fish slice, adds a generous amount of butter, and cooks them without turning for about five minutes. He flips them for a brief moment at the end. It is a golden success.
He plates up, and demonstrates how to do a decorative splat with the pea puree. The risotto, snapper, some seared scallops, and a quickly made pickle of shaved carrots, fennel and crispy pancetta are arranged on top. It is finished with a dash of brown butter sauce from the pan, and a hit of lemon.
All done and useful lessons learned: the vanilla salt is subtle and delicious, there is a lovely balance of crunchy and creamy textures, and rich flavours are cut by the acidic pickle, sweet pea puree and salty pancetta.
We tuck in. It is a particularly good part of the lesson.
Details at greatnzfoodshow.co.nz.