Leslie Hottiaux

Apéro, Auckland

Raised in France, chef Leslie Hottiaux completed her culinary school training in Toulouse and moved to New Zealand on a working holiday visa. More than 10 years later, she’s still here. The past decade has seen her receive numerous accolades – such as when she scooped the title of 2016 San Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year (Australasia). But she’s probably best known for the awardwinning Auckland restaurant she opened with husband Mo Koski in 2014. Apéro Food and Wine, situated on a bustling stretch of Karangahape Road, serves impossibly delicious drinks and French classics with a twist – think goat’s cheese croquettes with Kamahi honey, an ever-changing terrine or Leslie’s homemade (and Auckland-famous) pork sausage with pickles and mustard. Here, she shares a family Christmas recipe.

How do you usually spend Christmas?

Leslie: In New Zealand, it doesn’t really feel like Christmas, because it’s hot! If we’re here, we spend it with Mo’s family down in Dunedin. But once every two years we go to the South of France to spend it with my family, in Biarritz.

Christmas in France is all about eating, eating, eating – when you’re having lunch, you’re thinking about what you’ll have for dinner, and when you’re having dinner you’re thinking about the next day’s lunch… The classic dishes where I am from are foie gras, lots of duck, oysters and other seafood – I love to eat seafood in winter because it’s super fresh when it’s cold.

What are you looking forward to cooking and eating this Christmas?

Leslie: We will be in New Zealand this Christmas so it will be summer produce.

But we’ll actually be working a lot around Christmas – up until 23 December and around the New Year – so I’m not sure on the specifics just yet!

What’s some early summer produce you’re excited about this year?

Leslie: Tomatoes! I love perfect sweet ripe tomatoes.

Tell us about the dish you’ve shared with us here.

Leslie: In France, we eat a lot of duck around Christmas – and this particular pie contains French tinned confit duck, which is much bigger than New Zealand duck! It reminds me of family, so it is a nice dish for this time of year. Because in New Zealand we’re eating this in summer, I would recommend serving it with a green salad – something fresh and light to cut through the fatty richness. But in France, we would probably serve it with mashed potato.

"Christmas in France is all about eating, eating, eating – when you’re having lunch, you’re thinking about what you’ll have for dinner”