Click photo to enlarge
Granny Smith apples and plums.
We're all familiar with the regular cuts of steak - rib
eye, fillet, rump, and so on, but there's a new one around -
the flat iron steak, named because it looks a bit like the
shape of an iron.
It was developed by food scientists in the US where it is
becoming trendy. It comes from the shoulder, a cut that used
to be used for stews and casseroles, but the way it's cut,
with a strip of gristle removed, makes it suitable for
grilling, and at an affordable price.
I had a delicious one recently at No 7 Balmac, the new cafe
in Maori Hill. Chef Alison Lambert cooks it on a wood-fired
grill which gets to about 400degC, and bastes it with a
marinade.
If it's cooked more than medium-rare it will become tough,
she says. Well worth trying.
Colours delight
I never cease to be delighted at the colours of fruit and
vegetables I bring home from the farmers market and
supermarket.
I had to photograph the above wonderful green Granny Smith
apples with dark purple and blue Torwick plums, a late
variety still around at the Otago Farmers Market.
They are delicious cooked whole, gently in a little red wine
and sugar, with a star anise, a cinnamon stick and a few
cloves for dessert.
K-Kiwi favourite
Afghans, those crunchy chocolate biscuits that have become a
Kiwi favourite, usually have cornflakes as an ingredient,
although sometimes Weetbix are used, which makes them softer.
A colleague, who delights in specially crunchy afghans
recommends using Special K instead.
Recipe book
If you've got a microwave that crisps and grills, you might
find Joy Peel's Whirlpool Crisp n' Grill Microwave Recipes
(Publish Me, $30) useful.
The appliance demonstrator says there was a demand for the
book from people who wanted to cook "ordinary" food such as
cakes, biscuits, pastries and meat in the appliance using a
combination of moist microwave heat and browning radiant
heat.
It saves power and time, she says. The book is available from
Paper Plus stores or www.publishmeshop.co.nz.
Sweet idea
Honey is one of the few foods, like wine, that can reflect
where and when it was harvested.
J. Friend and Co is marketing a small range of mono-floral
honeys from specific areas: Central Otago thyme honey,
Kyeburn clover honey, Coromandel pohutukawa honey, West Coast
manuka or honeydew, or Clarence Valley blue borage.
Not only are they from unblended single flower varieties, but
they are also dated with the year and month of harvesting.
They come from one of four beekeepers around the country who
produce certified organic honey.
Available from specialist shops or from www.nzartisanhoney.co.nz
