Doing it for themselves

Kasey (left) and Karena Bird have been busy in and out of the kitchen since winning MasterChef....
Kasey (left) and Karena Bird have been busy in and out of the kitchen since winning MasterChef. Photos supplied.

Sisters Karena and Kasey Bird were audience favourites when they won the reality television cooking show MasterChef 2014 title. But as Rebecca Fox discovers, they have not rested on their laurels during the past 18 months.

Believe it or not but Karena and Kasey Bird miss the adrenaline rush of the reality cooking show that gave them their entree into the world of food.

''Now we look back we miss those challenges, being under that sort of pressure. It's the best thing we've ever done,'' Kasey said.

For the past 18 months since MasterChef 2014 finished they have been travelling the country taking part in cooking demonstrations, writing columns for the Herald on Sunday and food editing for Mana magazine and even acting.

''It's exciting to wake up every day. We've learned so much in the last year and a half. We're really lucky.''

Taking part in food shows alongside some of the country's top chefs was strange, they said.

''It's weird to be backstage prepping for your show and Peta Mathias walks in or Julie Biuso, Ray [McVinnie] or Simon [Gault] - all the judges that were judging us. Now you're in that group of people, it's a strange thing.''

They were not sure what to expect after the show finished.

''It is a lot more than we expected it to be. It is so busy. We are always travelling. Every week different. We even had our first acting gig last week,'' Kasey said.

But ask them to describe what they do now and they falter.

''When you're given those forms at the airport I never know what to write beside occupation. I'm not a chef, not a cook,'' Karena said.

''I've started to write chef/entertainer. I don't know what to call it,'' Kasey said.

Their main focus has been self publishing their first cookbook For the Love Of . . . .

The pair from the small Bay of Plenty coastal village of Maketu were determined to increase their culinary knowledge and skills.

They had developed an interest in food growing up, learning about fresh produce and traditional family recipes.

As teenagers they saved their allowances to travel to Auckland to try out the latest hot spots.

While the sisters went their separate ways after school, Kasey to Melbourne and Karena to Wellington, they both continued to enjoy eating out.

They returned home to live next door to each other, Kasey to begin an accounting degree and Karena to save up for cooking school.

It was cooking for the family, having regular turnabouts to prepare the weeknight meals, which fired them up.

The results of these evenings are spoken about in their cookbook.

''One particularly memorable meal was when she made delicious brisket burgers out of some juicy bones she had found in he fridge,'' Karena said of her sister.

''Turned out mum had just picked them up from the butcher as a treat for our spoilt dog.''

Their desire to include these stories in their book was one of the reasons they decided to self-publish it rather than accept the book deal which came with their Masterchef title.

There was a certain formula that needed to be followed for the Masterchef books to be fair to all winners, they said.

''Self-publishing is a lot of hard work. It's not for everyone. We looked at the pros and cons but given we had a supportive family who wanted to help us make it the best way we wanted.''

The book, which features their signature pink on the cover and photographs of Maketu, the girls growing up and their family, alongside recipes, was released last month.

''We're really happy. We chose everything in the book and it's a true expression of what we wanted.''

They admit the book, which they describe as the story of their lives, is quite exposing.

''We had to coax our family to being in the book. But we'll be able to give it to our grandkids. It'll be such a cool thing we can hand down,'' Karena said.

''We are proud of where we came from and our family and other people can read about it and see parts of themselves in it.''

A favourite part of the experience has been watching other people's reactions to the book, which they will get to do a lot more of as they tour the country doing book signings and demonstrations.

The competition has opened so many doors for the pair they are now trying to ''choose the right one to go through''.

''It's a good situation to be in.''

After the book tour they hope to head to Auckland and get some work in commercial kitchens and hopefully recapture that adrenaline rush.

''Getting into a real kitchen and doing some hard work peeling potatoes for seven hours or something is so different to what we do now. You've got to work your way up and we're really looking forward to that.''

They felt the television show portrayed them accurately, although admitted to some nerves when it went to air.

''We were apprehensive about how they edited it. At the start you were so careful about what you said but then you got so used to the cameras they're not even there, so you're talking heaps of rubbish.''

Having gone through the journey together was important, Karena said.

''I would never have been able to do this without Kasey.''

Spending so much time together means they have to get along and work out any differences.

''We don't always agree but we know how to talk about it. We're sisters and we work together. We've had to learn how to manage our relationship. [It's] pretty essential for us to get along.''

The book launch is a chance to catch up with their former MasterChef contestants.

''Generally we try to catch up with them whenever we are in their part of the country.

''We're like this weird family. We've been through this weird situation no-one else can understand and bonded. You get really comfortable with each other.''

 


Horopito roast duck and fatty potatoes
Serves 4

This is a special dish we like to make when it's duck-shooting season or ducks are on special at the supermarket. Duck is easy enough to cook - you just have to have a bit more patience than you do with chicken. This method allows the duck fat to render down and the meat to become deliciously tender and if you haven't had duck fat roasted potatoes, you are in for a treat. If you can't get any horopito, you can use thyme and lots of black pepper.

 

Ingredients

1 whole duck
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 Tbsp horopito (this can be found in specialty food stores)
1kg baby potatoes

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180degC.

Wash out the cavity of the duck and dry with paper towels. Place the duck on a rack in a roasting dish, making sure the skin is very dry. Rub with lots of salt and pepper, olive oil and the horopito. Place duck in the oven.

After the duck has roasted for an hour, take the tray out of the oven. Add the potatoes to the tray and place the rack and duck over the potatoes. Return to the oven for another hour.

Remove from the oven, cover loosely with tinfoil and leave to rest for about 15 minutes.

Don't carve the duck - the best thing to do is to pull the meat away from the bones with a pair of tongs or with your fingers. Serve with your choice of winter greens.

 


Brisket burgers

We created this dish one day when we discovered some nice meaty brisket bones in the fridge. Kasey whipped up these delicious burgers ... only to get in trouble from Mum when she arrived home to see us eating the special treat she had bought for our dog!

 

Ingredients

Rub

1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Brisket

800g beef brisket
2 Tbsp oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 carrot, diced
2 cups chicken stock
1 tin tomatoes
3 Tbsp jalapeno peppers
2 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
salt and pepper

Slaw

¼ red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1 carrot, grated

Vinegar dressing

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
¼ cup grapeseed oil

To serve

Fresh buns

 

Method

Rub and brisket

Preheat oven to 160degC.

Combine all of the rub ingredients in a bowl. Cut the brisket into chunks, pat dry with paper towels and place in the bowl with the rub. Coat all of the meat with the rub.

Heat an ovenproof dish over a medium heat. Add the oil and cook the brisket pieces until browned. Add the onion and carrot and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients, season and bring to a simmer.

Cover and place in the oven for 1 hours or until the meat is very tender. Remove the meat from the pot and place in a tray. Tear the meat into smaller pieces using two forks. Spoon over some of the cooking juices and season to taste.

Slaw and dressing

Combine all the slaw ingredients in a bowl. To make the dressing, whisk together the mustards, garlic and vinegar, then slowly whisk in the oil until the dressing becomes a light yellow colour and looks creamy. Toss the dressing through the coleslaw.

To serve

Generously pile brisket and coleslaw on to freshly toasted buns.


 

 

 

Add a Comment