Hotel St Moritz Queenstown is well known among locals as the place to enjoy excellent cocktails and superb food, all the while enjoying beautiful views of Queenstown Bay, Jason Moss writes.
I recently had the great pleasure of meeting two of the Lombardi Restaurant's chefs.
Max and Hernan are so passionate about Central Otago, you could be forgiven for thinking they are from the region.
Max, who hails from France, explained that the inspiration for his duck breast dish was "looking at the autumn flavours, landscape and trying to put it on the plate'', while
Argentinian Hernan's love of pasta is evident for all to see. His beetroot ravioli is firm to the bite, yet soft and gooey with taste that "explodes'' in your mouth.
It is nicely balanced with a broccoflower sauce which perfectly complements the goat's cheese and manuka honey ravioli centre.
Most of the produce on the Hotel St Moritz's autumn menu is locally sourced, with the squid and octopus delivered fresh.
Canterbury duck breast
Chestnut crust, kumara mousseline, poached quince and silverbeet with Dubonnet and port sauce
Ingredients
cornflour (to dust)
beaten egg
chestnut crust
salt and pepper
Chestnut crust
100g chestnut
25g gluten-free breadcrumbs
pinch thyme
finely chopped clove of garlic
pinch of finely chopped parsley
Kumara mousseline
2kg golden kumara
1 litre milk
300ml water
3 cloves garlic
pinch of thyme
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Poached quince
2 quinces
½ litre water
50g sugar
Dubonnet sauce
1 cup good beef stock
2 Tbsp Dubonnet (wine-based liqueur)
2 Tbsp port wine
Method
Place pan over a medium heat, dust the duck breast in cornflour then in egg. Press the non-skin side into the chestnut crust. Place the duck skin-side down in the pan until golden brown, turn over, add a couple of pieces of quince to the hot pan. Place in a hot oven for 3-5 minutes.
Heat another pan, saute the silverbeet until it stars to wilt.
Heat kumara mousseline and sauce.
Duck breast
Trim duck skin, so you are only left with the top covered. Score the skin with a sharp knife in a criss-cross pattern.
Chestnut crust
Blend ingredients until a rough texture is achieved.
Kumara mousseline
Combine ingredients and boil until tender. Then blend and pass through a drum sieve.
This can be placed in an airtight container and reheated when required.
Poached quince
Peel and core the quinces, cut into evenly sized pieces. Place in pot and simmer until tender.
Dubonnet sauce
Reduce stock by a third, then add Dubonnet and port.
Note: Do not add oil to the pan when cooking duck. By cooking the criss-crossed side first, the fat in the duck is gently released. If cooked at too high a heat, the skin burns without releasing the fat (leaving a layer of unrendered fat).
Duck breast cooks very quickly, 5-7 minutes total cooking time (that is pan and oven time). If undercooked, just place back in the oven to finish (duck is best served medium as it will continue to cook out of the oven).
Like all meats, allow time to rest (cover with foil and leave in a warm place for 5-7 minutes prior to cutting).
Wild duck is fantastic and can be used in this recipe, However, the breast will require the skin to be left on.
House-made beetroot ravioli
filled with goats cheese and manuka honey, broccoflower cream sauce, beetroot chips and Parmesan crisps
Ravioli dough
900g flour
100g fine double zero semolina
400ml beetroot paste (see below)
3 eggs
20g salt
Beetroot paste
400g beetroot
water to cover
Filling
1kg creamy goat's cheese
85ml manuka honey
200g mozzarella cheese
Broccoflower sauce
500g broccoflower
100g shallots
2 garlic cloves
1 litre cream
pinch each of salt and pepper
Beetroot chips
fresh beetroot
Parmesan crisps
aged Parmesan (at least 12 months old)
Method
Divide dough and run through a pasta machine; dust, fold and run through the machine again. Continue this cycle while decreasing the thickness until your dough is 2mm-3mm thick.
Brush sheet of dough with beaten egg then evenly distribute approx. 1 heaped Tbsp filling on sheet of dough, together with a couple of pieces of diced beetroot on each of the cheese filling and cracked pepper. Layer another sheet of dough over the top, removing as much air as possible. Then cut into desired shapes and crimp around the edges.
Place a single layer on a baking sheet (covered) in the refrigerator until required.
When ready to heat, place in rapidly boiling salted water for approx 3 minutes, remove and serve.
Drizzle with sauce, arrange beet and Parmesan crisps.
Ravioli dough
Combine ingredients into a firm dough. Knead until incorporated, then wrap in plastic bag and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Remove and allow to come back to kitchen temperature.
Beetroot paste
Chop and simmer the beetroot in a pot until tender. Then blend until smooth and allow to cool.
Filling
Mix ingredients well.
Broccoflower sauce
Place shallots, garlic and cream in a pot over a medium heat and reduce the volume by half.
Cut broccoflower into evenly-sized pieces and finish in the cream sauce. Blend until smooth.
Beetroot chips
Slice fresh beetroot into thin slices and arrange on an oven tray. Place tray in the oven at 100degC-120degC for approx half a day until dry and crisp.
Parmesan crisps
Grate Parmesan in a thin layer on to a silpat/non-stick oven tray. Place under grill until cheese is bubbling and golden. Remove, allow to cool, break and store in an airtight container until required.
Making and cooking perfect ravioli
• Good pasta dough will start out firm, but as you continue to work it through the pasta machine it will soften
• Like puff pastry, the more layers you can create, the lighter the dough becomes
• Fresh pasta does not take long to cook, if rolled thin. Don't overcookRavioli is a fine balance in the matter of the correct amount of filling. Use moulds to assist in getting the right amount
• Work small pieces at a time
• When cooking in salty water, don't be tempted to crowd the ravioli, as the water temperature will drop and the pasta will not cook
