Courgette Flower Ravioli

Very unusual indeed to see courgette flowers in Hong Kong, so I took them! Was feeling like a ravioli, so here's what I came up with.

courgette flower
fresh ricotta
grated parmesan
mozzarella
malden sea salt
ground black pepper
anchovy
sweet cherry tomatoes
garlic
basil
olive oil

1. mix ricotta, parmesan, chopped mozzarella and courgette flowers in a bowl, season and put in fridge for half hour; make sure to put enough parmesan to absorb any moisture in the ricotta
2. melt off anchovies in a pan with olive oil, let cool
3. make pasta dough, fill with cheese mixture, add a dab of anchovy (optional) and make ravioli
4. cut tomatoes in half, saute garlic, add tomatoes with salt and pepper, make a quick tomato sauce using wilted tomatoes; add ripped basil only at the end
5. gently boil raviolis, add to pan with tomato sauce, season with more olive oil 
6. serve on a heated, white platter, sprinkling more parmesan on top

Tonight's Dinner

A lovely time with our new Mexican neighbors Aurora and Martin, and Cyrille. It's always satisfying when your guests love food and love to eat.

• radish, butter, maldon sea salt
• truffled brandade de morue on toasted polenta
• octopus tentacle, steamed baby potatoes with lemon dressing, pesto
• mozzarella, anchovy, dressed sweet green peppers
• tuna carpaccio & foie gras, lemon & chive dressing
• porto-braised beef short rib, horseradish creme  fraiche, Robuchon mash, kale, caramelized pearl onions
• young compte, fig confiture, herby frisee
• Michelle's chocolate nemesis, vanilla ice cream

Lardo-Roasted Potatoes

Hadn't thought of this one. Just sounds like a winner.

good roasting potatoes
rosemary
maldon sea salt
EVOO
ground black pepper
lardo colonnata

1. cut up potatoes in even size pieces
2. scatter on a roasting tray with olive oil, salt and pepper
3. 15 minutes before finished, add sprigs of rosemary and lardo

Preserved Lemon Mayo

This would be excellent with a sturdy fish such as salt crust-baked turbot.

preserved lemon
1 italian egg yoke
white wine vinegar or lemon
light olive oil, or combination of vegetable oil and normal olive oil
maldon sea salt
dijon mustard

1. mince the preserved lemon finely
2. make mayo, adding lemon at the end

Auckland Observations

An interesting first visit to New Zealand where a high premium is placed on good things. The bulk of my time there was spent on Waiheke island, just a quick boat ride from downtown. I cannot think of anywhere in the world where one can find oysters, olive oil and wine being cultivated within such close proximity.

• Depot: Auckland's institution from Al Brown, lovely oysters and a snapper slider, very convivial and rambunctious. Dog Poing sauvignon blanc excellent.
• The Oyster Inn: superb oysters, of course, from Te Matuku on Waiheke. The flounder with bearnaise sauce probably my favorite of the trip. Man O' War Gravestone sauvignon blanc excellent.
• The Shed, Te Motu: Bronwen Laight, the lady chef, put together an eclectic mix of dishes, all of the highest standard, my favorite probably the Moroccan-inspired aubergine salad.
• Poderi Crisci: a highlight of the trip, set in its vineyard with a glorious terrace. Italian family hailing from Naples, all good especially their crudo of sea bass.
• Cable Bay: lovely setting with a view on Auckland; both restaurant and bar.
• Casita Miro: fun Spanish place, lovely hostess Cat Vosper and iberian tasting Kiwi wines.
• Blue Breeze Inn: had to stop by to sample Auckland's dish of the year, their pork buns.
• Stonyridge: very atmospheric vineyard with award-winning wines, notably the Larose red.
• Rangihoua Estate: home of the one of the top 20 olive oils in the world, according to Flos Olei.

White Asparagus, Comte Cream

One of my favorite dishes in Paris recently, from Septime. I knew it from my first bite!  The star of the dish is the asparagus, so the other ingredients must play second fiddle.

white asparagus
comte cheese
single cream  or whole milk
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper
culatello
hazelnuts
sliced chives
home-made pickled mini white onions

1. pickle white onions days in advance, slice for this dish
2. melt cheese with a bit of cream, salt and pepper
3. steam asparagus, let cool slightly and slice into 1 1/2 inch pieces
4. roast some hazelnuts, break up a bit very roughly
5. to serve, arrange asparagus on a smaller plate, drizzle over a bit of cheese sauce (not too much), add a few hazelnuts, chives and a couple of sliced onions and some culatello on the side

Sea Urchin Pasta

A recipe from Eric Ripert, which Toby made already some time ago.

1/2 cup sea urchin roe
8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp water
fine sea salt
espelette pepper
2 ounces spaghettini (ER calls for linguine)
sliced chives
grated parmesan
ground white pepper
1/2 lemon
caviar (optional)

1. for sea urchin sauce, puree roe in a blender, pass through sieve and return to blender to blend with butter
2. to finish sauce, bring water to boil in small saucepan, gradually whisk in sea urchin butter about 1 tbsp at a time; season with salt and espelette and keep warm
3. cook pasta until al dente, drain
4. put chives in a medium stainless steel bowl, add the warmed sauce and parmesan cheese and mix well; season with salt and white pepper and gently toss pasta with sauce
5. to serve, use a meat fork to twirl pasta and mound in the center of small bowls
6. drizzle remaining sauce over pasta, squeeze lemon juice over pasta and a bit of caviar on top
7. serve right away!