It’s not often I’ll give up skiing on a sunny, calm day — but talking to Adrian Lowery, the exec chef at Mackenzies restaurant at the Heritage Queenstown was an entertaining diversion.
Oamaru-born Adrian has come the full cycle. After studying professional cookery at the Central Otago polytechnic in Cromwell (he also has a bachelors degree of viticulture and oenology from Lincoln), Adrian went on to better things at top restaurants in Melbourne and London before heading back to Wellington and Christchurch. Now Adrian — married with three boys — calls Central Otago home.
“When we first arrived we thought the town was just a party place but now we are settled we realise there are many other young couples with children here for business reasons, also enjoying the good life. It’s a great community.”
The Heritage has some of the best views in town and is about 1½ kilometres from Queenstown central, off the road to Glenorchy.
To attract more passing traffic Adrian employed the simplest of marketing techniques — a sandwich board outside the front entrance advertising tapas. Business boomed. (Enjoy the home-baked sourdough bread with homemade butter and rosemary salt matched with a glass of local bubbly Akarua Brut.)
Adrian introduced me to Cardrona-farmed merino lamb. Now merino is what I love to wear skiing, but eating it? The lambs are farmed by Ben Gordon and roam freely in the ranges between Wanaka and Queenstown grazing on herbs and native grasses. They’re almost ‘seasoned’ before they get to the plate. This free-range lifestyle creates a lean, fine-grained tender meat with a refined flavour.
Rolled, slow roasted lamb shoulder is one of Adrian’s specialties served with crispy sautéed polenta, salsa verde and baby spinach.
Together with the summer fruits, wild venison and goat, plus quality local wines, Queenstown has plenty gourmet treats on offer.
Hot smoked ora king salmon, cashew nut butter and puffed barley
Each step of this Heritage Queenstown starter may be prepared well in advance and assembled just before serving, making it the ideal dinner party dish for a crowd. Although locally sourced ingredients are paramount, the chef chooses the best from other regions as well.
Serves 6
Cured smoked salmon
¼ cup gluten-free soy sauce
3 Tbsp each maple syrup, bourbon
600g Ora King Salmon, bones removed
Cashew nut butter
250g cashew nuts, lightly roasted
Sea salt to taste
Canola oil
Puffed barley
250g pearl barley
Canola oil for frying
Sea salt to taste
Soy reduction
½ cup gluten-free soy sauce
5 Tbsp maple syrup
- For the salmon, combine the soy sauce, maple syrup and bourbon. Place the salmon in a plastic bag and add the curing liquid. Vacuum seal or seal tightly. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Remove the salmon, wash and place on a rack. Chill, uncovered, for 12 hours.
- Place some manuka chips in a smoker or a foil-lined wok. Cover and smoke the salmon on a rack for 20 minutes on low heat.
- For the cashew nut butter, combine the cashews and salt and enough canola oil in a blender to make a thick, butter-like paste.
- For the puffed barley, soak the barley overnight in enough water to cover. Next day, boil the barley until cooked, about 25 minutes. Dry on a clean tea towel for 3 hours. Deep-fry in batches in canola oil at 200°C, until puffed. Drain on paper towels. Season and store in an airtight container.
- For the soy reduction, simmer the combined ingredients, until thick.
- To serve, place small pieces of salmon in 6 shallow bowls. Add the puffed barely, teaspoons of the cashew nut butter and drizzle with the soy reduction. Adrian also serves small roasted balls of kumara, sliced cucumber, a little pickled cabbage and pickled eggplant with each dish.
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Venison osso bucco
Another Adrian Lowery-inspired dish. He served his with tender dumplings of shrimp and leek.
Serves 6
2kg venison shin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 each diced carrot, celery stalk, medium onion, white of leek
3 cups beef stock or to cover, heated
¼ cup soy sauce
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
½ cup rock (or ⅓ cup white) sugar
2 star anise
- Preheat the oven to 150C.
- Season the venison and sear in the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Place in an oven pan. Add the vegetables to the frying pan and cook for a few minutes, until coloured. Add to the venison.
- Add enough stock to cover, together with the soy sauce, cinnamon and cardamom. Loosely cover with foil then slow cook for 3 hours or until tender.
- Strain the stock through a sieve into a saucepan. Add the rock sugar and liquor and boil until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
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Raspberry coronet
If only skiing Coronet Peak was as easy as making this yummmy dessert. Central Otago is renowned for its summer stone fruits and berries but for this dessert frozen berries are also suitable.
Serves 6-8
3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1L vanilla ice cream
1½ cups quartered white marshmallows
½ cup chopped toasted almonds or walnuts
6-8 meringues with peaks
1.Purée half the raspberries, sweetening with sugar, if desired, or adding a little orange liqueur. Place to one side.
2.In 6 or 8 stemmed glasses or dessert dishes, place alternate layers of ice cream, raspberries, marshmallows and nuts. Drizzle with the raspberry purée and top with the meringues. Serve immediately with long spoons.
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Lamb rumps with mint salsa verde
Dedicated to Cardrona farmed merino lamb. Excellent served with a Central Otago Brennan Pinot Noir.
Serves 6
3 lamb rumps, about 250g each
Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp rice bran oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp each chopped mint, coriander
1 cup meat glaze or beef stock
2 tablespoons each: rice flour, water optional
Mint Salsa Verde
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp capers, rinsed
1 cup each flat-leaf parsley, mint, chopped
2 each: gherkins, anchovies, diced
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
- Season the lamb rumps. Heat the oil in a heavy non-stick frying pan. Sear the lamb on all sides. Sprinkle with the garlic and herbs.
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Place the rumps in a roasting pan. Roast until medium-rare, about 20 minutes. Tent with foil and rest in a warm place for 6-8 minutes.
- Make a gravy in the roasting pan using a good meat glaze or beef stock. It may be thickened with the rice flour mixed to a paste with the water, if preferred.
- Serve the lamb sliced with the combined salsa ingredients and the gravy on the side.