Treat yourself to an Outlandish night (+food news)

Simon Gault's molecular creations will be on show at Outlandish. Picture / Supplied

Life & Style Editor Nicky Park dishes up the latest food and beverage news.

An Outlandish night

We're excited about Outlandish, the decadent event Viva is hosting in association with Kerastase on Wednesday, November 12. Euro will be transformed into a moving feast for the night, with tasty surprises and performances around every corner.

We're told Simon Gault's creative culinary skills will be highlighted by the theatrical work of The Dust Palace circus performers, creating memorable food moments and crazy installations.

There's the caviar confessional booth, where a slightly left-of-centre priest will reward your confession with a white chocolate, thyme and caviar morsel. In Einstein's laboratory you'll find innovative molecular creations dreamed up by Gault and team, and more which you'll have to discover on the night.

There'll also be bespoke Bombay Sapphire cocktails, the always-cool Sweet Mix Kids will be providing tunes, and you'll get to try the new Wither Hills Rose.

It's an over-18s event, tickets are $130 from Ticketek.

Juicy new cleanse

Using only certified organic locally grown produce, Greengrocer bottle up two seasonal potions and deliver straight to your door.

This week we spent a day giving their clean a go - sipping our way through 1L of green apple and kale juice and 1L of orange immunity boosting potion.

It's not easy for us to spend a day food-free (we may have cheated with a couple of raw snacks) but the juice was delicious and made us feel like we were glowing.

The team at Greengrocer recommend having a crack at their three-day cleanse, costing $210 plus delivery. Find out more on their website here.

There's a new beer in town

The sound of a tequila flavoured beer might not blow your skirt up, but Desperados has nailed this exciting summer beverage.

Launched in France in 1995, Desperados - the first beer of its kind - finally made it's way to New Zealand this week.

Kicking off it's citrus buzz with an mysterious K Road party this week, the sweet brew describes itself as being "a beer for party minded young adults who are looking for fun and unforgettable experiences." Good enough for us to give it a whirl.

Culinary library: The Akaroa Cooking School book

The popular and picturesque Akaroa Cooking School have released their first book featuring the favourites of school owners, Lou and Ant Bentley.

Ant and Lou have always been passionate about 'real food' and have gone to great lengths to source fresh, local produce in season. The book serves up "simple, elegant recipes that work every time," they say.

Published by HarperCollins NZ, available from November 1, RRP $49.99.

Recipe: Hot-smoked Akaroa salmon on pickled cucumber salad

Hot-smoked salmon with cool cucumber, and the sweet but acidic taste of the dressing, is a great combination. It is served at room temperature and makes a light and tasty entrée.

SERVES 6

6 x 80g pieces of hot-smoked Akaroa salmon (page 114) or substitute with roasted salmon fillets
4 Tbsp Chardonnay vinegar (or use white wine vinegar)
2 Tbsp caster sugar
1 telegraph cucumber, peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
Microgreens, to serve
Lemon-infused olive oil, for drizzling

Make the hot-smoked salmon or roast the salmon fillets, and set aside.

Heat the vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.

Slice the peeled cucumber into long strips with a D peeler and place into a large bowl. Only slice down as far as the seeds and then turn over and use the other side of the cucumber. The seeds would make the dish too wet.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumber just before serving. Season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

To plate up, place a small stack of cucumber ribbons into the middle of each plate and top with a piece of room temperature hot-smoked salmon. Top with lemon zest, microgreens and a good drizzle of lemon-infused olive oil.

- www.nzherald.co.nz