Jan Bilton: Southern comfort food recipes

Hot smoked ora king salmon, cashew nut butter and puffed barley

A chance to talk to Adrian Lowery, the executive chef at Mackenzies restaurant at Heritage Queenstown, provided an entertaining diversion from skiing, writes JAN BILTON. Here's some of his offerings.

RECIPES

HOT SMOKED ORA KING SALMON, CASHEW NUT BUTTER & 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.

INGREDIENTS

Cured Smoked Salmon:

1/4 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:

1/2 cup gluten-free soy sauce

5 tbsp maple syrup

METHOD

Salmon: combine soy sauce, maple syrup and bourbon. Place salmon in a plastic bag and add the 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.

Cashew Nut Butter: combine the cashews and salt and enough canola oil in a blender to make a thick, butter-like paste.

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 200C, until puffed. Drain on paper towels. Season and store in an airtight container.

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. - Serves 6.

RASPBERRY CORONET

If only skiing Coronet Peak was as easy as making this yummy dessert. Central Otago is renowned for its summer stone fruits and berries but frozen berries are also suitable.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

1 litre vanilla ice cream

1 & 1/2 cups quartered white marshmallows

1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds or walnuts

6-8 meringues with peaks

METHOD

Puree half the raspberries, sweetening with sugar, if desired, or adding a little orange liqueur. Place to one side.

In 6 or 8 stemmed glasses or dessert dishes, place alternate layers of ice cream, raspberries, marshmallows and nuts. Drizzle with the raspberry puree and top with the meringues. Serve immediately with long spoons. - Serves 6-8.

VENISON OSSO BUCCO

Another Adrian Lowery-inspired dish. He served his with tender dumplings of shrimp and leek.

INGREDIENTS

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

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 cinnamon stick

4 cardamom pods

1/2 cup rock (or 1/3 cup white) sugar

2 star anise

METHOD

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. - Serves 6.