Absolutely New Zealand Shop - Review

Yum.sg Restaurants - Absolutely New Zealand is the review I did, but I decided to put it here too.

About the restaurant:
Brightly lit 'deli' kind of shop which spelt nice. Has an outside seating area which is soon to become completely covered.. At the moment the shop is also a cafe, so you can get all sorts of New Zealand snacks and drinks as well as buy products you have eaten.

Ordered Food:
Lamb wrap with spicy sauce. Came with kiwi puff crisps (by Bluebird). The wrap was a basil flavoured one and the lamb had salad with it as well. My girlfriend had the blue cheese and salmon quiche served with a salad. We both drank L&P. The drink is a kiwi soft drink made in Paeroa and has a lemon flavour - very unique and refreshing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paeroa].

My verdict:
Both meals were delicious! Excellent, friendly service and I could buy some of my favourite New Zealand biscuits, L&P, Whittaker's peanut slab chocolate, and some sauces. Excellent. Will recommend it to everyone I know! 

Here is their website: http://absolutelynz.com.sg/index.htm 

My personal website: http://gravesdylan.googlepages.com/

Art Smith's Hummingbird Cake

Art Smith's Hummingbird Cake:

Created by Chef Art Smith

Serves 12

This cake is one of the most requested desserts at
Art Smith's Chicago restaurant, Table Fifty-Two.

INGREDIENTS

Cake:

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 1 tsp. baking soda
* 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 2 cups chopped ripe bananas
* 1 cup drained crushed pineapple
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2 large eggs, beaten
* 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1 cup (4 ounces) finely chopped pecans

Icing:

* 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
* 1 pound confectioners' sugar (about 4 1/2 cups sifted)
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract

To make the cake, position racks in the center and bottom third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Lightly butter two 9' round cake pans, sprinkle evenly with flour and tap out the excess. (If you wish, butter the pans, line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper, then flour the pans and tap out the excess.)

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, stir or whisk the bananas, pineapple, oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Do not use an electric mixer. Pour into the dry mixture and fold together with a large spatula just until smooth. Do not beat. Fold in the pecans. Spread evenly into the pans.

Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the cakes to wire racks and cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the racks (remove the parchment paper now if using). Turn right side up and cool completely.

To make the icing: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until combined. On low speed, gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla, to make a smooth icing.

Place 1 cake layer, upside down on a serving platter. Spread with about 2/3 cup of the icing. Top with the second layer, right side up. Spread the reaming icing over the top and sides of the cake. The cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead and stored, uncovered in the refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Art Smith's Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

Art Smith's Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits:

Created by Chef Art Smith From the show: Halle Berry's Having a Baby

Makes 12 biscuits

Art Smith's Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits These biscuits give a warm welcome to diners at Art Smith's Chicago restaurant, Table Fifty-Two.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 cups self-rising flour
* 1 tsp. salt
* 4 Tbsp. (2 ounces) cold butter
* 4 Tbsp. (2 ounces) goat cheese
* 1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
* Extra butter to grease pan and top biscuits
* 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 425°. Place one 10-inch cast iron pan into the oven while it is preheating. Place flour and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter and goat cheese. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir until the mix is moistened, adding an extra tablespoon of milk if needed.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place a tablespoon of butter into it. When the butter has melted, drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter into the pan, (use a muffin scoop to drop the batter if you have one). Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Bake from 14–16 minutes until browned on the top and bottom. Remove the top and bottom. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Enjoy warm!

Pistachio-Crusted Chicken with Coconut Chili Ginger Sauce

Pistachio-Crusted Chicken with Coconut Chili Ginger Sauce

		Pistachio-Crusted Chicken with Coconut Chili Ginger Sauce Created by Chef Art Smith From the showHalle Berry's Having a Baby Serves 4 Patrons of Chef Art Smith's restaurant, Table Fifty-Two, love this dish he created especially for Oprah's Legends Ball. INGREDIENTS Coconut Chili Ginger Sauce 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter 2 shallots, minced 2 blades lemongrass, chopped 3 (1/2-inch) piece, fresh ginger, thinly sliced 1 cup sweet white wine 2 cups chicken broth 2 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste 2 Tbsp. Chinese black bean chili sauce 1 (8-ounce) can coconut milk 1/2 cup (1stick) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Pistachio-Crusted Chicken 4 brined, boneless chicken breasts (see brine recipe below) 1 quart buttermilk 1 pound salted pistachios, shelled and toasted 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup fresh thyme 1/3 cup chopped fresh rosemary 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 cups all-purpose flour Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Grape seed oil to taste For the sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the tablespoon of butter, the shallots, lemongrass, ginger slices and wine. Reduce to half. Add the broth, red curry paste and Chinese black bean chili sauce and reduce to half again. Add the coconut milk and reduce to half a third time. Remove from the heat and whisk the bits of butter into the sauce until all the butter has been incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. If you reheat, do not allow the sauce to boil or the butter will separate. For the chicken: Remove the chicken from the brine and cut in half. With a meat mallet, pound until 1/4-inch thick and place in a nonreactive bowl. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken, cover, and let sit for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. In a food processor, place half of the pistachios, half of the parmesan cheese, and half of the herbs. Pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture is finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat this step with the rest of the pistachios and combine with the other pistachio mixture. Preheat the oven to 250°. Place the flour in another bowl and season it with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and prepare it for assembly. Preheat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-low heat with a thin coating of grape seed oil. Remove one breast, shake off any excess buttermilk and dust the breast with flour on each side. Dip only one side of the chicken back in the buttermilk and press pistachios onto that side. Repeat that step with all the chicken. Place the chicken in the sauté pan, pistachio side down, and cook for 2–3 minutes. Turn and cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. Place in the oven to finish cooking for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove, let rest for 5 minutes and then slice to serve with the Coconut Chile Ginger Sauce. Brine for Chicken Makes 1 1/4 cups 1 cup kosher salt 1/4 cup sugar 5 cloves garlic 2 bay leaves 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns Place the salt, sugar, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and 2 cups cold water into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. When brining chicken use a nonreactive pot or plastic container. Completely submerge the poultry in cold water and weigh it down with a plate. Add the brine and cover. Let the chicken sit in the brine for at least two hours, preferably overnight.