Guilty, As Charged!

Verve sits down with some leading Auckland chefs to discover what they cook when no one’s looking…

The head chef at Park Hyatt’s Onemata restaurant has previously worked in prestigious kitchens around the world, and some of our nation’s top eateries like Giraffe, Jervois Steakhouse, and Euro, alongside the likes of Simon Gault.

His love of cooking, he tells Verve, began as a toddler when he would sit on the kitchen bench and watch his mum baking. “My job was always to put the fork mark on the chocolate chip biscuits,” he says. And was his dad handy in the kitchen? “His signature dish would probably be toast!”

“From a young age mum always use to feed me chicken liver pate,” adds Rob. “I always have it on the menu in some way where I’m working. At Onemata, it’s duck liver with a rich kūmara syrup.”

And so, on to the good stuff – what’s your ultimate guilty pleasure?!

“I have never had – or plan to have – a deep-fried Mars bar. However, put one in the microwave for 30 seconds and you have instant deliciousness. Plus, it extends the eating time as you struggle to scrape the caramelised filling off the plate!”

What about pop culture guilty pleasures?

“Hair metal bands from the 80s – they’re what headphones were invented for!”

Anything you recommend for a hangover?

“Probably not having children! My adorable two-year-old daughter Maxine is a true blessing, however, she is too young to understand a hangover and always makes me question if the next drink is worth it in the morning!”

What was your favourite meal as a kid?

“Without doubt, braised lamb shanks – they are still my favourite now. My ultimate comfort food.”

What indulgent dishes do your family most love for you to cook for them?

“Both my wife and daughter love lasagne. To make it extra flavourful, I always cook a tub of chicken livers with the mince, it adds a such a richness.”

Best snack for watching a movie?

“Can’t go past the choc-top ice cream!”

A Recipe from Rob

Flourless Orange Cake

• 250g orange puree (recipe below)
• 5 eggs (size7)
• 130g white sugar
• 40g maple syrup
• 170g ground almonds
• 50g coarse polenta

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a 21cm cake tin at 160C for 40 minutes or until a cake skewer comes out cleanly.

Orange puree

Take two oranges and place into a saucepan and cover with water, bring to a simmer and simmer for two hours or until the oranges are soft. Blend to a smooth puree.

Spice syrup

• 100g white sugar
• 50g butter
• 1 small slice of fresh ginger
• 1 vanilla pod seeds
• 1 star anise
• 50ml orange juice

Combine the sugar, butter and spices in a small pot, heat until the sugar has dissolved, and stir in the orange juice and whisk to combine. Allow to infuse for at least 30 minutes before straining. Cut the cake into pieces and serve with whipped cream or yoghurt, and pieces of your favourite fruit.

The head chef and co-owner of Paris Butter, Zennon Wijlens, is regarded as one of the country’s most exciting culinary talents, recently winning Chef of the Year at Cuisine’s Good Food Awards.

“My favourite meal as a kid was always a Sunday roast whether it was chicken or lamb,” he tells Verve. “Both Mum and Dad worked so much, so they had a limited repertoire and were very much meat-and-three-veg folks which was also part of the reason I was inspired to become a chef.”

Have any favourite childhood dishes ever inspired you professionally?

“Not those specifically. However, I have nostalgic components on dishes based on memories and travel. A great example of this would be my grandma Pat Trotman’s famous chutney – we use her base recipe and change out the fruit according to the season. It’s a hit with our guests and also goes on great with ham and fake cheese sandwiches.”

Are those your favourite guilty pleasures? 

“That would be fake cheese quesadillas – it has to be with Anchor Smoked Processed Cheese Slices. A sandwich press is absolutely essential for this recipe. Our sandwich press is most likely our most-used piece of equipment in our home kitchen.”

Is that what you’re most likely to cook after a long shift?

“I’m pretty good at sticking to my meal plan provided by my nutritionist – apart from on a cheat day. Usually when I get home, it’s just a protein shake before bed.”

Any go-to meals for hangover recovery?!

“A good one in our house is always a cheese scone eggs benedict – but again, only on cheat days!”

How about pop culture guilty pleasures?

“True crime docos. On a Sunday, there’s nothing better than a good binge session after a busy week of training and cooking.”

And what are you eating while watching them?

“Twisties and light buttered popcorn mix, ratios need to be one small snack pack of each mixed together.”

Cheese and Bacon Scone
Eggs Benedict

Cheese and bacon scones
(Makes 8 scones)

• 2 cups grated cheese, plus a little extra for sprinkling
• 3 rashers bacon, cooked, cooled and thinly sliced
• 4 cups self-raising flour, plus a little extra for dusting
• ½ tsp of salt
• ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper
• 2¼ -2½ cups of milk

Miso hollandaise

(Serves 2-4)

• 150g unsalted butter
• 2 large free-range egg yolks
• 1 dessert spoon white wine vinegar
• 1 lemon
• ½ tsp white miso

To serve

• Small handful baby spinach, per serve
• Two strips of cooked streaky bacon, per serve
• Two poached eggs, per serve
• For the cheese and bacon scones:

Preheat oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

In a large bowl combine the cheese and bacon with the flour, salt and cayenne pepper. Slowly add the milk and gently mix the dough with a loose hand.

When the mixture is just combined, tip it on to a floured surface and gently bring it together. Do not over-mix the dough or the scones will be tough.

Place handfuls of the dough on to the prepared oven tray and sprinkle over extra cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

For the miso hollandaise:

Get a saucepan and a heatproof mixing bowl that will sit stably over the pan. Half-fill the pan with water and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat as low as it can go but still have the water simmering.

Place the butter in a medium pan over low heat, so it starts to melt but doesn’t burn. When the butter has melted, take it off the heat.

Place the egg yolks in your heatproof mixing bowl, which you should then place over the pan of just-simmering water. It’s important that the saucepan is on low heat, or the eggs will scramble.

Using a whisk, start to beat your eggs, then whisk in your white wine vinegar and finally the miso.

Keep whisking, and then start adding the melted butter by slowly drizzling it in, whisking all the time, till all the butter has been incorporated. The result should be a lovely, smooth, thick sauce.

Season carefully with sea salt, and loosen if necessary with little hot water. Keep tasting the sauce until the flavour is to your liking.

To serve: Toast two halves of the cheese and bacon scones and top with baby spinach, cooked bacon and two poached eggs. Drizzle over the miso hollandaise and enjoy.

Andrew Lautenbach, executive chef at kingi and The Hotel Britomart, is another superstar of the kitchens of the City of Sails, having worked in Michelin-starred eateries in Europe before returning home to New Zealand. His ultimate guilty pleasure, he tells Verve, is “cheese, in any form!”

“It must also be served at room temperature of course,” he adds. “If I feel like a cheese toastie, the trick is to spread miso paste on the bread.”

Is that what we’d most likely find you munching on after work?

“I eat whatever I can find! Normally, it’s dried fruit and marmite-flavoured crackers.”

What about hangover cures?

“Most of my life it’s been a red Powerade, piccolo coffees, and sweating it out on the ovens.”

What was your favourite meal as a kid?

“Corned beef, bread sauce and kumara, followed by my Oma’s Dutch apple tart.”

Have these ever inspired you in a professional capacity?

“Absolutely, nostalgia is important when thinking about new dishes. Because you want to let guests enjoy food from the chef’s heart. If you’re not proud of the dish, then the guest will not enjoy it either.”

Any family favourite indulgent dishes?

“I don’t cook at home as much as I want too, but when I do its normally something roasted with heaps of wagyu fat.”

What about pop culture guilty pleasures?

“I enjoy watching British movies by Guy Ritchie, anything with a dry sense of humour. The music I listen to includes Tool, Metallica and Fatboy Slim.”

And best snacks for watching those Guy Ritchie flicks?

“Has to be tamari-roasted almonds and a Coke No Sugar.”