Category: Vegetables, Competitions, Recipes, Reviews | Post by: Andrea Wong
Book review: Sean Armstrong's Kitchen
"I think it's every cook's dream to put together a book of their favourite food and tricks." muses Sean Armstrong - and this is exactly what he did. Local chef Sean Armstrong has put together a selection of his favourite recipes in his first book, Sean Armstrong's Kitchen.
Sean has drawn from his 16 years' experience - which includes time as head chef at O'Connell Street Bistro and owner of Prime Bistro - to share some of his delicious recipes for the home cook.
Rather than divide the book into sections like vegetables, fish and meat, Sean has divided the book into the type of meal that you want to cook: brunch, Sunday lunch, tapas & salads, risotto & pasta, dinner, sides, sweets and basics. I think that this is a good way to do it, especially if you're sitting on the sofa wondering what to cook. The Basics section is a little gem in my opinion - it covers some good dressing, stock, condiment and dough recipes that I know that I personally will be referring to often.
The book starts off with some easy recipes like sweetcorn fritters but includes some more interesting recipes like lemon curd brioche and crayfish bisque. I am a huge fan of tapas, so was quite happy to see a section dedicated to these small plates. Below is the recipe for the croquettes, which I thought looked d'lish.
I like Sean's approach in Sean Armstrong's Kitchen which shows us that creating an exciting meal is not too difficult and is great to
share with family and friends. This is the kind of book that will be referred to often and not just dusted off for those special occasions.
Teamed up with photography by Toaki Okano, this is a beautiful book. The only downside to this book is the cover which is made from thick card which causes it to crease at the spine very easily. I guess that the upside to this is that seeing a well-creased copy of Sean Armstrong's Kitchen means that it is a book well-loved!
Below is Sean's recipe for Chorizo, leek and three-cheese croquettes and an opportunity to win one of two copeis of Sean Armstrong's Kitchen.
Chorizo, leek and three-cheese croquettes
These croquettes are one of the first tapas that I learned to make and are a very long way from the potato numbers that have bored the culinary world for so long. Transform this dish with your favourite flavours, such as good jambon or fish and some fresh herbs. Anything that works for you will work for these - just make sure you have good crumbs and nice fresh cooking oil.
Ingredients
125g butter
2 chorizo sausages, diced
1 leek, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
125g plain flour
750ml milk, approx
50g grated Parmesan
50g grated fontina
100g grated cheddar
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
flour for dusting
brioche breadcrumbs
cooking oil for deep frying
aïoli (see basics)
Method
Heat a large heavy-based saucepan to medium and melt the butter. Add the chorizo, leek and garlic and sweat for 5 minutes to draw out the flavour, but don't let them get brown. Add the flour and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stirring continuously, gradually add the milk and cook to a reasonably thick mixture. (This is exactly like making a white sauce.)
Fold in the three cheeses and stir to melt. Season with salt and pepper and add the egg yolks, stirring to ensure the yolks are well combined. Remove from the saucepan with a spoon onto a flat tray with high sides and set aside to cool. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
Remove from the refrigerator and, with lightly floured hands, form the mixture into 3-4cm cylinder shapes, each weighing about 50g. Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Lightly dust the croquettes in flour, then dip in the beaten egg. Shake off any excess egg and roll the croquettes in the fresh brioche crumbs, making sure they are well coated.
Pour cooking oil into a large saucepan, to a depth of at least 6cm. Heat to 160°C and cook the croquettes, 4 at a time, until golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season with sea salt and serve warm with aïoli on the side.
Sean Armstrong's Kitchen is published by Random House New Zealand. © text Sean Armstrong 2009, photos Toaki Okano.
Competition
This competition has now closed. Thank you for all your entries and congratulations to the lucky winners, Pat and Vince.
To go in the draw to win one of two copies of Sean Armstrong's Kitchen, simply answer the following question, using the form below:
What do you like to make when cooking a dinner party with few friends?
Competition closes Tuesday 10 November at 5.00pm
By entering the competition, you agree to be added to the So D'lish and Random House newsletter databases and agree to the So D'lish competition terms and conditions.
This competition has now closed.