Charlie's New Zealand Lamb Rack

Ingredients:
1 New Zealand lamb rack
1 Tbs olive oil

Sweet potato puree
1 large kumara
200mls cream

Crusted asparagus
30g macadamia nuts
4 asparagus spears

Slow roasted vine tomatoes
1 pack baby vine tomatoes

Drunken port plum jus
1 small tin Black Doris plums
300 mls port
2 Tbs port wine jelly.

Method

1. Boil kumara until well cooked, drain well and crush until no lumps appear. Bring cream and butter to a simmer then mix through kumara to form a smooth puree. Season to taste.

2. Clean ends of asparagus and blanch in boiling water for only 1 minute. Remove and refresh in iced water. Bunch asparagus together on a flat tray and place a slice of raclette cheese over, followed by crushed macadamia nuts. Grill until golden.

3. Brush tomatoes with olive oil, season well using rock salt, black pepper and sugar, roast at 60 degrees until skin begins to split completely (approx 45 mins).

4. Add port jelly to a saucepan and bring to medium heat; add port and burn off the liquor. Be aware of the flame. Now pour in half the juices from the tinned plums and reduce to a saucy consistency. Insert half of the pitted plums to sauce just before serving.

5. In a saucepan heat olive oil and begin to sear all sides of the lamb until brown. Season well then place in the oven to finish (approx 9 minutes at 200 degrees). Cook to your liking. Remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes then slice cutlets and serve.

Serves 2

Hamurana Lodge Cherry chocolate mousse cake

Ingredients:
300g sour red cherries – (preserved Morello cherries drained)
70g castor sugar
1 tsp baking powder
450g silken tofu
1 Tbs vanilla essence
400g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

Raspberries and Mascarpone
200 g fresh raspberries
300g Mascarpone
1 vanilla bean (scraped)

Espresso syrup
150g sugar
250mls water
100 mls strong espresso

Garnish: Cream, 200g white chocolate
As needed – icing sugar/cocoa powder

Method:

1. Puree cherries, tofu, sugar, vanilla essence and baking powder into a food processor and mix together well.

2. Melt dark chocolate over a water bath on low heat, then add to blended mixture.

3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a flat baking tray (360x280cm) with paper but do not grease. Spread mix out evenly about 2cm thick. Bake
for 30 minutes. It will seem soft but that's okay. Leave to cool then refrigerate. Use cookie cutters to create tiers around 75cm.

4. Add vanilla-scented mascarpone on the first layer of the cake, then fresh raspberries. Top with another cake disc, then dust with sugar and cocoa.

5. Garnish with a petite quenelle of cream and shaved white chocolate.

6. Add all syrup ingredients to a saucepan and simmer to a silk syrup consistency. Allow to cool before serving.