THE FRENCH CONNECTION
Chaîne des Rôtisseurs celebrate in Wellington
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t began with a casual Kiwi-ised version of an elaborate French flavoured induction ceremony and ended two days later with a champagne brunch. In between were two dégustation dinners – one of eight courses in a formal setting and the second, a five course more informal affair. This is a chapite held every two or three years by the New Zealand chapter of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, an international gastronomy group of culinary professionals and lovers of fine dining. The induction ceremony is called an intronisation, which has a literal translation of ‘enthronement’, a throwback to the days of French royalty, and is still conducted with a sword. At the ceremony in Wellington nine new members were sworn in promising to “honour the art of cuisine and the culture of the table” which includes being fraternal and respecting fellow members. Ian Hull Brown, a member since 1996 who has reached the rank of Commandeur and has led the chaine in New Zealand as the Bailli Delegue conducted the intronisation. Based in Paris, the chaine is active in 102 countries and has forty two thousand members including sixty plus in New Zealand. The eight course dégustation dinner on Friday night began with champagne. The whole meal was designed, prepared, cooked and served by culinary students of Le Cordon Bleu in Wellington who’s performance was assessed as part of their training. The school and the chaine work closely together, particularly on the chaine’s prestige programme, the competition for the Jeune Chef (Young Chef) of the year award. Most countries with chapters of the chaine hold this competition and the national winners compete in the biennial international event which may be held in any part of the world. The competition is usually held at Le Cordon Bleu’s premises in downtown Wellington and has the contestants preparing a three course meal from a blind box of ingredients; that is things they have not seen prior to the day of the competition.
By John Bishop For the formal dinner for the chapiter the first course was asparagus spears served with scampi in a light lemony-liquorice velouté. The wine was a pinot gris from Alsace. Blue Cod confit followed with nori seaweed and a broad bean ragout accompanied by a chardonnay from the Bourgogne. Then a palate cleanser of a kind of Bloody Mary; tomato juice containing a grape sized ball bursting with spices on biting and adorned with celery foam. The plat principal was lamb two ways, one smoked and slow cooked; the other a cailette aux herbes which is minced lamb heavy with chard and herbs shaped like a plumb sausage. Very French, very traditional and often served with a ratatouille (as this was), says Sebastien Lambert, the head tutor at Le Cordon Bleu. The wine was a Reserve St Emilion, mainly merlot blended with some cabernets. There were two desserts: a predessert offering of a beetroot sorbet with raspberries and chilled yoghurt, and a coconut mousse with a pineapple meringue and burnt pineapple. These were served with a choice of a muscat des Beaunes de Venise from the Rhône or a Louis Perdrier Rose. The meal concluded with a Viennese spiced coffee and petit fours. In addition to matching wines, all courses were accompanied by a nonalcoholic drink ranging from plum, beet and grape with the lamb to a non gin and tonic, house-made lemonade, and lemongrass and gingered coconut water. The next night at the Wellington Club where Mark Hartstonge runs the kitchen was less formal and owed more to Kiwi than French tradition. All produce was sourced from with 50 kilometres of the club house in downtown Wellington and began with a tempura tuna bite from wild caught tuna running in the seas on Wellington’s northern coast. From Wellington’s southern coast came a crispy paua wonton with mussel cream, accompanied by a Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay. The main was a coffee crusted venison loin, seared and served with crumbed black pudding and
16 MARCH 2022 - HOSPITALITY BUSINESS
Members of the New Zealand chapite gathered in Wellington.
asparagus with burnet alliums. A Hawke’s Bay Syrah was served. A cheese course featured honey as well as pears and walnuts. Shards of blue cheese were layered on roasted pear topped with a strawberry honey and served with a Hawke’s Bay Cabernets Merlot blend. Dessert was a simple strawberry dish with locally manufactured white chocolate with a slightly sweet Riesling from Central Otago which finished nicely dry. The third function, a champagne brunch, was at the Foundry, a popular bar and café in Wellington’s Tory Street where owners Julia and Grant Jefferson promote a modern tapas style menu. The champagne brunch departed from their normal offering, beginning with salmon on blinis with assorted pastries on the table. The main dish was a take on eggs benedict with prosciutto and vine tomatoes. Dessert was a delicate sponge with custard and strawberries with a coulis. n
