Cuisine Loves Summer

Cuisine Loves Summer

- Cuisine kicks off a celebration of Kiwi summer with a mouth-watering feature by that champion of hunting and gathering Al Brown, who makes the most of our favourite shellfish. From Littleneck clam linguine with capers, garlic and prosciutto, to coconut kerala curry with fresh mussels, or tuatua simply steamed in a chilli and butter broth, Al brings us the flavour of the classic Kiwi bach/beach summer experience.

- Ray McVinnie praises the long lunch - one of his favourite ways of spending time with friends and family. And it's no trouble to play the host if you have much of the food prepared in advance, such as the fried eggplant salad, assembled just before serving and sprinkled with creamy goat's cheese.

- Nothing says Kiwi summer quite like barbecues and Ginny Grant has simple, saucy ways to spark them up with marinades for our typical cuts of meat. Not only easily creating something a little bit special, the marinades have the added bonus of tenderising the meat for surer success.

- Longtime Cuisine writer and one of Auckland's top chefs Natalia Schamroth (of the Engine Room at Northcote Point) never disappoints with her outstanding yet accessible recipes. She makes a meal out of plates to share, and anyone would be drooling over her medjool dates stuffed with goat's cheese and served with pomegranate Champagne cocktails. Simple yet sultry and sassy.

- Expert food author and feature writer David Burton lifts the lid on the state of the aquaculture industry in New Zealand. Are we lagging behind in the field that could save us from the prospect of an increasingly unsustainable fish supply?

- Standout Sauvignon Blancs combine quality and irresistible value with all four Best Buys from Cuisine's five-star Top Ten. The star-rated wines in our annual Sauvignon Blanc tasting are perfect for summer entertaining, as are the classy New Zealand rosés, also reviewed in the summer issue.

- Judged by Cuisine's first all-women panel led by the aptly named Australian winemaker Louisa Rose, the magazine's rosé entries revealed six stunners in a variety of styles. Top honours went to Fossil Ridge Nelson Rosé 2008, "the perfect summer lunch wine". The wine made from red grapes that behaves more like a white has become a chic summer drop.

- Cuisine's New Zealand wine writer, John Saker, has also taken a light-hearted look at alcohol levels in wine, suggesting perhaps we should learn from the French. Low-alcohol wines need not be boring, he says, and Cuisine's under 11s guide lists good New Zealand and Australian wines containing less than 11 per cent.

ENDS

© Scoop Media