Ambassador Series Dinner With MacLean Fraser
It was with great anticipation that I travelled to Wellington recently to attend chef MacLean Fraser’s Ambassador Series dinner. This was going to be a collaboration of epic proportions as MacLean had invited Platinum Ambassador Rex Morgan into his kitchen at Artisan at Bolton Hotel for the night. After a 36-year career in the kitchen, Rex is now semi-retired and living in Christchurch, so to have him back in Wellington to cook for one night was pretty special. MacLean agreed whole heartedly saying he had always wanted to cook alongside Rex, having looked up to him during his career.
“I’ve always thought of Rex as one of Wellington’s top chefs, so it’s an absolute pleasure to be able to cook with him at my Ambassador Series dinner. My team are pretty excited too.”
Rex Morgan has been an Ambassador for Beef + Lamb for over 25 years and spent the majority of his career in Wellington running various restaurants and establishing himself as one of New Zealand’s great hospitality personalities.
Rex loves Wellington which he thinks has a great community and hospitality scene and he was delighted to be invited to come back and cook with MacLean and his kitchen team.
“MacLean and I are sort of like-minded in a way – slightly different generation but our food philosophy is the same, except he makes it sound a bit flash.”
Both chefs agreed it was pretty easy working together to curate the menu and they decided to divide and conquer with Rex taking care of the lamb dishes and the palate cleanser and MacLean taking charge of the beef dishes and the dessert.
MacLean took some classic dishes and added modern twists creating a sensational eating experience. His philosophy of using the whole carcass was showcased by using several cuts of beef cooked in different ways creating a variety of tastes and textures. Rex loves to build up layers of flavours in his food and he looks to his Māori heritage for flavours that work well with lamb such as smoked and seafood flavours, and hangi style of cooking.
The dinner kicked off with the ultimate donut as a starter - beef cheek donut with Malaysian flavours which was inspired by MacLean’s years of working as a chef in Malaysia. The spicy flavours of beef rendang were added to succulent slow cooked beef cheek inside a donut covered with a sweet sticky oyster glaze and crispy shallots. One was definitely not enough!
Smoked lamb loin with carrot & watercress puree and kina cream was Rex’s first dish out of the kitchen and really showcased those layers of flavours he had talked about. The loin was lightly smoked and served with a smooth sweet carrot puree and watercress. Rex says the point of difference with this dish was the kina cream which added that delicious umami flavour which, along with that hint of smokiness, created a wonderful harmony of flavours.
Smoked lamb loin with carrot & watercress puree and kina cream.
MacLean’s entree was a modern take on a classic – steak tartare, tarragon mustard, beef snow and fried garlic. This was visually stunning with a wonderful aroma that enticed the taste buds and featured 55-day aged beef fillet with the perfect flavour pairings of tarragon, mustard and garlic. MacLean modernised the dish with a dusting of aromatic beef snow which he says is just a fancy chef word for dehydrated beef fat. No matter what you call it the snow was the ‘icing on the cake’ and made this tartare a stand out dish of the night. It not only added to the dish visually but the aromatic salty flavour created an excellent layer of flavour to the delicately flavoured beef fillet.
This dish really highlighted MacLean’s philosophy of using as much of the animal as possible and is not overly complicated. When he trims his beef sirloins he keeps and stores the fat which he then renders down with aromatics such as rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and dehydrates it to use as a flavoursome garnish which also adds a pop of colour.
Steak tartare, tarragon mustard, beef snow and fried garlic.
It was time to cleanse and relax our palates for the main courses and for this Rex tapped into his heritage and knowledge of indigenous flavours. He created a Kawakawa granita which has a light peppery, almost basil like flavour, which he paired with passionfruit and citrus and some marinated tapioca to carry all those refreshing flavours, resulting in a very kiwiana dish.
MacLean’s main course was a 55-day aged beef sirloin and pressed brisket with almond shallot crumb, parsnip, confit garlic and mustard jus. The brisket was slowly braised in jus, whole grain mustard, green peppercorns and confit garlic. It is then pressed and cut into a terrine and served with the sirloin and parsnip prepared in three different ways on the plate. The dish was finished with a rich jus and a bit of truffle oil. The dish really showcased the versatility of beef with its different flavours and textures created by the different cooking techniques.
55-day aged beef sirloin and pressed brisket with almond shallot crumb, parsnip, confit garlic and mustard jus.
The lamb main course was Horopito & sesame seasoned lamb cutlets, shank pie, confit potatoes, and garden peas. Rex showcased a prime and secondary lamb cut on his main dish, pairing the deliciously tender cutlets with a savoury lamb shank pie. The bush pepper coating had a lovely peppery flavour and a dukkha like texture. He chose the sweeter tasting lamb foreshanks to make the mini pies and paired the lamb with some beautifully coloured confit potatoes heated up in duck fat to add richness and some simple garden peas which would have to be the ultimate companions for lamb. This was a modern take on a classic kiwi roast lamb with lamb pie on the side – you don’t get more kiwi than that!
Horopito & sesame seasoned lamb cutlets, shank pie, confit potatoes, and garden peas.
Just when I thought my palate could not take any more deliciousness, MacLean’s dessert was served! He had created the dessert with some classic flavours to finish the evening in a nice simple way. Milk chocolate, cherries, salted caramel, honeycomb and hazelnut wafer. It was not only beautiful to look at but it tasted sensational and was the perfect flavour profile to finish off a menu of bold meaty flavours.
Both chefs had chosen dishes which complemented each other and created an interesting eating experience using New Zealand beef and lamb as the hero. It may have been a one-off menu, but the flavour combinations and twists on all the courses will stand out in my mind for a very long time. And it wasn’t just the guests dining at Artisan that enjoyed the evening. The kitchen team loved having Rex in their midst and were inspired to see what he had created for the menu and how his dishes were put together.
The kitchen team at Artisan at Bolton Hotel, Wellington
As a Platinum Ambassador representing Beef + Lamb New Zealand it is amazing to see the new Ambassadors coming through and working at the highest level. MacLean is very respectful and it shows because he has got a great temperament in his kitchen which goes right through his brigade and it’s a credit to him. That is why I like doing dinners with chefs like him”.
Rex Morgan
“Being a Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chef and having the opportunity to cook with likes of Rex and bring the experience to my staff is excellent. It’s a winning situation all round and have loved the
opportunity to do this.”
MacLean Fraser