The executive chef of dine by Peter Gordon at SkyCity answers your cuisine questions.
My nephew supplies us with bags of frozen, minced paua from a friend (we'll assume it's legal). How long can we keep this in the freezer before it loses its flavour? What would you suggest to make up into fritters - just a bit of egg, or some flour too?
- Jennifer
If it was frozen from fresh then you've got a good 6-12 months' life there depending on quality and so long as it's airtight - freezer burn will destroy the goodness. Just add a little flour and some beaten egg. A little sour cream and chives mixed in is good as well.
I love these greens but can never find them anywhere in grocery stores or even farmer's market - rapini, a delicious green that looks like a cross between broccoli (it's not broccolini) and mustard green. I barely see them. Any suggestions where I can find them?
- Madge Kho
Rapini is a member of the turnip family, it's similar to the Chinese gai-lan, but as to where you can buy it, you'd be best asking growers at a good farmers' market.
If I don't have mascarpone, can I substitute a thickened cream in recipes, or does it need something else with more tang? And is quark interchangeable with mascarpone?
- Julie
Italian mascarpone is much thicker than most of the New Zealand-produced variety. Thickened cream won't give you the same result and if you heat it thickened cream behaves just like cream. Likewise quark is something else again, although really low in fat, so it won't give the richness of mascarpone. Mascarpone is readily available in New Zealand, though.
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