Dale's Birthday

We had a holiday planned up in the far north Whangaroa, Dale sailed up and I was to join him soon after his arrival.
Small problem a weather bomb hit the North Island with excess rain (to put it mildly) and there was major flooding including road washouts.

My journey north was put on hold till everything improved.
9 days later I drove up with goodies to celebrate Dale’s birthday.
The good news was a major improvement in the weather.
Sunny warm and most importantly dry.



We celebrated with a very NZ lunch with a Dutch twist.

First New Zealand Bluff Oysters probably the best in the world.
Served on a small triangle of Vogels Original Mixed Grain Bread yet another NZ Icon.
With a glass of NZ produce, Methode Champagnoise cheap and cheerful
I really like my oysters with a freshly ground black freshly ground black pepper, a drop of Tabasco sauce and little squeeze lemon juice.

Here is another fabulous classic accompaniment for oysters

Mignonette Sauce - makes 1 cup

¾ cup white wine or champagne vinegar
2 shallots
3 tablespoons crushed black peppercorns
1 tablespoons sugar

Heat all ingredients gently for about 3-4 minutes just to dissolve sugar
Before serving add 1 tablespoons chopped herbs
e.g. parsley, dill and chive mix

Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature overnight. Use about a teaspoon per oyster. This sauce will keep refrigerated for months.

Next treat was Whitebait Fritters

New Zealand Whitebait are tiny, delicate, succulent, delicious.
These fritters are so simple…make little ones, they make a wonderful accompaniment with pre-dinner drinks.

We greedily worked our way through 200 gms worth of these little fish

For 200 gms whitebait
4 eggs
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons flour

Butter and olive oil
Parsley and lemon wedges for garnish

Beat the eggs with seasoning and flour
Add whitebait stir carefully you don’t want to break them up.

Heat butter and oil till foaming
Add large tablespoons of mixture
Fry 1st side about 2 -3 minutes till golden
Flip and about another 1-2 minutes on the other side.
These will puff up slightly and look and smell divine.

To serve, a little sprinkling of chopped parsley makes a pretty plate.

Now if you can believe this, we still kept on eating.
I mean if you are having a feast you are having a feast.

There is shop specializing in products from Holland en route to the Far North.
Their Dutch cheeses are excellent

The beautiful Gouda cheese, fresh Ciabatta rolls, apples fresh from the orchard, beetroot relish (handmade by our friend Mary). A wonderful end to a simple but wonderful meal.
Is this a happy camper or what.