Kate Fay - Cibo Restaurant

KATE FAY - CIBO RESTAURANT

Chef Kate Fay of Cibo restaurant in Parnell, tells Linda Donald how to transform a meal from good to great. Plus, we persuaded Kate to share her favourite dessert recipe with us – You’ll love us for it!

Kate Fay has been tempting the palates of discerning diners for over two decades with her exciting blends of tastes and textures. Winner of the 2004 Lewisham Outstanding Chef Award and Head Chef and part-owner of stylish Cibo Restaurant located in the old chocolate factory in Parnell.

Kate has worked alongside a host of local celebrity chefs, including Barrington Salter, Connie Clarkson, Ray McVinnie and Annie Mantell, while her own creative genius has earned her a reputation for the unique and delicious, using the freshest ingredients.

Her outstanding desserts are not to be missed. With early family childhood memories of the delicious aroma of freshly baked scones and hot hearty puddings, she now delights her restaurant guests with a fabulous range of old-fashioned and innovative sweet dishes and the recipe she shares with us, is no exception - totally decadent and ultra-glamorous.


Where did your passion for food come from?
From enjoying food with my family as a child. Good food was important. We always had family dinners on Sunday night – roasts with several vegetables and always a pudding. Mum’s Mum made delicious scones on every possible occasion – plain or filled with dates or cheese. I have happy memories of afternoon tea with my grandmother, mother and five sisters, every Friday after school. My grandmother had a tiny little lean-to kitchen, where she patted the scone mixture into shape on a board. She never over worked them, so they were very light and when she removed them from the oven, she tucked them under a tea towel to keep warm.

Have you ever worked as anything other than a chef?
I didn’t start being a chef till I was 23. Before that I did secretarial work here and in London, which was fine. But when I went to Israel and started working in kitchens there, it felt really good. I came back to New Zealand and did my culinary training.

What food were you brought up on as a child, and still love today?
Everything. We always had good cuts and joints of meat and fabulous fresh crayfish. We had lots of variety, not the choices available today, but the best of what was available then and Mum always cooked really great tasting puddings and that’s why I love desserts today. They were all the things kids love and our customers love as well. Just like Mum, we do gorgeous sponge puddings, steamed puddings, sticky date, bread and butter, crumbles, apple pie, sago, tapioca and rice puddings. In fact, we won the recent Corban’s challenge with a rice pudding.

What foods are always in your kitchen?
In my fridge I would always have Manchego Cheese. It’s Spanish, a golden colour - slightly soft, not too strong. I shave it and put it in salads and risottos. I always have lots of salad items in the fridge, like mesculan salad leaves and I always have mushrooms - the big field mushrooms, when I can get them, or white button mushrooms. Bacon is another must have item. In my pantry, you’ll always find extra virgin olive oil and a packet of risotto.

Name one thing that can transform a meal from good to great.
Without hesitation, ingredients. Quality ingredients, every time. You don’t have to go hard out with anything else, just use them well.

What do you like to do when you're not in the kitchen?
Rest and relax when I can and sleep. I don’t seem to get enough sleep. I love reading, anything and everything and I borrow books from friends all the time. Of course, this includes cooking books. With an eight to ten week menu turnaround, we always seem to be finishing one menu and starting another. For holidays, there’s a family bach at Mahurangi or if possible travel overseas. Because of their great food, Thailand or India are the places I most enjoy visiting.

In your view, which country has the most delicious cuisine?
India, because the spices are just so fantastic, but every country has it’s own appeal with individual specialities and I enjoy trying anything that is different or interesting.

What is your favourite NZ restaurant? (other then your own!) What is your favourite dish on the menu there?
Locally, it is hard to say and depends on the reason. Perhaps if it’s a special occasion, I love going to Vinnies, or going out to lunch at Delicious, in Richmond Road. They both serve a variety of dishes I like. I do love Tetsuyas in Sydney, where my favourite is the degustation menu. It includes Japanese dishes and is really well balanced.

Which cookbook is your current favourite?
That varies depending on what I am doing. In general, I love Charmaine Solomon’s Encylopedia of Asian Foods, which I use all the time; Stephanie Alexander’s – The Cooks Companion and The French Laundry Book. But every week it can change. I’ll find a book with something really good and enjoy that.

What favourite recipe are you are going to share with us?
Raspberry and Liquorice Rice Pudding with Valrhona white chocolate parfait
and Florentines

Tell us about this recipe for taspberry and licorice rice pudding with Valrhona white chocolate parfait and Florentines - what is it that you love about it?
It’s a dessert! It’s a bit different and it looks very pretty as well.

Do you have any tips for someone cooking it at home? (such as
sourcing the ingredients, or getting it to look/taste just right)
You could use frozen raspberries. Defrost and strain well till all the liquid is removed before folding through. Apart from that, just follow the recipe and get ready ahead of time. You can make the ice cream and biscuit a couple of days ahead. The risotto takes about 25 minutes. The liquorice, rice and valrhona white chocolate can all be purchased at Sabato (Auckland).

What wine would you serve with it?
The perfect wine match is a chilled Esk Valley rose merlot malbec
Hawke’s Bay 2004.


Raspberry and Liquorice Rice Pudding with Valrhona white chocolate parfait and Florentines (serves 6)

White Chocolate Parfait
600mls of cream softly whipped
140gms sugar
6 egg yolks
150 gms of Valrhona white chocolate

Lightly grease 6 plastic dariole moulds.
Melt the white chocolate gently over a double boiler.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture has doubled in bulk and
is almost white in colour.
Gently fold in melted white chocolate, then lightly whipped cream.
Pour mixture into prepared moulds and freeze. When frozen and set un-mould just prior to serving, (dip bottom of mould in warm water first) or make in an ice-cream container and scoop out when set.

Florentines
100gms butter
85gms sugar
28gms liquid glucose
30mls cream
100gms sliced almonds
30gms rolled oats

Bring the butter, sugar, liquid glucose and cream to the boil.
Add sliced almonds and rolled oats and simmer boil for a further 3 mins.
Spread the mixture onto a tray lined with baking paper. Cook at 190 degrees c for 8 - 10 mins or until golden brown. Cool, and while still warm cut into long fingers or triangles.

Rice Pudding
1 litre of milk
200 gms caster sugar + little extra sugar to brulée
lemon peel of one lemon
1 cinnamon stick
15 pieces of liquorice
2 egg yolks
Half cup of cream
300gm of ferron rice

Combine milk, sugar, rice, lemon peel, liquorice and cinnamon stick
in a saucepan and stir over medium heat till sugar dissolved.
Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 20 - 25 mins until liquid
absorbed and rice is cooked through. Mixture should be thick and creamy.
Remove from heat discard lemon peel and cinnamon stick.
Combine egg yolks and cream and stir into rice. Cook 1 min. When slightly cooled and ready to serve, fold through 1 punnet of fresh raspberries.

To assemble shape the warm rice pudding into 6 flat-topped mounds, sprinkle with sugar and brulée the top so that the rice is caramelised. Pop under the grill or use a brulée torch. Serve with unmoulded white chocolate ice cream, or scooped ice cream and Florentine biscuits.

©2005 Linda Donald
All rights reserved
Appeared in Lifestyle Soulfood
Words 1395