Tony Astle

Tony Astle – Chef Antoines Restaurant, 333 Parnell Road, Auckland.

For more than three decades, local and overseas guests have been wined and dined by our very own culinary icon Tony Astle, Chef and co-owner of elegant Antoine’s, located in a little villa at the top end of Parnell Village. Tony’s career began as a mere fifteen year old working in Wellington at the famous Le Normandie for the infamous Madame Louise and at The Coachman with pioneer TV cooking star, culinary writer and restaurant owner Des Britten,


Thirty years ago he moved to Auckland with wife Beth and opened Antoine’s, now one of the longest operating owner-run restaurants in New Zealand.

Tony’s legendary skills have earned him countless awards making Antoine’s equally famous for superb food and the long list of celebrities who come to enjoy the relaxed silver service. He is known for his exquisitely presented food, and this simple but delicious buffalo mozzarella with vine-ripened tomatoes is no exception.


Buffalo Mozzarella with vine ripened Tomatoes, prawns and citrus olive oil and balsamic reduction.

Why do you love this dish?
Because you can now get beautiful buffalo mozzarella, imported from Italy, that are user friendly and deliciously creamy. It’s a smart dish to do and makes the perfect lunch or entrée dish.

How would you describe it?
Traditional Italian with something special added. It is really a treat.

What about sourcing the ingredients?
You can now buy buffalo mozzarella from the supermarket (Woolworths) as well as good quality olive oil and sweet vine ripened tomatoes. Raw prawns are available from a seafood specialist.

What could go wrong with the recipe?
It won’t be successful unless you use the best ingredients. The tomatoes must be vine-ripened and the olive oil and prawns must be the best.

How long does it take to prepare?
Only about 15 minutes – plus shopping time of course!

Any tips for someone cooking it at home?
There is a trick with the balsamic. Instead of paying $300 for a small bottle of top quality balsamic vinegar, you can buy a cheaper variety and reduce till it is thick and perfect for drizzling and decorating dishes, as you see done in restaurants. You could also use avocado oil instead of olive oil, as it is a good colour and quite fashionable at the moment.
Also make sure you defrost your uncooked prawn tails (cutlets) in cold water as they will go rubbery if they are cooked frozen.

What wine would you serve with it?
That’s a hard one. Tomatoes are bad with wine. Rose is quite user friendly or a aromatic fruity white wine like a New Zealand viognier. Varieties to try are Herzog and Te Mata.

Recipe
Buffalo Mozzarella with vine ripened Tomatoes, prawns and citrus olive oil and balsamic reduction. (

6 medium vine ripened tomatoes
1 large mozzarella
18 green (uncooked) shelled prawn tails

For dressing –
30 mls lemon juice
300 mls extra virgin olive oil
quarter tsp salt
1 clove crushed garlic
Put all ingredients in screw top jar or bottle and shake well

For brine -
1 litre water
pinch salt
1 ½ tbsp sugar
&
Bowl iced water
To prepare: make brine by bringing water, salt and sugar to boil. Drop in prawns and stir carefully with slotted spoon. Remove when just cooked through and drop into iced water to chill. Drain and keep chilled.

Balsamic reduction –
200 mls balsamic vinegar
Pour into small pot and bring to boil, then reduce by half. Remove and cool to create a syrup.

To serve –
Slice each tomato into 5 even slices leaving the green calyx and a little piece of stem. Slice the mozzarella carefully and place a slice between each slice of tomato. Arrange 3 prawn tails on top of each tomato/mozzarella tower. Decorate with a chiffonnade of basil (stack basil leaves on top of the other and roll tightly into a cylinder, then slice crosswise into thin strips), plus a head of basil. Drizzle with the well-shaken olive oil dressing and finish with a little balsamic reduction. Serves 6.

©2004 Linda Donald
All rights reserved
Appeared in Lifestyle Soulfood
Words 677