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Archives for March 2018

Garage Project beer at Fresh Choice Nelson

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garage project beer nelsonThanks to our Guest Blogger and beer aficionado… In this week’s article Denis “the man” Cooper writes about Garage Project Beer, which you can discover on the shelves at Fresh Choice Nelson.

If you go down to the garage tonight you’re sure of a big surprise.
Something will make yourtongue buckle up and water leak from your eyes.
For every beer that ever there was is wild, is sour, it’s beer of the now because it’s brewed by Garage Project’s Wild Workshop!

Garage Project’s insatiable appetite for producing avant-garde beers has taken a sour leap forward into the uncontrolled world of spontaneous mixed culture and wild ferments. They’ve built a bespoke brewery in downtown Wellington called the Wild Workshop. Here the brewers hunt and gather wild yeasts from the local surrounds to inoculate the fermentation process.

One of the first releases from the Wild Workshop is a blonde farmhouse ale mamed Petit Mort. The French name literally translates as small death, but is a colloquialism for orgasm and this beer is definitely more the latter! On the nose are captivating sour bread dough, pineapple and floral notes. Tasting delivers lime, yeasts, bananas and funky spice, with a laid back sourness resulting in astonishing refreshment.

More mind-bending Garage Project beer wizardry is provided by Manuka. A 5.3% ale. Fermented with wild yeasts found on the flowers of nearby Manuka trees. It’s then matured in oak barrels where more wild yeasts do their business. Manuka contains an intoxicating aroma of lemons, honey and wheat, and finishes with a delicate sourness.

Golden Brown ale is reasonably normal by Garage Project standards, but what it lacks in weirdness is more than made up for by intense but well balanced bitter-sweet flavours. A big malt aroma backed up by green hops, smooth golden syrup malts and rye. Perfect with a Spicy hot cross bun or three.

With the recent death of Death from Above, you’ll be delighted to know that Garage Project have re-released The Wolf Man just in time for a howl of an Easter.

Trundle on down to Fresh Choice Nelson for some Garage Project beer to accompany your spicy Easter treat.

 

Sticky Date Pudding Recipe

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sticky date puddingIn this week’s post, local chef and guest Blogger, Grant Dicker is feeling the need for comfort puds… Check out his recipe for sticky date pudding! Take it away, Grant…

Around about this time of year, I start to feel the need for pudding. The nights are cooler, the darkness creeps in to the end of the work day, and it’s easy to crave comfort food. Sticky Date Pudding is, without doubt, the most comfortable of foods! It was all the rage in the fanciest of restaurants when I began my career as a chef in the mid 90’s. Some people call it old-fashioned, I call it delicious!

Let’s face facts, there are many great puddings that have slipped into oblivion over the years. Proper apple strudel with pulled dough (not puffed pastry), fruit sponges; many of these classics deserve to be resuscitated and brought back into the dining room!

Good puddings like this sticky date pudding deserve an equally good cream or ice cream. How about some whipped Wangapeka cream? Or for a truly magical combination, pair it with some delicious Appleby Farms ice-cream and sit back and enjoy the sticky sweetness.

Sticky Date Pudding

Serves 8

Ingredients:

  • 450 ml water
  • 275g dried pitted dates
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 100g butter, room temperature
  • 275g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 275g self raising flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the sauce

  • 160g caster sugar
  • 250 ml cream
  • 200g butter

Method:

Preparation: 15 minutes – Cooking time: 40 minutes – Ready in: 55 minutes

  1. In a medium saucepan bring water and dates to the boil. Mix in the bicarbonate of soda. Let cool (careful the mixture will rise).
  2. Cream the butter and sugar until pale. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the flour. Add the date mixture and the vanilla, and mix well. Pour into a large, rectangular, ceramic baking dish. Bake in the oven for around 40 mimutes.
  3. To make the sauce put the caster sugar, cream and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Mix until well combined and smooth. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.
  4. Scoop out generous portions and serve in large bowls.
  5. Pour the sauce over the pudding when plated and add a scoop of ice cream if you desire!

Red Wines at Fresh Choice Nelson

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red wines nelsonAs the Nelson days get noticably shorter and the nights cooler, there is a natural progression to make the move from lighter summer foods to comforting autumn foods. With that in mind you’ll want your wines to feel a little warmer too… Queue red wines!

Light, fresh and crisp Sauvignon Blanc will always be popular. But at this time of year we tend to turm to richer wines, like Chardonnay and warm red wines. Fresh Choice Nelson has an enormous range of wines for you to choose from. Ranging in price from $10 a bottle all the way up to $90 a bottle. I believe some of the best value wines are in the $15 to $25 range. When these are on promotion you get even better value!

Wines like the Jonny Q, 30 Mile, Shot in The Dark and Red Knot from Australia, all deliver rich, warm and intensely ripe fruit flavours that are dangerously easy to drink and are all less than $20 a bottle.

For outstanding value I think you should check out two wines in particular, the first is the Shot in the dark Cabernet Shiraz 2015, currently on promotion at $14.99, saving $4. The Shiraz brings intense berryfruit flavours to the party, while the Cabernet adds some Tannin complexity.

The other wine I strongly recommend you try comes from Hawke’s Bay. The Leveret Estate 2014 Syrah, currently on promotion at $16.99, again saving $4. This is packed with warm plum and soft spice characters. The 2014 vintage in Hawke’s Bay was exceptional, and to find a wine like this for less than $25 is a real treat!

If you’re not sure about which red wines to choose, ask one of the knowledgeable staff members at Fresh Choice Nelson, they love to talk about wine!

Thanks to our wine expert, Neil Hodgson for sharing his favourite picks for Autumn in this week’s blog

Seafood Meal Bags at Fresh Choice Nelson

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seafood meal bags nelsonThis week at Fresh Choice Nelson, we’re welcoming back Paula Saengthian-Ngam as our guest blogger (Find Paula on Facebook). Paula develops our instore Inspire Meal Bag recipes, and this week she’s sharing a recipe from one of the seafood meal bags. Take it away Paula…

Seafood is often overlooked when supermarket shopping… I tend to cook with seafood when it has been given to me, or if I have decided to prepare a meal that calls for it. Fresh Choice Nelson has a marvellous seafood counter. With fresh fish delivered daily at competitive prices. There is also a range of seafood meal bags within the Inspire range. These are best ordered through the online option for your convenience.

Salmon is one of my favourite fish. High in omega-3, rich, filling and super delicious. I find it works very well with Asian flavours, which I love.

Today I’m sharing a recipe from one of the seafood meal bags. Pop into Fresh Choice, Nelson and shop for the ingredients you need, or conveniently order a bag for collection.

Pan fried salmon on potato rosti, greens and miso cream

Serves 4

Preparation time 10 minutes, cooking time 20 minutes.

  • 500g Regal saltwater salmon (4 pieces)
  • 1 cup cream
  • 2 Tbsp of sesame seeds
  • 2 bunches of baby broccoli
  • 2 cups of shelled edamame
  • 1 packet of red miso
  • 4 large agria potatoes
  • 2 Tbsp of rice bran oil
  1. Place the washed potatoes in a saucepan with cold water, leave the skin on. Bring to the boil and simmer until they are cooked through (check them with a sharp knife to make sure that they are).
  2. Drain the potatoes, and when they are cool, peel the skin off with the back of a knife. Grate the potatoes and press them firmly into a ring mould to shape. This should make four rosti.
  3. Cook the rosti in a frying pan on a medium to high heat, until they are golden on both sides. Season well with salt and keep them warm until you are ready to serve.
  4. Simmer the cream and miso together for five minutes until thickened slightly. Again keep the mixture warm until you are ready to serve.
  5. Steam or lightly boil the edamame and baby broccoli.
  6. Pan fry the salmon, skin side down. Once the skin is crispy turn and cook through on the other side. Drizzle with the miso cream and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with your rosti, edamame and baby broccoli.

Local Nelson Foods at Fresh Choice Nelson

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local nelson foodsIt’s time to welcome back our Guest Blogger, Maddy Bellcroft. Over the next few months, Maddy is going to share some fabulous recipes that feature local Nelson foods. Take it away Maddy…

Over the next few months, the focus for my blog posts will be on products and local Nelson foods from companies within the 200Km radius of Fresh Choice, Nelson.

There is such a huge range of amazing local suppliers, who put their heart and soul into creating delicious, nutritious food. Just look for the yellow 200km sign in the store, to support these fabulous businesses, and know you’re doing your bit!

This week I wanted to make a recipe with products from local companies. All the ingredients for this rhubarb and apple crumble dessert can be found at Fresh Choice, Nelson. The fruit in this recipe can easily be substituted for whatever is in season, or whatever your favourite fruits are!

Rhubarb and Apple Crumble with Choc Cashew Topping

Ingredients:

  • 500g organic apples
  • 350g rhubarb
  • 1/2 C water
  • 250g Yum Chocolate Granola
  • 3 tbsp Pic’s Cashew Butter
  • 2 tbsp local honey
  • 1/2 C Little Bare Coconut Cream (place the tin in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving).

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180C.
  2. Slice the rhubarb into 2cm lengths. Core the apples and slice them thinly, then place them in a pot with the rhubarb and water. Cover the pan and bring the fruit mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the fruit is just soft, not mushy!
  3. Lightly oil a baking dish and spoon the fruit mixture into it. Place the granola and cashew butter into a medium bowl, mix well and sprinkle over the fruit.
  4. Bake for twenty to thirty minutes until the top of your crumble is golden.
  5. Serve warm, topped with scoops of the chilled coconut cream.

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