Prize winners

Let’s face it, there’s an element of competition at work every time we cook. You’ll be a winner with these recipes from the Masterchef New Zealand Cookbook.

Pan-fried scallops, cauliflower purée, and pear and sultana chutney
The beautiful Atlantic scallops we cooked on the show are a lot harder to cook than our own New Zealand scallops, as they are much larger, so they need pan-searing with a little olive oil, butter, sea salt and pepper and to be finished off in the oven quickly. They are ready when they are only just warm inside – any less and they aren’t cooked enough, any more and they turn into rubber bullets. You really need that caramelising on the scallops to get that beautiful flavour happening.
Cauliflower purée
500g cauliflower, chopped
400ml milk
125g butter, diced
salt to taste
30ml cream
Pear and sultana chutney
2kg pears, peeled, cored and diced
120g glucose
120g caster sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
200g sultanas
1 vanilla pod
oil for frying
40 scallops
micro-greens for garnish
Serves 4. Preparation time: 15 minutes. Cooking time: 40 min.
1 To make the cauliflower purée, place the cauliflower in a saucepan, add the milk and put over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and cook until tender.
2 Once cooked, drain the cauliflower, reserving the milk. Place the cauliflower and butter in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt to taste. Add a little of the reserved milk and the cream and process until smooth. Allow to cool.
3 To make the pear chutney, place the pears, glucose, sugar, cinnamon, sultanas and vanilla pod in a saucepan over a medium heat and simmer until pears are tender.
4 Heat an oiled frying pan over a high heat and sear the scallops for 20–30 seconds on each side (or longer, depending on size), turning them only once.
5 To serve, spoon the purée into small bowls. Top with a scallop, followed by the chutney and garnish with micro-greens.
A tip: use a smoking hot pan, and only drop in a little butter once you’ve turned the scallops onto the second side, otherwise the butter just burns.

Lamb skewers with capsicum relish

I really loved the capsicum relish that went with these skewers. It was delicious and I think it was the real star of this dish.
Brett McGregor, Langham Challenge
Makes 20–25 skewers. Preparation time: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 40 minutes
500g minced lamb
1 egg
30g breadcrumbs
100g raisins
80g pine nuts, roasted and chopped
30g fresh chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
wooden or bamboo skewers, soaked
Capsicum relish
1 tsp orange oil
200g red capsicums, cored and finely diced
200g yellow capsicums, cored and finely diced
100g mango, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 tsp mustard seeds
100ml chicken stock
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
½ tsp sweet smoked paprika

1 To make the lamb skewers, combine the minced lamb with the egg, breadcrumbs, raisins, pine nuts and chilli in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Shape into 8cm-long rolls and insert a skewer through the middle of each. Set aside.
2 To make the capsicum relish, heat the orange oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Sauté the red and yellow capsicums and mango until soft. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.
3 Heat an oiled frying pan to high and sear the lamb skewers on all sides until lightly brown.
4 Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place the skewers in the oven for eight to ten minutes to finish cooking, then remove and rest for five minutes.
5 To serve, arrange the lamb skewers on a platter with the relish in a bowl alongside.

Beer-battered fish and chips

Serves 4. Preparation time: 30 min to chill batter plus 10 min. Cooking time: 15 min.
Batter
225g self-raising flour
1 egg, lightly whisked
375ml light beer or lager, chilled
salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for deep-frying
6 Russet potatoes (if not available use Agria), peeled and cut into finger-sized batons
4 x 120g white fish fillets
lemon wedges for serving
1 To make the batter, place the flour in a bowl and add the egg, stirring to combine. Pour the beer in gradually, whisking to make a smooth batter. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest.
2 Half fill a large saucepan with oil and heat to 180°C. Deep-fry the chips in batches for five to six minutes until light golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Cool to room temperature.
3 Cut each fillet of fish into two pieces. Coat two pieces of fish in batter, drain off the excess, then deep fry for three to four minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining fish and batter.
4 Finish the chips by deep-frying for two to three minutes or until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
5 Fill 4 paper cones with 2 pieces of fish each and some chips. Season with salt and tuck in lemon wedges.