Chef Brooke is Running a Masterclass, and you’re invited!

Chef Brooke is a NorthTec cookery tutor and part of the Cooking Collective team that runs short, one-off classes to teach interested locals various cooking skills.

This time Brooke is putting on a masterclass where she will teach you how to cure kingfish, pickle raspberries, and plate a beautiful fresh dish, perfect for an entrée as we head into the warmer months!

“This class is part of Savour Northland, an initiative to highlight local producers in Te Tai Tokerau during October,” explains Chef Brooke. “I got involved as I had been a part of the Savour Northland conference a few years back and wanted to do my best to support our amazing producers here in Te Tai Tokerau, as we are training the future chefs of the region.”

You don’t need any experience for the class and everything from recipes to ingredients and equipment will be provided. And it won’t be all about working hard to cook up some delicious treats!

“Papaka Rd Gin will also be there to offer a tasting of their gin and tell their story of how they came to be,” Brooke says. “We will also use the award-winning Belle Chevre Creamery goats’ cheese to make a luxurious panna cotta with local honey, macadamia crumb, and grilled pineapple.”

The class will take place at NorthTec’s Apprentice Restaurant, on Wednesday the 16th of October from 4:30 pm – 7 pm and costs $100 per person. With only 18 places available, and some already booked, you’ll want to get in quick to secure your spot!

Brooke chose her three local producers, Papaka Gin, Haku Kingfish, and Belle Chevre Creamery not only to highlight their amazing products but also because of the way each artisan product will work with each other.

“Papaka Rd Gin is made just down the road from where I live in Ngunguru on the Tutukaka Coast,” says Brooke. “The citrus and juniper in the gin will highlight the fresh clean ocean notes of the kingfish and I thought it would be a match made in heaven.

“This haku (kingfish) that is coming out of Ruakaka is a sustainable alternative to the fish industry. We had Jeremy Singleton from NIWA come to NorthTec to do a demonstration where he brought kingfish for the students to break down and cook. We were delighted in the texture and fattiness of the fish and the fresh clean flavour.”

Belle Chevre Creamery is another of Brooke’s favourites and a well-known brand.

“Back in May I took my students to Auckland for a field trip, and we stopped in Waipu at Origins who sell Belle Chevre Creamery’s award-winning cheeses I had heard so much about.  I tried one of their goats cheese bon bons with raspberries and dark chocolate and was amazed by the flavour and texture so I thought it would work perfectly in a dessert.  

“These are just a few of the local products that we have to choose from, and I wanted to design a fun approachable class to show people how to use them at home.”

If all that food talk has made you hungry for more, then don’t hesitate, book your spot for the master class now!

Bookings are required so please email Brooke at birving@northtec.ac.nz.

Want to know more? You can check out the info at Savour Northland: https://savournorthland.com/upcoming-events/the-cooking-collective-hands-on-masterclass-with-chef-brooke-and-papaka-road-gin.

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