World on a Plate
French apple tart. Photo: Fiona Feasey
There is one event you simply have to attend this winter. It’s called “The World on a Plate” and it is going to be one extravaganza of a night. Put a circle around 9 July on the calendar and buy your tickets well beforehand, either from Golden Bay High School or Golden Bay Gallery, as it’s important to note that there will be no door sales. Then all you have to do is turn up at the high school hall at 7pm with a clean plate and fork and you can travel around the world, tasting authentic food made by happy locals from their country of origin.
I keep imagining Michael Palin crossed with Rick Stein, hopping into Dr Who’s phone box and ending up in the school hall. He will then take us on a culinary trip to at least 15 different countries, where we can taste the food, smell the different smells from each different stall, feel the bustle, and heal that longing most of us suffer from in the middle of winter - the urge to be somewhere else, somewhere exotic. Definitely something for everyone here, and even live music to match the scene. The Blackspots, Nikita Buys and the Ukulele Band, amongst others, will entertain us, reminding us that Golden Bay music goes with any kind of food.
This event certainly makes the most of our multicultural community and their pride in showing us the kind of food they grew up eating. There will also be local tastes, including mussel patties, and ice creams made using Averill Turnbull’s goats’ milk. I have been lucky enough to sample this already, and it is world class and divine!
Many students are also involved, both with helping to make sushi at the Japanese stall and with serving leek and ricotta cannelloni at the Italian stall. The hall will be decorated in the style of a market bazaar, with international flags, fairy lights and candles, bunting, tented stalls each individually decorated to represent its own country, and a bar selling local beer and wine, so bring some extra cash.
People have already given much work and time, and there have been many generous donations of local ingredients for use on the night - walnuts, blueberries, eggs and wine, etc - showing just how passionately and well a small community works together on a great idea once the word is out.
This event is the brainchild of Paddy Brennan, and will hopefully become a yearly fundraiser for the GBHS Home and School. For all these reasons this night deserves to be wholeheartedly supported by us all.
So whether you fancy borscht from Russia, cheesecake from America, pancakes with maple syrup from Canada, beef bourguignon from France, lamb kofte with raisin and nut couscous from the Middle East, or a multitude of other offerings catering to every taste and food requirement, you can be guaranteed to have a wonderful evening. See you there!
The French stall will be serving tarte aux pommes, which we lovingly know as apple tart, and here is my recipe for a rustic-looking and totally delicious free-form tart with apples. This is great served warm or cold with whipped cream, or straight from the oven with ice cream.
French Apple Tart
225g plain flour
125g butter
1 tablespoon of icing sugar
First of all, make the pastry by placing the flour, sugar and butter into a food processor. Process until the butter looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add 1/3 cup of chilled water and continue pulsing until the mix just comes together. Remove from the mixer, knead into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for one hour. Remove the dough and roll out into a circle on a floured benchtop. Transfer to a baking paper-lined tray. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the apples.
Filling
4 tablespoons of crushed amaretti biscuits, or ground almonds
1 tablespoon of caster sugar
1 tablespoon of plain flour
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
4 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced and mixed with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
Extra caster sugar for the top, and extra icing sugar for dusting to serve.
Mix together the flour, sugar, amaretti crumbs and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle this into the middle of the pastry. Scatter the apple slices on the top. Bring up the sides to cover half the apples. Sprinkle the pastry top with extra sugar and bake in a 180°C oven till golden brown all over - 40 to 50 minutes. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Fiona Feasey
