Week beginning February 23rd - Kaffeine Classics

Last week was my final week as lead chef at Kaffeine GTS, after 5 and half years I sadly hung up my apron. However I've been so distracted with the arrangement for the new Kaffeine site that I haven't had time to reflect. I don't think the nostalgia will kick in for a month or 2? 

However I couldn't have picked a better week to leave on, our Chinese New Year themed menu was very popular and the demand for replenish platters of food was one of our busiest in years, so busy I forgot to eat my own lunch most days. 

Last week I also received a request from a customer asking for my Crispy Duck Hirata Bun recipe. So instead of being reflective on my time at Kaffeine GTS I shall instead share a recipe. Bear in mind there are several elements to this recipe and I recommend you read it twice. 

In the meantime you can find me cooking up a storm in Kaffeine newest venture on Eastcastle Street. For now I leave Kaffeine GTS in Lead chef Khan's creative hands.  

Hirata Buns:

800g plain flour

300g strong flour

1 tbsp dry active yeast

2 tbsp baking powder

100g sugar

1 tbsp salt

700ml water

100ml vegetable oil

20 10x10cm pieces of grease proof paper

Method:

Add all dumpling ingredients into a stand mixer with a kneading paddle attached, beat on low spead for 1 minute. Once roughly combined turn the speed up high and knead for 10 minutes, the dough should be silky and smooth when done. Cover the dough with clingfilm and leave to prove for 2 hours.

After 2 hours the dough should have tripled in size, turn the dough out on a floured surface and cut the dough into 20 even portions. Lightly knead each dough portion into small balls. 

On a lightly floured surface roll out each ball into 12cm in diameter rounds, then fold each round in half and place on a square piece of parchment paper. Repeat this process with the remaining dough balls. Leave the uncooked hirata buns to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes. 

In a hot double steamer or bamboo baskets steam the buns for 10 minutes, they should be light and fluffy when finished. Press the top of the buns with a finger, if the surface springs back then they are cooked. 

Crispy duck filling:

1 large whole duck

100g knob of fresh ginger

4 peeled cloves garlic

8 black peppercorns

1 red chilli sliced in half lengthways

3 bay leaves

4 tbsp sea salt

1.5ltr vegetable oil

Method:

Place the duck, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, chilli, bay leaves and salt in a large pot with lid. Cover the duck with hot water until just covered, place the pot with lid attached over a high heat and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling remove the lid and cook the duck for 25 minutes. Once cooked remove the duck and discard the liquid (the liquid can be kept frozen and used as a stock for soups and stews), leave the duck too cool for 2 hours. 

Once the duck has cooled place the vegetable oil in a large pot and put over a high heat for frying. The oil will take around 20 minutes to reach a good frying temperature. To test if the oil is ready, using the back of a wooden spoon dip the handle into the oil, if rapid bubbling appears around the wooden spoon handle then the oil is ready for frying. Using a sharp knife slice the whole duck in half lengthways, then carefully place one half of the duck in the hot oil. Fry the duck for around 4 minutes until dark and crispy on the outside. Using tongs carefully remove the duck from the oil and place on a baking tray, sprinkle the duck with a little extra sea salt. Repeat this process with the remaining half of the duck. Once the duck halves have cooled enough to touch with your hands shred the flesh from the bones.

Plum Sauce:

600g plums sliced in half and stone removed

1 red onion, peeled and sliced

4 crushed clover of garlic

100g grated fresh ginger

1 diced red chilli

2 peeled and sliced green apples

150g sugar

150ml lemonade

4 tbsp oyster sauce

4 tbsp dark soy sauce

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

Place all the ingredients in to a sauce pan and place over a medium heat. Bring the contents to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low and cook for 20 minutes. Once the plum sauce is cooked remove from the heat and place sauce in a blender, blend the sauce until smooth.

Constructing Crispy Duck Dumplings

2 cucumbers

150g washed foraged ramson leafs (optional)

Using a peeler, peel the skin and flesh of the cucumber making long ribbon strips, discard the seeds. 

Carefully slice open each steamed bun, leaving one end still attached. First fill each bun with some cucumber ribbons and optional ramson, then top with crispy duck and spoon over a generous amount of plum sauce. Serve straight away. 

Goodbye for now, see you at Kaffeine Eastcastle Street ion a week.

Jared Bryant

Lead Chef

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.90 (GF, V)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Cinnamon and Raisin Toast (V) 2.50
Banana bread 2.50
Porridge (V) 3.00
served with condiments muscovado sugar, dried fruit, chopped nuts, golden syrup or honey

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 2.00
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats

Sweet muffin: Blueberry and bran (Cereal, milk, egg) (V) 2.50

Savoury Scone: Tomato, mozzarella and basil (Cereal, milk, egg)(V) 2.50

Friand: Lime, lemon, coconut (Egg, Milk, Nuts)  (V,GF) 2.50

Super moist chocolate brownies 2.50
White chocolate blondies 2.50
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Almond and custard slice 2.50
Canele 2.40

Lunch
Soup 4.50

Chicken and sweet corn chowder with sour dough (cereal, celery, soy) (DF)

French retro baguettes 5.30

Salmon, aioli, capers, red onion, dill and rocket (Fish, egg, mustard) (F)

Tomato, mozzarella, roasted courgette, chimichurri and spinach (Cereal, milk, mustard) (V) 

Foccacias 5.50

Ham, mature cheddar, red onion marmalade and spinach (Cereal, milk)  

Grilled halloumi, spicy hummus, tomato and rocket (Cereal, milk) (V)

Salads: 5.50/7.00

Chicken adobo with camargue red rice and coriander (Soy, 

Roasted squash and parsnips with toasted almonds, dill and a ramson dressing (Mustard) (GF,VE) 

Brocolli with garlic, chilli, oyster sauce and roasted peanuts (Peanuts, fish) (V,GF)  

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad

Tuna and brown rice vegetable bake with red pepper rouille (Fish, mustard, egg, milk, cereal)

Week beginning February 16th - Chinese New Year Menu

Welcome to Chinese New Year week at Kaffeine, where newly appointed head chef Khan has come up with a new menu. Khan is from Burma and has a long history with Chinese food, her parents own and run a mostly Chinese food restaurant back in her native country. For Khan this time of year is like Christmas, New Years, birthday and bonfire night all rolled into one extravagant celebration. There will be dragons, red envelopes of cash, banquets of food, explosive night displays and the beginning of the year of the sheep.

Some of the highlights on this weeks menu include steamed bau buns filled with crispy duck, cucumber, plum sauce and garlicky foraged mini ramsons. Our bau buns will be made to a traditional method and left to prove before being steamed, which gives a fluffy, soft, white, almost sponge texture. The buns will then be filled with the as mentioned fillings, creating a balance of salty and sweet flavours. 

What would Chinese New Year be without BBQ pork, belly of pork cooked in a smoked marinade until it begins to fall apart. Then served on a salad of raw shredded julienne carrot, celery, red onion and foraged garlic mustard, which has a wasabi and cabbage flavour. Perfect healthy salad with a bit of naughty but tasty protein. 

Lastly no Chinese menu would be complete without chicken and corn soup, or in our case chowder. This soup has featured a few times on our menu and is a staff, friends and family favourite, more of a hearty meal than soup. Good enough to eat with a fork. 

So come in this week and enjoy the asian flavours with us, chopsticks not included. 

Jared & Khan

Lead Chefs

Kaffeine 

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.90 (GF, V)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Cinnamon and Raisin Toast (V) 2.50
Banana bread 2.50
Porridge (V) 3.00
served with condiments muscovado sugar, dried fruit, chopped nuts, golden syrup or honey

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 2.00
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats

Sweet muffin: Pineapple and carrot (cereals, eggs, milk) (V) 2.50

Savoury Scone: Courgette and feta (cereals, eggs, milk) (V) 2.50

Friand: Lime, lemon, coconut (Egg, Milk, Nuts)  (V,GF) 2.50

Super moist chocolate brownies 2.50
White chocolate blondies 2.50
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Almond and custard slice 2.50
Canele 2.40

Lunch
Soup 4.50

Chicken and sweet corn chowder with sour dough (cereal, celery, soy) (DF)

French retro baguettes 5.30

Ham, plum sauce, brie, spring onion and rocket (cereals, soy, milk)

Saute mushroom, goats cheese, tarragon sauce, capers and spinach (cereals, mustard, milk) (V) 

Foccacias 5.50

Salmon, rice wine pickled onion, roasted courgette, honey mayonnaise and spinach  (cereals, fish, egg, mustard) (F,DF)

Crumbed aubergine, sweet chilli, feta and rocket (cereals, milk) (V)

Salads: 5.50/7.00

BBQ pork with wild fennel leaf on a bed of raw shredded carrot, celery, red onion and garlic mustard (mustard, celery, soy) (GF, DF).

Rice noodles with soy and garlic tofu, coriander, avocado, honey roasted cashew nuts, cucumber and wild pea shoots (soy, nut) (V, GF, DF)

Chilli and satay green beans with poppy leaf (soy, peanuts, celery) (VE, GF)

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad

Steamed crispy duck buns with cucumber, plum sauce and mini ramson (cereal, egg, soy).

Week beginning February 2nd - Waitangi Day

Tēnā koutou (a maori greeting for 3 or more people)

This Friday is Waitangi Day, you could say this is national New Zealand day. Waitangi day commemorates the signing of New Zealand's most important document Te Tiriti o Waitangi, The Treaty of Waitangi. In 1840 representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Māori chiefs signed what is often considered to be New Zealand’s founding document. The British Crown exchanged musket guns for Maori land. In the last 45 years this exchange has been seen as exploitation with local tribes and recently the government has been handing land back to the Maori people.

To mark the 175th anniversary of The Treaty of Waitangi we have come up with a New Zealand themed menu. Most notable is this weeks soup of Puha and pork, a traditional Maori broth made with pork and puha which is known as the edible weed Sow Thistle in the Untied Kingdom. Sow thistle has a cabbage and globe artichoke flavour, ideal for soups and pairing with pork. 

We'll also be bringing back New Zealand's famous Afgan biscuits and on Friday be serving mini pavlova's with whipped cream, fresh strawberries and kiwi. 

Ka kite anō (see you soon)

Jared Bryant

Lead Chef

Kaffeine

Traditional bircher muesli with rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)

Granola muesli with pomegranate molasses and rhubarb and raspberry compote 4.00 (V)
Fruit salad (pineapple, mango, strawberries, grapes, passion fruit) 3.90 (GF, V)
Ciabatta roll with omelette, pancetta, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Ciabatta roll with courgette omelette, rocket and tomato salsa 4.90
Croissant with Italian roast ham, talleggio cheese, spinach & plum tomatoes 4.90
Cinnamon and Raisin Toast (V) 2.50
Banana bread 2.50
Porridge (V) 3.00
served with condiments muscovado sugar, dried fruit, chopped nuts, golden syrup or honey

Pastries by Seven Seed bakery
French butter croissant 2.00
Pain au chocolat 2.50
Almond croissant 2.80

Baked Treats

Sweet muffin:  Rhubarb and coconut (V) (Cereals, Eggs, Milk) (V) 2.50

Savoury Scone: Courgette and feta (V) (Cereals, Eggs, Milk) (V) 2.50

Friand: Red currant (Egg, Milk, Nuts) (V,GF) 2.50

Super moist chocolate brownies 2.50
White chocolate blondies 2.50
Portuguese tarts 2.00
ANZAC cookies 2.00
Almond and custard slice 2.50
Canele 2.40

Lunch
Soup 4.50

Puha and pork with kumara bread (Cereal, celery)

French retro baguettes 5.30

Parma ham, basil pesto, slow roasted tomato, black olives, rocket. (Cereals, milk, nuts) 

Chopped prawns, avocado, jalapenos, red onion salsa and spinach (F) (Cereals, crustacean) 

Foccacias 5.50

Ham, pickled red onion, pecorino, spinach (Cereals, milk) 

Grilled halloumi, avocado, tomato relish and rocket (Cereals, milk) (V)

Salads: 5.50/7.00

Lamb roasted in manuka honey, new potato, roasted beetroot, rocket and mint yoghurt dressing (Milk). (GF) 

Kiwi, goats curd, avocado, paprika pumpkin seeds, watercress with parsley salad. (Milk, mustard) (V,GF) 

Roasted courgette, green bean, garden peas, feta and parsley (Milk) (V,GF)

Tart: 4.40 or 8.00 with salad

Sweet corn pie with piped kumara (Cereals, milk, egg, celery, mustard) (V)