BEEF UP YOUR WINTER MENU
It's mid-winter, the perfect time to entice diners out of their warm homes and into a cozy restaurant. Nothing is heartier than a winter-warming beef dish to draw in customers. Beef lends itself to slow-cooked goodness, bringing out the deep, rich flavours of secondary cuts, or a flame-grilled steak, hot off the grill and dripping in flavoured butter.
We checked in with our Beef + Lamb Ambassador Chefs to see what beef dishes are hot on their menus and enticing customers out of the cold and into their restaurants.
Dean Thompson, head chef at Schnappa Rock in the Far North, invested in a whole side of Northland Wagyu earlier this year, challenging himself to incorporate all of it into his menu. For winter, Dean offers an entrée of Northland Wagyu cottage pie with creamy mushrooms and horseradish mash. His main course is a shared dish featuring McLeod’s Porter braised beef short rib Wellington with grilled garden greens, mash, and gravy. Dean says these dishes, made with simple winter ingredients, look stunning and provide comforting winter food that is popular with their local clientele.
From the winterless north to the deep south, Cameron Davies, chef and co-owner of The Fat Duck in Te Anau, notes that with lower winter sales, they don't have a permanent beef dish on their menu but regularly feature beef dishes on their specials board. Cam explains that they rotate winter beef dishes because their braised lamb dish is very popular and consistently sells well. Offering multiple beef and lamb options can dilute sales of all dishes, so by reducing menu options, they keep sales high and products fresh. One of his recent specials was a slow-braised beef rib pappardelle with spinach, roasted tomato, parmesan, and focaccia crumb. Beef cheeks have also featured, and oxtail will soon be part of the rotation.
In the capital city, One80 Restaurant on Oriental Parade may boast the most famous Beef Wellington in New Zealand. Created by executive chef Chetan Pangam over fifteen years ago, it's a popular menu item year-round and often ordered for special celebratory dinners. With a standing order of 100kg of Angus Pure beef fillet, 40-55kg of mushrooms, and 100kg of butter every month, Chetan attributes the dish's success to fine-tuning over the years and using the best locally grown produce.
If you’re keen to perfect your own Beef Wellington, some of Chetan’s tips and his recipe are available here.
A beautifully grilled steak is popular year-round. Winter can be a great time to offer different flavoured compound butters to elevate your grilled steaks to a new level of sophistication and flavour. A buttery blend not only enhances the meat's natural flavors but also adds a visually appealing, luxurious finish. By offering a selection of compound butters, such as truffle, herb-garlic, or chimichurri, you provide diners with a customisable experience, allowing them to enjoy a unique and memorable meal. This simple yet elegant touch can set your steak dishes apart, ensuring they are a standout on your menu.
Shared beef tomahawk with compound butter and ponzu tossed greens
Check out these two compound butter recipes below:
Cowboy Butter – recipe courtesy of Greenlea Butcher and created by chef Andrew Clarke.
Anchovy, green peppercorn and thyme butter – created by chef Jarrod McGregor.