A Menu for the Whole Flock
Following her food ethos, Maximum of Flavour, Minimum of Fuss, resident latitude chef Saman tha Parish is in the kitchen with Jones Family Farm’s sheeps cheese making our mouths water!
It is the season to entertain, and nothing says entertaining more than cheese. So why not take things up a notch with these recipes using locally produced sheep milk, cream and cheese sourced from the Jones Family Farm , found between the Waimakariri and the Rakaia Rivers in the beautiful rolling Canterbury plains.
The Jones Family Farm is offering some of the best and cleanest dairy in New Zealand as sheep milk farming has a cleaner environmental footprint making it a more sustainable approach to milk when compared to current conventional dairy systems. Sheep milk is also easier on the tummy, carrying the A2 protein and has double the amount of the good fats we want. Essentially, sheep milk is teaming with nutritional and environmental benefits and pays dividends in flavour.
The two cheeses currently available from Jones Family Farm are Gouda and Havarti. Balanced in flavour, these cheeses bring enough tang and creaminess to satisfy all your cheese cravings. They have also harnessed a real depth of flavour unique to sheep milk that carries itself both raw and cooked – a cheese ‘all-rounder’ that makes for a great introduction into trying sheep milk and including it into your diet. If you love pecorino, you’ll love these semi-soft cheeses, and like me, be crumbling and slicing them into everything that reaches the oven. The heroes to these cheeses are the sheep milk and cream – the lead actors in our entertainer’s-size panna cotta (page 168) – and are a must-try!
I count myself lucky to have this job and get to cook with Canterbury’s finest producers. The Jones Family Farm sheep milk products are by far some of the best tasting milk and cheese I’ve ever had. Nothing like a cow, nothing like a goat. It’s in a flock of its own and worth the sub-in – in fact it might be safe to say it may not ever get subbed out again!
Recipes, words, styling & images Samantha Parish
Tomato Sheep Milk Gouda Caprese-Style Salad with Prosciutto and Pepita Crunch
Serves 6-8 as a side (Pictured above)
Prep 5 mins
Cooking 15 hour
8 thin slices prosciutto
¼ cup pepitas
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
½ bunch basil, leaves picked
4 ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced
120 g Jones Family Farm Classic Gouda, sliced
Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease and line a baking tray.
For the prosciutto crunch, place prosciutto slices on prepared tray and scatter with pepitas. Cover with a piece of baking paper and place another baking tray on top to weigh down and keep flat while baking. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until golden. Remove tray and stand to cool. Prosciutto should crisp as it cools.
Combine oil, vinegar and a few bruised basil leaves in a bowl. Season to taste.
To serve, arrange tomatoes, cheese and remaining basil leaves on a plate. Crunch prosciutto with fingers and scatter over the top. Spoon over dressing and serve.
Sheep Milk Gouda, Garlic and Herb Wreath
Serves 6-8
Prep 30 mins (plus proving time)
Cooking 20 mins
1 cup (250 ml) sheep milk, plus extra 2 tsp for brushing
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
2 tsp dried yeast
3 cups (450 g) high grade flour
1 egg
½ cup (125 ml) sheep cream
4 garlic cloves
2 sprigs rosemary, plus extra to serve
120 g Jones Family Farm Classic Gouda, coarsely grated
120 g Jones Family Farm Classic Havarti, coarsely grated
2 tbsp maple syrup
To make the dough, place the milk and oil in a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds or until just lukewarm. Add to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment and add yeast. Stand for 10 minutes or until yeast has dissolved and mixture is bubbly. Add flour and egg and knead on low speed for 5 minutes or until dough comes together and is hitting the sides of the bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 1½ hours or until doubled in size. (You could do this the day before and prove it overnight in the fridge.)
Meanwhile to make the garlic herb filling, place the cream, garlic, rosemary and 1 tsp each of salt and cracked pepper in a small food processor and whiz until thickened and finely chopped.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 50 cm x 30 cm rectangle. Spread surface evenly with the garlic mixture then scatter with grated cheeses. Starting from a long side, roll the dough over to form a sausage. Use a sharp knife to halve through the middle of the sausage to reveal the layers. Join the top of the two pieces together, twist and tangle the two lengths then join the ends to create a circle.
Place on a lined baking tray and cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes or until risen slightly. Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly brush with extra milk. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with maple syrup and stand to cool on tray for 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Entertainer’s Chai Panna Cotta with Honey Pistachio Puff and Macerated Strawberries
Begin this recipe 1 day ahead
Serves 6-8
Prep 20 mins plus chilling
Cooking 40 mins
2½ cups (625 ml) sheep milk
1½ tbsp powdered gelatine
3 cups (375 ml) sheep cream, plus extra ¼ cup to serve
½ cup (110 g) caster sugar, plus ¼ cup extra
2 tbsp chai powder or extract
2 punnets strawberries, washed
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
honey pistachio puff
2 sheets all butter puff pastry
2 tbsp runny honey, warmed
2 tbsp finely chopped pistachios
Place ½ cup (125 ml) of milk in a microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle over gelatine. Stand for 5 minutes to soften. Mix to combine then microwave mixture for 30 seconds or until gelatine has dissolved.
Place cream, sugar, chai powder and remaining 2 cups (500 ml) milk in large saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add gelatine mixture, stir to combine and cook, stirring constantly, for a further 2–3 minutes to heat through. Remove from heat and stand to cool for 1 hour. Strain through a fine sieve into a 1.5 L (6 cup) serving dish and cover directly with plastic wrap. Then chill for at least 4 hours to set.
Meanwhile, toss strawberries in zest and extra sugar. Stand at room temperature overnight to macerate.
For the honey pistachio puff, preheat oven to 200°C, grease and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Add pastry in a single layer and brush with half the honey. Cover with a piece of baking paper and place another baking tray on top to weigh down and keep flat while baking. Bake for 30 minutes or until pastry is cooked through. Remove tray and paper and brush with remaining honey.
Return to the oven for 5 minutes or until golden and glossy. Remove and scatter with pistachios while hot. Stand to cool and crisp.
To serve, spoon extra cream over panna cotta and top with some of the strawberries. Serve with puff and remaining strawberries alongside as it’s scooped into bowls.
