Having shot two editorials of Orphans Kitchen, been there to eat a few times, and also recently went to a ConversatioNZ talk by Tom Hishon, chef and co-owner, I thought it’s probably time to share this fabulous eatery on my blog.
Orphans Kitchen opened in 2014, named as a tribute to their London kitchen where all their “orphan” expat friends would gather for dinner during the holidays, Tom Hishon and Josh Helm was quick to find their niche on the competitive Auckland dining scene, and have had great success.
With bees on the roof and a love for locally sourced, organic and sustainable produce the eatery is at the front of the worldwide trend of local, honest ingredients, foraging and anything homemade and wholesome. If you haven’t been, GO!
Here Tom shares a couple of his recipes from the restaurant…
ROAST PORK FILLET
Serves 6
zest of two lemons
2 long sprigs of rosemary
pork scotch fillets, trimmed (300g of pork per person)
flaky sea salt
grapeseed oil
3 cloves of garlic
100g butter
Zest the lemons, chop the rosemary, then massage into the fillets. Leave overnight on a covered tray. Take out of the fridge one hour before cooking and bring to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 140°C. Heavily season the fillets with flaky salt. Heat a cast iron pan to a high heat, and add enough grapeseed oil to make a shallow pool in the bottom of the pan. Add the fillets and heavily colour by rolling. Add the butter and garlic and continue cooking in
the foaming butter.
Once you have achieved a very heavy crust, place the meat on a wire rack. Put the rack on top of an oven tray and into the oven, rotating every 20 minutes. At the 60 minute mark the meat should be well roasted through and ready to serve. If you are not confident it is ready, insert a metal skewer in the centre, pull out and make sure the juices are running clear.
SWEDE & CARROT MASH
Serves 4-6
2-3 large swedes, peeled
4 carrots, peeled
3 tbsp olive oil
flaky sea salt
fresh thyme
50g honey
50g honeycomb
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut the swedes and carrots into chunks and toss with olive oil, a good pinch of sea salt and the thyme. Put into a roasting tray, cover tightly, and roast for an hour and a half, or until very soft. Pour off residual juices, coarsely mash with the honey and season to taste. Top with honeycomb and drizzle with olive oil to serve.
BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING
Serves 6
800ml milk
200ml cream
1 vanilla bean, sliced length-ways
5 sprigs fresh thyme
100g dried currants
90ml Olorosso sherry
60ml water
1 loaf brioche
100g butter
fresh nutmeg
2 pears
zest of half an orange
1 tbsp honey
CUSTARD
1 whole egg
7 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
100g honey
Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a saucepan combine milk, cream, vanilla bean and 2 sprigs of thyme. Bring to a simmer while stirring with a wooden spoon.
Next, make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk the whole egg and yolks together with the sugar and honey until a creamy white texture is achieved. Pour the heated milk mixture over the beaten honey and eggs, while stirring to incorporate.
Place currants in a small saucepan with 60ml of sherry and 60ml of water. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid then take o the heat until they plump up. Cut the brioche into 2cm slices and butter each side with half the butter. Finely grate nutmeg over the buttered brioche.
Assemble in small ovenproof bowls, layering the brioche with the crusts sticking out. Pour the custard over the top, sprinkle with currants and leave to sit for half an hour.
Place the bowls into a deep oven tray and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of them. Carefully place the tray in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.
While the puddings are cooking, peel and cut pears into 6-8 wedges, removing the cores. In a non-stick pan, add the remaining butter, thyme sprigs and pear slices. Cook until golden brown, then add honey and remaining 30ml of sherry. Flame, then serve alongside the pudding.
ORPHAN OLD FASHIONED
Serves 2
120ml whisky (any will do, but we prefer to use a rye or a bourbon)
3 cloves
2 cinnamon quills
Angostura orange bitters
2 cubes or 2 level tsp sugar
orange rind
Steep 120ml of whisky overnight with 3 cloves and half a cinnamon quill.
Absorb Angostura in sugar (a cube of sugar on a napkin works best).
Muddle orange rind with sugar in a Boston or large glass.
Fill half a glass with ice and 60ml of whisky. Stir until sugar melts. Top with ice and add another 60ml of whisky. Stir again. Strain liquid from the ice. This can be made in advance. Pour half the liquid into a serving glass with a large block of ice, then squeeze orange rind into the drink to release the oils. Garnish and serve with more orange rind or a cinnamon quill. Drink responsibly.
A selection of these images has previously been published in Dish Magazine#58 and Homestyle Magazine#60. The recipes was also published in Homestyle Magazine #60.
Recipes © Tom Hishon, Orphans Kitchen
Parts of this story also features on my profile on Steller