Chateau Chef's lamb dish in to win

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 446, 28 July 1992, Page 12

Chateau Chef's lamb dish in to win

Diners have been sampling a culinary delight during July at a Mount Ruapehu restaurant which is in the running for the 1992 Lamb Cuisine Gold Plaque. The annual Gold Plaque competition has this year attracted 54 entries from around the country. Chef Greg Mai of the Chateau Resort Hotel has entered "Rack of Lamb Tongariro" - rack of lamb with sweetbread stuffing garnished with bacon, crepes, chanterelles and pearl onions on a red wine and garlic sauce. Through July the restaurant was visited three times by representatives of the Lamb Cuisine Advisory Panel, to assess the entry. Judges considered the leanness and tenderness of the lamb as well as overall presentation, taste, texture, colour, aroma and gamishing.

Once assessments are completed, an overall winner for the Central North Island region will be selected to compete in a grand final cook-off against three other regional winners, on Monday 31 August. "It's exciting to see the large variety of cooking methods being used, ranging from conventional braising and roasting through to the more unusual style of steaming lamb," says Debbie Armatage, public relations manager for the Bureau. "The chefs are also using virtually every lamb cut, including saddle, topside, striploin, rack, fillet, rump and shoulder, and this is pleasing as we're keen for restaurants to show the versatility of lamb." While judges are looking for innovation in the entries, Miss Armatage says that does not necessarily mean complicated recipes. "This year the combinations of flavours show imagination teamed with an awareness that ingredients should support the flavour of lamb rather than contradict or overpower it." To qualify for entry to the competition, restaurants have to be current holders of a Lamb Cuisine Award, an award which recognizes excellence in lamb preparation and presentation. The 1992 Gold Plaque winner receives an all-expenses-paid overseas trip for two, courtesy of sponsor Singapore Airlines.