Flat Whites

I have been a New Zealand fan for a long time, ever since I was a teenager dreaming about emigrating to far away places. I imagined outgoing people, the greenest pastures with many cuddly sheep, crystal clear lakes, incredible peaks, and an epic and mythological history. And that was way before the Lord of the Rings movies! When we were lucky enough to have our New Zealand friends ask us to join them on a trip, we didn't have to think twice.

I wasn't so far off with my daydream. On the South Island, we were immediately smitten by drop-dead gorgeous mountain ranges and fjords. I felt like I had stepped into a movie set and all the Kiwis were awfully nice. We moseyed on up with bikes, visited loads of charming wineries
and tried plenty of crisp and tasty Sauvignon Blanc. The men played on stunning golf courses, while my friend Catherine and I shopped for marvelously thin, non-itching wool sweaters.

When we got to the North Island, we stayed right above a fantastic black sand beach where we watched race horses being exercised in the wee hours of the morning. Our friends took us to their family beach house with a driveway so steep that I made them stop the car. I got out and happily walked through an extremely noisy rainforest admiring fat ferns, it felt a lot safer. Their darling cousins cooked us delicate whitebait fritters which we devoured with plenty of that easy to drink NZ wine.

Of course we ate lots of wonderful food. Lamb shoulder so tender it fell off the bone, briny green-lip mussels and delicate Pavlovas for dessert. I just drew the line when it came to Lamb's Fry! We had an ungodly amount of local bold and robust olive oil, and I was on a mission to drink lots of Flat Whites, a Kiwi coffee invention.

Here is my favorite official definition: “The flat white has less milk, less foam (hence flat white) and therefore proportionately more coffee than a latte. The desired texture is a velvety sensuality and there should also be a natural sweetness.” as quoted by Joseph Hoye from Electric Coffee Bean

I encountered lots of great "flatties", and I've already figured out that I need to go back. Meanwhile, I have a flat white whenever I can get my hands on one, and sometimes, I make this simple version of New Zealand's national dessert.

A very simplified “Pavlova”

Definitely a cop-out, but my friend Catherine tells me it's perfectly alright to take this shortcut; I even bought the meringue cookies. I happen to have a very good baker in the neighborhood, but the more ambitious approach would be to make home-made ones.

Makes 1 small serving

2-3 small meringue cookies

4 heaping tablespoons of unsweetened, stiffly whipped cream

¼ cup ripe strawberries or raspberries (other berries will work too)

1 Tb chopped dark chocolate

1 Tb toasted and chopped hazelnuts or almonds

Break cookies into bite size pieces. Mix berries, meringue and whipped cream carefully and fill into pretty dessert bowls. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and dark chocolate and eat immediately!