From Tina's Kitchen

Blue Skies - Red Tomatoes

2012-01-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

It's been a fantastic growing season in Christchurch - lots of blue sky and sunshine and we've all loved watching our gardens flourish even though we're on water rationing.

I was quietly working in the kitchen yesterday with my chefs and overhearing their conversation as they worked.

They were talking about their vegetable gardens and how many courgettes they had picked, when their beans would be ready, the state of their tomatoes and how many eggs their chooks had laid yesterday. It made my heart sing! There is a quiet revolution taking place and people are returning to the soil, growing their own food and taking such pleasure in proudly cooking and feeding their families with wondrous, seasonal, fresh produce. There is nothing better and the satisfaction gained unparalleled.

Over dinner last night with friends the subject came up again and we talked of visits to France and Italy where driving in the countryside everywhere you looked there were houses surrounded by carefully tended vegetable gardens, giant artichoke plants, tomatoes and every other imaginable vegetable.

A wonderful way to preserve excess vegetables is to make relishes and pickles. I am sharing my Aunt’s tomato relish recipe today because it’s a favourite, the uses are endless, and a barbecued or grilled lamb chop without it seems unthinkable.

Tomato Relish

12 large tomatoes
4 large onions
1 tablespoon salt
Malt vinegar
500g sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder
1½ tablespoons mustard powder
(mix the curry and mustard powders in a bowl with a little vinegar to form a paste before pouring into the tomatoes and onions)
5 dried chillies
2 tablespoons flour

Roughly dice tomatoes and onions, place in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Stand overnight.

Drain and discard liquid. Place tomatoes and onion in a large saucepan and pour over vinegar until the liquid reaches 2 cm below surface of vegetables.

Bring to the boil, add sugar and spices. Simmer for 30 minutes. Mix flour with a little extra vinegar to form a paste. Pour into hot mix, stirring constantly and gently boil for a further 5 minutes.

Pour into hot sterilised jars and seal.

Some other things I love to do with Tomato Relish

Under the cheesy mix for mousetraps

Mixed with mayonnaise and dolloped over cold chicken

Split saveloys, fill with relish, wrap in bacon, hold together with toothpick
and grill (memories of my mother!)

Add to meatloaf mixture before cooking

Add to mashed potato for cottage pie topping

Use for a quick pizza spread

Use in quesadillas with shredded chicken, grated cheese and coriander

With sour cream and corn frittersIn pinwheel scones with grated cheese

With grilled haloumi

Cook it - Love it!

And here's an extra little gift for Christmas!

2011-12-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

Thank you for reading my blog, and here’s an extra special festive gift for you all as we dash up to the end of 2011! One of you contacted me a short while ago wishing for advice on my fabulous Strawberry Vinaigrette to accompany salads and also for one of my chicken salad recipes…so – Merry Christmas to you all once again, and here’s an extra little something fabulous…

Poached Chicken Summer Salad

(This is utterly glorious, so easy, and will delight everyone who tries it…ENJOY!)

Serves 6

4 chicken breasts, poached and shredded
½ cup mayonnaise
400g tin mango slices, drained and chopped
zest and juice of 1 lime
¼ cup each chopped coriander and mint
1 cup seedless green grapes
good bunch watercress, washed and picked over
3 spring onions, chopped
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss to combine.

Et voila!

Strawberry Vinegar (and Vinaigrette)

1 punnet strawberries
1 cup sugar
2 cups white vinegar
Bring to the boil and simmer together for 15 minutes. Strain and bottle.

For vinaigrette:

Combine 2 parts canola oil to 1 part vinegar.
Cook it, love it!

Father Christmas is packing his sleigh....

2011-12-19T17:15:00.001-08:00

It’s the “silly season” when we all love to try and cram in as many gatherings with friends and families as possible … what a time of the year for us all! It’s wonderful to mark this very special celebration and isn’t it great that nowadays celebrating the holiday season doesn’t necessarily need to be with a huge meal? We celebrate in as many guises as there are people – picnics, barbecues, ornate meals with specially laid tables and decorative theming, right through to an intimate celebration with smoked salmon and champagne…

I’ve just made some Christmas Marshmallow – a recipe I featured during my “Tart Up Christmas” cooking class held in October – and which we all love! I know we normally associate marshmallow with children’s parties and lollie cake but this one is really an ‘adults marshmallow’ and to be honest, when put out in a lovely bowl it doesn’t stay around long!

Sometimes it’s hard to know what to give – and I think something delicious, made with love, is the ultimate Christmas gift … I love to parcel up these delicious morsels to give to someone special …

I hope everyone has a joyous, relaxing and fulfilling holiday – that your Christmas, in whatever way you celebrate, is a happy one. Stay safe and smiling everyone – it’s holiday time! I wish you all a Happy Christmas and my warmest wishes for 2012

So...Christmas Marshmallow - cook it, love it!

Makes 40-50 pieces
3 tablespoons powdered gelatine
½ cup cold water
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Icing sugar for dredging

In a bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatine over the ½ cup of water. Soak for 10 minutes.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, spices and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatine, and mix at a high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. Add vanilla and scrape into a 9” x 9” cake tin lined with oiled plastic wrap and spread evenly. (Note: lightly oil hands and spatula). After pouring marshmallow mixture into the tin, take another piece of oiled plastic wrap and press over mixture in tin.

Let mixture sit for a few hours. Remove from tin, dredge the marshmallow slab with icing sugar and cut with scissors – the best tool for the job.

Completely coat marshmallow in icing sugar.

Heaven sent spears - Asparagus!

2011-11-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

We are right in the middle of asparagus season so now is the right time to enjoy this wonderful vegetable.

It is low in calories, packed with essential vitamins and minerals and long been recognized for its medicinal properties.

Its versatility makes asparagus a perfect meal accompaniment and it is equally delicious served hot or cold. Wash it thoroughly as the head can sometimes contain grit and sand from the growing process. Snap off the ends, it will snap at the point where it begins to be woody. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, salt it generously and add asparagus. Cook until tender. If serving cold, immediately plunge into ice water to refresh and maintain its beautiful colour. I love to eat it with my fingers dipping the ends into homemade mayonnaise but here is a delicious salad I want to share.

Asparagus and Tomato Salad
Serves 4 – 6 as an entrée

Extra virgin olive oil
45g anchovies, drained and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
Dash of white wine vinegar
½ cup toasted breadcrumbs
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
24 – 36 asparagus stalks trimmed

Heat a little oil in a heavy based fry pan and cook the anchovies over medium heat until they begin to ‘melt’. Reduce heat, add garlic and cook for a further 1 –2 minutes then stir in the vinegar to taste adding a little oil as necessary. Stir in half the breadcrumbs and cook for two minutes then remove from heat and keep warm. Steam the asparagus until tender then drain and transfer to a platter with the tomatoes. Pour the anchovy mixture over the asparagus and sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs.

Summer is approaching - and so is Christmas!

2011-10-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

I hate to remind you that we are in the lead up to Christmas, but in Christchurch the week after the Melbourne Cup is always our New Zealand Trotting Cup and Show Week, and once that’s over - its Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!

I had my Christmas cooking class last weekend so I have been working on the recipes over the past few weeks. A really good thing to do as soon as you have read this, is to make your Fruit Mince and jar it up for use later. This allows the flavours to develop really well. You can use store bought but this is so much better and really easy to make, so why would you? Just keep a cup aside and try this slice recipe as well, because it’s absolutely delicious! It came from the grandmother (Neddy) of one of our chefs.

Christmas Fruit Mince
Yield 1.5kg
4 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and chopped
2 cup raisins
1 cup currants
150g butter
2 teaspoons mace
2 teaspoons nutmeg
3 teaspoons spice
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 cups brown sugar
100ml brandy
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
100ml lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer partly covered with lid for 30-40 minutes or until thick. Pour into clean, sterilised jars. Cover when cold.

Neddy’s Christmas Mince Slice
Base
100g chilled butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
Process butter, flour and sugar until breadcrumb consistency and press into lined slice tin. Bake at 160ºC for 10 minutes.
Topping
1 cup brown sugar (not packed)
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup fruit mince
Mix dry ingredients well and add wet ingredients. Place over base and cook for a further 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting
Dust with icing sugar to serve.

COOK IT! LOVE IT!

EATING HUMBLE PIE

2011-10-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

Ok - I'm fronting up - I have to eat humble pie apparently ... some of you have been wondering where on earth I've been ...if I have to eat pie I may as well share the recipe as well!!!

This is a fabulous LAMB AND YOGHURT PIE discovered on my travels in the Mediterranean.

A gorgeous flavour filled delight for you and your loved ones ...

Lamb and Yoghurt Pie
Serves 8
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic crushed
1 kg lamb mince
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
70g toasted pine nuts
12 sheets filo pastry
100g clarified butter
500g natural yoghurt
1 shallow tin approximately 30 x 22 x 3 cms

Heat oil in a large frying pan, add onion and garlic and cook until translucent.
Add lamb and brown thoroughly, breaking up clumps as it cooks, with a wooden spoon.
Add cinnamon, tomato paste, lemon, salt and pepper, and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add parsley, breadcrumbs and pine nuts and set aside to cool.
Remove filo pastry from packet and count out 12 sheets.
Place pastry on bench and cover with a damp tea towel.
Brush one sheet of filo pastry lightly with melted butter..
Place another layer of pastry on top, brushing with butter as you go, and repeat until you have six sheets.
Butter pie tin and line with the first six sheets of pastry.
Fill with half the lamb mixture, spread with yoghurt and top with remaining lamb.
Brush remaining sheets with butter and scrunch individually and place on top of the pie to completely cover.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180º C for 40 minutes.
YUM!!
Cook it – love it!

FIGHT OFF THE WINTER CHILLS WITH DELICIOUS NOURISHING SOUP

2011-07-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

I have just had a week in Bali attending my beautiful niece’s wedding, having a rest from shattered Christchurch and bonding with some great Balinese caterers. What fun!

It seems we foodie types are all the same the world over. Wherever there’s a great party in progress, much as we love being part of it we tend to find ourselves drawn to what’s going on in the kitchen. The flavours were delicious and I will share some with you when we get a little closer to summer, meantime it was back down to reality with a thud! Landing in minus zero temperatures, there was nothing else to do but get into the kitchen and drag out the soup pot!

Nothing beats a bowl of warm nourishing soup and a slab of homemade bread to fight away the chilly nights and it’s amazing how simple they can be by just being a little creative with what is in the pantry.

Try these for starters….

Soup of Pear, Horseradish and White Pepper
Serves 8 -10
400g tin of pears
100g butter
100g flour
2 litres good quality chicken stock
2 tablespoons horseradish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons white pepper

Puree the pears and half the syrup until smooth. Reserve remaining syrup. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Cook the roux for a couple of minutes and then slowly add the warmed chicken stock, stirring well to keep a smooth consistency.

Add the pureed pears, horseradish sauce, salt and pepper. Adjust consistency if necessary with remaining juice.

Roasted Mushroom Soup
Serves 8 -10

500g Swiss Brown mushrooms, quartered
500g Portobello mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
3 sticks celery, sliced
¼ cup olive oil
½ bottle white wine
1 ½ litres chicken stock
1 bouquet garni (bay, parsley, thyme)
200ml cream
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Place mushrooms in a roasting tray with onions, garlic and celery. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in a moderate oven until browned. Add white wine and cook a further ten minutes to cook off alcohol. Add stock, bouquet garni and cook until vegetables are tender. Remove bouquet garni, add cream and blend until smooth.
For special occasions drizzle with a little truffle oil at service.

CREAM SPONGE HEAVEN!

2011-06-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden wherever I turn people are talking about cream sponges!
My brother has just moved to the country and when I visited him the other afternoon he asked me if I had brought a cream sponge for afternoon tea. A couple of days later I had a request for cream sponge for 40 guests at a party because it was the birthday boy’s favourite.

It reminded me of my childhood on the farm where afternoon tea was taken into the paddock during harvesting and very often a cream sponge sat among the goodies in the bottom of the picnic basket. I have vivid memories of my father devouring great chunks of sponge with dirty hands, a face black with dust, and a huge smile on his face. He used to say it was the perfect afternoon tea treat because it didn’t sit heavily on the stomach when there were still hours of work to do before it got dark.
I made one for my grandson’s first birthday and it was a huge success so I am thinking - maybe it’s time to bring back the cream sponge! Talking in the kitchen with my chefs I discovered that nearly all the cream sponges you can buy are made with commercial sponge mix and the difference is huge.

So, here is a great sponge recipe and a few tips to help you make the perfect cream sponge. I have also included my mother’s Sponge Drop recipe which is fabulous as well. They are so light and delicious and I have often taken them to visit someone who is sick as they melt in the mouth.

- Use size 7 eggs
- Always have eggs at room temperature

Cream Sponge
3 eggs, separated
½ cup castor sugar
½ cup cornflour
1 dessertspoon flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar gradually followed by yolks. Beat until thick. Fold in sifted dry ingredients. Pour mixture into two lined 20cm round sponge tins and bake for 15-20 minutes at 190°C. Cool in tin for short time and remove to cooling rack. Sandwich the two cakes together with whipped cream.

Sponge Drops
3 eggs
¾ cup castor sugar
½ cup cornflour
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon baking soda

Same method as above, and then drop mixture in teaspoonfuls on lined baking tray. Bake at 190°C oven for 3-4 minutes. Cool on rack and sandwich sponge drops together with whipped cream.

Cook it – Love it!

Chocolate Cake Heaven

2011-05-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

I realise I am a totally indulgent grandmother and I don’t wish to bore you with grandmother pursuits but there are two very good reasons why I want to share this with you.

One is that anything that encourages young children into the kitchen is worthwhile and with so many mothers busy and holding down jobs, there is an opportunity for grandparents to become teachers.

We have more patience, generally, and time, hopefully, to fill the role.

The other thing I wanted to share with you is this fabulous chocolate cake recipe which is a firm favourite in our family. It is birthday cake, lunch box cake, cupcake and no reason at all cake!

Given to me by my foodie sister years ago it is firmly imprinted in my head. A one bowl wonder that is chocolatey, moist and truly delicious.
Cook it and love it.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Makes 1 x 23 cm round cake or 18 regular cup cakes

200g plain flour
pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa
150g brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 eggs
150ml oil
300ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Sieve dry ingredients in bowl and add the sugar. Make well in centre and add syrup, eggs, oil, milk and vanilla. Beat all together until smooth. Pour into a greased tin/s. Bake @ 170°C for 45 mins to an hour – or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cupcakes – 20 minutes.

Autumn’s gift to Aphrodite ….the Quince

2011-05-10T18:28:00.001-07:00

It’s quince season and oh! how I look forward to it every year! For the chefs in the kitchen, it means jars and jars of beautiful pink jelly, packets of delicious quince paste and giant bottles of our pickled quinces which we use on cheeseboards and chopped into aromatic lamb tagines.

To me, one of the greatest pleasures is a chunk of freshly baked bread smeared generously with quince jelly and topped with a wedge of ripe oozing brie – divine!

My mother used to grate them into apple pies and crumbles but as a child I found them tart and uninteresting which surprised me because quince trees are exquisite in blossom and look just as beautiful with the shiny golden fruit hanging decoratively on their branches.

I like to make a SUGAR SYRUP using 1 cup sugar and 2 cups water in a cast iron casserole dish. When the sugar has dissolved, I add 1 cinnamon stick, the juice of a lemon with pith and a vanilla pod which has been split. Peel, quarter and core four quinces, then cut each quarter in half again. Place into syrup, cover tightly with lid and place in oven which has been preheated to 150°C. Bake for 3-4 hours until quinces are ruby red and tender. Cool in syrup.

To make a delicious QUINCE SYRUP CAKE:
50g butter, melted
¼ cup brown sugar
4 quinces poached as above and drained (reserve syrup)
Line a 23 cm round tin with baking paper. Combine butter and sugar and pour into lined tin. Cover with quince segments in a circular pattern.

Make a batter by creaming together:

150g soft butter
1 cup brown sugar
Add 3 eggs, and fold in 1⅓ cup flour, 2 teaspoons ginger, 1½ teaspoon baking powder.
Spoon over fruit carefully so as not to spoil pattern and bake in preheated oven 180°C for 35-40 minutes.

Remove from oven and rest in tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto plate. Pour over 1 cup of reserved syrup and serve with yoghurt, ice cream or lightly whipped cream.

Cook it – love it!

AUTUMN IS WITH US

2011-04-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful time of the year - the trees don their ball dresses and display their gold and red leaves and the sunny windless days hint at the chillier days to come. It's a wonderful time to think of preparing warming delicious dishes for those you love - to use the rich, deep flavours we all so enjoy.

What a time we've had! The earthquake in February has changed our lives and I send my heartfelt good wishes to you and your loved ones at this very difficult time. The night of the earthquake I had family and friends gathered at my home and we cooked kedgeree on the barbecue - no power, or water, but it was still wonderful to be able to comfort and share in the way I love best - cooking!

As the days went on we were delighted to help clients and friends from out of town who wanted to help their own loved ones in a practical way - we made up food parcels and beautiful dinners to keep residents of Christchurch going in the darkest of times - and we are still doing this as residents return or we receive the message "more, please!".

We have also had a major change - we've moved into beautiful ground floor premises at 84 Gasson Street in Sydenham - which is going to be the new business hub of Christchurch for some time to come.

Easter weekend is just around the corner - a wonderful opportunity for us all to get together and catch up - families and friends - sharing laughter and the tears as we all do - as well as the chocolate! One of my favourite dishes to prepare when we have a crowd in is a delicious but simple Chicken Marbella. The flavours so reflective of autumn, the combination of the capers and olives so divine with the chicken! Cook it Love it!

Chicken Marbella
12 portions
24 thighs
1 small head of garlic, peeled and crushed
¼ cup dried oregano
Salt and pepper
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 cup prunes
½ cup pitted green olives
½ capers and some juice
6 bay leaves

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
¼ cup parsley

Arrange chicken in a single layer in roasting dish. Combine garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and bay leaves and spoon over chicken. Marinate overnight, and the next day sprinkle with brown sugar and pour around white wine. Cook at 180˚C, basting occasionally, for 45 minutes to an hour. Sprinkle parsley through before serving.

Here Comes Our Bride!

2011-01-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Shar Devine

At White Tie we love weddings. We love being involved in the planning process, helping our Brides and Grooms achieve the look, style and atmosphere they yearn for to make their day of days splendid and memorable – whether it be a private beach ceremony with delicious, perfectly formed canapés and champagne or a dinner party for 200 of their closest friends! We love it all!

It’s even more exciting and gorgeous when it’s one of our own. My beautiful daughter, George, married her Lewis on 21 January at the Rose Chapel followed by a fun filled reception. George has a wonderfully ‘simple is beautiful’ approach to the world – she is overflowing with good humour and warmth, and loves the out of the ordinary – or life with a twist! George and Lewis’ special day reflected all of their attributes for they are a well matched pair… One is a kiwi, the other a Brit and they met in Greece. So to shake things up a bit, we did food stations of New Zealand, England and Greece. Mussels and lamb cutlets for NZ, bangers and mash and bacon butties for England and onion pie and Greek salad for Greece. We had a small intimate family dinner the night before as the formal seated event instead.

Just before her wedding – and my girls don’t believe in long engagements (thanks for the 6 week heads up!), I threw a “Champagne and Chocolate” afternoon for a bridal kitchen party. George adores chocolate and champagne so I combined these two wonderful ingredients and served my guests all things chocolate! Chocolate is a comfort food for most of us so I kept it comfy, clean and simple.

Apart from chocolate lamingtons topped with cream and strawberries (who can resist, and straight from our childhoods), chocolate sponge drops (that smooth soft sponge and the cream!) and chocolate pikelets (posh pikelets!), glamorous chocolate macaroons in two flavours no less – I also served chocolate marbled cheesecake – a real winner for any occasion and an incredibly delicious caramel tart which one of my guests said she wanted to throw herself into the dish and eat the lot! So thought I would share these recipes with you…

Marbled Chocolate Slice
Topping
250g cream cheese
75g extra sugar
5ml vanilla
1 egg
Base
185g butter (melted)
40g cocoa
210g sugar
2 eggs
150g flour

Method
Put cream cheese in a bowl and beat until smooth, add sugar and vanilla. Scrape sides and beat in egg. Beat until smooth. Set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter and cocoa and beat together. Add sugar and combine. Pour in beaten eggs and mix well then add flour. Mix until well combined. Pour mixture into a 20 cm x 30 cm tin and spread out evenly.
Dollop cream cheese mixture equally over top and swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect.
Bake 150°C for approximately 20 minutes or until set – should wobble slightly. Cool in tin.
Cook it – love it!

Caramel Tarts
Tart cases
60g icing sugar
90g butter
200g flour
30g cornflour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 rounded tablespoon cocoa
Filling
½ tin condensed milk
½ cup sugar
60g butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1½ tablespoons flour
1 egg yolk

Method
Cream icing sugar and butter together, add egg and other dry ingredients and mix until combined. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out pastry thinly and line 24 patty tins. Chill again and then bake pastry @ 180°C for 10 - 15 minutes or until just starting to brown. Place all filling ingredients in a bowl over pot of boiling water and beat until combined and sugar has dissolved. Pour into pastry cases and ice with chocolate icing when caramel has set.
Cook it – love it!

Seven Christmas Inspirations: Fruit Mince; Ice Cream; Mince Slice; Pudding; Tiramisu of Summer Berries; Cake; Frangipane & Fruit Mince Tart

2010-11-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

I’ve had lots of emails after my chat with Kerre Woodham on Newstalk ZB last week asking about the Christmas recipes I featured. I know we’re all planning what to take to friends or what to serve at home over the holiday season, and I thought it would be great to share some of the recipes I use at Christmas. Before you read my 7 inspirational recipes for Christmas which I hope you love, have a look at this photo!

This wonderful Bûche de Noël, a dessert served during the Christmas holidays in France and Belgium, was created by one of our wonderful White Tie chefs – Jen Norriss - and served at a recent function. If this inspires you, the cake itself is a chocolate swiss roll filled with chocolate buttercream and iced to resemble a Yule log…

Now, here are 7 fabulous ideas for you - I hope you love them, too!

Christmas Fruit Mince
Yield 1.5kg
4 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and chopped
2 cups raisins
1 cup currants
150g butter
2 teaspoons mace
2 teaspoons nutmeg
3 teaspoons spice
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 cups brown sugar
100ml brandy
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
100ml lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer partly covered with lid for 30-40 minutes or until thick. Pour into clean, sterilised jars. Cover when cold.

Christmas Ice Cream
1 cup fruit mince
1 tablespoon brandy
600mls cream
¾ cup caster sugar
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine fruit mince and brandy. Whip the cream with half the sugar until soft peaks form. Beat the egg yolks with remaining sugar and vanilla until thick. Fold in the fruit mince followed by the whipped cream. Pour into an ice cream container and freeze.

Christmas Mince Slice
Base
100g chilled butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup flour

Process butter, flour and sugar until breadcrumb consistency and press into lined slice tin. Bake at 160ºC for 10 minutes.

Topping
1 cup brown sugar (not packed)
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup fruit mince
Mix dry ingredients well and add wet ingredients. Place over base and cook for a further 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. Dust with icing sugar to serve. An extra egg and more mince can be used to bulk it out.

Christmas Pudding
Makes 2 large or 4 small puddings
500g currants
500g raisins
500g breadcrumbs
6 dessertspoons flour
125g mixed peel
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
500g brown sugar
zest of 1 lemon
8 eggs, beaten
500g butter, melted
1 wine glass brandy
Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining 3 and mix well to thoroughly combine. Divide between 2 greased pudding bowls. Cover and boil 8 hours.

Christmas Tiramisu of Summer Berries
1 large pkt sponge fingers
Marscapone filling
5 eggs, separated
90g caster sugar
500g marscapone
2 tablespoons Marsala
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat egg yolks with half the sugar until pale and fluffy. Fold the marscapone into the yolks, followed by the Marsala and vanilla. Beat the egg whites until foamy and gradually add the remaining sugar beating until soft peaks form. Fold into the marscapone mixture.
Berry Filling
750g raspberries and sliced strawberries (raspberries may be frozen)
½ cup Marsala or sweet white wine
4 tablespoons caster sugar
Combine ingredients and stand for at least 30 minutes.
Berry Sauce
125g raspberries or strawberries
¼ cup icing sugar
Process fruit and sugar until smooth and strain to remove pips. Chill until needed.
In a large glass bowl, layer sponge fingers, berry filling and marscapone filling in that order. Repeat until bowl is full. Refrigerate overnight and garnish top with extra berries and serve with berry sauce.

Christmas Cake
500g butter
500g caster sugar
500g flour
1.5kg currants
1.5kg raisins
1.5kg sultanas
350g peel
250g ground almonds
30g mixed spice
12 eggs
1 orange – rind & juice
1 lemon – rind & juice
Brandy to taste
Grate rinds of lemon & orange, squeeze juice, melt butter.
Place fruit in a large bowl, add rind & juice. Sieve flour, add spice & almonds. Beat eggs & sugar until light in colour. Stir in flour, almonds & spices. Add fruit mix and butter and mix by hand.
Cook 5 ½ hours, 1 hour at 120°C and the rest 110°C-100°C. When cooked leave ½ hour then make small holes all over cake with a skewer and pour in brandy. Leave in tin to cool 24 hours.

Frangipane and Fruit Mince Tart
Serves 6
Pastry
300g flour
100g caster sugar
100g butter
pinch of salt
1 egg
Mix all the ingredients in a food processor. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190°C. Roll out pastry and line a tart tin. Bake blind for 10 minutes, remove blind baking weights and bake a further 5 mins. Cool.
Filling
120g caster sugar
120g butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
120g ground almonds
20g flour
1 tablespoon orange flavoured liqueur (optional)
8 mint leaves, shredded
300g fruit mince
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients followed by liqueur and mint.
Spread fruit mince over the bottom of the pastry case and top with frangipane mix.
Bake at 180°C for 30 - 40mins serve warm dusted with icing sugar.

Cook them, love them!

Licking the bowl ... STICKY GINGERBREAD

2010-11-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

It seems that I am going to be a lot better at teaching my grandchildren to cook than my own children. Probably age has taught me patience but of course we are all so much more aware of the need to teach our children these life skills.

Fortunately, my girls have all turned into great cooks, they say by osmosis, so I am able to enjoy being a guest at their dinner tables. Actually, it’s one of my most favourite things to do in the whole world!

My grandson Mason, is two and we had a lovely day last week baking my favourite gingerbread.

This recipe has been in my book for so long I don’t remember where it came from but it is a pantry staple because of it's versatility.

Great for morning tea, warmed with caramel sauce and ice cream for a quick dessert, served with cheese on a cheeseboard (great with a creamy blue) and a terrific lunch box filler.

It’s a one bowl wonder and a great simple recipe to teach the children. I was quite shocked that Mason wasn’t interested in licking the bowl, so I had to!!

Sticky Gingerbread

180g butter
1 cup water
1/3 cup treacle
2/3 cup golden syrup
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons mixed spice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground ginger
250g brown sugar
375g flour

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 9” square tin with baking paper.
Cut butter into pieces and warm with water, treacle and syrup until just melted.
In a small bowl, beat eggs well.
In a large bowl, place the sugar and sift in the flour, spices and soda.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten eggs and butter mixture. Mix well to combine.
Pour into lined cake tin and bake 1-1¼ hours or until a skewer inserted in the middle, comes out clean.
Remove from oven and leave to cool. This cake improves on keeping and is great to freeze.

COOK IT & LOVE IT!

Salad Days are here!

2010-11-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a brief trip to the USA and I was reminded how good they are at making salads.

There has been a real turn around with the weather here and with the asparagus season in full swing and the beginning of the new potato season, we have two great vegetables to use as the base of a salad meal. We all love the satisfaction of preparing healthy and delicious dishes!

Don’t just think of salad as a side dish to a meal, think of it as a meal. Who can resist a platter highlighting summer’s bounty – cucumber, crispy iceberg lettuce, crunchy radishes, perfectly cooked asparagus, tiny new potatoes. You can add as much or as little as you like but think - colour, texture, freshness, crunch, protein content and then, of course, a great dressing, as this can be the difference between an average salad and a great salad.

This potato and asparagus salad is great and feel free to add sliced chicken, chopped walnuts, or diced avocado. Let the creative juices flow!

Cook it and love it.

Potato and Asparagus Salad with Tarragon Verjus Dressing

1 kg asparagus
500g new potatoes
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 cup fresh tarragon
1/4 cup Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
1/3 cup verjus
1 teapsoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and briefly cook asparagus for 2-3 minutes. Using tongs transfer to a large bowl of iced water. Drain.
Add potatoes to the pot and cook until tender. Drain and let cool slightly.
In a mini food processor, pulse coriander seeds until crushed. Add tarragon, parsley, chives and process until finely chopped. Add the verjus, mustard and process until smooth. With the processor running add the oil in a fine stream. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice potatoes in half. Place in a bowl with some of the dressing and toss gently. Arrange on a platter with asparagus on top. Drizzle with some of the extra dressing.

CAPE KIDNAPPERS IDYLL - Lemon Salad with Crumbed Schnitzel and Lemon Sauce

2010-10-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

I have just had the most fabulous weekend in the Hawke’s Bay with my husband for his birthday treat. The weather was fantastic, the sky completely cloudless for the entire time and we walked for miles over the rolling hills of Cape Kidnappers.

We tend to just get on with our lives and forget about the rest of our beautiful country but we have now made a pact to go exploring whenever we can and visit new places, shop in local farmers markets and soak up the wonderful regionality of New Zealand. I always feel quite envious when I see things growing so robustly in other parts of the country that I can’t grow at home in our Christchurch climate.

On the way home we stayed with old friends in Pahiatua and I was able to forage in the garden which has always been a wonderland of self sufficiency. I get goose pimples when I see so much citrus hanging on the trees so even though I had shopped to the limit over the weekend, nothing was going to stop me from filling yet another bag and bringing home lemons and grapefruit. I am an avid jam maker and my marmalade is in constant demand from my family to the point where two of my daughters’ partners have been known to fight over the last jar in the cupboard!
I truly could not live without lemons and not just for the gin and tonics! My childhood memories are full of lemon curd, lemon meringue pie, lemon chutney, lemon cake. I love that lemons cover all the flavour spectrums from savoury to sweet and so many things are just taken to a whole new level with a squeeze of lemon. Our kitchen at home always has a lemon bowl and the commercial chiller at work always has a case of them on hand.

Yen Ben lemons are the largest crop produced in New Zealand and are exported in huge amounts to Japan. The most common variety for the home gardener is the Meyer lemon which has a thinner skin and slightly sweeter juice. I have just planted two in a sheltered part of my garden and will be lovingly tending to them so that eventually I will be able to pick my very own.
This leads me to share with you a fun recipe that is simply perfect for this time of year. Cook it & love it!

Lemon Salad with Crumbed Schnitzel and Lemon Sauce
Slices of beef or veal schnitzel
Season flour and coat schnitzels then dip in seasoned, whisked egg and coat with a mixture of two thirds breadcrumbs to one third freshly grated parmesan cheese. Refrigerate until ready to cook in olive oil in hot pan.

Lemon Salad
2-3 washed lemons
Salt
1 red pepper
2 telegraph cucumbers
freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

Slice lemons as thinly as possible and flick out all seeds. Spread slices on a tray, then sprinkle with salt and leave for 30 minutes. Rinse and dry slices and pat dry. Cut pepper into sections following its natural curves. Peel with a vegetable peeler. Remove all seeds and ribs from pepper and cut lengthwise into very thin slices. Cut cucumber into paper thin slices. On a shallow serving platter arrange a bed of overlapping cucumber slices and top with lemon. Decorate salad with red pepper slices. Grind over pepper, drizzle with oil and scatter over parsley.

Lemon and Caper Sauce
100g butter
Juice of two lemons
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
1-2 tablespoon capers

Melt butter with lemon juice and salt. Mix egg yolk with milk in a bowl, pour melted butter and lemon onto yolks and whisk together. Return mixture to the pan and heat very gently, whisking for 1 minute until sauce thickens. Add capers and keep warm but do not boil or the sauce may curdle.

To make in advance, pour into a warmed thermos.

ON THE SAUCE - Gribiche Sauce

2010-09-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

I’ve just had a great day out at the Akaroa Cooking School and it was just what was needed after being shaken about so badly last week. We were able to put all our problems behind us and sit back and be entertained by the lovely Al Brown of Wellington’s Logan Brown restaurant and television documentary ‘Hunger for the Wild’ fame.

Al is a charmer and one of those generous chefs eager to share his knowledge and passion with us all. He achieved great things in the kitchen of Logan Brown and is now concentrating on another book and more television which is fabulous because in my opinion Hunger for the Wild is by far the best food programme produced here.
Al’s food is delicious and we were treated to the best freshest paua I have ever eaten!

I want to share a sauce recipe with you that he served with crab cakes and is simply delicious. I’m stopping by my fish shop on the way home tonight to buy some tuna steaks to serve it with but it also occurred to me that it would be equally good over a large baked potato with a salad for simple quick meal. Cook it & Love it.

Al’s Gribiche Sauce

1 ½ cups good quality mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
4 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
¼ cup capers, finely chopped
¼ red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup gherkins, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped green capsicum
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped chervil
1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped tarragon
1 ½ tablespoons wholegrain mustard
sea salt and pepper

In a bowl, mix all ingredients together. Taste and season accordingly. Keep refrigerated until required. Will keep several days refrigerated.

MONG KOK OR BUST - Black pepper crab

2010-08-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

It always pays to do lots of research before you travel, especially if eating is on the top of your agenda!
This lead to us queuing for an hour outside a little hole in the wall restaurant in the back streets of Mong Kok in Hong Kong. I had heard so much about this little Dim Sum Michelin Star restaurant called Tim Ho Wan that from the time we set foot on the tarmac in Hong Kong at 6.30 in the morning, I was on a mission.
With amused husband and eager friend Vicki (pictured) in tow, we dumped our bags at the hotel reception and set off to Mong Kok on the very efficient underground. On surfacing into the hustle and bustle firmly clutching our map, we were approached by a friendly gentleman asking us if we needed help. On seeing our destination he took it upon himself to walk us all the way to the restaurant door. A good ten minute walk!
It was 8.45 in the morning, the restaurant opens at 10am and already the queue was forming!
At 9.45 with the queue well out of sight and around the corner, menu cards were handed out to the first 30 or so people to fill in and then gathered up and rushed to the kitchen. At 10am the doors opened and in we went with eager anticipation to taste the famous pork buns. WOW was it worth the wait! As had been recommended, we began and ended with the pork buns which were totally divine melt in the mouth morsels which had the eyes rolling in the back of my head. On leaving 30 minutes later (it didn’t seem right to keep people waiting longer than necessary) the question was raised should we come back in the evening!

I now had one up on Ann, my Hong Kong sister in law, so she is eagerly anticipating her next trip home to Hong Kong.
She did agree to share with us her fantastic recipe for Black Pepper Crab which I urge you to try. I know it’s a bit of a hassle to break up the crabs but they are simply delicious and you know what? Sometimes things are just worth the extra effort!
Cook it and love it.

Tim Ho Wan is open daily from 10am until 10pm. Address for the intrepid: Shop 8, 2 -20 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok.

BLACK PEPPER CRAB

3 medium sized crabs, portioned
2 spring onions
¼ cup black pepper corns
4 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1½ tablespoons corn starch
4 tablespoons soya sauce
¼ cup flour
canola oil for frying (1/3 wok full)
2 slices of ginger

Cut spring onion into 2 inch pieces and put aside. Partially grind pepper corns in coffee grinder or similar. Add garlic and grind until coarse paste formed (approximately 10 seconds). Place paste into mixing bowl. Add sugar and salt and blend. Put aside. In separate bowl, mix water, cornstarch and soya sauce. Put aside. Dust crab portions with flour.

Heat oil in wok until very hot. Carefully place crab portions into oil. Deep fry by stirring (approx one minute). Turn off gas. Scoop out portions onto draining paper.
Pour out oil leaving 4 tablespoons in wok. Stir fry pepper mix and ginger for 30 seconds.
Add cornstarch sauce mix and stir until it thickens. Add crab and spring onions to the sauce. Stir fry for ½ minute. Add 1 tablespoon oil to final stir.
Serve on banana leaf or similar and eat with your fingers!

Crab preparation.
Buy only live crabs. Place crabs in the freezer for 20 minutes so they go into a state of hibernation. Spread newspaper on floor with chopping board on top. Take the crabs out of the freezer and place crab shell side down on chopping board. Cut crab firmly down the centre into two, effectively killing the crab. Use back of cleaver to knock claws off. Cut string. Place cleaver or knife under shell to open slightly and pull shell off with fingers. Discard lungs and mouthpieces. Pull out and discard soft shell from roe. Wash under tap with coarse brush to remove mud. If large crabs are used then each half can be cut into smaller portions for serving. Smash claws with cleaver.

WHITE TIE WINTER BISTRO – Eggplant spagaloni

2010-06-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

I’m still buzzing from our fabulous White Tie Winter Bistro – we had our first one for this year on Thursday 3 June – and it was just wonderful!

We held the event at C4, our favourite roasters of coffee in Christchurch. The roastery is housed in a funky warehouse style building in Lichfield Street with exposed brick, wood floors and industrial strength iron girders in the ceiling. They have a great display of coffee machines, stove top espresso pots, and the world’s best Barbie record player!

Our 80 guests chose from a wine list showcasing Canterbury’s finest on offer – pinot noir from Black Estate, Pegasus Bay’s Semillon and a Crater Rim Late Harvest Pinot Gris to name a few…

Entrees included green olive and anchovy beignets, Malouf’s mushrooms on traditional fried bread and our homemade ciabatta grilled with chopped tomato salad, prosciutto and the award-winning Clevedon buffalo mozzarella.

The mains proved there’s just something about hearty bistro fare breaking through the winter cold, slow braised veal, old fashioned roast lamb, parsnip and carrot mash the way your Nana made it and a sell out crispy skinned groper with a fine ratatouille and gruyere potato croquettes.

And if you thought making decisions was hard, then you really would have been in trouble come dessert time; lemon curd pavlova roulade, a C4 coffee tasting plate including an outstanding brown sugar espresso pannacotta, spiced chocolate bread and butter pudding and rice pudding to end all rice puddings…we had a ball!

Everyone was in party spirits and the noise level was heart warming. The C4 crew jumped up from their table to make coffees on demand while guests from all over the city table hopped to catch up with new friends made at last year’s bistros...

This was an initiative that started last year and it was so successful – it’s given us the opportunity to be our own client, to create a range of contemporary bistro dishes we don’t often have the opportunity to do through White Tie’s events. We create a restaurant for one night in a secret venue, only texting guests 24 hours in advance to let them in on the secret. People are clamouring for seats at the bistros on 8 July, 12 August and 16 September… if you would like to come along and celebrate hearty winter food with friends then give White Tie Catering a call on (03) 365 2837 to book your seat!

One of the dishes we offered was a White Tie twist on pasta – Spagaloni (half spaghetti, kind of half cannelloni!) – a special treat for our vegetarian friends and even a few meat eaters who saw it on its way to other tables. This is a wonderful warming family dish for Winter, extremely cost effective and the leftovers make the best lunch the next day. Cook it & Love it.

WINTER BISTRO EGGPLANT SPAGALONI

Serves 6

2 large fat eggplant
olive oil
thyme, finely chopped
oregano, finely chopped
1/3 packet spaghetti noodles
100g Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup cream
¼ cup torn, fresh basil
1 x 400g tins seasoned Italian tomatoes, chopped
extra grated cheese and parmesan

Slice eggplant lengthwise ¼ inch thick and brush with oil and herbs. Chargrill both sides and allow to cool.

Cook spaghetti in boiling water, drain and while still hot stir through parmesan cheese, cream and basil. Add a heaped tablespoon of spaghetti to each eggplant strip and roll.

Pour a third of the tomatoes over the base of dish and place rolled eggplant on top. Spoon rest of tomatoes over eggplant rolls and sprinkle with extra cheeses. Bake in hot oven for 15 – 20 minutes until top is browned and bubbling.

NO NEED TO KNEAD - No knead ciabatta

2010-05-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

There is no smell quite like the aroma of baking bread filling your home. That sweet, yeasty fragrance of unadulterated carbo loading potential, warm and crusty with New Zealand’s golden butter just melting into it. I cannot begin to describe what a weakness this is for me.

I know the idea of bread baking can terrify people, handling yeast, rising it just enough, kneading it properly. It can be a fine art and for those among us who bake bread truly skillfully, collecting natural yeasts from the air or experimenting with different flours, it can be a serious passion.

Winter is a great time for bread baking, a big pot of soup sitting on the stovetop with a loaf of homemade bread happily feeds a family for several nights in a row. It’s a wonderful addition to brunch with friends, or with a cheese platter. I serve slices of homemade ciabatta on an entrée plate with fresh sliced prosciutto, goats cheese and lemon oil.

If you’re ever in Christchurch and get in early enough, a wonderful treat is a quick lunch at The Canterbury Cheesemongers. Fresh ciabatta rolls still warm from the oven, a slab of the cheese of your choice and a fantastic local roast flat white. It’s heaven.

At White Tie Catering however we often need to bake enough bread for 500 people in one weekend and because we’re also preparing everything else on the menu, we simply don’t have the luxury of time for a long bread baking process. One of our event supervisors, Karyn Bird gave us a recipe of hers that has since become a serious staple in the White Tie kitchen. It’s a no-knead ciabatta that is as good as any ciabatta we can buy, and because we bake it, we can serve it fresh from the oven, warm and still bursting with fragrance at the table.

This bread is easy, manageable and the results are simply outstanding. It’s not technical nor do you need the gift of the pastry hand to pull it off. Bake it once and you’ll be a convert. Best of all, it will literally cost you about a quarter of the price of a loaf of bread. It’s fresh, without preservatives or additives so by the second day it is quite rightly, stale. It’s really very good toast as well….
Cook it & Love it.

NO KNEAD CIABATTA
Makes 4 loaves

7 cups high grade flour
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 cups warm water

Mix yeast with warm water and leave for 10 minutes. Add salt, sugar and 3 cups of the flour. Combine, cover and leave overnight.

Mix in remaining 4 cups of flour, cover and leave for a further 2 – 3 hours. Preheat over to 230°C. Dump dough onto very well floured board and cut into 4 portions. Stretch out onto baking tray into flat ciabatta loaves. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

MARKET LUNCH - Mike's chicken terrine

2010-03-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

I have finally greeted my new grandson after what seemed like a very long wait, however, the waiting time was not lost as I was able to immerse myself in recipe books and retreat to the kitchen.

Of course, one of the bonuses of staying in Whangarei for a while is a visit to the Farmers’ Market. It’s a real case of the early bird catches the worm but this is a market worth getting up early for. So, last Saturday morning I was up with the larks and with shopping bags in hand I was off to explore. The Whangarei Farmers’ Market is the oldest in Australasia, opening in 1997 – long before we all thought about farmers’ markets. So it’s well established, well patronised and a serious foodies delight.

Huge bunches of fresh herbs for a dollar. Enormous heads of broccoli for two dollars. I could go on and on, but home I went with roasted macadamia nuts, pohutukawa honey, coriander, basil, rocket, bunches of baby beetroot, aged Gouda, fresh flowers, olive oil, oranges and avocados and a small box of perfectly ripe fresh sweet figs.

I hardly needed much inspiration to turn that into a celebratory lunch for friends on Sunday, however, that’s when I remembered Mike’s Chicken Terrine – the perfect accompaniment to my purchases.

It’s important sometimes to think back and remember some of the ‘oldie but goodie’ recipes that lurk in the depths of our recipe folders often scribbled on scraps of paper and fading with time! I must remember to reorganise my recipes next time I have a minute!

Mike was a friend and former employee who sadly passed away last year but his chicken terrine was a real winner and will always be Mike’s Terrine from now on.

All that was left for me to do was make a couple of loaves of my easy no knead ciabatta but that’s another story! Cook it & Love it.

MIKE'S CHICKE TERRINE
Makes 1 terrine

200g sliced belly bacon
1/2 onion, diced
10g butter
250g chicken breast, skin on
500g chicken mince
100g dried apricots, chopped
50g pitted prunes, chopped
50g pistachio nuts
1/2 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g diced belly bacon, extra

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Line 1 terrine tin or loaf tin with bacon slices. Melt butter in a saucepan and sauté onions until transparent. Remove skins from chicken breasts and reserve. Roughly chop chicken into large chunks. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken skin and diced bacon and combine thoroughly. Pack into lined tin and cover with bacon followed by reserved chicken skin.

Bake at 180ºC for 1- 1½hours or until juices run clear. Remove from oven and cool. Drain off excess liquid and remove and discard chicken skin. Weight down with something heavy and refrigerate until chilled or overnight.

Remove from tin and wrap in foil. Serve sliced with pickles and salad.

SPICE IS THE VARIETY OF LIFE - Vipin's chicken curry

2010-03-07T19:15:00.000-08:00

I am at times an impatient woman so sitting as I am in Whangarei waiting for the birth of my second grandchild is hard work on my nerves. You can imagine how my daughter feels perched on the edge of the couch already over her due date. Mowing the lawns didn’t help so now we turn to curry every night....

Whether or not curry actually works to bring on labour remains open to debate, I’m not sure if any great research has been done on the subject. It does however give us great cause here on the farm in Whangarei, for a curry week. My daughter is an avid fan of South East Asian cuisine, turning her Spirit House cookbook into her kitchen bible. She loves to cook with chilli, lime, coriander and palm sugar. Fish sauce is the new Wattie’s Tomato Sauce in this house and her 18 month old son has been raised on her homemade steamed dumplings.

It was quite a different story for me growing up in New Zealand in the 60s - it didn’t especially lend itself to international cuisine. I made up for it in spades however when I first went overseas. My sister and I travelled to London together and found board with an Indian woman, not long in the UK herself. For the girls from Weedons, Canterbury the complexity of Maya Shahaney’s cooking was phenomenal.

The first thing Maya ever made me was an omelette full of chopped fresh green chilli. I’d never eaten chilli in my life, which was obvious at the time with the water streaming from my eyes. But it was the beginning of a great love affair. Maya taught me how to make chapatti, how to cook basmati rice (she used the absorption method after washing the rice over and over again until the water was clear). Maya cooked religiously with garlic and chilli which I’m sure was the reason I was never once sick while living with her, despite the London winter. She always made her own garam masala, the pungent spice mix at the base of all her curries. Garam masala differs regionally but is usually a blend of spices such as chilli, cumin, turmeric, coriander, cardamom and so on.

We all have a great reliable Indian takeaway down the road but the understanding of spice, the use of them in different regions and the sheer complexity of the cuisine make it a must for foodies to get a handle on. Little is more gratifying than balancing an array of spices to create one perfectly rounded dish.

So, here I am in Whangarei working on a garam (hot) masala (mixture) to coax my grandchild into the world. One of our White Tie chefs, Vipin, who is our resident curry and spice expert has graciously agreed to share one of his recipes. Raised in Bombay and cooking his way around the world, Vipin’s curries are a staff lunch favourite and are sure to become a favourite of yours. His tip for this recipe; you must have patience. Vipin says each sequence is equally important in Indian cuisine, each ingredient must be cooked properly before the next layer of flavour is added, all the aromas must be released. And that’s when you get a curry so good, it brings on labour! Cook it & Love it.

VIPIN’S CHICKEN CURRY
Serves 3 - 4

CHICKEN MARINADE
250g boneless chicken
20ml lemon juice
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp chilli powder
2 T oil
½ tsp mixed spice

PASTE
Oil
50g ginger
60g garlic
4 green chillies, chopped (with seeds for hot curry)
3 red onions, sliced
5 tomatoes

SPICES
Oil
10g cumin seeds
4 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks, broken
2 star anise

Chicken stock
Extra lemon juice

Dice the chicken and toss with oil, lemon juice and spices and refrigerate overnight if possible.

Heat oil in a pan and add ginger, garlic and chilli and cook until the raw flavour of the garlic is completely gone. Add the sliced red onion and cook well until caramelised. Finally, add the chopped tomatoes and fry until very tender. Allow mixture to cool before blending in a food processor to make a smooth silky paste.

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and star anise, allowing the spices to crackle in the heat until they release the aromatic oils. Add the paste and fry together well, until the paste leaves the sides of the pan.

Add the marinated boneless chicken cubes and fry them along with the spices and paste. Add a little chicken stock and bring the curry to the boil before simmering for 20 minutes.

Spoon over basmati rice and finish with finely chopped coriander leaves, a sprinkle of garam masala and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

I SAY TOMATO - Middle Eastern Summer Tomato Jam

2010-02-22T16:26:00.000-08:00

I’ve just picked my first tomato, and yes I’m feeling quite proud about it. I walked into the house beaming from ear to ear and everyone thought I’d won Lotto. Instead, I’d hit the growers’ jackpot – three little cherry tomatoes. Reaping the rewards of your own efforts in the vegetable garden gives a wonderful sense of achievement but particularly so with a tomato. It’s watching it flower then fruit, the slow turn from green to red and if you’ve done everything well and it has drunk its fill of the sun, then the result can be spectacular. Sweet and juicy, a little tart and incredibly versatile.

My husband treats tomatoes literally as fruit, eating it like an apple, usually leaning over the sink with juice dripping all over my nice clean kitchen bench. My first cherry tomatoes didn’t get any special treatment, I ate them, just popped them in my mouth and it was glorious. And that was my reward for the hard yards, every Saturday I fed it tomato fertiliser, I staked it and picked off leaves to let the sun shine on the bunches of fruit. I nurtured it and it in turn, is now nurturing me. Delicious!

Recently on a research trip to Sydney (it’s a necessary part of food development...) I experienced a dish that took tomatoes to a whole new level – an heirloom tomato salad at Becasse. Becasse is Justin North’s restaurant, the Blenheim born chef who won last year’s Sydney Morning Herald Chef of the Year. North has an intensely romantic relationship with food, he is full of respect and awe for the simplest of ingredient and his menu reflects that. Working with boutique suppliers and markets, he selects the finest examples and then works to enhance natural flavours. And thus, it is Justin North who has ruined me for every tomato salad.

JUSTIN NORTH'S HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD AT BECASSE, SYDNEY

Heirloom tomatoes are growing in popularity; traditionally naturally cultivated they are not the stuff of commercial growers. North’s tomatoes were bright red and yellow, green striped, deep plum, there was olive oil sorbet and the most intensely flavoured basil pebbles (a touch of molecular gastronomy). It was simply spectacular and as you can see, exceptionally beautiful.

We all have tins of chopped tomatoes in our pantries because it’s a meal in a can – soups, pastas, slow braises, a quick Spanish chicken or an Italian inspired fish casserole. But if you’re growing them, or buying them cheaply at this time of the year when they are most abundant, you can preserve them yourself to enjoy them all year long.

I’m giving you a Middle Eastern inspired summer tomato jam recipe because it goes spectacularly well with so many things, and is as valuable in my kitchen as tinned tomatoes. Spoon it over grilled or roasted chicken, fish or lamb. Pour it over browned chicken thighs and bake for a great casserole. Pile on top of hot grilled garlicky ciabatta with your own beef burger and haloumi for a stunning Sunday night open sandwich. Heat the tomato through slightly and dollop it on toast with poached eggs and toasted cumin for a seriously good brunch (accompanied by a bloody Mary.) I’m getting hungry just thinking about it...so I’m off out the back garden to the tomato vine. Bottle this jam and seal it, it keeps for at least 6 months. Cook it & Love it.

SUMMER TOMATO JAM

2 tablespoons oil
1 onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoons turmeric
1 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1.5 kg tomato, peeled and chopped
4 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
freshly ground white pepper
salt

Place the onion, turmeric, ginger and cinnamon in a pot with the oil and cook for 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients and slowly bring to a simmer, reduce for about 30 minutes and check seasoning.

The amount of cayenne, salt and pepper is entirely personal.

The jam is ready once it has thickened.

SOMETHING TO WINE ABOUT - Slow braise of duck with pinot noir

2010-02-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

We just catered for a stunning wedding in Wanaka over the weekend and I’m reminded how truly wonderful that part of New Zealand is. Otago gets me every time, I simply never tire of its incredible landscapes, bright yellows and oranges, lakes and poplars. And hey, let’s be completely honest here, I certainly never tire of its pinot noirs.

The wedding was held at Rippon Vineyard, the marquee positioned between vines and facing straight out to Mt Aspiring, the lake, Wanaka township and around to Treble Cone. Breathtaking doesn’t even begin to describe it. At dessert service not a guest was to be found in the marquee, all standing out the front jaws on the ground watching a spectacular sunset over the mountains. With a Rippon Pinot Noir in their hands...

See? Try as I might to talk about the scenery et al, I cannot help but return to the nectar of Otago – its pinot noir. New Zealand is becoming as well known for its pinots as Australia is for its shiraz. Increasingly at events our clients are happy to serve just one red and when once it was a blend, now it’s a pinot.

And thus, we cook with it. Pinot noir is a great wine to add depth to your cooking where appropriate particularly if you’re making a special effort to match the food. We use it in our reductions over rich Canterbury red meats or we make pinot syrup lightly lifted with cinnamon and orange zest for poaching rhubarb, delicious with a nutty crumble simply sprinkled over the top.

As always when cooking with wine, the better the quality; the better the final product. Obviously that also means it’s more drinkable and while I’m a repeat offender of the drinking while cooking, remember the less you drink; the better the final product.

Today I’m giving you a slow braise of duck with pinot noir. I make mine with an Otago drop in honour of all things glorious about that region. To keep it summery, serve it with a spinach salad, with fava beans, lardons and pearl onions tossed through. In winter, heap it on top of a great olive oil mash and sticky shallots reduced in a little of the braising juices. You will note the recipe uses 2 cups of wine for the duck which means and an extra 1 for the cook. Cook it & Love it.

SLOW BRAISE OF DUCK WITH PINOT NOIR
Serves 6

6 duck legs
duck fat
2 onions
1 dessertspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
juice and zest of an orange
2 cups of pinot noir
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and pepper

In a sauté pan, brown duck in duck fat until golden. Transfer to an ovenproof dish. Sauté onions in fat and remove with slotted spoon and spoon over duck. Combine remaining ingredients in a jug and pour over. Season with salt and pepper, cover and place in 180°C oven and slowly braise until tender for 1 – 1 ½ hours.

Carefully remove the duck from the sauce with a slotted spoon and place in a serving dish. Skim fat from sauce and thicken the sauce with beurre manié and pour over duck and serve.

MAKE MINE A RASPBERRY - Frozen raspberry and nut crumb pudding

2010-01-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

I simply adore this time of year and the berries that come with it – sometimes I’m surprised to end a summer intact instead of a mixed berry version of Violet Beauregarde being hauled off by the Ooompa Loompas after berry overload. I am a serious raspberry girl, plop me down in front of a movie with a punnet of raspberries and I am one happy camper. (The luxury of a house kind of happy camper, not in a tent).

We’re especially lucky here in Christchurch with some sensational berry farms. The great thing of course is the simplicity of dessert, a bowl of mixed berries and a good dousing of icing sugar is the sublime end to a shared dinner.

However my children lead me to believe that you can have too much of the simple berry dessert and encourage me to incorporate them in other ways. Summer pudding is an obvious one for starters and is a popular wedding dessert in this season at White Tie. We often make a Summer pud in a terrine then pour over a champagne jelly to set it. It looks beautiful when sliced and the champagne jelly just helps round off the intensity of the berries.

Eton Mess is still a fantastic dessert, we used some leftovers to make it as a quick treat at family dinner on Sunday night – berries, whipped cream and broken meringues mixed together and served in a glass. Or you could soften a tub (homemade if you prefer) of vanilla ice cream and stir through raspberries before freezing it through a little to make an easy semi freddo – add praline or nuts for another layer of texture.

But there is one supreme category winner in our house – a frozen raspberry dessert introduced to the family by my sister in law Adele Ryan. Dellie’s Raspberry and Nut Crumb pudding is so delicious it was our Christmas dinner dessert this year. The recipe also makes two, so you serve one and then have another stashed away in the freezer, utter brilliance.

It’s also wonderfully versatile, it makes two large pudding bowls or you can make little individual puddings, or a terrine tin. I’ve made individual puds using small cups lined with cling film, turned them out and covered them in Italian meringue and browned them with a blow torch for a great version of a Baked Alaska. Or you could even stir the crumb through the raspberry mixture half way through freezing for a softer spooned dessert.

Anyway, I’m sure Dellie won’t mind if I share this with you. Cook it & Love it.

FROZEN RASPBERRY AND NUT CRUMB PUDDING

BISCUIT CRUMB

150g plain flour

50g each walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds

75g brown sugar

100g melted butter

Preheat oven to 180°C. Sift flour into a bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix well to thoroughly combine and spread evenly over the base of a baking paper lined sponge roll tin. Bake 20 minutes, remove from oven and cool. Break into crumbs with fingers.

RASPBERRY MERINGUE

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons lemon juice

450g fresh raspberries (or frozen, thaw but don’t drain, use juice and all)

225g caster sugar

300ml cream

Combine egg whites, juice and most of the raspberries in mixer bowl. Begin whisking and gradually whisk in sugar. Beat at high speed for 10 minutes until mixture forms stiff peaks. Beat cream until stiff and fold into raspberry meringue with remaining raspberries. Beginning and ending with raspberry mixture, layer in a pudding bowl with the biscuit crumbs. Freeze.

A SHARED MEAL - Classic roast chicken, preserved lemon butter, smokey bacon coleslaw

2010-01-12T13:39:00.000-08:00

I love food and love to talk about food so it would seem inevitable in this age of immediacy that I would end up with a blog. The idea behind this is simply to use a different platform for me (and you) to talk food. I'm not tech savvy and I don't confess to any great ability to write but I do know great food. I want to share with you my personal experiences, recipe finds, developments from our kitchen and hear about yours.

I am the Creative Director of White Tie Catering in Christchurch, New Zealand. I've spent much of my life cooking, from serving up a roast to my family of eight when I was a little girl to nourishing my own four girls with home cooked meals, working with some of New Zealand's great chefs and foodies and now for the past 10 years, running my own catering company with my husband.

As well as fulfilling my need to feed people, White Tie is my reason to experiment and develop. To stay contemporary and relevant for our clients, we are constantly introducing new dishes to our menus.

That's a little bit about my story and my life with food. But the decision to join this interweb thingee has given me cause to ruminate (not the chewing cud kind of ruminating however that's also oddly appropriate), I've been thinking about what I love most about food. What is it about eating that gets me so excited? Why is it that I can sit and talk about food, restaurants and ideas for hours while others simply glaze over at the mention of a cookbook? I need to nourish. Nourish the body and soul. It's the whole meal process that I love so much; deciding who to share it with and inviting them, deciding what to cook, preparing the ingredients, choosing wine, setting the table, bringing family and friends into my home and expressing my love and appreciation for them through a wonderful shared meal.

My daughters' friends while they were at school would love to eat at our home because we all sat around the table. I was floored to learn many of them didn't, it was such an important part of the fabric of family life in my childhood. Sharing the day around a shared meal, learning to communicate, debate, have opinions and tolerate others' opinions - all over a meal (without the television!).

It's not wrong that things have changed, that there are easy meal options and that families don't always have the time to sit around the table together. But I certainly believe it's important to find the time to fit that into your lives occasionally, the experience is wonderful to share and in my family, the culture continues.

So, to kick us off, I wanted to start by sharing a meal with you all. I've talked to my own family about what they love to share around the table and it seems Sunday comfort food is a favourite. None of my girls live at home anymore but you'd think otherwise given how often they're sitting at our table - now with their partners and in one case, babies.

Sunday's are special in our home because working in hospitality means Fridays and Saturdays are always busy. Sunday night is when we come together exhausted and in need of a little nourishment.

Let me share with you ‘classic roast chicken with preserved lemon butter and smokey bacon coleslaw’. A roast is such a great shared meal, served traditionally or jointed into large pieces for your guests. Our smokey bacon coleslaw is buttery, salty and sweet, just delicious under the moist lemony chicken. Cook it & love it.

CLASSIC ROAST CHICKEN WITH PRESERVED LEMON BUTTER

Serves 6

1 whole chicken (size 18 – 20)

4 garlic cloves, lightly bashed with the knife

50 gms butter, softened butter

Rind of ¼ of a preserved lemon (or as lemony as you like), finely chopped

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C fan bake. Clean and dry the chicken inside and out, removing any gizzards. Season the inside of the chicken and pop in garlic cloves.

Mix together the butter and the lemon rind. With the chicken legs towards you, gently slide your hand between the breast and skin to loosen. Spread the majority of the preserved lemon butter under the skin as evenly as possible. This will baste the chicken while it cooks. Truss the chicken with kitchen string and rub the remaining butter over the outside skin, season well.

Pour 1 cup of cold water into a roasting pan and place chicken on top. Put in oven for 30 minutes then reduce temperature to 180°C for a further hour or until juices run clear. Rest the chicken on a warmed plate for 15 - 20 minutes before carving. Slice the chicken or joint it, pour over pan juices and serve with smokey bacon coleslaw.

SMOKEY BACON COLESLAW

2 tablespoons olive oil

25g butter

4 rashers streaky smokey bacon, chopped finely

1 cabbage, preferably Savoy, very finely sliced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cups baby peas, frozen or fresh

Bunch of parsley, finely chopped

In a pan, fry the bacon in olive oil and butter and once the bacon is beautifully crispy, add the cabbage, onion and peas and season well. Toss until the cabbage just starts to wilt. Stir through parsley and serve.