PANFORTE!

This is a traditional Italian dessert resembling fruit cake, and for those that prefer something a bit more chocolaty at Christmas it is just the thing. It is an incredibly versatile recipe as you can play around with different combinations of fruit and nuts.

Ingredients
85g flour
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp dried ginger
200g dried fruit (I used 100g figs, and then a mixture of cranberries, apricots and pineapple)
250g nuts (I used 100g brazil nuts, and 150g roasted almonds, but you could use hazelnuts)
100g chocolate, coarsely chopped
zest of 1 orange
150g castor sugar
150g honey
icing sugar to dust

Method
1 Preheat the oven to 150oC bake. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.
2 Sift the flour and spices into a bowl and add the fruit, nuts, chocolate and orange zest and mix to combine.
3 Place the sugar, honey, and 2 Tbsp of water in a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Continue to boil over medium heat until the mixture reaches soft ball stage (drip a small amount of the mixture into a glass of cold water. A soft ball should form.)
4 Using a wooden spoon and working quickly, pour the caramel over the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
5 Spoon out into the greased tin and bake for 15 mins. Cool and sprinkle generously with icing sugar. Store in an airtight container. Serve in small bite-sized pieces with coffee, or dessert wine.

Florentine Slice

Ingredients
200g dark chocolate (or milk if you prefer)
3/4 cup sultanas
2 cups crushed corm flakes
1/2 cup roasted almonds roughly chopped
60g red glace cherries
2/3 cup condensed milk

Method
1 Put chopped chocolate in top of a double saucepan, stir over simmering water until melted.
2 Spread evenly over base of 28cm x 18cm tin lined with foil. Bring foil over edges for easy removal.
3 Refridgerate until set.
4 Combine sultanas, corflakes, almonds, chopped cherries and condensed milk in a bowl. Mix well and spread mixture evenly ovr chocolate base.
5 Bake in moderate oven for 15-20mins. Cool, refridgerate until set.

YUMMY!

Smoked Salmon Pate

Smoked Salmon Pate

Ingredients
100g smoked salmon
1 x 250g packet cream cheese (I choose to use light, but that's up to you)
half a lemon's zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup raw almonds, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped herbs (I used whatever was in the garden - parsley, chives and dill)

12 slices cooked vogel toast bread cut into triangles - or whatever you prefer to serve it with

 Method
1 Place salmon, cream cheese, lemon zest and juice into a food processor. Process until smooth, pink mixture forms.
2 Spoon into two small dishes for serving. Smooth the tops, cover with gladwrap and refridgerate for at least a couple of hours.
3 Combine chopped nuts and herbs. Remove plastic from the top of the salmon pate. Sprinkle herb mixture over top evenly. Place on serving platter with vogel toasts/ fresh french stick,or whatever you want to serve it wth

Alternative:
If you make this recipe with full-fat cream cheese it will set better and therefore you can grease and line a dish with gladwrap and place the salmon in. Cover and leave in the fridge for four hours min before rolling in double the herb mixture.

Taste of Auckland with a Matt Moran Masterclass

  

The highlight of 'Taste of Auckland' this weekend was the masterclass with Matt Moran chef and owner of Aria restaurant in Sydney and Brisbane, and co-host of Australia's Masterchef for Series 3. Check out the video clip of him searing a piece of tuna fish.  He was quite the entertainer!

I have to admit I felt like a teenager about to meet some rockstar - how age changes our priorities.... to good food!

Along with this, we spent a pleasurable three hours indulging in fabulous food from a number of top Auckland restaurants and sampling nibbles from a number of top NZ food producers. Oh, and I forgot to mention the great wine,,, of course couldn't go past the Cloudy Bay stall for some Pelorus bubbles.

Crushed Broadbeans on Brushetta

With new spring veges in the garden and farmers market this beautiful green treat is delicious and a delight to be seen. Motivation came from finding broadbeans at La Cigale (French Farmers Market in Parnel) and I really didn't have a recipe to follow.....but it turned out delicious!

Ingredients
1 bunch Broadbeans (or half a bag of frozen beans) cooked and double podded
Handful of grated parmesan
good pinch of rock salt
two glugs of extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove

Method
1 Add cooked broadbeans, parmesan, olive oil, salt and garlic to a mortar and pestle. Crush all ingredients together.
2 Cut a french stick or small ciabatta into slices and toast in the oven on both sides, brushed with garlic infused olive oil.
3 Load the brushetta with bean mixture and serve.

Chocolate Chip biscuits

This has got to be the most delicious chocolate chip biscuit recipe you can find.

Ingredients
125g butter, softened (you can use unsalted as well)
1.25 cups tightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg, lightly beaten
1.5 cups plain flour
0.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 cups chocolate bits

Method
1 Preheat oven to 180oC.
2 place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add vanilla and egg and stir to combine.
3 Stir in the sifted flour and baking powder until just combined. Fold through chocolate bits.
4 Place spoonfuls of mixture on a lined baking tray, allowing room for spreading. Cook for 15-20 mins, until they turn pale gold. allow to cool on the tray for 5 mins before placing biscuits on a wire rack to cool further. Makes 16.

Homemade Sausage Rolls

Another great recipe from Masterchef Australia, but as usual I have adjusted it. You can always double the recipe if you want to make loads, but this recipe make about 20 - depending on how big you like them.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter
1 large carrot, peeled, grated
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
4 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 garlic cloves, crushed
200g beef mince
200g pork mince
1 Tbsp fresh oregano
I Tbsp tomato paste
! Tbsp lea and perrins
1 cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 x sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed, halved
1 egg yolks, lightly whisked
sesame seeds, to garnish
tomato or BBQ sauce, to serve

Method
Step 1: Preheat oven to 180°C.

Step 2: Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add grated carrot and cook for until carrot starts to soften. Cover with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes until very soft. Puree carrot mixture in a blender until smooth. Season to taste. Set aside to cool completely. (Puree optional)

Step 3: Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat, then add onion, thyme, bay leaf, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until onion has softened. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf and set aside to cool completely.

Step 4: Combine minces, the carrot puree, oregano, onion mixture and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Season with salt. Divide the mince mixture into 4 portions and shape into a log the length of the past sheet. Place pastry sheet onto a floured work surface and slice each pastry sheet in half lengthways. Place the sausage log across the closest edge of a pastry sheet. Roll to enclose mixture until the two edges of the pastry meet, trim and discard excess pastry. Brush a little egg wash on the join to secure.

Step 5: Cut the rolls to the size you prefer (I cut 5 per roll) and place on a lined baking tray, brush evenly with egg yolk and sprinkle with seeds. Repeat with remaining pastry. Cook in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Step 6:  Serve with either tomato or BBQ sauce.