More & More Cakes .....

I haven't posted any pictures of cakes lately.  To be honest, I did not have an opportunity to make many in 2016 due to my study, but I am pretty happy with what I was able to capture.

Happy learning peeps!

Oven Baked Lemon & Thyme Kingfish

A good friend of ours gave some beautiful fillets of kingfish after a day out on the boat in Raglan.  I love kingfish and decided to give this new recipe a go.

Ingredients
500 - 750 grams of filled kingfish
2 x garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 x lemon
Some fresh thyme
Cracked pepper
Sea salt
Chilli Flakes
Splash of Olive Oil

Method 
Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Cut the fillets into serving pieces and give them a thin coating of olive oil.  Place them into a lined baking tray, skin down, then sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic slices and chilli flakes.

Bake uncovered in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until cooked.

Serve with a beautiful green salad with watercress, baby spinach and kale, and a mild vinaigrette dressing.

Serves 2-4 people

Happy living peeps!

 

Moana Birthday Cake

I was asked last year to make a cake by a whanau member for their baby.  Unfortunately I was unable to accommodate due to my study, but when the tono came through for this year I was more than happy to oblige.  The brief was a Moana cake with buttercream.

As always, I am keen for a challenge and decided to do something extra special! 

The board was massive measuring 600 mm x 600 mm.  The sea, land and flowers were made with fondant, while the sand and texture of the cake was made with biscuit crumb ... and a whole lot of buttercream.

I was so excited with the project and extremely happy with the final result.

Happy learning peeps!

 

Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Garlic

I make no secret that I am a fan of Nigella and her no fuss way of cooking.  When I had a chicken in the fridge and wanted to try something different that required very little effort, I gave my spin on her slow roasted garlic and lemon chicken a go.

It really does take a matter of minutes to prepare, and then you let the oven do the rest of the work.   The intense lemon flavour is amazing although try to use unwaxed lemons so the flavour isn't too tart.  

You may want to serve it with some mashed potatoes or kumara to soak up all those lovely juices although I simply served it with a beautiful green leafy salad, using the juices as a dressing.
 
If you don't have a whole chicken, then simply use chicken pieces.

Ingredients
1 x whole chicken cut into 10 pieces
Unpeeled garlic cloves from 1 large head of garlic
2 lemons roughly cut
Some fresh thyme
Enough Olive Oil to coat

1/2 - 2/3 cup of white wine (extras you can drink while you wait)    
Black pepper 

Method 
Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Place the first 5 ingredients into a roasted dish and toss until the chicken is nicely coated.  Sprinkle over the white wine followed by the black pepper, then cover tightly with foil and place into the oven for approximately 2 hours.

Remove the foil, increase the heat to 200°C and cook uncovered for a further 20-30 minutes.  Keep an eye on the chicken at this stage as the smaller pieces of chicken can dry out.

Serve and devour!

Happy living peeps!

 

Chocolate Berry Pav

This recipe is to die for!!  The pav is lovely and crisp with a delicately chewy centre which I love and as an added bonus – it’s chocolate, something else I just can’t get enough of. 

You can do this dessert all year round and I have experimented with a variety of toppings.  In the summer I love to use fresh raspberries and/or blackberries and/or strawberries and in the winter I mix a drained tin of boysenberries in with the cream itself which provides a completely different twist.  For a berry overload use the boysenberry cream and then top with fresh berries.  I’ve even made miniature chocolate berry meringues to complete a finger food theme for my brother in laws party and I can tell you that they really went down a treat that night.  Whatever the combination, I just know that you’ll love this delicious dessert.

Meringue

6 egg whites

300g castor sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

75g finely chopped dark chocolate

1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

Topping

500ml cream

500g of fresh berries

50g grated chocolate

To make the meringue

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Beat egg whites until they form peaks and then gently add the sugar little by little until the egg whites are stiff.  Add the cocoa, chocolate & vinegar to the mixture and then gently fold until everything is nicely combined.  

Place mixture on a lined baking tray.  Put into the oven, then immediately turn the temperature to 150 °C. 

Bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until the crust is crisp and you can still feel softness in the centre.  Once cooked, turn off the heat and leave the pav to cool inside the oven with the door left slightly open which should take about 1 hour.

To make the topping:

Whip the cream until nice and soft and top the cooled pav with the cream.  Delicately toss the fresh berries all over the top of the cream until you’re happy with what it looks like.  Top with the grated chocolate and then serve.

Serves 8-10 people.

Strawberry & Feta Salad

This is such a easy and delicious salad.  The sweetness of the strawberries works so well with the heat of the rocket and the creaminess of the feta cheese.   

It is such a fabulous salad to serve at a BBQ with a nice piece of fish or steak or simply by itself with a nice glass of wine.

Ingredients
200 grams of fresh strawberries - quartered
100 grams of feta cheese
125 grams of rocket
1 x spring onion finely chopped
Salt & pepper
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

Method
Place the rocket and spring onion into a bowl.  Place half the strawberries and half the feta cheese with into the rocket mixture.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Just before serving, add the balsamic vinegar and toss quickly.  Add the remaining strawberries and feta, tossing slightly, but ensuring they remain on top of the salad for presentation.

Devour!

Serves 4-6 people

Summer Fruit Syrup

I have had a number of requests come through to me asking about the recipe for the fruit syrup that I use on my COCONUT PANNA COTTA so thought I would post it up for everyone.  It's pretty simple and very very tasty.

Ingredients
1/4 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup of lime juice
1/4 cup of maple syrup
2 stalks of lemongrass, thinly chopped
3 whole star anise

Method
Put everything into a pot and bring it to a boil over a medium heat, stirry to dissolve the syrup.  Simmer for 2 mintues then cool, cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to serve, strain the syrup, discarding the lemongrass.  Pour over your fruit and let it sit for at least 30 mintues to let the flavours mingle.

Alternatively you can poach your fruit in the syrup.  Just make sure to strain it properly before serving onto the panna cotta.

Happy living peeps!

Poached Feijoas

Last night my husband walked inside with a huge bucket of feijoas he had picked from our trees saying "what will we do with these?" I knew my family would want to have some but with Gig's friend over for dinner, I immediately decided to try this new recipe for dessert.  Simple decision turned into a challenge considering he told me after I started the dish he had never tried feijoas in his life.

The coconut sugar is what makes the syrup brown.  If you don't have any then simply use normal sugar, or for a healthier option use maple syrup or honey.  You won't need a lot if you are using a sweet wine.  If you don't have a sweet wine, or prefer not to use it, then just use water with your sugar, honey or maple syrup.  Whatever you do, don't leave out the bay leaves as this is what balances the whole dish.

I used my paleo version of my homemade GRANOLA but you can simply use toasted nuts.

This dish was a huge success with Gig and his friend demolishing it!!

Ingredients
16-20 feijoas peeled
1 1/2 cup of sweet wine
2 bay leaves
1 vanilla pod, split and scraped
Juice of one lemon
1/4 - 1/2 cup of coconut sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)


Method
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for about 10 mintues.

Take the fruit out, then turn the heat up until the syrup reduces by half. 

Pour the juice over the fruit and serve with greek yohurt & toasted nuts.

Serves 4

Happy living peeps!

.

Smokey Bacon Wrapped Chicken

If you want a simple dish that will wow your guests, then this is for you.  With only 4 ingredients, it takes a short moment to put together before placing in the oven.

I think the smoked paprika brings out the bacon, but if you don't have it, then simply leave it out.  If you want to go all out, you can stuff the chicken breast but I like this recipe just like this.

Ingredients
4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breast
8 slices of streaky bacon
2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
Freshly ground pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 180c.

Season the chicken with the paprika and pepper then carefully wrap each breast with 2 slices of bacon.  You may need to secure it with a toothpick if necessary.

Place on a deep, lined baking tray and bake for 45-60 mins depending on the thickness of the rolls.

Chicken is done when the juices run clear.

Servces 4

Happy living peeps!

Coconut Panna Cotta

I first made this recipe as a result of trying to find some "paleo" friendly desserts for my whanau.   It is very easy to make using only 5 ingredients and super healthy as it's dairy free, gluten free and only uses natural sugars from maple syrup.  If you prefer to use honey, then by all means go ahead but make sure to test for your level of sweetness you prefer.


To help cut through the richness of the coconut cream, I paired it with fruit poached in a fruit syrup made of orange juice, lime juice, maple syrup, lemongrass and star anise.   The recipe can be found HERE

I serve this in dishes as opposed to turning it out onto a plate.  I place the cold poached fruit straight on top of the panna cotta, then pour the cold fruit syrup on top.  Absolutely delicious!!!

Ingredients
500 mls of coconut cream
10 grames of powdered gelatin
1 teaspoon of vanilla or the seeds of a vanilla pod
5 tablespoons of maple syrup
1/4 cup of water

Method
Heat the coconut cream, vanilla and maple syrup until it's only just boiling, then turn off the heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the water and gelatin until it doesn't have any lumps.  Pour this into the coconut mix and stir until the gelatin is dissolved completely.

Pour into your serving dishes and refridgerate for at least four hours or overnight.

Makes 6-8 dependant on how hungry you are.

Happy living peeps!

Te Whakaruruhau Fundraiser

Today is the first time since the 1^st of March 2016 that I've logged into my blog with a view to post something.  Upon reflection, time has flown by, but I wanted to share a great experience I had working alongside my marae whanau and Te Whakaruruhau.  Last year I was so lucky to be able to work alongside Anne Thorpe who was their celebrity chef at Te Whakaruruhau’s first fundraiser “Saving Rose”.

That event was such a wonderful success for Te Whakaruruhau that they ran another fundraiser this year on February 25^th.  When meeting with the organisation to discuss this years event, I asked who their chef would be.  The response was “we would like you”.  I was completely taken by surprise!  Trying to compose myself, words were spoken, which I really can’t remember, but I managed to blurt out “Wow, I’ll have to come back to you”.

I have worked with Te Whakaruruhau for a number of years now.  They provide such a wonderful and beneficial service to the community by providing help on domestic & abusive environments for maori women and their children.  In fact, it’s quite eye opening to understand what experiences their women have been through and the courage it takes to choose a different path.  I really couldn't turn a blind eye by not getting involved but I wanted to ensure I could commit 100% before saying yes.
I went back to them – then reality hit.  What the heck will I serve? I decided on a healthy menu using fresh ingredients, natural sugars, natural oils - Absolutely nothing refined!

The menu - just gutted I didn't get a picture of the entre.  It was devine!

Bacon wrapped smoked paprika chicken with pineapple & avocado salsa

Orange & fennel pulled pork on a kumara cake with watercress, pistachiao & parmesan salad

Coconut cream pannacotta with poached nectarines & summer syrup

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be involved in this intiative and more importantly to all those volunteers who I worked alongside.  I really did learn so much from this experience and understand this years event was just as successful for Te Whakaruruhau as 2015.

 

In regard to Te Whakaruruhau?  If you are looking for an organisation to support OR you know someone who needs help, and you don't quite know how to go about it, then simply contact Te Whakaruruahu on 078551569 (24hrs).  You could save their life.  

Happy learning peeps!