The power of this seductive pavlova dessert lies hidden within its crusty exterior that once broken into, reveals a pillow like interior, soft and fluffy  with a slight chewy texture. A grown ups cotton candy smothered in sweet chantilly cream. Much like a meringue, pavlova utilizes the  stiff whipping of egg whites combined with sugar to produce a glossy sweet  cloud that when gently cooked turns into the oven baked miracle that is pavlova.

Using a small amount of brown sugar alongside the caster sugar gives the pavlova a slight caramel flavor, and the addition of verjuice over vinegar most commonly found in pavlova recipes adds the required acid component without the overpowering vinegar hit.

To ensure pavlova success, here are a few important watchpoints to bear in mind when preparing this Classic  New Zealand dessert with a modern twist.

Choose fresh free range eggs. With pavlova, it’s all about the eggs.  The fresher the eggs, the better, as fresh eggs will ensure that the egg whites whip up to dramatic peaks. Also, choose free range over caged as the eggs will be much tastier. I used Mcleans Run Open Range Eggs and they produced exquisite results with Everest like peaks.

Use the eggs at room temperature not cold from the refrigerator. Cold eggs will result in less volume when the whites are whipped.

When separating the eggs, make sure that there is no traces of yolk in the whites. Yolk will prevent the whites from whipping strongly.

When whipping the egg whites and incorporating the sugar, doing this slowly, a tablespoon of sugar sprinkled over the whipping whites at a time allows the sugar enough time to dissolve. Adding the sugar to fast will result in grainy pavlovas.

The total amount of whipping time is about 5 minutes in an electric cake mixer as over whipping the pavlova will deflate the egg whites.

Pavlovas like a slow bake in a low oven. Setting the oven on  bake at 120c is fantastic and can only be improved on if your oven has a fanless function.

Brown sugar  pavlova mini’s

Makes: 8 individual brown sugar pavlova mini’s

Ingredients

6 large free range egg yolks – at room temperature
1 & 1/2 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 & 1/2 tablespoons of cornflour
2 teaspoons of verjuice
Pinch of salt

Method

Preheat the oven on bake set at 120 C / 250F  with the shelf set in the middle of the oven.

Mix together the caster sugar, brown sugar, cornflour and salt and push this mixture through a sieve to remove any possible lumps.  Pour into  a small bowl and set aside.

Carefully separate the egg whites from the egg yolks, ensuring that no yolk is present in the egg whites.

Place the egg whites into a clean mixer bowl and whisk on medium to high speed until the whites are just stiff.

Slowly incorporate the sugar mixture  1 tablespoon at a time whilst the mixer whisks on medium to high. This process should take about 5 minutes of continuous mixing and the mixture should be thick and glossy by the time the sugar is all incorporated.

Add the verjuice and mix to just combine.

Spray a flat baking tray with cooking spray and line with baking paper.

Using a 7-9cm  round cookie cutter mould , lay the mould on to the baking tray and fill the mould with 4 heaped tablespoons of the pavlova mixture. Carefully remove the mould by pulling up to reveal the pavlova mound. Repeat the process until all the mixture has been used up, ensuring you leave spaces between the pavlovas to allow the mixture space to bake freely.

Bake the pavlovas for 1 hour or until crisp fully firm on top, and when lightly tapped on the bottom the pavlovas should sound hollow.

Remove the pavlovas from the oven and carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Serve topped with honeyed cream and fresh or stewed berries, kiwi fruit or banana.

Pavlova will keep for 3-4 days , covered in the pantry.

Green-Lip Mussels on the Barbecue

The Mussels found in the  waters along New Zealand’s coastline are as dramatic as the countryside. With their signature emerald green lipped shell these little gems can grow up to a staggering 24cm in length and are amongst some of the largest ( and tastiest) in the world. Maori have been harvesting mussel or Kutai  from the shores of Aotearoa (New Zealand) since the land was inhabitated over 1,000 years ago and the mollusc was amongst one of the first commercially gathered products in New Zealand.

Phone conversations with my Dad, who is back home in New Zealand, usually involve a detailed description of  his latest feast of fresh seafood. “The mussels bub, weeeeee you should see them! FAT, juicy”, ” Yeah, thanks Dad”, chokes back a sob.

What can I say, it’s one of my absolute homesick triggers and before I land back home in Aotearoa, I am hitting up my relations to get the ‘welcome wagon’ out by way of freshly collected seafood for the hungry homesick traveller. Don’t bother tying  a yellow ribbon round an old oak tree, just collect another sugar-bag… I’m on my way home.

It was during a barbecue demonstration with Jamie Durie (environmentalist, TV producer/host and regular Oprah Winfrey guest)  that I was preparing for in Perth (Western Australia) that I stumbled across boxes of greenlip mussels in the freezer section of the local supermarket. As I had never thought to look for mussels in the freezer, I was pleasantly surprised to find one of New Zealand’s favourite exports amongst the frozen offerings.

With an ever so slight deterioration in quality ~ Nothing beats fresh, hand dredged straight from the ocean and eaten raw, I thought that “mussels on the barbie” would be a great way to highlight a beautiful New Zealand product in a real ‘Aussie’ sort of  way.

Firstly I make two dressings to drizzle over the mussels. The first one is tomato and chill  and the second  is a mayo and anchovy. They get drizzled over the mussels once they are removed from the barbecue.

Green lip Mussels on the Barbecue Recipe

Tomato and chilli dressing

Mayo and anchovy dressing

To cook the mussels

Love these posts? Nominate Bridget Davis for a social media award in the Shorty Awards food category

A Life Lived Enjoying Everything…

In Moderation

I come from  humble farming stock. My grandparents on my mother’s side ( Grandpappy and Nana) ran a dairy farm in the idyllic Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand’s Upper East Coast. You could say I have milk in my DNA, and more importantly, creamy New Zealand butter.

As many of my local friends can attest too,  one of my biggest homesick triggers is  New Zealand milk, cream, ice cream and butter. There is something kind of wonderful that goes into New Zealand dairy products that makes for exceptional baking and cooking. Heck, even the morning cereal tastes better when its swimming in New Zealand milk.

I put this exceptional quality down to all those golf course green fields, fresh air and happy farmers. The weather is perfect for creating lush pastures for stock to graze on and there’s enough open spaces for cows to frolic in the fields. We don’t do intensive farming of dairy cattle which makes for happy cows that still hold up traffic twice a day on many rural roads when the farmer is moving the herd  to the milking sheds.

My love for New Zealand butter started at a young age and has intensified since moving so far away from it. Thankfully I have tracked down a Sydney inner city supplier that has these blocks of gold for sale. I like to buy up as many as I can carry each time I visit the store so that I don’t run out in the middle of a banana cake making session.

I have added to my fridge a silver chalice, from which springs forth the elixir of life. Clarified butter has replaced canola  and grape-seed oil as my frying medium. This has been a revelation in my kitchen as I can now enjoy the flavor of butter at high temperatures!

Clarified butter or ‘Ghee’ as its known in Hindi is butter that has gone through a ridiculously simple clarification process to separate the protein or milk solids from the pure butter fat. The pure butter is then poured off  leaving the milk solids behind to be discarded. It’s these milk solids or protein that cause the butter to brown and burn at low temperatures. Pure butter on the other hand is now so resilient that you could even use it to deep fry with, not that I recommend wasting your clarified butter in that way.

Instead I recommend that you store it into your favorite small vessel and allow it to take pride in place in your fridge to use as a worthy replacement for oil. It can also be stored on the shelf provided it is in an airtight container. So if you must use a fat or oil to fry with, a small amount of clarified butter will work wonders on the end result.

Clarified Butter

Ingredients

1 block/1 pound/ 500gms of butter ~ some folks call for unsalted butter. Personally I prefer salted as it has better flavor.

Method

• On the lowest heat setting possible, place the butter into a heavy bottomed saucepan and ever so gently allow it to melt.
• Once the butter has completely melted, carefully pour the butter fat from the pan, making sure that the white milk fat stays behind in the pan to be disposed of.

Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it! Heres a few pointers to bear in mind when undertaking this calcification process.

• The trick here is to do it on such low temperature that the butter resists the need to bubble and splutter. A lot of bubbling and spluttering will have the reverse effect on what you are trying to achieve which is the separation of butter fat and protein or milk solids.
• If you allow the butter to melt gently the milk solids will sit on the bottom of the pan and all you need do is pour the melted butter fat directly from the pan for easy separation.
• An induction cook-top is one of the best ways to achieve a low heat setting. If you don’t have an induction cook-top you can try this little trick that works really well. Place a heavy bottomed frying pan on your cook-top on the lowest possible heat setting. Place the pot with butter into the frying pan and melt gently. The frying pan will act as a diffuser allowing the temperature of the cook-top to remain low and even. Splatter free butter!

The Forgotten Art of Sustainable Foraging

Photos taken by Bridget Davis and Bill Mehana

Some people do it because they  want to, other people because they can.  Certain folks  do it out of necessity, and for many its instinct.  I’m talking about foraging, the simple art of collecting food which was once the foundation for sustaining  human life.

Growing up, I sat in this category for all the above reasons. Foraging for food was natural part of childhood, and what once seemed like a chore I know thank my father whole hearted   for passing down his wisdom for understanding, acknowledging and respecting  the world we live in. We foraged to eat the freshest, seasonal organic produce out of love for the land and sea, love for food and for our survival.

Not only were we taught what to look for,  but the most important lesson was respect for the environment. Without realizing  it, I was learning from a young age the importance  of sustainable harvesting which is the respect for the land, sea and sky. Lessons that  have  been  passed down through generations of my family.

We as Maori, the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa (New Zealand) believe we are the Kaitiaki or the caretakers and guardians of the land, sea and sky. No one person owns it, we are in-trusted with its up keep and preservation through the understanding and passing down of cultural lores  that govern how, when, where and how much of  natures offerings are we allowed to harvest at any one time. In other words, we believe strongly in sustainable practices.

A trip to the beach was not a leisurely pursuit when we were kids. Buckets were used to collect pipi and cockles, not for making sandcastles and rock pool exploration was for the spiky sea urchin or Kina.  But how glorious these memories are of being knee high in  chilly water, doubled over with fingers burrowing in the sand searching for pipi. If I found one that had its “tongue” out I would bite off the sweet muscle before it scooted back into the safety of it shell. Not safe for long because as soon as we got home they were thrown in a  pot or on the fire for a satisfying, warming dinner with  family and neighbors

Kina is  a highly prized delicacy, eaten raw straight from the shell. The yellow roes that hug the interior of the shell should be fat with a milky residue, sweet and not bitter. Dependant on where they are foraged and what time of year it is will determine how sweet and fat they are, words that are a symphony to Maori ears.

It is with great respect that we take our seafood from Tangaroa (the god of the sea) and only take enough to feed our bellies and those of our neighbours that are not fortunate enough to be able to travel to the ocean to collect seafood. Wastage is unacceptable, and what you cant finish in one meal, you share with your community.

We were also taught to forage for weeds!  Tasty weeds of Puha and dandelion tops, or cold water dips for watercress. Puha or sow thistle can be found in many New Zealand backyards and is generally given the old heave hoe as its considered by most to be a weed. We would pick our weeds, wash carefully through a few sinks full of cold water to remove any bugs or grime and then lovingly rub to release the essential oils found naturally occurring in the leaves. The rubbing also helped to get rid of the prickly feeling of the leaves and as my Auntie Daisy would say, “It makes it taste sweeter babe” The job of rubbing the puha was not taken lightly as some rubbers were better than others, producing sweeter Puha once it was boiled  with pork and potatoes.

Living now in an Inner city apartment, far away from home I long to be able to take my children into the backyard and teach them how to forage. To give them the same understanding and respect for  nature that I learnt as a child. To give praise for pristine oceans, clean air and green forests. Until recently I took this wisdom for granted and what was once toil has now become instinct and art.

What foods have you foraged for?

How Could I resist?

4kgs or  8+ pounds of strawberries for a mere $7.99?

Before the till had finished ringing, I was already mentally counting the amount of empty glass jars I had  at home  for the upcoming jam making session. I was totally unable to by- pass  such a bargain when confronted with  an extremely large tray of super fresh super sweet strawberries at such a super low price.

I believe its genetic.

I come from a long line of preservers. Grandmothers on both sides of my family were world famous in there hometowns for there glorious bottled goodies. Pickled onions, chutneys, sour jams, pickles, chow chows and fruit all received the golden treatment from the grand ladies of confiture.

What used to be the hardest step in making any preserves, was ensuring that your glass jars were  clean and sterilized. My grandmothers would have been well impressed with automatic dishwashers, which  have the ability to sterilize jars with a touch of a button.

If you remember to sterilize the jars well, with either a dishwasher or by boiling the jars in a pot of water, and you weigh the prepared fruit before adding the same amount in sugar, you on the right track to achieving jam making success!

Brown Betty Berry Jam

For arguments  sake, I have given you the quantities for 2kg strawberries which will make enough for 4-5 jars of jam, dependant on size of jars!

Ingredients

2kg fresh ripe strawberries

1kg caster sugar ~ or there abouts

1kg brown sugar ~ or there abouts

1 lemon, juiced and zested

4-5 clean, sterilized glass jars with lids

Method

• Hull the strawberries and wash under cold running water.
• Weigh the prepared strawberries and place into a large pot or preserving pan.
• Add the same amount of sugar as was  the weight of strawberries, balancing it between the caster and the brown.
• Add the juice and zest of the lemon and place the pot on  a low heat, stirring well to begin to incorporate the sugar and the berries.
• Allow to heat gently to fully dissolve the sugar, stirring occasionally.
• Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and skim off any foam that comes to the surface with a ladle. Discard the foam.
• Allow the jam to boil until the mixture reaches setting point ~ this  should take 7-10 minutes.  You can check for setting point by placing a plate in the freezer for 15 minutes until its REALLY cold. Remove from the freezer and spoon a bit of the jam on to the plate. Wait a minute for the jam to cool slightly and then run your finger through the jam. If the jam leaves a wrinkle on the plate, its ready.
• Remove the pot from the heat and spoon straight away into hot, sterilized jars. Seal confidentially and label artistically!
• If done correctly, this jam will keep for up to a year.

A little birdy told me some time ago, “Next time you’re in Auckland, you gotta check out Bambina Cafe on Ponsonby Road”. Being accustomed to folks giving me there top geographical restaurant picks, I didn’t think too far into it at this point.

It wasn’t until i caught a snigger on the bluebirds beak that the inqusitive side of me delved deeper, ” Is it pretty good?” I baited my birdie.

“Let’s just say, it’ll be a trip down memory lane.” Hmmm, another cheeky grin and I begin to imagine myself walking into this popular Ponsonby eatery and been confronted by skeletons of kitchens past as 15 of my 20 years of cheffing had been undertaken in the bellies of Auckland kitchens.

“Trust me, just give it a try.” Never one to turn down a challenge, I filed Bambina away as a curious must try.

Fast forward 6 months and I find myself on a Chilly Auckland morning driving down Ponsonby Road on a recent trip home to New Zealand. With rumblings of bellies coming from the back seat of the car proving too hard to ignore, we secure a main road car-park and make our way to Bambina cafe.

Our attempts to sit outside and partake in the Ponsonby Road sport of people watching are dashed thanks to a bone chilling wind that is presently sweeping down the road. We set up camp inside the cafe to the relief of those in our party that weren’t dressed for the wintry blast and take over a couple of tables along the banquet mirrored wall.

A large blackboard on the opposing wall contains the menu and a huge communal table hosts newspapers and diners alike.

Hmmmm, that communal table in birch coloured wood looks awfully familiar…

We are quickly offered table service, to which I announce that coffees are required as medicinal necessities. Within a few minutes welcoming cups of steaming brew are placed in front of us which are deliciously good.

The crema and steamed milk is voluptuous, creamy and float almost suspended within its crockery confines. The taste of the coffee is smooth and elegant and a shining example of boutique coffee roasters Allpress Espresso’s commitment to producing a superior accessible and consistent product.

I scan the blackboard menu to get a  snapshot of the kitchen’s style and food ethos. Toast and preserves, muesli,  scrambled eggs and your choice of sides ~ The dishes don’t strike me as anything out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until my attention drifted past the obligatory offerings that  I got that funny, familiar forgotten feeling.

Ricotta hotcakes, Corn fritters with bacon and roast tomato…?

They say that imitation is the hugest form of flattery and looks like Bambina has taken some  advice in this area.

Having worked as head chef for Bill Granger for a couple of years in his iconic Sydney establishment ‘Bills’, I can spot a Bills take on a menu  a mile away, and from the looks of the communal table and several menu arrangements, the team behind Bambina are just smitten with Bills.

I had to chuckle to myself as we placed our order for scrambled eggs with bacon, Ricotta hotcakes and Corn fritters. Three Bills classics coming straight up to which my dining companions being only more than too happy to oblige.

The food was quickly dispatched to our table, and we dug in after snapping a few photos for prosperity.

The scrambled eggs looked sensational! The sunshine yellow eggs were piled mountain high a top a couple of thick slices of granary bread.

Now I’m not about to say that Bills invented scrambled eggs, as almost every breakfast menu in the Western world probably has scrambled eggs in some way,  shape or form. It is within the confines of Bambina and its obvious adoration for things “bills” that I order the eggs as a worthy comparison.

Bills scrambled eggs are so famous, they have been described in the New York Times as being ‘as gentle as the breath of an angel’, and folks flock from all around the world for a plate of them.

I loved the scrambled presentation at Bambina, as when I was plating up this dish whilst at Bills, it was blasphemy to serve the eggs on top of the toast for risk of the toast becoming soggy.

We always served the eggs on the plate followed by slices of sourdough off to the side to prevent potential liquid cross-contamination. The kitchen at Bambina throws caution to the wind and in a gutsy move serves the scrambled like Everest. Works for me!

Like the pristine waters of Lake Tekapo in New Zealand’s South Island, looks incredible from the outside, but stick your toe in the water and your liable to get frost bite ~ My scrambled Himalayas did not deliver on taste. The generous serving could have done with a sprinkling of  salt flakes during the cooking process  and the egg mixture needed some additional substance and less stove time to achieve Scrambled perfection.

Call me a scrambled egg purist, but after cooking 200+ servings a day  for a couple of years, I have become somewhat knowledgeable on this breakfast egg cooking technique.

The hotcakes with yogurt and fruit were placed in front of Mr5 who oooohed with anticipation. I was glad that he had wanted them, as they were child-like in portion despite the hefty NZD$14.50 price tag.  Three thin pancakes sat piled on the plate, topped with a dollop of yogurt and few pieces of fresh fruit.  Some of the fruit in question were oranges with skin still attached, not the most appropriate way to serve a fruit salad, nor were they seasonally sweet either.

I was unable to detect any ricotta in the hotcakes but they were a good example of a pancake none the less. They had a delectable crisp exterior and had they been fluffier and the portion more acceptable for the price they would have been a great dish. Bambinas take on the hotcakes with fresh fruit and yogurt a nice healthier alternative to Bills butter and honeycomb soaked gems.

The corn fritters with bacon, roast tomato and spinach was a near mirror image of this famous Bills dish, with the flavor being similar all but a tad doughy. At Bills, we would try to jam as much freshly shucked corn into each fritter as humanly possible. It should only have the lacy whisper of paprika spiced batter holding all that corn together ~ making it a veggie packed early morning treat.

So it is with a full belly and a table of  content diners that I mull over my findings. Yes, there are some very blatant and obvious copies of some Bills classics, like the corn fritters, hotcakes and communal table. But it is within the execution that differentiates these two establishments.

Bambina is an icon of the cafe scene in Auckland and has been serving the inner city faithful for many years in its current  location.  For that alone, it gets a well deserved medal for longevity in the fickle New Zealand market.  Their food requires polish and is somewhat lacking in x factor but the coffee, service and surrounds make up for its short comings.

With food we are all imitators of some kind. Taking inspiration from a meal we ate, a recipe we read or a restaurant we admire. Bill Granger himself takes inspiration for his cookbooks and restaurants from his peers and multiple dining opportunities that present themselves when you carry celebrity clout.

It is within the execution that our individuality speaks volumes and the little subtle touches that makes a dining experience memorable.

22,682 Nights Serving Burgers and Counting

All Photos taken by the talented Bill Mehana

22,682. That’s the number of nights that the White lady Food Truck has been open for important burger business on the streets of  Auckland City.

The White Lady Food truck or “pie cart” as its affectionately known has been serving the faithful, ravenous and occasionally intoxicated  Auckland late night revelers for over 60 years,  as the hand scribed whiteboard informs me as I shimmy up to the counter to place my order. That’s over 22,682 nights.

The White Lady is a 15 meter long ivory coloured food caravan that currently sits on the corner of Commerce and Fort Street in the heart of Auckland’s  business and bar district in New Zealand. It gets towed to location in the evening by tractor and is  adorned with  fairy lights for atmospheric dining. Just pull up a milk crate, squirt on some tomato sauce and you have late night dining at its most grand.

Any Aucklander worth their weight has acquired a burger or toastie from the Lady.

My parents, when they were courting would order a burger and share it between the two them, and when 88 and I were dating, we would stop by after a couple of bottles of wine and order a ‘King burger’ for him and an ‘Egg burger’ for me. Hanging around the lady whilst you waited for your order to be cooked was always fun  as you were bound to run into someone you know.

On this chilly Sunday night in the middle of a New Zealand winter, myself and my dining companions arrive at our destination shortly after 9pm. Already the lady has been serving burgers since 6pm Friday night with its 24hour a day policy on weekends. Weeknights has the lady cooking up patties from 6pm to 5am the next morning, before the tractor arrives to tow it back to base to make way for weekday parking needs of a bustling business district.

The accommodating young man with the low riding beanie in charge of the grill tonight is friendly and helpful as he talks me through our menu options for the day.

“I’ll have an Egg burger ( no surprises there) an Old fashioned Burger, The King Burger, and a side of chips.” And to keep the experience as authentic as possible… ” You better throw in 3 cans of L&P as well my good man”.

The burgers here are meaty and filling, with pickled beetroot, ice berg lettuce,  chunky tomato, homemade sauce and bespoke burger buns topped with sesame seeds. If you order a burger with onions, the onions are cooked in wholesome meat grease and a side of chips can be sloshed with your choice of vinegar or tomato sauce.

Burgers range from $7.00 for the standard burger to $18.00 for the behemoth Aucklander Burger, which consists of pretty much everything you can think of! An unlockable jaw is required if you plan to undertake this 6 course meal in a bun.

Once our order has been registered with the chef de cuisine, we gravitate towards the best seats in the house ~ 3 over turned milk crates up against a shop window. The pace and the atmosphere of the lady begins to pick up as suits and ties alongside slurring young men and giggling scantily dressed young ladies arrive at  this desert oasis.

Despite his sudden surge in occupation, our server and chief burger maker still manages to get our burgers to us in less than 5 minutes ~ wrapped in paper and looking food photography ready.

I stop for a moment and breathe in the atmosphere before devouring my burger with nostalgic delight. All manners are thrown out the window as we chomp and chat to each other, reminiscing about people we had meet here, burgers we’ve eaten and nights we’ve danced our cares away.  A few chips smothered in tomato sauce and a sip or two of fizzy L&P and our night is complete.

My pick of the menu du jour ~ you have to try the Old Fashioned Burger. It consists of an overly tasty beef pattie, well grilled and served with  a mattress of crispy lettuce, thick slices of  tomato, pickled beetroot and a fried chooks egg , slathered in a delicious relish that adds a wonderful acidic kick to the quivering mound. The relish is delectable and I elegantly lick my fingers between every huge bite.

The white lady still lives up to expectations. Even more so thanks to a recent menu overhaul where for the first time in 60 years you can now get a side of fries with your order. Don’t you just love new technology!

The burgers are wholesome, hot and tasty and the Auckland crowd and skyline still provides the best late night atmosphere in town. Despite the cold surroundings, the bright light of warmth and welcome can  be felt  through smiling faces that greet you with a “Hey Bro, what can I getcha?”

Where’s your favorite burger joint?

One for Taste,  Two for crunch, and three for dunkability.

A biscuit just wasn’t a bisucit unless it had serious hang time in your cup once it was dunked into the steaming brew.

If it softened and fell into your mug too soon, it was given the thumbs down. A few seconds before succumbing to the cup were usually passed by as well. But the biscuit that you could dunk, continue reading the morning paper without even so much as taking a bite, turn the page AND THEN chomp was a serious contender for Ultimate Biscuit Champion or U.B.C.

U.B.C. went to a little wee morsel known in my neck of the woods as “The Gingernut”. It was  the grand cookie contender as it ticked all the boxes when it came time to put the kettle on.

They were ever so tasty ~ a combination of sweet and spicy with  a substanital crunch. The ginger was prominent with a background of treacle for depth of flavor.

Since moving country, I have missed my U.B .C and it wasn’t until a recent Eureka moment over a classic Kiwi Cookbook that I came up with the challenge to create my own Gingernuts.

To get me in the mood I listened to the advertisement above, claiming “There’s no gingernuts taste quite the same, ask for Griffins Gingernuts by name…” Well I beg to differ Griffins…

photo by Ted_major

Gingernut Biscuits slash Cookies

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter ~ softened

50g dark brown sugar

2 Tbs golden syrup ~ warmed

1 Tbs molasses ~ warmed

1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 Tbs boiling water

175g plain flour

3  1/2  tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

couple of fine grindings of black pepper

pinch of salt

Methodology

• Cream together the butter, sugar and just warmed golden syrup and molasses. Make sure the mixture is well combined and the butter has been fully incorporated into the sugar and syrup.
• Add the soda dissolved in water and stir in well.
• Sift together the flour, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and salt and mix into the wet ingredients.
• Stir to combine and then turn out on to a large piece of cling film, rolling up to form an even sized sausage. Make sure the cling film tightly covers the “cookie sausage” and leave to harden in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
• Preheat the oven on fan bake 180C/ 350 F
• remove the cling film from the dough and cut the dough into 5mm thick slices. Lay them on a parchment lined cookie tray and brush the tops lightly with cold water. Ensure that the gingernuts aren’t to close to together as they will expand upon cooking
• Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Watch they don’t get to dark as they burn quite easily.
• Leave to cool thoroughly on a wire rack before storing them in an airtight container.
• These biscuits improve with age so if you can leave them for a day before eating them, all the better. If you can’t manage it, I completely understand.

photo by Veganbaking.net

As the mercury begins its dance of decent,  I find myself turning to comfort foods to appease my nesting tendencies. A warm pudding on a cold blustry night is a welcome addition to any table, especially if it’s designed with simplicty and ease in mind!

Please note, you will need a large frying pan that can go in the oven for this dish.

photo by by Istelleinad

Ingredients

5 granny smith apples~ peeled, sliced in half round ways with pips removed

1 cup plain flour

½ cup of lightly packed brown sugar + 2 Tbs extra brown sugar

½ cup of ground almonds

Pinch of salt

¼ cup of mixed slivered almonds and pine nuts

Creamiest  vanilla bean ice cream to serve

pouring cream to serve ( optional)

Procedure:

• Firstly toast the pine nuts and almonds in a heavy bottomed pan on a medium heat until they start to colour slightly. Pour out of the pan on to plate and sprinkle with salt. Set aside and allow to cool.

• Preheat the oven on fan cooking @ 180C
• Make the crumble topping by mixing the flour, ½ cup of brown sugar , ground almonds and pinch of salt into a bowl.
• Add 70g of the ‘very cold’ butter cubes ~ retaining one cube for use later ~ and using the tips of your fingers rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
• Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up a little.

• Using the retained cube of butter melt in a large frying pan and add the apple slices in a single layer. Sprinkle over the remaining brown sugar and gentle begin to caramelize on a medium to high heat for a couple of minutes.
• Taking the cold crumble topping, evenly distribute the mixture on top of the apples, trying to avoid the mixture from ending up on the bottom of the pan if possible.
• Place the pan in the oven on the shelf position closest to the bottom of the oven and cook until caramelized and golden ~ about 35 minutes.
• Serve immediately with a small ball of vanilla bean ice cream, a sprinkling of the salted nuts and some pouring cream for added effect!

Serves 4 as dessert

The day I found out my Grandma was gravely ill, I booked a flight back home to New Zealand  to be with her and then went straight into the kitchen to soothe my soul by baking her “World Famous in New Zealand” Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese  Icing.

The recipes origin remains somewhat  a mystery, but its destination was always a well planned route ~ my stomach!

The smell of this cake baking reminds me of how a visit to my Nana’s always started with a phone call from me to say ” I’m on way Nana. You got time to pop one of your delicious carrot cakes in the oven…?” She always did.

I love you Nana.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil or light olive oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups grated carrot

For the icing

1/2 cup icing sugar

60gms cream cheese

30gms unsalted butter

Delicious and moist when wrapped in this creamy frosting!

Methodology:

Preheat the oven to 160 C / 320 C

Into a mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract and beat well.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and add to the wet ingredients , combining well.

Now mix in the cinnamon spice and grated carrot and pour the cake batter into a well greased cake tin.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean of any batter.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack.

Cover the cake with the lemon cheese icing  once it has cooled completely.

To make the icing:

Soften the cream cheese and butter in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds. Place the cream cheese, butter and icing sugar into a food processor and blend unitl the mixture is smooth and well combined.

Smooth generously over the cake and serve in thick comforting slices.

Lyndsay Jameson ~ Master Baker