Rhubarb and Ginger Jam

            I finished my last jar of plum and vanilla jam smothered onto hot buttered toast, it added a nice little hit of luxury first thing in the morning.  But the regret was colossal and as I savored the last little morsel of my toast I wondered what next?  That was followed quickly by ah...... what do I have handy?  You see I made myself a promise that over the next month I would use up as many of my pantry stores as possible so that I could replace with fresh of course there will be exceptions but I'm liking the challenge and when my pantry contains things like rose water, orange blossom water and pomegranate molasses it's hard to complain.  Then there are those other ingredients bought  for dishes that never quite got made but one day soon........and so the emptying of my larder continues.  I can't quite see this jam smeared on hot buttered toast but it's gorgeous dolloped on a scone with some fresh cream, it makes a tasty addition to apple crumble and stars in a Rhubarb Gallette.  (And if you made a lemon meringue pie recently you may just have some pastry left over just enough to make a this quick rustic tart.  Roll out the pastry into a rough circle place dough on a tray, smear the pastry with the jam leaving approximately an inch on the outside.  Top with thinly sliced rhubarb that has been tossed in a little sugar fold the edges up and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200c or until golden brown)

Rhubarb and Ginger Jam.

500grams roughly chopped rhubarb
2 1/2 cups sugar
100 grams crystallized ginger
1 orange zest and juice and or 1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Soften the rhubarb and ginger over a low heat with the orange juice and zest.  Warm the sugar and add to the rhubarb bring to the boil, simmer on a low heat stirring often.  The jam is ready when a small amount sets in a saucer of cold water.  Makes 4 x 200ml jars.

Lemon Meringue Goodness

             The new year has come and gone I've steadfastly refused to make any New Years resolutions especially ones that involve food which is why I have NO guilt what so ever about posting up this rich and heavenly Lemon Meringue Pie.  Make it, love it and share it.  If you don't want to make your own pastry don't but I have to say that this sweet paste is easy to make and as long as you don't fuss (and let it get warm) it is easy to handle.  Try rolling it out on a piece of no-stick paper or silicon mat so that if it does begin to get too warm you can easily put it back into the fridge for five minutes.  The following recipe will be more than enough to line your tin freeze extra for use another time or double the recipe for the express purpose of having it there for when you need a quick easy sweet.  I'll be posting a couple of other uses for this pastry soon.... so watch this space.


Sweet Paste

250grams butter (cold diced)
150grams icing sugar
4 egg yolks lightly beaten
500 grams plain flour
salt pinch
lemon or orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a food processor blend butter, flour and icing sugar together until it resembles breadcrumbs. 
(Or by hand if you like my preference is to use the food processor as the heat in your hands is the pastry's enemy)  Add the beaten eggs, zest and vanilla and pulse until the dough just starts to come together.  Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface and bring together into a ball.  Flatten the pastry and wrap in cling-film refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out this allows the gluten's in the pastry to relax and will result in less shrinkage. 

For the pie shell roll out to roughly 3mm thick line a 26cm flan (or whatever size your using if your using a smaller size your flan will need to be deeper to accommodate the amount of filling).  Allow the pastry to rest again in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Prick the pastry base with a fork.  Line with a piece of baking paper and fill with baking beans (rice or lentils work as well the idea is for the beans to hold up the sides and weigh down the base)  Bake in a pre-heated  (200c)  oven for 15 minutes.  Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes until pastry is golden.

Lemon Meringue Pie

6 lemons juice and rind
40 grams butter
100 grams sugar (castor is better as it dissolves faster than regular but it's not essential)
1 tin sweetened condensed milk 400g
40 grams cornflour
4 eggs (large)


26cm pie crust
4 egg whites
200 grams sugar (see above note)

For the filling bring to the boil lemon juice and zest with the first measure of sugar and the butter.  Whisk eggs, the condensed milk and the cornflour together.  Pour over the boiling juices and whisk.  Return to the stove an bring back to the boil stirring constantly until thick.  Cool slightly before pouring into pastry case.

Warm the second measure of sugar in the microwave or oven.  Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form slowly beat in the sugar a little at a time beat continuously for 10 minutes until firm and shiny.  (who needs a gym work out)  (For successful meringue you need to remember to keep it clean a little grease or egg yolk and your egg whites won't beat up)

Top the pie with meringue and return to oven until meringue is lightly coloured (or use a blowtorch!)
Refrigerate before cutting.

Super Easy Srawberry Ice-cream

              Strawberries are super cheap and sweet at the moment.   Early in the season I treat strawberries like royalty eating them raw and savoring there glorious flavour knowing that summer is on the way.  Now that summer is here with a glut of strawberries I start  thinking towards the cooler months and how I can prolong my strawberry season.  I make jam Strawberry and Black Pepper, Strawberry and rhubarb or I make a coulis in it's simplest form (punnets of hulled strawberries blended raw with sugar - 1 cup of sugar with 2 punnets of strawberries) and freeze it in ice trays.  This will be the base of my super easy strawberry ice-cream a taste of summer in the dark depths of winter.  If you have an ice-cream churner this just so, so simple it would be criminal not to give this recipe a whirl you will not be disappointed.  Minimum effort maximum flavour.  If not then you have a little bit of work to do but it is so worth the effort.

Super Easy Strawberry Ice-cream


2 punnets strawberries Hulled and halved
1 cup sugar
300mls cream
1 shot vodka ( this helps to keep your ice-cream soft but is not essential)


Blend strawberries, vodka and sugar together in a food processor until smooth.  If you don't like the seeds push through a sieve to remove.  Pour the strawberry coulis into the ice-cream churner following the manufacturers instructions.  Slowly add the cream leave to churn until very thick.  Freeze until firm or scoff as soft serve.

If you don't have a churner once the coulis has been made pour into a shallow tray and partially freeze.  Use the pulse setting on the food processor to quickly break down pour on cream and pulse until combined.  Partially refreeze.  Process again and refreeze. Repeat and pour into plastic container freeze and eat.

Orange and Rum Christmas Cake

MR COOL

             Since we here in New Zealand don't get to experience a white christmas I thought I'd bring a little of that white magic to my christmas cake.  So out came the snow-man I invested in some snowflake plunger cutters and raided my cake decorating kit for everything else.  He's awesome and the kids were utterly enthralled with the process of putting him together.

          This recipe is the one I turn to every year I try to make it well in advance but some years life is too hectic.  Now I've dabbled with other recipes and I've used more exotic dried fruits but to me this is what a christmas cake should be rich, dense with fruit and boozy.   I ice it with marzipan and fondant icing since most years I travel with it and as I have discovered royal icing, it's fluffy meringue cousin and rum butter-cream do not like long car trips.  As I type this I had a revelation fruitcake cupcakes swirled high with Rum butter-cream icing perhaps with a hint of coffee and now I wonder will I be able to fit them into my schedule.........gotta love Christmas!

Rum and Orange Christmas Cake


1.5 kg mixed dried Fruit
1 cup rum
2 oranges zest and juice
200grams soft brown sugar
250grams soft butter
4 eggs (at room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla
350grams self/raising flour
salt pinch
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1x 22cm cake tin lined twice with baking paper (bottom and sides)


Soak fruit in rum and orange juice overnight (or however long it takes you to get around to it).
Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and orange zest until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.  Sieve flour, spice and salt onto butter mix  and stir gently add the fruit and mix batter until combined.   Spoon mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 3 hours in a slow oven.  Stick a skewer into cake to check if it is cooked skewer should come away clean.

Summer Dining

Rye and Wholemeal Flat-bread with avocado, snapper and a tomato herb salad

           As the warmer weather arrives I start thinking about light tasty food that can be eaten alfresco with friends and a glass of wine or ice cold beer.  There are all kinds of cheats that can be used for this dish but since I am in purist mode I'll let you figure those out for yourself.  These luscious morsels (ok somewhat bigger than a morsel)  were devoured by adults and children.  Even as I write this I think about all the variations that could be played out on these freshly baked breads, quite frankly I'm beginning to feel like there is not enough time to cook all the things I'd like too.  So prepare yourselves for recipes galore this time of year is glorious.
      




Rye and Wholegrain Flat-bread

2 teaspoons dried yeast
300g plain flour (high grade)
150g wholemeal flour
150g rye flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
50mls olive oil

Combine yeast with 300mls of warm (blood temperature) water and teaspoon of sugar, mix together and leave in a warm spot until the mix froths.  In a bowl combine flours and salt, make a well in the center and pour yeast mix and oil into it.  Using your hand incorporate the dry and wet ingredients until the dough comes together.  Tip onto a floured bench and kneed dough until shiny and elastic (approx 10 minutes) or use  dough hook and do it in a machine.  Cover dough with a clean damp teatowel and set aside for an hour to prove.  The dough should double in size.  Pre-heat oven to 200c.  Turn out dough and divide into eight.  Roll each segment of dough into 15cm long oval breads place on oven trays lined with paper (or pre-heated pizza stones with semolina) drizzle with olive oil sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 7 minutes until golden brown.


Avocado and Snapper Topping

2 large avocado mashed with the juice of one lemon and seasoned well
4 snapper fillets approx 200grms each baked in the oven with lemon zest, a drizzle of olive oil and seasoned well.
 100mls of aioli
4 spring onions finely sliced
1 cup picked washed coriander leaves
2 tomatoes pulp and seed removed finely diced.
juice of lemon and olive oil to drizzle (2 tbspns)
lemon wedges to serve

 To assemble (either do it your self or let your guests build their flat-bread to suit themselves.)
 Smear avocado along the flat bread, flake pieces of snapper over the top drizzle with aioli,  sprinkle salad over the top coriander, spring onion and tomato.  Dress with lemon and oil and season.


Aioli

1 egg yolk
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove of garlic crushed finely
200mls olive oil
salt and pepper

Whisk yolk, lemon, dijon and garlic together very slowly pour the oil on to the yolk mixture whisking continuously until all the oil is incorporated.  Season.  If you prefer you can do this in a food processor following the same principles.

Smoked Kahawai

          Look at these beauties ok not the biggest fish ever caught but my six year old was pretty pleased with himself.   The kahawai is not considered a glamorous fish and is often used as bait.  It's fatty flesh lends itself to being smoked and that is exactly what I chose to do. 
So guts out and heads off don't worry about scaling the fish and leave the skin on.  Split the fish down the center and open out the kahawai.   For each fish I cured I used 1 tablespoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves and a good grind of black pepper.  The kahawai was covered and refrigerated overnight to cure.  Approximately 12 hours later the cure was rinsed off and the fish smoked.  In my hot-smoker I used 2 Tablespoons of oak shavings with a drizzle of whiskey and a couple of fresh bay leaves for a light herbal note.

My go-to meal.

Orechiette with broccoli, lemon and chilli

           We all have our own go-to meal.  It's crunch time.  Dinner looms ahead and it's been one of those days.  Take-aways you say to yourself but then you've got to get every-one in the car and out again only to have to repeat the performance again before you even walk through the door..........
           No way you pull out a few simple ingredients and before you know it dinner is in front of you.  It's a humble dish and we eat it more often then I care to admit.  It's a fuss free one pot meal that everyone will eat with no complaints.  Left overs sorry no.  You won't be sorry.



Orechiette with broccoli, lemon and chilli


pasta (your choice)
broccoli (or try cauliflower or zucchini.)
potato (waxy is best)
lemon zest and juice
chilli flakes
pesto
pecorino

Cook your pasta in plenty of boiling salt water until it is almost al dente, add the cubed potato.  When the potato is cooked add florets of broccoli.  Continue to boil until broccoli is cooked how you like it.  Tip into a colander saving a small amount of cooking water.  Tip into serving bowl and toss through lemon, chilli and pesto.  Use the cooking water if you need to loosen up the pasta.  Season.  Top with plenty of shaved pecorino.