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Christmas Fruit Cake

on December 06, 2025

Cakes

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Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie

Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie Ingredients: Serves 4: 1 large chicken breast (skin on or off) Water to barely cover chicken breast 3-4 Bay leaves Any saved vege scraps for the poaching water 1 leek thinly sliced into rounds (white part) 1 white onion, thinly sliced 1 stick of celery, thinly sliced 25 grams butter 2 heaped dessertspoons of plain flour 1.5 instant chicken stock cube or granules equivalent 6-8 fenugreek seeds Milk (preferably full cream, but use what you have) Salt and ground pepper 250 grams brown mushrooms, thinly sliced (or use whatever quantity you have available) 1 sheet frozen readymade flaky pastry sheet Method: To poach and shred the chicken: Place chicken breast, bay leaves and any vege scraps chopped (eg: carrot peelings, tops of celery, top of leeks) in a small saucepan and cover with water. The vege scraps improve the flavor and the remaining stock saved for other dishes. Bring to boil and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Remove chicken...

Sausages with Tomato Ragout and Polenta Mash

Sausages with Tomato Ragout and Creamy Polenta Mash. This simple recipe evokes thoughts of winter meals tucked away in a snowy mountain village. Instant polenta itself is cheap and quick, cheap, and a pleasant change from potatoes, pasta or rice. The ragout is simply a basic Nonna's tomato sauce and can be used as a pasta sauce base as well. Double the recipe for 4 people. The r agout reheats well and can be made days ahead and stored covered in the fridge. For 2 servings: 2 fresh sausages per person (any flavor, but not the processed or pre-cooked variety) 1 tablespoon olive oil (or use whatever cooking oil you have). 1 small brown onion skinned and thinly sliced and diced into small pieces. 2 large cloves of garlic minced or finely diced (or 1-2 tsp ready-minced). 1 400gm tin chopped tomatoes (chunky is best, but cheapest wins). 1 tablespoon tomato paste. 1 cup ready-made chicken or vegetable stock or 1 stock bullion ...

New York-Style Balsamic, Honey and Feta Brussel Sprouts

New York Balsamic & Feta Brussel Sprouts. Despite marketers trying novel ways to make Brussel Sprouts more appealing, let's face it, they can be bitter wee morsels and are not widely loved. And yet on a recent trip to New York I was blown away by how popular they were! Even street fruit and vegetable vendors were selling them in large 2-3kg bags! And I was astonished that many bars and restaurants served them on their menu! After trying the basic combination of crispy caramelized Brussel Sprouts with balsamic, honey and feta at several different restaurants and bars that throughout the city, I'm now totally sold. NB: Be sure to choose the largest sprouts you can find as smaller ones cook too quickly and can go too mushy. If your sprouts are a bit yellow, simply cut the bottoms and peel those bits off. For 2 servings: 350-500gm large Brussel Sprouts 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon honey (runny or melted) 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 5...

Pikelets

Pikelets served with Lemon Curd and Whipped Cream. Pikelets are a New Zealand favorite similar to griddlecakes or flapjacks made from thick panfried batter. Pikelets are cheap and easy to make, can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container, then quickly served cold on a plate with jam and fresh whipped cream. Pikelets are a regular feature in Kiwi workplace morning tea shouts, afternoon teas, and as snacks to fill hungry afterschool or weekend tummies. Ingredients: 1 cup plain high-grade flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon plain salt (not rock salt) 1 tablespoon ordinary white granulated sugar 3/4 cup milk 1 egg Approximately 1 tablespoon butter, melted Additional small knob of butter for frypan Method: Sift flour, baking powder into the bowl. Add sugar and salt. Slowly add the milk to the bowl, folding gently to form a batter. Do not beat vigorously or the air will be removed causi...

How To Make Instant Polenta

Instant Polenta Polenta or corn meal in cooking is common in Italian cooking but these days is a family food staple across much of Europe and regularly found in European restaurant cooking too. In my view Polenta is a cheap alternative to potato, is quick to make, nutritious, and adds interesting color and texture to meals. Polenta isn't typically on the dinner plates of most New Zealand households with potatoes or sweet potatoes and other tubers being preferred. But with the rising costs of living and cost of vegetables in particular, I personally think Polenta is an under-rated gem. What is polenta? Basically, just ground corn meal (maize) boiled to a thick paste, then shaped to be fried or baked. Instant polenta for the dinner table is more finely ground and cooks as quickly as 2-3 minutes. I confess the first time I bought a packet of instant polenta at the supermarket I was struggling to find it. I eventually found about 3 lonely pac...

Dijon Mustard and Honey Sauce for Chicken or Fish

Manuka Honey and Dijon Mustard Sauce served with panfried New Zealand Swordfish and Potato Gratin. This Manuka Honey and Dijon Mustard sauce is fabulous with chicken or fish. Dijon mustard sits apart in terms of its zingy flavor compared with other types of mustard. Similarly, New Zealand Manuka Honey has a deep and unique flavor of its own, too. That said, use whatever mustard paste or honey you have, and you will still achieve a nice sauce. Recipe Utensils Small saucepan Measuring spoons Mixing spoon Whisk Ingredients 1 tablespoon plain high-grade flour 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 1/3rd cup chicken stock or broth (ready-made or use a chicken stock cube and add water to measure) 1 tablespoon Manuka honey, melted (10-15 seconds in microwave) 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard (for visual effect, leave out if you don't have it) 1 teaspoon Horseradish sauce (if you don't have it, leave it out) 3/4 cup runny whipping c...

Quick and Easy Lemon or Lime Curd (Microwave)

Lemon or Lime Curd. Easy to make, Lemon Curd is known in New Zealand as 'lemon honey' or 'lemon butter. Lemon curd evokes memories of times gone by when life wasn't so hectic and many homes had fruit trees and grew their own vegetables in 1/4-acre section backyards with a 'use what you've got' and 'she'll be right' approach still evident in Kiwi culture today. Vegetable gardens aren't so common these days, but many homes still have old citrus trees laden with more fruit than a single household can consume that's often shared among neighbors and friends. Years ago, I recall a friend musing that a house with a lemon tree is the sign of a good house. Looking back, I think she meant a lemon tree is reminiscent of generations passed and life centered around the family home across many decades perhaps more than it is today. Lemon curd with Pikelets and Whipped Cream Recipe Utensils 1 Litre microwave safe jug Citrus juicer Grater for zest...

Creamy Bacon and Mushroom Pappardelle

Creamy Bacon and Mushroom Pappardelle. I recall back in the 1990's being blown away by a creamy Pappardelle dish from an Italian restaurant in Turangi, New Zealand. I have sought to recreate my memories of the taste of that dish in this recipe. The secret to the sauce is in the pasta water - read on below! Historically, many Italians came to New Zealand hired to work as tunnellers for New Zealand's Central North Island Hydro Power Projects in the 1960's and 1970's. There's a great article about that history here . Certainly, New Zealand needed Italian tunnelling skills and experience for these massive post-World War II projects. The hydro workers, including New Zealanders like my parents, lived in small, isolated huts or houses literally in the middle of nowhere from which small settlement towns and family life grew. Inevitably, Italian cuisine became more popular, and several well-known Italian restaurants flourished in the Central North Islan...

Best Banana, Date and Honey Scones

Best Banana, Date and Honey Scones. Scones are such a versatile and quick thing to make, whether sweet or savory. These banana, date and honey scones were born from a spare over-ripe banana that I threw into my date scone recipe one day. Pro tips: Grate your butter to make it easier to rub in. A grating of lemon zest is also nice. For savory scones swap out the banana, dates, honey and sugar with grated cheese, finely chopped onion and parsley. Makes 6-8 good sized scones Ingredients 3 cups plain flour 4 1/2 tsp baking powder 50gms butter 1 cup chopped cooking dates 1 ripe mashed banana 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons honey (runny or melted) Dash of salt (about 1/4 tsp) Extra flour for kneading and rolling Method Heat oven to 450f/230c. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add grated or cubed butter and rub into the flour with your fingertips until there are no lumps. Add brown sugar, mashed banana, liqu...

Slow Cooker Chicken Cassoulet

Slow Cooker Chicken Cassoulet. On a recent trip to France, I savored Cassoulet, a quintessential French dish at La Brasserie Bordelaise on Rue Saint-Remi, Bordeaux Old Town. The dish has medieval origins and was nothing short of fabulous. At its heart, Cassoulet is a slow-cooked stew of Toulouse pork sausage and duck with white beans, and dry white wine or vermouth, topped with breadcrumbs and baked. The importance of the strong flavors in Cassoulet like pork and duck is that they also flavor the beans which have no flavor themselves. But b ack in New Zealand, duck and Toulouse sausage aren't readily available in supermarkets, expensive if they are, and artisan butcheries are few and far between these days. What's one to do when not in France but want to cook and enjoy a Cassoulet? Adapt, of course. Adaptations include swapping chicken for duck, using a strong fresh pork sausage instead of Toulouse Sausage, and/or pork bones or pork strip...

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