This recipe collection represents all the great times we've had together sharing meals and celebrations with family and friends. Included are all our favourite recipes, some handed down from Granny and Oma, or friends and family, other gems discovered in magazines and recipe books, and even some of our own creations!! Browse through the latest recipes, or search (top left) by title, ingredient or category to find that special recipe.
INGREDIENTS 1.5 kg fresh uncooked prawns 8 cloves garlic, crushed ¼ cup olive oil Salt and pepper Parsley and lime cheeks, to serve
METHOD Shell prawns, leaving tails intact. Butterfly, de-vein and wash. Pat dry. Marinate in garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper for 1 hour. BBQ or grill until pink. Serve with lime cheeks and sprinkled with parsley.
INGREDIENTS Purchase turkey with self timer Use a different stuffing each year Defrost day before
METHOD Place in large baking dish, stuffing with different stuffing each year. Bake for 3-4hrs keeping eye on timer which will pop out of turkey skin. Place vegetables in pan with turkey and use extra pan for additional vegetables. When cooked make gravy from juices and serve with mango sauce.
INGREDIENTS 1 whole mango 1 tbs butter 1 onion 1 tbs lemon juice 1 tsp grated lemon rind 1 tsp chicken stock 1 tbs corn flour 1/3 cup water 1 stick celery 2 tbs chopped walnuts or pecans ¼ cup sour cream or yogurt
METHOD Puree mango in blender. Cook onion in butter. Combine with puree, lemon rind, lemon juice and stock. Blend cornflour and water. Add to mixture. Cook till thickened. Stir in celery, nuts and cream.
COMMENTS Fabulous accompaniment to Christmas Roast Turkey!
INGREDIENTS 2 cups chicken stock ½ cup water 1 tbs olive oil 1 small brown onion, chopped finely 1 clove garlic ¾ cup Arborio rice 1 tbs finely chopped fresh basil 1 tbs finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 tbs finely chopped semi-dried tomatoes 60g mozzarella, diced into 1cm cubes ¼ cup packaged breadcrumbs Vegetable oil, for deep frying
METHOD Place stock and water in medium saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer, covered. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in medium saucepan. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens. Add rice and stir to coat in onion mixture. Stir in ½ cup of the simmering stock mixture, in ½ cup batches, stirring, until liquid is absorbed after each addition. Total cooking time should be about 35 minutes or until rice is just tender. Stir in herbs and tomato. Cover and cool for 30 minutes. Roll heaped teaspoons of the risotto mixture into balls. Press a piece of cheese into centre of each ball, roll to enclose. Coat risotto balls in breadcrumbs. Heat oil in wok. Deep fry risotto balls, in batches, until browned lightly and heated through. SERVINGS 30
METHOD Place all ingredients except the chicken in a food processor. Add 6 tablespoons (120mL) hot water. Process until smooth. Chop the chicken into bite size pieces. Toss in the mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour to marinate. Preheat grill or bbq to high heat. Thread the chicken onto skewers. Grill or bbq chicken until cooked through and slightly charred. Serve as is or with satay sauce.
METHOD Process together the ginger, onion and garlic until mushy. In a small saucepan on low heat, gently sauté the onion mixture in oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Combine spices in mortar and pestle and crush. Add spices to onion mixture in saucepan and cook for one minute. Add soy sauce, peanut butter, sugar and chilli, stir. Add coconut milk to peanut sauce and stir thoroughly until the sauce is smooth. Cook on low heat for a further two minutes.
COMMENTS This sauce is very adaptable as well as delicious. After cooking, it can be added to a stirfry, with veges, meat and noodles or rice. Alternatively, it is a fantastic crowd pleaser when placed in the middle of the table with lots of chicken sticks for dipping.
INGREDIENTS 400g dark chocolate, chopped 6 eggs ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 cup thickened cream, whipped 2 tbsp Cointreau or fresh orange juice
METHOD Grease a deep 19cm square cake pan, line with baking paper. Melt chocolate in microwave, in one minute bursts on medium heat (remember to stir each time, as chocolate holds its shape when melted otherwise). Beat eggs and sugar until thick and creamy. Fold in combined cream and liqueur, then chocolate. Pour mixture into pan, stand pan in baking dish with enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of pan. Bake in moderate oven for about 1 hour, or until cake shrinks slightly from sides of pan. Remove pan from baking dish, cool cake in pan, then refrigerate till cold. Dust with sifted icing sugar or high quality cocoa and serve with fresh whipped cream and strawberries.
COMMENT Also delicious as mini mud cakes - halve the recipe, cook in mini patty cases for 8 minutes. Absolutely divine!
INGREDIENTS 185g self-raising flour 30g cocoa powder 250g unsalted butter 2 tbs creme de framboise 95g caster sugar 95g light muscavado sugar (or light brown sugar) 250g good quality dark chocolate 3/4 cup brewed black coffee 3/4 cup water 2 eggs, slightly beaten, 250g raspberries, plus extra to serve Icing sugar, to dust Thick greek yoghurt or whipped cream (if desired), to serve
METHOD Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 22-23cm springform cake pan and line the base with baking paper. Cover the bottom and sides of the outside of the pan with a layer of foil. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into a bowl and set aside. Put the butter, framboise, sugars, chocolate, coffee and water in a heavy-based saucepan. Stir over low heat until everything melts and is thick, glossy and smooth. Stir into the flour and cocoa. Beat well until smooth and glossy again. Beat in the eggs till runny. Pour into the prepared pan until you have covered the base with about 2cm of mixture. Cover with raspberries. Pour the rest of the mixture on top (push raspberries back under cake batter by hand if necessary). Bake for 40-45 minutes until top is firm and slightly cracked. Take the cake out of the oven and place on a rack. Leave in pan for 15 minutes then turn out. Just before serving, dust with a little icing sugar pushed through a tea strainer. Serve with lots more fresh raspberries and a dollop of yoghurt or whipped cream, if desired.
INGREDIENTS 2 long french baguettes 1 bunch fresh spinach 2 capsicums, roasted, skinned and seedless 4 small eggplants, sliced and grilled 300g pumpkin, sliced and grilled 250g fetta cheese, sliced or crumbled 200g mortadella or mild salami (omit for vegetarian) hummus, to spread 1 small can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced (optional) METHOD Horizontally slice baguettes in half and pull soft bread out to form bread cases. Spread hummus over all four cases, then line with washed and dried spinach leaves. Fill baguettes by layering other ingredients on top of each other. Place top case onto filled bottom case and press both together. Refrigerate for two hours until ready to serve, allowing time for the flavours to meld together. To serve, slice baguettes diagonally and arrange on a platter. SOURCE Juliette
INGREDIENTS 800g pumpkin, peeled and finely diced 4 cups chicken stock, or 2 cups unsweetened OJ and 2 cups water 1 medium sized onion 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed ¼ cup salt free tomato paste ½ tsp cumin
METHOD Cook onion, garlic and ginger in 2 tablespoons of water for 3 minutes, or until transparent. Add all other ingredients. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender. Puree. Serve with a thin slice of orange and garnish with parsley.
COMMENTS To get the best flavour from onions without cooking in oil, always place lid on saucepan while onions are cooking.
INGREDIENTS 1 kg spinach, trimmed 3 eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups (400g) ricotta cheese 1/4 cup (20g) coarsely grated parmesan cheese 3 green onions, chopped 1 1/2 cups (375ml) bottled tomato pasta sauce 12 sheets instant lasagne 1 cup (120g) coarsely grated cheddar cheese
METHOD Boil, steam or microwave spinach until just wilted, drain. Squeeze excess liquid from spinach, and chop roughly. Combine eggs, ricotta, parmesan and onions in large bowl. Stir in spinach. Spread half the pasta sauce over base of oiled baking dish. Cover with 3 sheets of lasagne. Top with a third of the spinach mixture. Cover spinach layer with 3 sheets lasagne. Repeat layering with remaining spinach and lasagne sheets. Top lasagne with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cover lasagne with foil. Bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until browned browned on top.
INGREDIENTS Cake 2¼ cups self raising flour ½ cup custard powder 2 cups caster sugar 1 cup milk 4 eggs, lightly beaten 250g butter, softened 2 tsp vanilla essence
Icing 125g butter 1½ cups icing sugar 2 tbsp milk
METHOD Cake Grease a deep 25cm square cake pan, cover base with paper, grease paper. Combine sifted flour and custard powder with remaining ingredients in large bowl of electric mixer. Beat on medium speed for 10 minutes, or until mixture is thick and creamy. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake in moderate oven for 1¼ hours, or until lightly brown and cooked when tested. Let stand in tin for five minutes, then turn onto wire rack to cool. Ice with rich icing, and decorate as desired (great for birthday cakes!).
Icing Combine butter, milk and sugar until smooth and creamy.
INGREDIENTS 500g orange sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks 1 red or yellow capsicum, cut into chunks 2 zucchini, sliced 350g eggplant, cut into chunks 2 tomatoes, cut into chunks 8 spring onions, cut into lengths 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp grated lemon rind 2 tbsp lemon juice
METHOD Preheat the oven to hot 220C. Place vegetables in a large baking dish, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with sea salt and roast for 45 minutes, or until soft. Transfer the vegetables to a food processor, add the lemon rind and the lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Spoon into a serving dish and cool to room temperature.
INGREDIENTS 2-3 ripe avocadoes 1 large ripe tomato 1 small chilli, or chilli sauce 1 spanish onion ½ cup chopped coriander 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed, to your taste juice of two limes
METHOD Scoop flesh from avocadoes and mash in medium bowl. Chop tomatoes and onion finely and add. Finely chop chilli and add with garlic. Chop coriander roughly, and finally add with lime juice. Fold all ingredients together and store in fridge. Best made close to serving.
INGREDIENTS 1 tbsp capers 30g anchovy fillets, drained 50g tuna in oil, drained 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 cup pitted black olives, sliced 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1½ tbsp brandy, optional
METHOD Place capers, anchovies, tuna, garlic, olives and lemon juice in blender and process until finely chopped. Add olive oil and brandy while motor is running, until mixture comes to a smooth paste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
INGREDIENTS 12 spring roll wrappers 400g pork mince 1 clove garlic 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tbsp chilli sauce 2 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp sugar 1 lime, juice of ½ carrot, julienne 2 spring onions, julienne 12 medium sized choy sum or bok choy leaves 100g pad thai noodles Dipping Sauces ¼ cup soy, sweet chilli and peanut satay sauces
METHOD Gently saute pork mince with garlic and ginger till cooked. Drain off pork fat. Add chilli, fish and soy sauces, sugar and squeezed lime to taste (you may want to add a pinch of salt). Set aside. Place noodles in bowl, pour over boiling water to cover, place plate on top to keep in steam and leave for 10 minutes. Gently peel off three spring roll wrappers and place one choy sum leaf on the bottom left hand corner of each. Place several julienne of carrot and spring onion on leaf, several noodles and then a dessertspoonful of mince mixture. Roll corner of pastry over filling, bring in sides and roll up. Repeat process three more times. Deep fry spring rolls in wok, three at a time on med/high heat for approximately 7-10 mins. Repeat process. Serve spring rolls on a platter with trio of dipping sauces, with plenty of napkins.
INGREDIENTS 1 quantity sweet foam pastry or short crust 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 2 eggs, separated peel and juice of two lemons 1 heaped tsp cornflour 4 tbsp sugar, extra
METHOD Roll out pastry and place in pie dish, bake in moderate oven till browned. In a large saucepan combine water, sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice and rind and cornflour. Cook gently until sauce is glossy and thick. Pour into cooled pie case. In a medium bowl beat egg whites until stiff, adding sugar slowly. Cover lemon mixture with meringue and bake in a slow oven until peaks are browned.
INGREDIENTS Pudding 100g butter, softened 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 1/4 cups plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp cocoa 2 cups boiling water Sauce 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tbsp cornflour 1/4 cup cocoa
METHOD Pudding Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla together. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa together. Fold into beaten mixture. Spoon mixture into a greased ovenproof dish. Sprinkle sauce mixture over. Carefully pour boiling water over the back of a spoon onto the pudding. Bake at 180C for 35 minutes or until pudding springs back when lightly touched. Sauce Carefully combine all ingredients.
INGREDIENTS 360g good quality dark chocolate 90g unsalted butter, cubed 100g plain flour 10g baking powder pinch sea salt 3 eggs 200g castor sugar 1/2 vanilla pod, split and seeds removed 150g walnuts, coarsely chopped 360g milk-chocolate buttons
METHOD Preheat oven to 175C. Roughly break chocolate into pieces and place with butter in a bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth. Remove bowl from the bain-marie and allow to cool. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk eggs in a blender and gradually add sugar until mixture thickens and increases in volume. Stir vanilla seeds into the egg mix, add this to melted chocolate, then fold in the flour mix. Beat only until well combined. Now fold in the buttons. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Using a 1/4 cup (65g) ice cream scoop (or similar), drop the mixture in blobs onto a greased nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
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