Look away now if you have an aversion to calories or sugar. This recipe is NOT for you! It might be slightly healthy with the addition of bananas but the rest of the ingredients don't appear on any healthy eating guide I've ever seen.
I love cooking this recipe for Sunday brunch, or in fact brunch any day of the week. It has all the ingredients I love.....
- Caramel sauce - check.
- Bananas - check.
- Whipped cream - check.
- Chocolate - check, check, check.
And all put together in one scrummy dish - who could want for more? But be aware you may need a lie down after to deal with the sugar comma that will follow! Enjoy.
Read MoreIn Canterbury we have Show Week at this time every year, which is fantastic excuse to get dressed up in your fancy clothes complete with fascinator (for the girls - google it if you haven't heard the term), and go watch the horse racing. As part of Show Week there are a myriad of Champagne Breakfasts and sponsored events to attend, which by the end of the week most people need to followup with some extended couch time and a quiet weekend.
I'm always on the lookout for something slightly different to serve at a champagne breakfast - and as many foodies say "always start the day right with a good breakfast", particularly if there is some alcohol involved! This Herb Waffle with Smoked Salmon and Fennel Cucumber Salad caught my eye and is perfect for any early summer breakfast or brunch. It's super tasty and a great stomach liner for all that early morning champagne. Enjoy!
Read MoreAt long last summer has finally kicked in with lovely warm sunny days. Needless to say the rhubarb patch has gone feral, which must also have something to do with all the compost and sheep pellets I dug in a few months ago. Definitely does help if you feed your plants!
I normally do a Rhubarb & Strawberry galette, but as my strawberries are still a long way off and I'm not paying a small fortune for the imported hot house ones, I've added some ginger for extra zing. Give the recipe a go, the rhubarb/ginger combination is super yum!
Read MoreRoasted tomatoes are a beautiful thing, and really simple to make into a tasty sauce (sugo). I love roasting them to bring out their inherent sweetness, and with the addition of herbs, balsamic & little sugar takes them to a whole new level.
One of my favourites recipes to accompany a roast tomato sugo is pork and fennel meatballs. You can't beat this combination for a sunday supper, or in fact any day of the week. It's a super quick meal if you have your sugo and uncooked meatballs already made up and stored in the freezer. Give it a go - and give your taste buds a party!
Read MoreWell its the first day of spring, and it's hosing down outside. Guess the weather gods didn't get the spring starting now memo!
Too brighten up the grey day outside I've whisked together this super easy Lemon Posset recipe to use up some of the glut of lemons I currently have in the kitchen. Teamed up with the Citrus Shortbread this is a yum dessert with a good citrus kick. The berries add a tart flavour and cut through some of the posset sweetness. Give the recipes a go - they can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Enjoy!
Read MoreYup we're in the middle of another cold hard winter - the ever revolving cycle of frosts then rain, more frosts, then more rain! So what better way to beat the chills than a crispy pork belly with spicy asian sauce! Best combination ever, right? It's such an easy sunday evening meal especially in the midst of winter.
After 2 - 3 hours of gentle cooking, followed by a blast under the grill you'll be rewarded with the most gorgeous crispy pork belly, spicy sauce and vibrant greens. Whats not to like? Enjoy!
Read MoreWell Easter is here and so is a cyclone or two. Currently Cyclone Cook is battering my house with torrential rain and high winds - so I'm guessing gardening is out today.
I saw this recipe online a few weeks ago and thought it would make a yum treat over Easter. Yes you will probably go into a chocolate coma with the filling, but hey Easter only comes once a year so a little over indulgence is allowed. Hope you enjoy it!
Read MoreWanting something a little glam for Valentines Day - check out these Vanilla Pannacotta & Blackcurrant Jelly desserts. Just perfect for that someone special in your life who has a sweet tooth! Enjoy!
Read MoreWhy don't you give these zucchini fritters with hot smoked salmon a test drive for brunch this weekend? Well worth the effort & a good way to get your greens. Enjoy!
Read MoreHappy New Year to everyone out there - hope you all had a fabulous night and aren't under the weather this morning. Thought I would share this cocktail which started our New Years eve celebrations last night. Given it was a warm evening it was the perfect way to start the party along with some tasty nibbles.
You can adjust the quantities to your own tastes, and it makes a refreshing drink for anytime during the summer. Best part for me is the crunch of the pomegranate arils when you get to the bottom of the glass. Enjoy!
Read MoreI was doing some recipe testing for a client recently, and thought I should really do something with the left over fish fillets. So after fighting off my two cats, who thought they would shimmy up my leg to bench level for a lightening raid, I threw together some fish sliders with a spicy vegetable pickle to share with a couple of friends.
After a few vino's they lasted all of 2 mins, and barely touched the sides going down. Make sure you make plenty of these bad boys, coz they won't last long.
Read MoreYikes it's November already - where did the weeks go. Big fail again on my part to regularly update the blog. But I guess it's better late than never, particularly this recipe as it's a winner for those summer barbies!
Making this recipe I normally allow three skewers per person, but it would pay to do extra as they seem to disappear at a fast rate when the ravenous hordes are around.
Enjoy!
Read MoreIt's September so you would think spring is on its way with blossom and spring flowers? But no winter this week has to have a last blast with gales, hail & freezing temps. So here was me thinking I'll do something spring like for the blog. Arrgghhhhh - change of plan and back to the hearty winter food.
Soup & bread, or toast, or bagel or flatbread feature quite a lot in my winter repertoire, so I had to crank out a loaf to go with my winter soup while the weather misbehaved outside. Yeah I know this Pumpkin, Fennel & Olive bread looks like it's had a bad spray tan at the beauty salon, but beneath it's dodgy looks lies a scrumptious bread with heaps of flavour.
Give it a go you won't be disappointed!
Read MoreApologies - yes I know it's been a long between posts from the Food Union, but life has been a tad chaotic of late what with cookbooks and advertising clients all vying for my attention.
To rectify this lapse and appease the masses I've thrown together a scrumptious dish for you all from Emma Knowles at Gourmet Traveller using lamb racks and spices. I think its one of those trans seasonal dishes that could be good at any time of the year, and hits the spot in my book for flavour.
Enjoy!
Read MoreOK you'll have to excuse the wrinkly nature of my dumplings - these tasty morsels aren't going to win any dumpling beauty pagents. But hey I'm still a learner driver making these things and I think lots of practice in this case does indeed make perfect.
The recipes are very simple and I've gone for two combinations of Chicken & Coriander and Pork & Garlic Chive. But have a play and experiment a bit with the mix of flavours and make your own unique combinations.
Enjoy!
Read MoreA week back I test drove this cheeky cocktail recipe, while the weather was still trying to kid us it was summer with temps in the mid 20's even though it was early May.
I have to say this recipe by Trolley'd hits the spot for a refreshing drink with the perfect balance of tart grapefruit & fragrant kaffir lime. Just make sure you have enough supplies in as one cocktail is never enough.
Cheers!
Read MoreDuring autumn I can always tell when the figs on my tree are ready as the birds seem to be having a party every day. With the amount of bird noise I can hear I'm guessing there's lots of squabbling going on between birdy individuals as to who has the perfect fig.
With this years mild autumn, the figs are huge and some nearly fill the palm of my hand. OK I have little hands - but even so that's pretty big for a fig. The tree I planted about 10 years ago is called Brown Turkey - don't ask why as the figs aren't brown & there aren't any turkeys involved. It seems to cope well with the winter frosts we have here in Canterbury and produces a good crop most years - autumn weather dependent for ripening of the figs which are green to black on the outside and a creamy colour inside.
So before the birds damage all the fruit, I have a bit of a baking frenzy in the kitchen and cook up all sorts of dishes. This recipe is one of my favourites and always generates plenty of ohhhs & ahhhhsss from hungry guests!
Enjoy!
Read MoreAutumn is definitely here - so my garden was well overdue for a bit of a clean up and final harvest. Last weekend, before the cold nights took hold, I managed to pick the last courgettes before consigning the plants to the compost heap for another year.
This year the courgette plants produced a bumper crop - which probably had something to do with all the compost and feeding the plants got throughout the summer. I could have sworn that the courgettes were growing heaps every time I turned my back! Ended up with a few marrows, but mostly managed to pick them early enough to keep to a manageable size.
This yummy recipe comes from Lou & Ant Bentley at the Akaroa Cooking School, just over the Banks Peninsula hills an hour from my place. It's great for using up the courgette glut and has a lovely herby flavour with the addition of the tarragon and basil at the end of cooking the soup. I make big batches of this soup, and freeze portions when I need something quick & tasty.
Give it a try - you won't be disappointed!
Read MoreYeah I know there a thousands of posts already in blog land this weekend with hot cross bun recipes - so in case of FOMO I'm throwing in my own version of an "adult only" hot cross bun!
While the kids are on their eater egg hunt getting hyper on all that sugar, the adults can be chowing down on some of their own hot cross bun action with their coffees/teas.
If you feel the need to share these with younger persons, you can swap the rum for water to remove the alcohol. These are best eaten warm from the oven and don't keep more than a day.
Happy Easter everyone!
Read MoreNeed a speedy lunch or dinner for 4 - you gotta check out this Mexican Chicken recipe. Packed with flavour - it's spicy with plenty of zing from the limes plus the salty feta.
It's really easy to prepare ahead, and you can just throw it in the oven when your guests are banging on your front door. After you've had the odd compulsory margarita (or two), the chicken will be ready to serve with a simple green salad.
Que aproveche!
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