Manuka Honey Cookie

Adapted from Donna Hay.

This is such an easy recipe for instant gratification. I like manuka honey for its distinctive

taste but you can use any type of honey. Icing hearts - option. I just used icing sugar mixed with some colouring and piped the hearts onto cooled cookies.

Ingredients

150g butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

/4 cup manuka honey

1 egg

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla paste

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 160c.

2. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until combined. Then mix in the honey and vanilla.

3. Mix in plain flour and baking powder.

4. Using your hands roll out a teaspoon full of cookie dough at a time and place it onto grease proof paper on the baking tray.

5. Bake for approx 15-20mins. Or until golden.

Pea Soup with Parmesan Toast

Adapted from the Bathers' Pavilion Cookbook. They've used cream but I went for a lower fat version and used milk. Be careful not to cook the soup for too long or else the peas will turn grey.

Ingredients

Butter

2 eschalots, roughly chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1 bag of vegetable stock

500g frozen peas, defrosted

1/2 cup milk

Method
1. In a large pot, on low heat, cook the eschalots and garlic with a little butter until transparent.

2. Add the stock and potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are soft. Remove from heat and process in a food processer. Cool the liquid.

3. Add peas and process until smooth. To heat the soup, return the soup to the pot and heat on low. As soon as it boils, add the milk and turn the stove off. Season with salt and pepper.

For Parmesan Toast

Pre-heat the grill. Shave some slices of Parmigiano Reggiano over buttered bread and toast until golden and cheese has melt.

Corn Fritters with Tomato Salsa

To make this light and fluffy I whisked the egg whites until stiff and folded it into the mixture. I did this by hand (c'mon it was only two egg whites) till I got all vein-ey and my arm nearly fell off. I would recommend using fresh corn off the cob but a large corn of corn will suffice. Remember to keep the cob and use it for stock or something else later, you don't want to waste it.

Ingredients
2 large ears of corn or 4 small ones

1/2 red onion, finely diced (reserve a tsp for the salsa)

2 eggs, separated

1-2 tbsp plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp paprika

oil for shallow frying

salt and pepper

Method

1. Cut the kernels off the cob. Put into a bowl, add the egg yolks, onion, 1 tbsp flour, baking powder, paprika and season.

2. Whisk egg whites until stiff peak. Gently fold in corn mixture. If the mixture is too runny add second tsp of flour.

3. Heat oil and using a tablespoon, dropped the batter into the oil. Fry until golden and drain on some paper towels.

4. Serve with the tomato salsa.

Tomato Salsa

Cherry tomatoes

1 tsp finely diced red onion

1 tsp olive oil

2 tsp verjuice or white wine vinegar

1. Quarter some cherry tomatoes, put into a bowl and sprinkle with some salt. Refrigerate while you make the corn fritters.

2. When ready to serve, mix in the rest of the ingredients and spoon over fritters.

I added salt to the tomatoes then refrigerated them in order to get the juices out. I wanted to serve the fritters with a bit of a 'sauce'.

Pan fried Kingfish and Israeli Couscous with Celery & Spinach

This is very quick and easy to cook. The total cooking time is approx. 15mins.

Put some plain flour on a plate and season. Put the skin side of the Kingfish (you can use any fish) into the flour until the skin is covered in flour. Pat off any excess flour. Heat oil in a pan, when the oil is very hot carefully put the fish on the pan skin side down (careful as it might spit). Season the other side of the fish and fry until the skin is crispy. Then turn over to fry the other side until cooked, more oil or some butter might be needed. Rest the fish.

Meanwhile make the couscous. For the couscous, you will need: Israeli couscous, 1 clove of garlic - finely chopped, 1/4 of an onion - finely diced, several stalks of celery - finely diced, baby spinach and chicken/fish stock. In a saucepan, add a knob of butter. Once melted, add in garlic and onions. Cook until transparent. Then add celery and cook for 3mins. Add the couscous and season, stir to distribute all the ingredients. Add in chicken stock until it has covered the couscous. Cook until tender - approx. 10mins. When cooked, stir in spinach and season again if necessary.

Chocolate & Cranberry Cake

Ingredients
100g Butter
100g Dark Cooking Chocolate
3 Eggs, light beaten
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Self-raising Flour
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 cup Almond Meal
3/4 cup Caster Sugar
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180c or 160c fan. Line and grease a cake tin.

2. Melt butter and chocolate in a small saucepan on low. Stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

3. Mix the eggs and sour cream until combined. Then pour into the butter and chocolate mixture. Mix well.

4. Put flour, cocoa, baking powder, almond meal, sugar and cranberries into a large mixing bowl. Mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Pour in chocolate mixture and mix until combined.

5. Bake for approx. 30-45mins.

Salmon 'Wellington' and Cook Cucumbers

Finally, after a week and a half I’m germ free!

I got tired of baking salmon, so inspired by Beef Wellington I made Salmon Wellington ... well it’s just salmon wrapped in puff pastry and baked in the oven. The salmon was seasoned and sprinkled with my home dried dill. Then wrapped in puff pastry and baked until the pastry was golden. I was nervous putting the little fillet of salmon in a 30mins oven. I expected it to turn out really dry and it wasn’t! It was a little over but not dry at all.

To accompany the salmon, I made cooked cucumber and fennel in butter sauce. Yes, that’s right – cooked cucumber. I’m not sure where I got the idea from .... I must have seen this done on tv, maybe the Cook and the Chef?

I heated 2tbsp of butter in a small pot on medium heat – don’t use oil because the temperature will get too hot and will fry. Once melted, I added capers, then the fennel and cook for around 1 min. Add the cucumbers and cook for another 2mins, stirring to coat the cucumbers in butter. Add some pepper and dill and you’re done. To my surprise (two discoveries in one day!) it was really nice. It’s a great accompaniment to fish dishes.

Drying your own herbs

Sick of buying a bunch of herbs only to use two springs then a week later you have to chuck the whole thing out? Now you can buy fresh herbs and keep them! How? Dry your own!

Pick your herb and place them on a paper towel, several bunches at a time.

Zap them in the microwave on high for 15secs. Check then zap again for 15secs. Keep on zapping and checking in 15secs slots until it is dried through. You must make sure every piece is dried or else the non-dried ones will go mouldy and ruin all your work.

Get an old spice jar and store them! Home made dried herbs is tastier and smells fresher than the store bought variety.