Category: Special occasions

Gingered Fish with Lentils

Sensational – ginger underpins all the flavours with its hot little nip.

Ricotta-stuffed Chicken Breasts with Verjuice

One of my fave chicken dishes – guaranteed succulence every time.

Fours aux Amandes – almond petits fours

Here’s the biscuit for you when you want to add a touch of elegance to your next tea party. Serve with your best china teacups and teapot and make a proper pot of tea as an accompaniment.

Pumpkin Dip with Spicy Oil Drizzle

Easy dip to serve to friends? Roast off some pumpkin, mash with yoghurt and drizzle with a spicy oil. Done.

Rocky Bay Lamb Shanks

Do you know where your lamb comes from? Leelands export-quality lamb can be traced right back to Bill and Sue’s lush Southland pastures.

Fried Cauliflower with Olives & Herbs

Oh Lordy, fried cauliflower. One of life’s delicious moments.

Brown Sugar Meringue with Chocolate Cream

Oh-la-la Impressive!

Chocolate Almond Cake from Capri

Capri is where I discovered this almond cake, sweet, nutty, chocolatey with a fresh note of lemon, an ingredient which the island is famous for. I’ve been making it a lot lately and it just gets better and better.

Michelada

You could liken this to a Bloody Mary, a hangover cure, but it is fab on a really hot day, no hangover required!

Holy Guacamole with Extras

Truly Holy Guacamole! A good chunky guac topped with hot-smoked salmon, preserved lemons and lime leaf fluff. Far out!

Watermelon & Feta with Lemon-infused Oil

This is always a crowd pleaser. Ramp it up a notch with lemon oil, green chilli and spiced rockmelon seeds!

Mini Onion Jam Tartlets

Scrumptious little mouthfuls … just the thing to serve with drinks.

Lamb Steaks with Summer Vegetables

Beautifully pink and juicy barbecued lamb … it doesn’t get much better than this.

Prawn & Chorizo Bites

Get a bit of a Spanish sizzle going on the grill for a tasty start to any meal. Yes!

Roast Lamb with Lemon & Rosemary Crust

Juicy and tender, small roasts are easy to prepare and quick to cook.

Peas with Pancetta

Peas with little salty nuggets of pork belly. Whoop. Whoop.

Roast Duck with Lychee, Watermelon and Watercress Salad

Ho-Ho-Ho, are you after a non trad Xmas dish? Try this one.

Crispy Lamb Cutlets with Pea Mash & Golden Onions

Biting into a crunchy-crusted succulent lamb cutlet … sweet minty pea purée, sneaky hit of chilli .. oh she’s good!

Gingered Fruit Salad

Colourful, crunchy, juicy, tangy and with a balanced minty ginger bite, a bowl of fresh fruit salad is the perfect end to a summer’s meal.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Have you ever had a sauce-off with your sister? This one is so good, but my sister probably makes it better than me.

Baked Tortilla Crisps & Toasted Sesame Bagels

These handy little snacky things are just the ticket to serve with dips and dunks.

Bissara – Moroccan Broad Bean Dip

Mysterious and green, zinging with chilli, let bissara take centre stage at your next drinks gathering.

Apricot & Almond Tart with Frangipane

Look for tangy apricots, not sweet ones, because it is that tang that gives this tart the X-factor.

Rice Paper Rolls with Crisp Vegetables

Finger-food you can feel good about eating.

Dipping Sauce for Rice Paper Rolls

Dip, dunk, swish, all of that … perfect little dip for crisp vegetables and seafood.