Category — Recipes

Shapely pears standing upright in a puddle of deeply coloured syrup make an elegant dessert. These delicious Port Poached Pears taste even better made the day before and can be served either hot or cold.

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After lunch or dinner it’s nice to have something small and sweet after dessert. Traditional petit fours are an option, but for something a little different, and possibly a tad healthier, these Moroccan-inspired morsels are a lovely way to end a meal. Not only do they look pretty, but they taste great too.  Perfect for your Christmas table.

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Christmas Day in Queensland is generally a hot and steamy affair.  As much as I enjoy the traditional Christmas fayre of roast turkey and all the trimmings followed by steamed Christmas pudding, the thought of standing in a hot kitchen in the heat on Christmas Day does not jingle my bells! A cold spread is a much better way to go at this time of the year. And even better, a meal of which the majority can be prepared the day before, leaving you free to enjoy the fun and festivities of Christmas Day.

My Festive Tropical Trifle is the perfect warm weather Christmas Day dessert. The combination of panettone, coconut custard and mango makes this a really celebratory dish. If making this at other times of the year when pannettone is not so easily available, substitute madeira or sponge cake. You could replace the rum with extra pineapple juice to make it kid-friendly. To make a bigger trifle, just double the ingredients and use a large serving bowl. Enjoy!

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When the weather is hot and steamy, as it often is in Noosa  at this time of the year, I sometimes find I don’t have much of an appetite for food. Plus the thought of preparing something to eat in the heat and humidity all seems like too much hard work.  When hunger strikes in these conditions, the perfect solution is a big refreshing drink that not only quenches the thirst but also satisfies the appetite.
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It’s the party season, and finger food is a great way to feed your guests.  As well as lending itself to serving a variety of flavours, colours and textures, it encourages people to mingle with other guests (rather than remain in one place if a sit-down meal is being served). The anticipation of waiting for what the next platter will bring is all part of the fun!

This dish is one of the most popular in our Cocktail Food Cooking Class. I’ve not met a person that hasn’t ooo’d and ahh’d over these crispy wonton cases that house a Thai-inspired chicken filling.  Both the cases and the chicken mixture can be made up to 2 days in advance, making it perfect entertaining food.

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As my regular readers would know, I am a big advocate of seasonal cooking. There are so many great reasons for using fruits and vegetables that are in season – they’re at their best, they’re inexpensive and because they don’t to travel great distances it’s better for the environment. Being late Spring, we are currently enjoying a beautiful selection of fruits, including mangoes, strawberries and pineapples. [Read more →]

The onset of the warmer weather to me is a time to start putting lighter, healthier foods back on the menu: barbequed foods instead of slow braises, fresh fruit replaces heavy desserts, and lots of salads! Despite their reputation by some as being dull, salads to me are an opportunity to be creative.  Even the most ordinary salad can be made special with an interesting dressing. My husband, who is not a big fan of greens, has been known to steal my share of the salad and I know this is mainly due to the tasty dressings I make up!
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Appetisers, cocktail food, canapés, finger food….regardless of what you call it, there is something particularly enticing about a selection of small pieces of food, especially when they’re homemade. Because I entertain often and have prepared numerous pieces of cocktail food over the years I know just how much work goes into the preparation, which makes me appreciate it all the more.

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Strawberries are in the height of their season on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland Australia, where I live. As they are so inexpensive to buy at the moment, I have been buying them in bulk and preparing a wide selection of strawberry dishes – strawberry jam, strawberry cake, strawberry daiquiris, strawberry clafoutis to name but a few!

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At this time of the year in many parts of Australia, cumquat trees are bursting with ripe fruit. Many suburban homes have cumquat trees in their gardens as an ornamental, but sadly the fruit is left to rot as it is too tart for most people to eat.  However, cumquats make fantastic marmalade – the perfect way to use that cumquat crop that you didn’t know what to do with.

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