A Local TableC E L E B R AT I N G C H R I S T M A S I N W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A

CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIAWelcome to my e-book of Christmas food inspiration created purposely for the people of Perth.

As a food stylist and recipe developer I wanted to offer a collection of festive food ideas designed for home cooks - not master chefs - created with our local seasonal produce and with the warm weather in mind. Let’s face it, snowy winter dining scenes are not for us Aussie’s.

My hope is for you to take pleasure in the ritual of making these recipes as an enjoyable part of the whole festive season, either by yourself or make it an event and cook with family and friends.

I wanted to take away the agony of having to think about what to cook and just enjoy the process...and maybe grab a cheeky compliment or two for your fancy fare.

It was also really important to create recipes that could double as gifts. Winner, winner. There is no more pure gift than something created for you with time, effort and love. You just can’t beat it.

Even after all the years of working as a cook and stylist, Christmas for me is still for celebrating not slaving! If you love to cook but don’t love being stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is having fun, read on, as most of it is about preparing recipes in advance. Christmas FOMO is the worst!

And as much as I love cooking I am also all about food hacks to save yourself time, which I have dotted throughout.

My recipes are not about a 10 minute turnaround, but they are simple, approachable and fun! It’s all about making elements in advance so they are on hand to impress drop-in guests.

And they are especially about making the food look fabulous! I have used my background as a food stylist, having worked at The West Australian and for WA businesses through my Kate Flower Food company, to weave little magic ways to present your home prepared delights just like in the pages of a magazine.

I have also included my personal guide to some of Perth’s best local ingredients for your festive table.

A Local Table

Enjoy! Kate

© ALL IMAGES AND RECIPES ARE COPYRIGHT OF KATE FLOWER FOOD.

Contents

FESTIVE CREPE TABLE 04

Crepe Batter 05Vanilla Ricotta 06Roast Cherry, Strawberry and Brandy Compote 07 GIFTS Limoncello Curd 08 Gin, Apricot and Orange Ham Glaze 09Labneh Balls in Great Southern EVOO 10Coriander and Sumac Toasted Sunflower Seeds 11Gingerbread 12Candied Hazelnuts 13

DRESSINGSSweet Mustard and Orange Dressing 14Mango and Kaffir Lime Dressing 14Sesame Lime Dressing 14 SAVOURYThe Big Easy - Pet Nat Spritz 15 Seared Scallops with Lemon Myrtle and Pepperberry Oil 16-17Grilled Shark Bay Prawn and Noodle Salad 18Beef Tataki with Sesame Lime Dressing 19-20All Dressed Up - Glazing Your Ham 21Apple, Mint and Kohlrabi Slaw and Sweet Mustard Dressing 22Heirloom Tomato and New Norcia Black Barley Salad 23Grilled Kipfler, Mint and Cos Salad with Avocado, Kefir Dressing 24-25Brie with Roast Cherry & Strawberry Compote 26 DESSERTSLittle Bakery / Christmas Treats 27Gingerbread & Honeycomb Ice Cream Sandwich 28-29 Layered Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake 30-31Festive Wreath: Mango, Blueberry and Orange Flower 32-33

Supporting Local 35Supplier Listing 36

It’s Christmas so start the day right with this colourful crepe grazing table and then

tell the family they’re in charge of food for the rest of the day!

Lay out the ingredients on separate plates and bowls and allow your guests to help themselves.

Layer crepes with Vanilla ricotta, curd and berries and finish with nuts and mint and a snowy dusting of icing sugar if you wish.

MAKE AHEAD

Up to 1 week - Limoncello curd

1 day - Vanilla ricotta

1-2 days - Crepe batter

1 day - Cook crepes

Styling Tips Make a spectacle of this breakfast spread by placing all your components in a variety of bowls and jars.

You could pop your mint in a vase to keep it fresh and lively.

INGREDIENTS1 batch Crepes (12 crepes)

1 batch Vanilla Ricotta

1 jar Limoncello Curd

3-4 mixed punnets of seasonal berries, washed and tossed to combine

1 cup Toasted Hazelnuts, crushed

Baby mint leaves to garnish

Icing Sugar to dust on top

METHOD

SERVES6

4

Festive Crepe Table

Crepe BatterINGREDIENTS4 eggs

1 ½ cups milk

1 cup plain flour

2 tbsp butter, melted

2 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

METHOD

CREPE BATTER

Whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in milk, flour, butter, sugar and vanilla until no lumps remain. Alternatively place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Rest batter for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.

Whisk batter again quickly before use.

Pre-heat a 20cm non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.

Pour ½ cup crepe batter into the centre of the hot pan. Lift pan from burner. Quickly tilt to thinly cover bottom of pan. Return pan to heat and cook until top is set and edges begin to turn golden, about 30 seconds. Loosen with a spatula and flip. Continue cooking 30 seconds more. Transfer crepe to a plate. Cover with paper towel to keep warm. Repeat with remaining crepe batter. Serve crepes immediately, or cool and store for later use.

COOK’S NOTES

Resting the batter allows the flour to fully absorb the liquid and gives the gluten a chance to relax. It’s the secret to the most delicate, crepe. Let the batter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to two days. Just give the batter a stir before cooking and if it appears too thick (as sometimes happens when the flour becomes fully hydrated), gently whisk in milk, a little at a time, until it’s thinned to the right consistency.

PREP 10 mins

COOK 20 mins

MAKES 12 crepes

5

Ready, Set, Go

Crepe Batter

You can pre-make and store crepes by cooling then layering singularly with baking paper and refrigerating for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a microwave or quickly in a warm pan.

Place the ingredients in your food processor bowl and process until very smooth, about 2 minutes, then refrigerate for one hour before serving.

INGREDIENTS2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese

4 tbsp honey

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or ½ tsp vanilla powder

METHOD

MAKES 12

PREP 10 mins 6

In-season stone fruit would be a perfect swap for the berries

Vanilla Ricotta

Roast Cherry, Strawberry and Brandy Compote

Bottle and Gift While this recipe is part of my Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Chrissy Cake recipe, it can also stand alone. Bottle and gift to friends, serve it warm with ice cream, pop it on top of a lovely ripe brie or enjoy it in a croissant or crepe with cream.

This is another fabulous recipe to have ready to go a week or two out from Christmas to use as occasions arise.

INGREDIENTS

500g strawberries, washed and hulled

500g pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)

90ml brandy

½ cup sugar

2 cinnamon quills

3 star anise

5 x 5mm rounds of orange or blood orange

Juice of an orange or blood orange

1 tsp vanilla powder or vanilla extract

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 200°C fan forced.

Line a tray approximately 25cm x 37cm x 3cm in size.

Spread all ingredients, or drizzle any liquids, evenly across the tray.

Pop in the oven for 15 minutes before removing to the bench to gently stir.

Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes then check.

The liquid should be simmering and slightly thicker and the strawberries starting to caramelise.

If the compote is not quite there return it to the oven and keep cooking and checking in 5 minute increments.

Once it is caramelised remove to the bench to cool completely then store.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month. It won’t last that long though!

MAKE AHEAD

Can be prepared 3 days out

Grower Note

In WA, 85% of our cherries are grown in a narrow belt stretching from Donnybrook to Pemberton, in the south west of the State, with smaller areas located between the Mt Barker and Albany region and a few growers dotted through Dwellingup and Perth Hills. The short season generally runs December through to late Jan early Feb.

PREP 15 mins

COOK 30-40 mins

MAKES 1kg compote

7

This curd is so great to have in the fridge over Christmas. You can gift it, layer between

sponge cake, add it to a trifle or serve with fruit toast as a treat for breakfast.

Grate lemon zest into a small bowl then add the lemon juice.

In a double boiler whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick. Stir in the lemon zest and juice.

Continually whisk for 15-20 minutes until the mixture thickens and turns pale yellow. If the mixture has not thickened keep whisking.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Stir in the Limoncello.

Strain the mixture using a sieve and pour into a sterilised glass jar.

Cover with plastic wrap and touch the surface to prevent a skin forming.

Refrigerate and use once chilled.

*The curd will keep for four weeks in the fridge and you can pop excess curd in the freezer for up to a year then thaw overnight in the fridge.

MAKE AHEAD

Prepare curd up to two weeks out.

Limoncello Curd

INGREDIENTS

6 tsp lemon zest

1 cup lemon juice, strained of pulp

12 egg yolks

2 cups caster sugar

170g unsalted butter, cold and cut into 9 pieces

½ cup Limoncello

METHOD

MAKES 4 cups

PREP 15 mins

COOK 15-20 mins

8

Grower Note Lemons make up only around 7% of

all citrus farmed locally, however they

are a staple tree in our WA backyards.

A Chrissy ham just isn’t complete without a lick of glossy glaze to dress it up for the outing. A cold glazed ham is the perfect centrepiece for our warm climate! Glaze your ham ahead of time and bring it out as needed.

Ham Glaze also makes a fabulous Christmas gift. Just make sure you get it to the recipient about a week out from the big day so they can include it in their Christmas menu plan.

In a medium pot, whisk sugar, jam, gin and orange juice and 1 teaspoon black peppercorns.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until reduced by a third.

Allow glaze to cool then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Glaze will last in a jar in the fridge for months.

MAKE AHEAD Prepare glaze up to four weeks ahead.

Gin, Apricot and Orange Ham Glaze

INGREDIENTS1 cup brown sugar

370g apricot jam

½ cup gin

1 cup fresh orange juice, strained

1 tsp black peppercorns

METHOD

MAKES 2 cups

PREP 10 mins

COOK 20 mins 9

Labneh Balls in

Great Southern EVOO INGREDIENTS(Start preparing 4 days prior to using. You will need 30cm of muslin cloth for this dish and sterilised glass jars.)

1kg Greek style natural yoghurt

2 tsp sea salt

4 tbsp sumac ground

½ cup parsley leaves, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

8 black peppercorns

500ml EVOO

METHOD

Place yoghurt in a bowl with 2 tsp sea salt and stir to combine.

Lay 30cm square cheese cloth (muslin) on the kitchen bench, place yoghurt in centre, then gather up muslin sides and tie with string.

Suspend the ball over a bowl - try tying the ball to a wooden spoon - then rest the spoon on the top of a bowl, allowing the ball to hang down, leaving a 5cm gap between the ball and the base of the bowl for the whey.

Leave to drain in the fridge for 3 days.

Store the whey that has drained out, remove yoghurt to a bowl and discard muslin.

Here are some ways you can use the whey byproduct.

Lightly coat your hands with olive oil, scoop the strained yogurt into balls, roughly the size of a ping pong ball, or a bit smaller and roll to create a smooth surface.

Transfer the balls to a tray covered with a paper towel, leaving space between the balls.

Refrigerate, uncovered, for 3-6 hours to firm up a bit.

Prepare a plate with a quarter of the sumac and parsley scattered over it.

Roll each of the yoghurt balls across the plate, topping up with sumac and parsley as needed.

Place your Labneh in sterilised preserving jars with garlic and peppercorns, cover with oil and seal.

Leave to marinate for 24 hours.

Will keep for weeks to months in the fridge as long as the oil covers the Labneh.

MAKE AHEAD

1 week - Hang yoghurt

4 days - roll balls and refrigerate

3 days - roll balls through herbs and spice, bottle and top with oil.

MAKES 1 large jar or

two small with approx 600g

of labneh balls

10

These make a great gift for food lovers _

they will be super impressed with your efforts

PREP 30 mins

NOTES

Use the Labneh Balls in salads or spread onto good quality

bread with tomato and olives. Don’t forget to use the oil from

the jar too, which will have a lovely garlicy flavour.

Use these Toasted Sunflower Seeds tossed through salads or on poached eggs

at breakfast. Add them to any savoury dish that needs a crunch. Add other seeds,

nuts and spices as you please to create your own recipe.

Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced.

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and coat seeds.

Lay seeds on a lined baking tray and cook, tossing once, for 8 minutes or until toasted, golden and aromatic.

Cool on the tray then store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

MAKE AHEAD Make up to 4 weeks ahead.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sumac

1 tbsp crushed coriander seeds

1 tsp sea salt

METHOD

Coriander and Sumac Toasted Sunflower Seeds

MAKES 1 cup/12 serves

PREP 10 mins

COOK 8-10 mins 11

Gingerbread

I shopped and baked different recipes before settling on this

fabulous recipe which makes a rich and crisp Gingerbread

biscuit.

Make a double batch every time. Gingerbread dough wrapped

and tied with a biscuit cutter and baking instructions makes a

gorgeous Christmas gift!

INGREDIENTS

145g unsalted butter, soften to room temp

150g packed brown sugar

200g Golden Syrup

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

437g plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp ground cloves

METHOD

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Add the brown sugar and Golden Syrup and beat on medium high speed until combined and creamy-looking.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Next, beat in egg and vanilla on high speed for 2 full minutes scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. The butter may separate; that’s OK.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together until combined.

On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined.

The dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky. Divide dough in half and place each onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly into a ball. Chill dough balls overnight (and up to 3 days).

Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Line 2-3 large baking trays with baking paper. Set aside.

Remove 1 ball of chilled dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. Don’t be afraid to continually flour the work surface as needed - this dough can be sticky. Roll out ball until 3mm thick. Cut into 7.5cm rounds with a biscuit cutter. Place shapes 2cm apart on lined baking trays. Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped.

Repeat with remaining ball of dough.

Bake gingerbread for about 8-10 minutes or until your biscuits are just browning at the side. Allow biscuits to cool for 5 minutes on the tray. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Biscuits stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

PREP 20 mins

COOK 8-10 mins

MAKES 35 biscuits

12

Make a double batch every time

Heat a medium non-stick frypan over medium heat, add hazelnuts, granulated sugar and butter.

Stir in the pan for 5 minutes (with a heat proof non-plastic spatula) so your mixture doesn’t burn (especially towards the end). Stir constantly until all sugar is melted and nuts are coated.

Transfer immediately onto a sheet of baking paper. If you want a cluster of nuts spread lightly or if you want individual nuts separate them right away. Using two spatulas will make this task go faster.

Can be made a week ahead and stored in an airtight container in a cool place.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup toasted hazelnuts, skin removed (see notes below)

¼ cup white granulated sugar (not coarse sugar)

1 tbsp unsalted butter

TOASTING HAZELNUTS AND REMOVING THE SKIN

Place nuts on a lined baking tray in the oven for around 8 minutes at 180°C.

To remove skin from toasted hazelnuts, wrap them in a tea towel as soon as they exit the oven. Allow them to sit and steam for about five minutes. Hold enclosed tea towel and make sure the hazelnuts are all safely inside then rub them together firmly for a minute or so. This should remove most of the skin easily. Simply pick up nuts from the tea towel, leaving the skin behind.

METHOD

MAKES 1 cup

PREP 10 mins

COOK 8-10 mins 13

Candied Hazelnuts

COOK’S NOTES

Add spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and

even fennel or cumin seeds to add interest.

These would be added with all ingredients

to the pan.

Can be made a week ahead and stored in

an airtight container in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS

(Prepare a sterilised glass jar) 1 tbsp Dijon mustard3 tbsp honey½ cup orange juice, strained 1 tsp black pepper, ground¼ tsp salt3 tbsp Apple Cider vinegar1 crushed garlic clove1/3 cup olive oil

Sweet Mustard and Orange DressingMETHOD

Combine all dressing ingredients in a large jar with a secure lid. Shake until well combined. (It will last in the fridge for 9 days).

Perfect with vegetarian leafy salads with crispy bacon, coleslaw.

INGREDIENTS300g mango flesh, roughly chopped 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce4 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp Apple Cider vinegar2 tbsp light olive oil15g roughly chopped coriander, leaves and stalks2 Kaffir lime leaves, remove the spine1 tbsp fish sauce

Mango and Kaffir Lime DressingMETHOD

Using a blender or stick blender, blitz all ingredients to a smooth consistency.

Adjust taste to suit using extra lime juice for tart, fish sauce for salt and sweet chilli for sweetness and heat.

MAKE AHEAD Prepare two days ahead of use.

Perfect with grilled seafood, grilled chicken, grilled tofu.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup store-bought Sesame and Chilli Dressing *See Cook’s Notes to the right

¼ cup lime juice

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp brown sugar

Add further sesame oil and chilli oil to suit your taste

Sesame Lime DressingMETHOD

Whisk together dressing ingredients to combine well.

Perfect with Asian salads, rare beef, noodles.

COOK’S NOTES Buying Sesame Sauce - Try using Sayaka’s Kitchen Goma Sesame Sauce made locally in Mosman Park or Mala Dumplings Chilli Black Bean and Aged Vinegar.

MAKES 1 1/2 cups

14

Dressings

MAKES Approx 1 cup

MAKES 2 cups

The Big Easy Pet Nat Spritz

METHOD

BASIL SYRUP

(You will need a sterilised glass jar)

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup water

1 cup fresh basil leaves

METHOD

Place all ingredients into a small pot and bring to a boil before lowering to a simmer for around 5-10 minutes before removing from the heat and allowing to infuse for 30 minutes, or even overnight for a stronger infusion.

Pass the liquid through a sieve, to remove the basil, and into a sterilised glass jar.

Store in the fridge for up to a month.

MAKE AHEAD

1 week - Basil syrup

TO ASSEMBLE

Place the ingredients in your glass in the order listed to the left and gently stir before serving.

You can’t go past a sparkling beverage to welcome guests

to a party. This refreshing spritz is a gorgeous herbaceous

infusion with the Summery flavours of Limoncello, locally

produced Pet Nat sparkling wine and frozen raspberries to

keep it all cool. Easy to assemble as people arrive, you’ll be

everyone’s favourite friend or relative by the time they’ve

finished the first one.

INGREDIENTS½ cup ice

Lemon round

A few fresh basil leaves

2 raspberries, fresh or frozen

15ml lemon juice

30ml Limoncello

15ml basil infused syrup - or to taste

100ml Pet Nat (or Sparkling White)

90ml sparkling water

PREP 10 mins

COOK 10 mins

MAKES 1

15

Seared Scallops with Lemon Myrtle and

Pepperberry Oil

16

Seared Scallops with Lemon Myrtle and Pepperberry Oil

This scallop dish is so simple and can all be pre-prepared. Simply sear the scallops to serve and top with all the flavour layers below - your guests will be blown away.

INGREDIENTS12 scallops (NorthernStar Ocean Products)

2 tbsp EVOO (Great Southern Groves)

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp Roogenic Lemon Myrtle and Pepperberry infused EVOO

¼ tsp white sugar

Sea salt

100g pancetta, diced 5mm

1/3 cup baby peas, thawed in warm water

1 tbsp parsley

Sourdough crumbs (see recipe to the right)

METHOD

In a flat plastic container gently toss scallops, olive oil and garlic. Set aside for 30 minutes or overnight

When ready to cook...

Lay your scallop shells onto a large platter.

Mix together the lemon juice, infused Roogenic oil, sugar and a little salt and set aside.

Place a large pan over medium heat and add the pancetta. Cook tossing until the fat has rendered and the bacon is cooked to your liking (5 mins). Remove pancetta to a plate lined with paper towel.

Turn the heat under the pan up to high and allow the heat to build for a minute.

Add scallops, cooking one side for around two minutes or until caramelised.

Flip and cook on the other side for a minute only. Scallops should be served quite rare.

Remove scallops from pan and add directly to the shells.

Top each scallop with a little pancetta, a few peas and a teaspoon of the infused lemon oil mix.

Finish with parsley and sourdough crumbs then sprinkle with a little flakey salt.

Serve immediately.

*Wash and store your scallop shells for future use.

SOURDOUGH CRUMBS

Preheat oven to 160°C fan forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper and tear up 200g of sourdough bread and spread across the tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil, add a crushed garlic clove and toss to coat.

Put bread in the oven and check every 5 to 10 minutes. You can break it down as you go.

Once the bread is crunchy and golden, remove from oven and set aside.

Once cool, you can crush the bread crumbs down to a crumb size or whatever suits your dish.

MAKE AHEAD

1 day - cook pancetta, thaw peas, make dressing, marinate scallops.

NorthernStar Ocean Products harvest, catch, process and deliver direct from their fishing vessel some of the finest “wild ocean caught” West Aussie seafood. As one of a handful of operators permitted to fish from the World Heritage Listed waters of Shark Bay, NorthernStar is committed to the practice of sustainable fishing and preserving the area’s beauty and marine life for the future.

Roogenic is a family owned all-natural health food company specialising in Australian Native Plants, with the mission to embrace Australian culture and share the phenomenal health benefits and traditional uses of Native Australian plants, while also making them accessible and easy to use for people around the world.

PREP 20 mins

COOK 8-10 mins

MAKES 12 scallops

17

Choose wild ocean caught seafood for

a more sustainable Christmas.

COOK’S NOTES

*Have your fishmonger separate scallops from the shell, but keep the shells for plate styling.

* Scallops can produce quite a bit of smoke when you cook them so if you have a BBQ put it to good use and prepare this dish outside.

Grilled Shark Bay Prawn and Noodle Salad with Mango and Kaffir Lime Dressing

INGREDIENTS

SALAD

200g baby cos leaves

180g organic soba noodles, cooked to packet directions, cooled and then tossed through a little peanut oil to keep the noodles separate.

¼ medium pineapple, skin removed and sliced into thin halves

1 sleeve coriander

METHOD

Prepare dressing and refrigerate.

Crush all marinade ingredients together in a mortar and pestle into a rough paste then gently toss through prawns to coat. Set aside in the fridge to marinate for an hour or overnight.

Using a fork, curl batches of cooled soba noodles up to create small nests and set aside.

Scatter salad ingredients evenly across your platter and pop in the nests of noodles. Use the picture as a reference.

When you’re ready to cook the prawns, remove from fridge to bring to room temperature (30 mins).

Heat a large pan over high heat (or use your BBQ), add a little peanut oil and cook the prawns in batches, then cool slightly. They should only take a minute on each side.

Top the salad with prawns, drizzle with MANGO AND KAFFIR LIME DRESSING and sprinkle with crispy shallots at the last minute

Serve with extra dressing on the side.

Styling Tip This salad is best prepared on a large platter with a small lip to stop ingredients spilling off when serving. This way you don’t bury your beautiful ingredients in a deep salad bowl and guests can enjoy all the colours and textures on display.

MAKE AHEAD

3 days - Dressing

1 day - Marinate prawns

1 day - Cook noodles and create nests/ Prepare salad ingredients (wash, slice and store)

VEGETARIAN SUBSTITUTES

Crumble tempe through this salad for a nutty chewy substitute to seafood. Add toasted cashews.

MARINADE

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp peanut oil

3 cloves garlic

20g ginger

3 Kaffir lime leaves, spine removed and finely sliced

Salt

15g mint

½ red onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup crispy shallots (from Asian grocer)

1 batch MANGO AND KAFFIR LIME DRESSING

SERVES 5-6 as main10-12 as buffet

18

500g Shark Bay Prawns, peeled with tail left on

Beef Tataki with Sesame Lime Dressing

19

Beef Tataki with Sesame Lime Dressing

METHOD

Bring beef to room temperature - 30 minutes covered on the bench.

Roll beef through the crushed coriander and salt and rub evenly all over.

Pre-heat a heavy based frypan to HOT.

Drizzle each eye fillet with oil then place one side down in the hot pan.

Seal each side of the eye fillets for a couple of minutes to caramelise. The beef should be in the pan for NO longer than 8 minutes.

Remove the steaks to a plate to rest and cool, then wrap each one tightly in gladwrap and pop in the freezer for 30 minutes (this will make it easier to slice thinly).

Meanwhile, prepare salad ingredients.

Remove the steak from the freezer, unwrap and slice into 3mm thin slices.

Using a large flat platter to serve, drizzle half the dressing across the platter.

Layer the beef just overlapping evenly across the platter.

Scatter with salad ingredients, drizzle with more dressing and finish with black sesame seeds.

MAKE AHEAD

3 days ahead - Sesame Lime Dressing

1 day ahead - Seal, wrap and refrigerate beef, freeze for 30 minutes just before slicing.

INGREDIENTS3 x 225g pieces of grass-fed eye fillet beef (choose steaks of a similar size)

3 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed

1 tbsp sea salt

3 tbsp peanut or olive oil

SALAD

6 radish thinly sliced 2mm

3 Lebanese cucumbers, washed and thinly sliced 2mm

2 spring onion, trimmed and thinly sliced into rounds 2mm

½ cup micro greens (I used bok choy but coriander, celery or even sprouts would work well)

1 tbsp black sesame seeds

SESAME LIME DRESSING

SERVES 4 as a shared main

or 8 as part of a buffet

20

My local butcher, P. Princi in Bicton, source all their beef farm direct. Through the Christmas season it’s all grass-fed, which means it’s spent at least 90 days on grass, and is coming from farmers in Manjimup and Donnybrook. Joe Princi is a skilled buyer and chooses live cattle which are then reared to his specifications in the lead up to handover.

For organic beef try Dandaragan Grass-Fed Beef.

PREP 20 mins

COOK 8 mins

Provenance Matters

COOK’S NOTES

This dish would also be stunning served on a bed of soba noodles in small bowls as a stand up snack.

Buying steak - aim for a steak that’s almost as tall as it is wide to prevent overcooking

Buying Sesame Sauce - Try using Sayaka’s Kitchen Goma Sesame Sauce made locally in Mosman Park or Maragret River’s Mala Dumplings Chilli Black Bean and Aged Vinegar.

Styling Tips Keep the salad covering only 1/3 of the beef so you get a lovely visual of both the salad and the rare beef.

Add the salad, garnishes and top with dressing just before the platter hits the table so the salad remains super fresh and crisp.

VEGETARIAN SUBSTITUTES

You could do a very similar dish with silken tofu, no searing required. Just add nuts for interest and crunch.

20

All Dressed Up - Glazing Your Ham

When buying a ham, I can’t go past the nitrate-free and free-range hams from Princi Butcher in Bicton. The quality is outstanding and I know the animals they select have been well reared and treated with care. Have a chat with your butcher to see where they source their animals from and how they prepare the hams. Princi’s select female, free range Berkshire pigs from a farmer in Kellerberrin, who rears them exclusively for the butcher.

If you would like to go farm direct, try family farmers Hamlet Pork, who also rear Berkshire free range pigs in Coolup just south of Pinjarra near Mandurah.

PREPARING YOUR HAMCut a line through the skin all around the shank (bone) end.

Insert a sharp knife between the rind and fat and run it along to detach the rind layer.

Using your fingers, gently separate the rind from the fat.

Insert your hand deeper into the ham to keep detaching the rind peel off and discard the rind.

Lightly score a diamond pattern all over the fat on the surface running lines about 3cm apart and 0.5cm deep.

METHOD

Preheat Oven to 200°C fan forced.

Cover the shank of the ham with baking paper and secure with foil to stop it from burning.

Place your ham on a large lined baking tray. Make sure it is secure and won’t tip.

Brush around ½ a cup of Ham Glaze over a medium size ham (approx 7kg) covering all the scored fat evenly.

Place tray in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove the ham, glaze lightly again and place back into the oven, swapping the direction it goes in to ensure even cooking.

Cook for a further 15 minutes and repeat the process until you feel the ham glaze is caramelised to your liking. It should be ready after 3 times.

Remove from the oven and cool before covering with baking paper then plastic wrap and refrigerating.

When you are ready to use, remove the foil from the shank and replace with white calico and garnish with twine and a festive sprig of herb or a floral decoration.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Choose - A dark colour on the ham skin is an indication it has been naturally wood-smoked rather than flavoured with liquid smoke (which will provide far less flavour through the meat than wood-smoked).

Store - The best way to correctly store your Christmas ham once it has been opened is to use an old pillowcase that has been rinsed in water and wrung out tightly. Alternate the pillow-case with a fresh one every couple of days and your ham will keep well in the fridge.

Size - Hams 10-12kg are most likely to have the best flavour and texture due to age of the pig (*Source: Australian Pork)

Re-use - As with all meat, a ham with the bone left in will have more flavour than with the bone out. You can also use the bone for stock or soup.

COOK’S NOTE

I use toothpicks to stop the baking paper sticking to the glaze. Dot a few around in the crevices of the scored fat and pop the paper gently over them.

PREP 20 mins

COOK 30-45 mins

SERVES 10-20

21

Know your product

Apple, Mint and Kohlrabi Slaw and Sweet Mustard Dressing

The simple things really are the best and, when it comes to food, the most versatile. This slaw recipe gets tweaked to accompany a variety of main dishes in my house. I used Kohlrabi, also called German turnip, which is a biennial vegetable and tastes like a spicier version of broccoli. Get creative and design your own version. Try adding nuts, seeds, dried cranberries, currants or switch up the herbs. Dill works perfectly. I also like this slaw with a yogurt dressing, however I thought a Sweet Mustard Dressing would be a great match to the Glazed Chrissy Ham.

INGREDIENTS1 apple, sliced thinly

1 cup red cabbage, sliced thinly

2 cups Savoy cabbage, sliced thinly

1 cup Kohlrabi, julienne (long thin strips)

½ cup radish, halved and thinly sliced

½ cup mint, torn

*Optional Toasted Sunflower Seeds

Sweet Orange Mustard Dressing

METHOD

Prepare each of the Slaw ingredients then place in a bowl and toss with dressing as close to serving as possible to keep ingredients fresh and crunchy.

COOK’S TIP Store slaw and dressing in the fridge separately until ready to use.

Shake dressing well again before pouring over slaw and combine well.

If you can’t find Kohlrabi simply substitute with broccoli stems. The crisp green stem of broccoli is perfect julienned and thrown in stirfrys, salads and even soups.

MAKE AHEAD Up to 5 days out - Dressing

Styling Tips No matter what you decide to use in your slaw, consider colour and texture. Slice items differently (apple sliced into thin moons, Kohlrabi julienne) so there are points of visual interest.

Be gentle in handling your food. You want your platter to have height, so lay the slaw out gently, piling it in the center and letting it fall to the sides.

PREP 15 mins

MAKES 6-8 serves

22

Heirloom Tomato and New Norcia Black Barley Salad INGREDIENTS

1kg mixed heirloom tomatoes (pick different sizes, shapes and colours)½ cup black pearl barley, cooked in 2 cups of water for 40 mins, or until chewy, and cooled400g Labneh Balls, homemade or swap for 200g goats cheese100g Coriander and Sumac Toasted Sunflower Seeds1/3 cup parsley leaves 1/3 cup fennel fronds1/3 cup basil leaves, tornSea salt to taste

DRESSING90ml Great Southern Groves EVOO or other EVOO30ml aged red wine vinegar (or standard)½ tsp sugar½ tsp salt

METHOD

Wash and slice your tomatoes as desired. Large ones can be sliced through the center into four rounds, medium size can be halved and smaller ones can be halved or left whole. You are going for a lovely aesthetic here.

Prepare the dressing by placing all ingredients in a jar and shaking until well combined.

In a small bowl toss your herbs through 4 tbsp of the dressing.

ASSEMBLY

On a platter layer half the tomatoes, scatter with half the barley and half the herbs. Dot some Labneh Balls evenly around and repeat with the remaining tomatoes, barley and herbs.

Finish the platter with the remaining labneh, sprinkle with sunflower seeds and dress with some of the remaining dressing. Season to taste.

COOK’S NOTES

While the hero of the dish is undoubtedly the bright seasonal tomatoes, this salad is made extra special with Black Pearl Barley grown in New Norcia by farmer Roger Duggan. I found this at The Boatshed Cottesloe which is Perth’s best one-stop shop for gourmet groceries, however if you google you’ll find a stockist close by. Some of the positives of Black Barley

• low GI and contains high amount of protein, fibre, vitamin B6 and phosphorus.

• nutty taste and unique texture.

• it is hull-less so does not require further post-harvest processing so it’s a direct paddock to plate product.

• There is an environmental benefit with less energy required for growing and processing the final product.

MAKE AHEAD

4 days - Labneh

2 days - Cook barley, make dressing, toast sunflower seeds

PREP 20 mins

COOK 40 mins

MAKES 8-12

as a side dish

23

Styling Tip Make sure you include a range of tomatoes in all shapes, sizes and

even colours to create an eye catching dish.

Be gentle when handling the herbs and placing them on the salad.

They should retain some height and not bruise.

Grilled Kipfler, Mint and Cos Salad with Avocado, Kefir Dressing

24

Grilled Kipfler, Mint and Cos Salad with Avocado and Kefir Dressing

It’s just not Christmas in Australia without a good old potato

salad. In the 80’s when I was growing up it would have been a

mayonnaise slathered experience. This beauty is just a little

bit more special to mark the occasion. It is a recipe of mine

that featured in WA Potatoes Magazine, one of my favourite

clients. Kipfler potatoes are grown in Pemberton in our Great

Southern region. If you can’t find them in your grocer they can

be replaced with a Royal Blue. Buy your potatoes dirty if you

can, as the soil protects the potatoes and slows ageing.

INGREDIENTS6 Kipfler potatoes, par boiled skin on

2 tbsp olive oil

1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, seeds removed and sliced on an angle

Handful fresh mint leaves picked, washed and drained

½ cup frozen peas, thawed

1 baby Cos, leaves separated, washed and dried

10 snow peas, topped and sliced 5mm on a sharp angle

2 sticks celery, sliced 5mm on a sharp angle

Handful of celery leaves from the center of the bunch

3 radish, sliced into 2mm rounds

METHOD

PREP 20 mins

COOK 25 mins

SERVES 4 as main 6-8 as side

25

Parboil the Kipfler potatoes, leaving the skin on (about 10-15 minutes).

Once a fork will push into the potatoes with a little pressure, drain and place on a board.

Once cool enough to handle, slice potatoes lengthwise through the center then place in a bowl with the olive oil. Toss to coat.

Heat a griddle, or your BBQ, on high and grill the potatoes for around 5 minutes, or until they develop lovely charr marks. Then turn and give them a couple of minutes on the other side before removing them to a plate to cool.

Once cooled, layer the potatoes onto a platter with all the other ingredients (refer to photo for presentation ideas).

Drizzle liberally with the dressing and finish with a little fresh mint.

INGREDIENTS

½ large avocado

¾ cup plain kefir

1 small clove garlic

½ cup nutritional yeast

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chopped parsley

4 tbsp lemon juice

Season to taste

METHOD Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Add a little water to thin the dressing if you wish. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Should last three days in a sealed jar or plastic container in the fridge.

MAKE AHEAD 1 Day - Boil potatoes, make dressing, thaw peas, wash produce

For more fabulous potato recipes head over to the WA Potatoes website www.todatoes.com.au.

MAKES 1 1/2 CUPS

25

DRESSING

COOK’S NOTE

If you’re not feeling fussy just toss all ingredients in a large bowl

with dressing and pile on the platter.

COOK’S NOTES

Enjoy the benefits of the probiotic rich kefir in this recipe.

Added nutrient punch from Nutritional Yeast

https://www.superfoodly.com/what-is-nutritional-yeast and

leafy greens.

Kipfler low GI - lower GI than many of the high starch

varieties. What that means is that it won’t raise your blood

sugar levels too quickly and is therefore a better potato for

people with diabetes.

Brie with Roast Cherry &

Strawberry Compote

At times of celebration it’s handy to keep a few tricks up your sleeve. This simple brie topped with compote and served with artisan bread is just the ticket. Keep all items on hand and pull them out like a genius when friends drop by.

INGREDIENTS200g round of Australian Brie - Try Yallingup Cheese Company’s Wildwood Brie

1 cup Roasted Cherry and Strawberry Compote

1 small artisan fruit and nut loaf (I sourced my Walnut and Cranberry Loaf from Wild Bakery in South Fremantle)

METHOD

ASSEMBLY

Remove the brie from the fridge half an hour before serving to come to room temperature.

Place on a plate with a lip to catch any travelling syrup, then top the cheese generously with compote.

Serve with sliced fruit and nut loaf, toasted nuts and even a side of Chrissy ham would be beautiful.

COOK’S NOTES

If you’re entertaining a large group splash out on a large wheel of brie. It will make such an impact at the table.

You could replace the compote with a good quality store bought fruit relish and toasted walnuts.

MAKE AHEAD

3 days - Compote

Styling tips Keep this one rustic. Choose a platter and knife which suit the simplicity of this plate of food.

Add toasted walnuts or rosemary.

PREP 10 mins

SERVES 6

26

Quick and Easy

Time SaverIf you need to save yourself some time this is the way to do it - focus on the big ticket items to make yourself and purchase the fiddly stuff. I am a complete sucker for Little Bakery - they are quite literally a tiny bakery in Nedlands pumping out hand made sweet goodies year round. At this time of year I become addicted to their crumbly Fruit Mince Pies and I love their cute Gingerbread Men. Both bring festive cheer and make wonderful decorations or place settings at the Christmas table. The Rocky Road they produce at Christmas is colourful, crunchy and full of nuts, puffs and chewy Turkish delight.

A couple of other great finger food ideas to have on hand are…

Frozen handmade dumplings from Mala Dumplings which only require a short steam before serving and are full of top quality ingredients.

Raw fresh Sausage Rolls from Princi Butchers, Gilbert’s Fresh Hilton, or your local supplier. They must be made on site where you buy them and baked at home just before serving. Everyone loves a sausage roll!

2727

Little Bakery / Christmas Treats

272727

INGREDIENTS1 batch Gingerbread biscuits

1 batch of Honeycomb icecream

400g white chocolate

200g pistachios, toasted and crushed

METHOD

ASSEMBLING THE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Sandwich the rounds of ice cream between two Gingerbread biscuits.

Allow the ice cream sandwiches to sit out of the freezer for about 5 minutes so the ice cream softens a little and is able to re-freeze and hold to each of the gingerbread.

Return ice cream sandwiches to the freezer.

Melt 400g of white chocolate in a small ceramic bowl in short increments in the microwave. Alternatively use a double boiler to melt.

Crush 200g toasted pistachios to small crumbs and pop on a large plate.

Prepare a tray with baking paper to place the finished sandwiches onto and put in the freezer.

Remove the ice cream sandwiches from the freezer and one at a time dip into the white chocolate to 1/3 of the depth of the biscuits. Lift and allow some of the chocolate to drain off. Turn the sandwich to make sure it is evenly coated across both sides and the edge.

Press the white chocolate coated section into the pistachio crumb. You can use your hands to lift and press crumbs in as needed. Once finished lay the sandwich on the tray in the freezer immediately to harden the chocolate quickly.

Repeat x 14 (or more if you squeezed extra out of your batches)

*The sandwiches are ready to eat as soon as the chocolate has set.

If you thought you had friends before... wait till you serve these killer ice cream sandwiches.

These beauties are always a crowd pleaser. The preparation involves a few steps, but they are all simple and well worth the effort. Start preparations ahead of time so they are ready days before an event.

Gingerbread & Honeycomb Ice Cream Sandwich

PREP 2 hours

COOK 25 mins

MAKES 15

28

Homemade Honeycomb Icecream INGREDIENTS

HOMEMADE HONEYCOMB

Butter, to line the tin

200g caster sugar

5 tbsp Golden Syrup

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

HONEYCOMB ICE CREAM

2 cups (500ml) whipping cream

1 tin (395g) condensed milk

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

½ batch crushed honeycomb chips (store bought or home made)

METHOD

HOMEMADE HONEYCOMB

Butter a 20cm square tin.

Stir the caster sugar and golden syrup together in a deep saucepan over a gentle heat until the sugar has melted. Don’t let the mixture bubble until the sugar grains have disappeared.

Turn up the heat a little and simmer until you have an amber-coloured caramel (this won’t take long), then as quickly as you can, turn off the heat, stir in bicarbonate of soda with a wooden spoon until it has all disappeared and the mixture is foaming. Scrape into the tin immediately and allow to spread naturally.

The mixture will continue bubbling in the tin. Leave to cool and set for around 1 ½ hours until the honeycomb is hard and ready to crumble. Crumble the honeycomb by placing it on baking paper on a tea towel, folding the tea towel and gently crushing it with a pestle or heavy tool.

CHEATS HONEYCOMB ICE CREAM

Line your tray ready to freeze the ice cream in.

Place the cream, condensed milk and vanilla in a stand mixer and whip at medium high speed until soft peaks form.

Stir through the honeycomb and then tip the mixture into the prepared tray.

Even out the ice cream with a spatula and freeze overnight.

When you are ready to prepare the ice cream sandwiches, remove the tray from the freezer and, using the same biscuit cutter used for the gingerbread, portion out 15 rounds of ice cream.

MAKE AHEAD

You could do all of this a couple of weeks out and freeze but if you want to start a week ahead follow this schedule.

1 week - Gingerbread dough

5 days - Prepare honeycomb

4 days - Prepare honeycomb ice cream

3 days - Cook and cool gingerbread, assemble icecream cookies and freeze

2 days - Dip cookies in white chocolate and pistachio and freeze

Time Saver If you’d like to skip a few steps, replace your homemade

honeycomb ice cream with good-quality vanilla icecream mixed

with store-bought honeycomb or a crushed Crunchie bar. You can

also purchase gingerbread and cut ice cream to size.

PREP 20 mins

COOK 10 mins

MAKES 1 tray

Honeycomb Ice cream (25cm x 37cm x 3cm)

29

30

SERVES 15 Makes 4

separate cakes to layer (20cm round spring form tin)

PREP & ASSEMBLY 30/10 mins

COOK 30 mins

INGREDIENTSFLOURLESS CHOCOLATE AND HAZELNUT CAKE

480g dark chocolate

120ml espresso

12 eggs (yolks and whites separated)

480g caster sugar

225g hazelnut meal

LAYERING CREAM

300ml creme fraiche

300ml whipping cream

½ tsp vanilla powder

Roasted Cherry and Strawberry Compote

Candied Hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Layered Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake with Roasted Cherry, Strawberry and Brandy Compote

All hail the rich decedant, boozy chocolate cake.

Heaven on a Christmas table!

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Gently melt the chocolate using your preferred method.

Once the chocolate is melted, gently stir in the espresso.

Using a stand and mixer, beat together egg yolks and caster sugar for around five minutes until very pale and fluffy.

Gently fold the chocolate-coffee mixture into the whipped yolks in three batches.

Using a fresh bowl, whisk the egg whites to form stiff peaks.

Gently fold the whites and hazelnut meal into the chocolate mixture in three batches.

Spread half the mixture into the two cake tins, lined with baking paper.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cakes are cooked through.

Cool and remove the cakes from their tins, leaving them on the baking paper.

Repeat the process with the remaining half of the batter.

For the layering cream, whip together the ingredients to form soft peaks, and refrigerate until the final assembly.

ASSEMBLING THE CAKE

You can choose to have a double, triple or quadruple layered cake. If you are going high it is wise to hold the cakes in place with a couple of skewers through the bottom cake onto which the next layers can be placed. This will combat the dreaded lean.

Place one layer on a serving plate and spread it evenly with one quarter of the cream, then top with half a cup of compote.

Repeat the process with another layer of cake and continue until you have placed the final cake.

Top this with cream, sprinkle with candied hazelnuts and decorate with fresh cherries, strawberries or dried orange rounds.

Refrigerate uncovered until ready to serve.

Serve with extra compote on the side.

This is a very rich cake so portion accordingly.

MAKE AHEAD

1 week - Candied Hazelnuts

1 week - Compote

1 day - Chocolate cakes

31

Layered Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

Styling Tip Don’t top the cake with compote as this will mix into the cream and look like

a dog’s breakfast! Stick to fresh or dried fruit and nuts or even foliage. Fresh

mint would also give a great pop of colour.

Get more height - and make a greater visual impression - by using a cake

stand rather than a flat platter.

Festive Wreath: Mango, Blueberry and Orange Flower

If you really want to elicit excitement in your guests there is no better way than presenting a gorgeous dessert to the table. This Festive Wreath is part pavlova, part Eton mess and makes use of our beloved North West mangoes as they are hitting their peak. There are a few steps to bring this recipe together but if you chip away at them over a few days then it is a cinch to assemble on the day. I’ve included the Limoncello curd in this recipe, however if you’re struggling for time, a shop-bought lemon curd will do the trick.

INGREDIENTSMERINGUE300g caster sugar150g free range egg whites (approximately 5 large eggs) ORANGE BLOSSOM CREAM 2 tbsp orange blossom water1 tsp unflavoured gelatin1 ½ cups cold, full fat whipping cream¼ cup (30g) icing sugar1 tsp orange zest

½ jar Limoncello Curd(or store bought lemon curd is fine too GARNISH1 large mango1 punnet blueberries, washed and drained5-7 raspberries½ cup pistachios, finely crushedBaby mint leaves to garnish

MAKE AHEAD

1 week - Curd

Up to 1 week - Meringue (stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place)

3 days ahead - Blitz or crush pistachio

1 day ahead - Cream

Christmas Day cutting fruit and assembling only.

SERVES 10

PREP & ASSEMBLY 45 mins

COOK 30 mins

Festive Wreath: Mango, Blueberry and Orange Flower

METHOD

Sprinkle with pistachio dust as you see fit.

Pop the meringue kisses randomly across the top of your wreath then garnish with baby mint leaves, raspberries and more pistachio crumb.

MANGO NOTE

Make sure you grab your mangoes a few days in advance. Low yields in the Ord Valley, due to growing conditions and lack of seasonal workers for picking, means we will be relying on our Carnarvon growers and there may be a shortage over Christmas. Use a mango that is not over-ripe so it is easier to handle. If your mango is smelling good, pop it in the fridge to slow the ripening process.

CHEAT

Use store-bought curd and nest meringues rather than making your own. No one will know.

Pre-heat oven to 200°C.

Line a small baking tray with baking paper, pour on the caster sugar and heat it in the oven for 7 minutes. This will create a glossy, stable mixture. Pour the whites into a mixer and whisk them slowly, allowing small stabilising bubbles to form, then increase the speed until the egg whites form stiff peaks.

Take sugar out of the oven, and turn oven down to 100°C.

With your mixer on full speed, very slowly spoon the hot sugar into the beaten egg whites, making sure the mixture comes back up to stiff peaks after each addition of sugar. Once you have added all the sugar, continue to whisk on full speed until you have a smooth, stiff and glossy mixture (You should continue to whisk for at least 5 minutes). Feel a bit of the mixture between your fingers; if you can still feel the gritty sugar, keep whisking at full speed until it has dissolved.

Line two baking trays with baking paper and pencil out 10 x 8.5 cm rounds onto the paper tracing around a glass or cookie cutter to keep the circles even.

Spoon about 4 tbsp of meringue into the center of each circle then, using the back of a soup spoon, push the meringue gently out to fill the circle and then circle the mixture to keep it fairly even on top.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the meringue bases come off the baking paper clean.

To make the 10 small kisses, line a third tray, spoon the remaining meringue into a disposable piping bag and cut the tip off (about a 5 cent size hole). Pipe out your kisses by keeping the bag tight, straight and directly above your baking tray. Squeeze from a 2cm height from the baking tray and then let go before pulling up to form the lovely peaks.

Sprinkle each kiss with half a teaspoon of crushed pistachio then place in the oven at the 20 minute mark with your larger meringues.

When the large meringues are cooked, turn the oven off, crack

the door with a wooden spoon and leave the meringues to cool completely.

ORANGE BLOSSOM CREAM

Add the orange blossom water to a microwave safe glass and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin on top. Allow to sit for a few minutes then pop the gelatin mixture into the microwave and cook for 20 seconds until the gelatin is fully dissolved.

Stir the mixture, then set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream and sugar.

Whip the mixture until it starts to thicken and soft peaks form, then turn the mixer to low speed.

Slowly pour in the gelatin mixture until well combined. Increase the mixer to medium speed and continue mixing until stiff peaks form, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

FRUIT

To prepare the fruit, slice the cheeks from a large mango. Scoop them from the skin with a spoon in one piece. Slice through the width of each cheek at 3mm intervals, on a slight angle and set aside. Wash berries and store in a container on paper towel until ready to use.

ASSEMBLY

Place your large meringues into a circle, on a large flat platter.

Top the meringues with a layer of cream. Be rustic but keep it on top of the meringue.

Place blueberries at regular intervals around the circle on one side of each meringue.

Pipe or spoon a dollop of Limoncello Curd onto the side of each set of blueberries.

Lay two pieces of mango, spread slightly, to the other side of the blueberries evenly. 33

Styling Tips

You could make this wreath using any fruit you like. Just

choose two fruits with lovely colour contrast for an appealing

aesthetic.

Take this wreath to the next level by finishing it with edible

flowers, micro mint and even little shortbread stars.

I would love to see what you do with these recipes

so please post them on your socials with the hashtag #kateflowerfood

#kateflowerfood

Supporting Local

I’m Perth born and bred and, despite my love of travelling the globe, chose to remain here to raise my family, so I feel very parochial about this beautiful city of ours, especially when it comes to the produce and products I use in my kitchen.

I don’t think there has ever been a more important time to choose to support our local producers. Covid and the restrictions and heartache it has delivered to many means we should be wrapping each other up in love and support now more than ever.

Not that it is hard to support the locals! We are so lucky in WA to be surrounded by multiple growing regions supplying us with world-class fruit and veg, free range, grass fed and organic meats, sustainable seafood and a range of alternative grains. Perth is also home to abundant makers of all kinds of gourmet goodies, so we are spoilt for choice really.

I choose local because it’s better for the environment, supports our local economy and because we have such fabulous produce available in Perth and greater WA. When you use top notch ingredients the recipes can afford to be kept simple so the flavours of the hero ingredients sing.

This book isn’t sponsored so all the lovely ingredients and suppliers I’ve chosen to include are honestly just favourites of mine, although I have only been able to squeeze in just some of the ones I adore so I look forward to introducing more to you down the track!

All I want for Christmas is to help you enjoy creating celebratory food full of flavour and heart for the ones you love.

Pour yourself a cocktail, choose some tunes and hit the kitchen.

35

Supplier Listing

PRINCI BUTCHERS: BICTON When I want to talk meat, know where my animal came from and how it was raised this is where I shop. A fabulous family business with loads of experience and a truckload of heart. They have just moved into a new tailor-made store in Bicton.

HAMLET PORK: COOLUP For a true paddock to plate Berkshire Ham, order direct from Hamlet Pork. This is a family run Berkshire pig farm in Coolup, where they rear and prepare beautiful quality pigs for direct sale to the public and Perth’s top restaurants.

WILD BAKERY: SOUTH FREMANTLE For all things baked! It’s always a pleasure to drop by Wild Bakery and see what’s new. They have the most outstanding long fermented sourdough bread in Perth. Tummy friendly.

BLACK BARLEY: NEW NORCIA Available from Boatshed Market Cottesloe and distributed through The Grocer. Make this stunning grain a staple in your pantry.

NORTHERNSTAR OCEAN PRODUCTS: EAST FREMANTLE As one of a handful of operators permitted to fish from the World Heritage Listed waters of Shark Bay, NorthernStar is committed to the practice of sustainable fishing and preserving the area’s beauty and marine life for the future.

GILBERT’S FRESH: HILTON I have been consulting to Gilbert’s Fresh Hilton for over a year now and there is no better place to stock up on grower direct and market fresh produce. The price and quality are bang on.

LITTLE SISTER: FREMANTLE All things charcuterie, cheese and accoutrements. What it lacks in size, this shop and it’s clever staff make up for in knowledge and interesting stock choices.

THE LITTLE BAKERY: NEDLANDS If you’re wanting to stock up on festive treats this is the go-to bakery. Outstanding fruit mince pies with handmade short crumbly pastry and a range of other Chrissy delights are available across Perth gourmet grocery stores or order direct.

OLD BRIDGE CELLARS: NORTH FREMANTLE Top notch knowledge across the board, a fabulous selection of classic, artisan and local wines, brews and distillations. The friendly staff here will always have you out the door with just the right tipple at just the right price.

PELLI BAGS: FREMANTLE Have your food and booze travel in style this Christmas in Pelli Bags insulated “Chill Homie” cooler bags. Every bag sold pays for 26sqm of ocean being cleaned of plastics. When you mix style and good values it’s always a win. Perfect personal or corporate gift.

ROOGENICS: FREMANTLE MARKETS If you haven’t dabbled in Native food now is the time. Explore Roogenics’ organically grown and wildly harvested range of native ingredients and start adding the real Australian flavour profile to your cooking. Available at all good food stores.

GREAT SOUTHERN GROVES: FRANKLING/ALBANY/MT BARKER I buy this oil in 20L drums delivered to my door. It makes me feel like the Italian I always wanted to be. There is nothing like the flavour of freshly pressed olive oil from the Great Southern.

PEKHO WARES AND WEARS: FREMANTLE This store is full of treasures of all kinds. Australian-made clothing, ceramics, tableware, bags, jewellery and beautiful toiletries. It’s my go to for special styling pieces like the wicker tray I used on the breakfast table in this book.

CERAMIST PHILIPPA GORDON: WEMBLEY DOWNS/EAST FREMANTLE Stunning ceramic made using ancient techniques and created for our modern table. The perfect gift for any hard core ceramic lover or foodie. See her work on the cover and pages 17,18,19, 25 and 34.

Some of my favourites

36

KITCHEN WAREHOUSE: MULTIPLE LOCATIONS For ALL your cooking and plating up needs. This ebook features Salt and Pepper’s Hana dinner set and a Salisbury & Co wooden platter, both from KWH. It’s a great WA-owned family business success story we can be proud of.

YALLINGUP CHEESE COMPANY: YALLINGUP Wine maker and now cheese maker goddess Alana Langworthy creates stunning artisanal cheese in the equally stunning South West. Buy from good cheese stores and delis or direct online.

MALA DUMPLINGS: MARGARET RIVER Not only do they make Perth’s best dumplings, these clever cookies also make fabulous sauces to serve them with, or to use for, other Asian dishes like my Beef Tataki recipe. They will deliver from home base in Margaret River to our doorstep and are also available in select grocers. See their website for listings.

THE URBAN LIST PERTH GUIDE TO REFILL STORES Just because I’d like to see us all shop more mindfully, I wanted to include this link to Urban List’s pick of bulk food stores in Perth where you can refill containers and reusable bags with dry goods, honey, oils etc.

From food stylist to recipe developer, cook, caterer, events manager to food consultant, I have worn many hats during my career and learned from some of the best in the business. This diverse experience affords me an innate understanding of food in all its forms. Using images and words as my utensils, I work with food-driven brands to develop and share their unique stories through food marketing, recipe development, writing and styling.

Want to know more? Go down the rabbit hole on my socials below or get in touch by email.

kateflowerfood.com.au

@kateflowerfood

/kateflowerfood

kateflowerfood@gmail.com

Food Stylist | Recipe Developer | Creative

Kate Flower

Hello, I’m Kate Thanks for taking this Christmas food journey with me

Wishing you a safe and happy festive season

Thank you to the wonderful team who added their creative flair to this project. Photography - Nick Thake | Georgina BarkerStyling Assistant - Alicia RobinsonAssistant - Sophie FennaEditor - Kelly DavisE-book Design - Sea Pixel CreativeVideography - Jo Cook Photography

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2020