There’s nothing I’d rather eat less than cafe cabinet frittata. Sure, there’s a chance it could be good, but there’s an even greater chance that it will be blandly eggy, soggy, and regrettable. Homemade frittata is a different story; I often make it to take for lunch at work the next day. A slice of homemade frittata alongside some salad greens tossed…
Roasted beetroot & chickpea salad with honeyed thyme walnuts, feta & parsley
Making salads to take for lunch at work is one of my favourite kitchen activities. Seasonal vegetables are always the starting point, to which I add beans or legumes, toasted nuts and seeds, feta, and lots of fresh herbs. Sometimes the result is what my sister calls ‘goat food’ i.e. lots of greenery, plenty of chewing….
Chocolate & salted caramel cream cheese cake
This cake! Where to begin. Two darkly moist layers of chocolate cake sandwiched together with salted caramel cream cheese icing and topped with a mountain of flowers. It’s recently been made and transported along to two friends’ birthday dinners to enraptured responses from birthday girls, dinner guests, and restaurant chefs alike. I had a message from…
Feijoa & coconut loaf cakes
This recipe is dedicated to those people who say that they’ll never buy feijoas (or lemons) because they grew up with a fruit tree in their backyard and the idea of paying for fruit is incomprehensible, yet their current backyard is bare of such trees. Having never been blessed with my own feijoa tree I can quite…
Lemon & apple pudding cake
This is a pudding pretending to be a cake, which is a very, very good thing indeed. Slices of apple and ground almonds in a softly-set custard flecked with vanilla seeds. A bit like a bread and butter pudding, but lighter and more elegant. Use organic lemons for this as they really do make a difference. This…
Buttermilk blueberry pancakes
Pancakes are a big deal in my family. We had them for breakfast on most Sunday mornings when I was growing up and my dad would always be in charge of making them. An electrical engineer, he took a precise (pedantic) approach to their production, coming up with the ‘finishing pan’ method to ensure a…
Seasonal shortcake
A cake for all seasons. Spring time brings together rhubarb and new season strawberries (pictured), a heavenly perfumed combination of tart and sweet. Summer is yellow-fleshed peaches and blueberries. Autumn is feijoas and apples.Winter pairs the sharpness of tamarillo with the softness of apple. Each seasonal shortcake is delightful in its own way; you’d better try…
Asparagus, smoked fish & potato salad with a crème fraîche & dill dressing
This was a dream day at work for me. A spring salad, of my own invention, making, and styling was photographed a by professional photographer. I need to work out how I can have more days doing this; recipe writing, testing, styling – sign me up. Not in shot: me fizzing with excitement in the background, suggesting props,…
A piece of pissaladière
Pissaladière is one of those insanely good dinners you can create when you feel like there is nothing of note in the fridge at home. Whatever is left in the vegetable drawer of your fridge at the end of the week; the odds and ends of cheese you have mooching about; those couple of pork & fennel…
Broccoli slaw with buttermilk dressing
Eating broccoli is eating properly. I am a pretty big broccoli fan, and generally just eat it barely steamed with a squeeze of lemon. Overcooked broccoli is the actual worst, with the one exception of when it is slowly cooked and combined with anchovies, lemon, and mixed through orecchiette. Then it’s okay. This salad is a…
Little lemon yoyo biscuits
These are the perfect little sweet thing to have with your morning coffee. This recipe is from my good friend Keila, an exceptional baker, artist, home renovator, preserver of fruits and vegetables, and general all-round inspiration. A couple of years ago I set up and ran a cafe which became known for these lemon yoyos and…
Salted caramel slice
I’m a bit blasé about chocolate; can pretty much take it or leave it. Caramel is another matter. I would never turn down caramel. If a bowl of caramel happened to be in my fridge, I would eat it by the spoonful. For breakfast. If you’re a fellow caramel fiend, try this technique: make this slice…
cake for breakfast 