Category Archives: Recipes

Vineyard Cottages Plum Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups chopped plum (the sweeter the plum the better), plus an extra cup 1 cup milk

2 cups cream

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup vodka (you could use flavoured vodka for another level of flavour!)

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

zest of 1 lime

1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Freeze an empty freezer-safe shallow bowl or pan. Anything stainless steel works really well here but do avoid any bowls that may shatter once frozen (i.e glass)

In medium sauce pan, combine 1 cup of cream, all of the milk, sugar, and sea salt. Stirring often, heat over medium heat just until the mixture begins to steam and the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, puree 1 1/2 cups of plums, and set aside. Cover the remaining cup of chopped plums, along with any juices, and set in the fridge for later.

Combine the cream mixture, pureed plums, remaining cream, vodka, and lime juice and zest and pour into your pre-frozen bowl or pan. Place it in the freezer. After 20-30 minutes, check on the mixture, once the edges start to freeze, take out the mixture and beat it using a hand mixer.

By breaking up the ice cream, you’ll help make it smooth and creamy. You cannot beat the mixture too much.Return the pan to the freezer. Every 30 minutes or so, take it back out and beat the ice cream again. Repeat until it is firmly frozen, usually around four or five mixing sessions. On your last misxing session, add the extra cup of plums and juices. Once it’s frozen, the mixture should be smooth and creamy.

If at any time the ice cream becomes too hard, place it in the refrigerator until it becomes soft enough to beat, and then continue the process.

Store the ice cream in a covered freezer container until ready to serve

Honey and Lemon Toddy

To celebrate Bee Aware Month and the glut of lemons on our trees, here is a Hot Toddy recipe with a twist (whiskey is optional!)

1 Tablespoon Honey

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 Cardamon pod

Juice of 1 Lemon

A (sneaky) nip of Whiskey

Put honey (and whiskey, if using) in a mug, along with the cinnamon stick and Cardamon pod.

Add lemon juice.

Pour in hot (notboiling water) and pop in the sprigs of thyme for a couple of minutes.

ENJOY!

Homemade Limoncello

INGREDIENTS
 

5 lemons - washed (you can also subsittute limes if you wish)

1 ½ cups castor sugar

350ml vodka (don’t buy the cheapest, you will notice the difference)

375ml water

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel the lemons and place the peel and the peeled lemon (cut into cubes) into a large bowl.

Add the castor sugar and water into a pot and place over an element until the sugar has dissolved. Let the sugar syrup cool.

Add the cooled sugar syrup to the lemons and lemon peel.

Add the vodka and stir gently.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to allow to infuse for at least 48 hours.

Strain the liquid through a sieve discarding the peel and the lemons.

Using a funnel, pour the liquid into bottles and store in the fridge.

Serve well chilled over ice.

Butterflied Lamb Roast with Rosemary, Garlic and Red Onion

This is a great recipe for this time of the year, it is super easy and a hearty winter meal with lots of garlic to boost your immunity! Butterflied Lamb is an easy alternative and doesn't take too long in the oven as opposed to anything on the bone.

It is fancy enough to serve up at a dinner party but easy enough for a weekly dinner also (it was last nights dinner in our family - a Tuesday night!)

INGREDIENTS

Butterflied Lamb 

Several twigs of Rosemary

1 x Red Onion chopped finely

3 x cloves of garlic chopped finely

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to season

Cooking twine

INSTRUCTIONS

Lay down the butterflied lamb as flat as you can and sprinkle over the chopped red onion, chopped garlic and rosemary.

Roll the butterflied lamb together as tightly as possible and use the cooking twine to hold it together.

Season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Place into the oven at 170 degrees for 1 and a half hours.

Serve with fresh seasonal vegetables (like broccoli) and roasted veggies of potatoes, pumpkin and kumara or sliced on top of herby steamed couscous tossed with orange zest, olives, parsley, coriander and lots of lemon juice and olive oil.

If there is any left over, we love shepherds pie or a hearty Middle Eastern soup made with tomatoes, paprika, cumin, chilli and beans - we'll add the recipe. 

Quick and Super Easy Persimmon Sorbet

Persimmons are a super versatile fruit, simply eat them like an apple while still firm, add into salads, use them in cookies and cakes, puddings, curries or make chutneys and relishes or even fruit leather.

One of The Big Foody Food Tours favourite ways to enjoy a Persimmon is this sweet quick and super easy Persimmon sorbet.

1. Choose some beautifully coloured orange Persimmons, slightly on the ripe side.
2. Cut the tops off the Persimmons.
3. Gently cut some criss-cross lines into the top of the Persimmons.
4. Put the Persimmons into the freezer.
5. About half an hour prior before planning to devour this delicious treat, take the Persimmons of of the freezer and let defrost.
6. When the Persimmons have defrosted enough to easily scoop out its contents with a spoon, simply sit down and ENJOY!

Check out the rest of our Persimmon recipes on our blog to freshen up, lighten up and add some up colour to your Autumn meals.

Persimmon and Feta Salad

This salad is perfect for this  Autumn weather. With the last of our late summer produce now gone, adding Persimmons to your dishes, especially salads, its a great way to keep that freshness going for a little while longer and adds a beautiful burst of colour to your meals at this time of the year.

Salad Ingredients

1 firm Persimmon

Couple of handfuls of mixed salad greens eg. rocket mesclun etc

150g Feta

Dressing Ingredients

Juice of half a lemon

1/4 tsp dry mustard powder, 1/4 tsp sugar

Dash of salt and pepper

1 tablespoon good quality olive oil

2 tablespoons sunflower or other mild oil.

Arrange your mixed greens in a shallow salad bowl.

Slice the Persimmon into thin slices and place on top of the salad greens.

Gently crumble the feta over the top. 

Just prior to serving drizzle the dressing over the salad.

You can adapt this salad easily by adding cucumber into it as well.

Roasted Almonds or walnuts would also add a nice touch.

If you don't have any feta, why not try a beautiful blue cheese (we at the Big Foody Food Tours love the Kapiti Baby Kikorangi) or Brie or Camembert.

ANZAC Day is celebrated in New Zealand on the 25th of April. ANZAC Day is a national remembrance day in New Zealand and Australia that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who have served and died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. 
ANZAC biscuits were sent to soldiers abroad by wives and woman's group as the ingredients did not spoil and kept well during the naval transportation.
These delicious sweet, oaty biscuits are still enjoyed today and we have got the recipe for you

INGREDIENTS

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup dessicated coconut

1 cup white flour

1 cup white sugar

125 g butter

2 Tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp baking soda

2 Tbsp boiling water

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a baking tray or line with baking paper.

Combine the oats, coconut, flour, and sugar together in a large bowl.

Melt the butter and golden syrup together. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water and add to the butter mixture. Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together.

Roll teaspoons into balls and place on the tray, allowing room for them to spread.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, cooking one tray at a time.

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

4 cups high grade flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp each ground allspice, mixed spice, cinnamon, nutmeg (I like mine quite cinnamony so will add more!)
¼ cup brown sugar
1½ tsp dried yeast
1 cup warm milk
100 grams softened butter
2 eggs
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips or mixed fruit

Cross paste

½ cup flour
1 tblsp butter
¼ tsp baking powder
about ¼ cup milk

Sugar Glaze

2 tblsp sugar

2 tblsp hot milk

Method

Put the flour, salt, spices and brown sugar into a big bowl and mix together.
Stir the yeast and milk together and set aside in a warm place for 15 minutes or until the mixture is frothy.
Beat the eggs and softened butter into the frothy mixture.
Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and mix vigorously to form a soft dough. Mix the mixture for 1 minute. Add the raisins and mix in well. 
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with greased gladwrap. Set aside in a warm place for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size.
Place the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide into 16 equal portions. Roll into balls and place on a greased baking tray with about 1-cm between each bun.
Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for another 30 minutes until well risen. Brush with milk and pipe thin crosses of Cross Paste (instructions below) on top of the buns.
Bake at 190ºC for about 20-25 minutes. Just before taking out of the oven, spread some sugar glaze over them (instructions below). Cool on a cake rack.

Cross paste
Sift flour and baking powder together. Rub in butter. Stir in enough milk to make a thick batter that can be piped.
Sugar glaze
Dissolve 2 tablespoons sugar in 2 tablespoons hot milk.

EASY Feijoa Jam

Ingredients

1kg Feijoa’s

1 kg caster sugar

¼ cup water

1-2 vanilla pods

1 stick of cinnamon

Juice of 1 lemon

Method

Peel and slice the feijoas and place into a saucepan with the sugar.

Slit the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the pan, add the pod.

Add the water, Cinnamon stick and lemon juice.

Bring to a simmer and cook until the fruit is soft, then increase the temperature and boil for 8-10 minutes.

Remove the vanilla pod and cinnamon stick, then pour into sterilised jars and seal.

Feijoa Cake

This is the most beautiful moist cake, perfect with a cup of coffee or tea and to make it even better, it is egg free (for those that are allergic to eggs!)

2 cups plain Flour

¾ cup Brown Sugar (packed firmly)

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

3 tsp Cinnamon (depending on how strong you like your cinnamon, I’ll sometimes even add a 4th tsp)

Approx. 8 - 10 scooped out Feijoas, mashed

½ cup vegetable oil (I use rice bran oil)

½ cup milk (can be substituted with soy, rice milk etc if needed)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

Grease a ring tin (a loaf tin can be used, but may need longer to cook).

Combine sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

Mix together Feijoa and oil until well combined.

Add the Feijoa mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir in the milk to create a just-moist mixture.

Place into the pre-greased baking tin and even out.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until cooked.

Gently sift some icing sugar over the top.

ENJOY!!