Berry Beautiful

NZ House & Garden Magazine #244 NZ House & Garden Magazine #244 NZ House & Garden Magazine #244 NZ House & Garden Magazine #244 NZ House & Garden Magazine #244 NZ House & Garden Magazine #244 NZ House & Garden Magazine #244 NZ House & Garden Magazine #244

It’s summer in New Zealand! And it is time to utilise some of the beautiful produce this season has to offer.
For NZ House & Garden, I’ve shot a beautiful berry story, using ripe berries of the summer season. With Christmas fast approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to share this lovely take on the classic Pavlova with fresh berries, along with a Raspberry Vinegar recipe to use with the Pavlova. Happy Holidays!

Stay tuned for a recipe on a Danish Christmas classic: Ris a’la Mande with homemade Cherry Sauce. Will be up before Christmas!

Recipes © Bernadette Hogg. Styling by Claudia Kozub @ Indie Home Collective

Individual Pavlovas with Berries & Raspberry Vinegar Sauce
Makes 6

This is a fabulous make-ahead dessert – the sauce can be made several days before required, while the pavlovas can be made the day before needed and stored in an airtight container.

6 egg whites
2 cups caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons cornflour
300ml cream, beaten until thick
500g mixed fresh berries
Raspberry vinegar sauce:
11⁄2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
3 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
3 tablespoons icing sugar

Heat oven to 100°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs whites to firm peaks. Gradually add caster sugar a teaspoon at a time (this can take about 10 minutes).

Beat in vanilla, salt, vinegar and cornflour until mixture is fluffy and glossy.

Spoon mixture onto lined tray to form 6 evenly sized pavlovas. Bake 1 hour or until crisp and dry looking. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Sauce: Blend raspberries, vinegar and icing sugar together until smooth. Strain through a sieve and discard seeds.

To assemble dessert, place pavlovas on serving plates and top with beaten cream, fresh berries and a good drizzle of sauce.

Raspberry Vinegar
Makes about 2 cups

Use this vinegar to make dressings, drizzle over berries or add to marinades and sauces – both sweet and savoury.
It’s also ideal for the sauce served over the pavlovas on page xxx, and makes a lovely gift.

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, lightly crushed
2 cups white wine vinegar
2 small cinnamon sticks

Place all ingredients in a glass jar and seal. Store in a cool, dark place for 2-4 weeks. To remind you when the vinegar will be ready, add a date label.

When vinegar is ready to be bottled, line a sieve with muslin and place over a bowl. Pour contents of jar through sieve then transfer the clear liquid to sterilized bottles or jars and seal.

Vinegar will keep for up to 12 months in a cool, dark cupboard, even after opening.

Christmas with House and Garden

NZ House & Garden Magazine issue 232, Casual Christmas NZ House & Garden Magazine issue 232, Casual Christmas

Heading off to the beach or the bach for a casual Christmas dinner, or straight after Christmas day? Here’s a few fabulous and quick entertaining ideas from a shoot I did with Claudia Kozub (Style Etc & Indie Home Collective) and Bernadette Hogg for NZ House & Garden’s Christmas issue 2013. Easy to do with leftover ham, these recipes are sure to impress.

Fruity Tea Punch

2 cups strong tea
11/2 cups sugar
1 cup lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
1⁄4 cup lime juice (about 3 limes)
2 cups pineapple juice, chilled
2 cups orange juice, chilled
slices of orange, lemon, ginger and fresh mint sprigs for garnish
1.25 litres ginger ale, chilled

Place tea and sugar in a large saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally, to dissolve sugar. Add lemon and lime juices, bring to the boil then remove from heat to cool.
Place some of the cooled liquid into ice cube trays and freeze. Put remaining punch base into fridge to chill thoroughly (or freeze if making ahead).
When ready to serve, place punch base, punch ice cubes, pineapple and orange juices, slices of orange, lemon, lime and fresh ginger into a punch bowl or serving container. Add chilled ginger ale and a few sprigs of fresh mint. Makes about 2.5 litres

The base of this refreshing beverage can be made up to a week in advance and frozen. Thaw it on the morning it is needed – although it doesn’t need to thaw completely as it can be used slightly slushy. Add the ginger ale and garnish just before serving.

Roasted Pear and Glazed Ham Platter

Place tea and sugar in a large saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally, to dissolve sugar. Add lemon and lime juices, bring to the boil then remove from heat to cool.
Place some of the cooled liquid into ice cube trays and freeze. Put remaining punch base into fridge to chill thoroughly (or freeze if making ahead).
When ready to serve, place punch base, punch ice cubes, pineapple and orange juices, slices of orange, lemon, lime and fresh ginger into a punch bowl or serving container. Add chilled ginger ale and a few sprigs of fresh mint. Makes about 2.5 litres

This dish gets the ham cooking out of the way nice and early, as it can be glazed and cooked several days beforehand. Slice it on the morning required, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until half an hour before serving. The pears, onions and cherries can be roasted the day before needed.

5 firm but ripe pears, skin on, cored and quartered
3 red onions, outer skin removed, each cut into 8 wedges
2 smallish cinnamon sticks
1 thumb ginger, peeled and finely sliced
3 whole star anise
2 tablespoons each: maple syrup, sweet chilli sauce, olive oil, rice wine vinegar juice of 1 lemon
200g fresh cherries
1 1⁄2kg cooked glazed ham, thinly sliced

Heat oven to 200°C. Line a large baking dish with baking paper.
Place pear quarters and red onion wedges in a large bowl and add all remaining ingredients except cherries and ham. Toss to coat pears well.
Tip pear and onion mixture into prepared dish and arrange in a single layer. Bake about 60 minutes, turning pears and onion every 15 minutes. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, scatter cherries over. Remove pan from oven when pears are tender and golden. Cool to room temperature. If making ahead, store covered in the fridge and remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving.
To serve, arrange pears, onion and cherries decoratively on a platter with sliced ham. Serves 6-8