BERRY DELIGHTFUL

nici WICKES

It’s that time of year when all the berry seasons collide – strawberries and raspberries show their last true colours, whilst plump and juicy blueberries and blackberries are just hitting their prime. Berry, berry nice! Nici Wickes FOOD EDITOR

Send your foodie thoughts and questions to Nici: nwickes@bauermedia.co.nz

SLICES

of heaven

BAKED GOODS THAT ARE BERRY DELIGHTFUL!

• When a recipe calls for zest, add it in when the beating is done as it gets caught on the beaters and you can lose half of it. Nici’s note...

Blueberry, lemon & lavender loaf MAKES ONE LOAF This loaf has such a delicate, buttery crumb and with just a hint of lavender to soften the lemon, it’s absolutely gorgeous. 190 g sugar 2 tbsp fresh lavender, crumbled 150 g butter, softened 3 medium eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 90 g flour, plus extra for dusting the blueberries ½ tsp baking powder 110 g ground almonds 2 tbsp each lemon zest and juice 200 g fresh blueberries ¼ cup icing sugar Few drops of lemon juice and water Lavender, to garnish 1 Heat oven to 180oC fan bake. Grease and line a large loaf tin. 2 Briefly pulse the sugar and lavender in a food processor. 3 Cream the butter with the lavender sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one

PHOTOS: TODD EYRE at a time, beating between each and not worrying that it curdles a little. Stir in the vanilla, flour, baking powder, ground almonds and lemon zest and juice. Make sure it’s well combined but don’t overmix. Lastly, fold in most of the blueberries (dusted in a little flour), saving a handful. 4 Gently scrape the batter into your tin and bake for 20 minutes. Swiftly and gently scatter the remaining blueberries over the top. Lower the temperature to 170oC and continue baking for a further 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Cover with foil during cooking if it darkens too much. Cool in the tin before carefully turning out. 5 Mix the icing sugar with lemon juice and water to make a drizzle. 6 When the loaf is cool, drizzle over the icing and serve slices garnished with lavender.

Strawberry poppy seed cake

MAKES ONE 20CM CAKE End-of-season strawberries are so jammy and sweet, they’re perfect for baking with. 55 g butter, softened 2 3 cup caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra ½ tsp pure vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 cup plain flour ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 3 tbsp poppy seeds ½ cup plain Greek yoghurt ½ tsp lemon zest 140 g fresh strawberries, quartered 1 Preheat oven to 180oC fan bake with a rack in the middle. Grease and line a 20cm springform tin. 2 Beat the butter and 2 / 3 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the vanilla and egg. 3 Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and poppy seeds. Add these into the mix in two batches, beating on low and alternating with yoghurt. Stir in the zest and half of the strawberries until just combined. Spoon the batter into the cake tin. Arrange the last of the strawberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining sugar. 4 Bake for 35 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10-15 minutes before ‘springing the tin’. Cool completely before transferring to a plate.

• In summer, store cakes with fresh fruit in them in the fridge (then bring to room temperature to serve) rather than chancing mould appearing! Nici’s note...

Nourish

• Cashew nut butter is available in supermarkets (try the spreads or organic sections), but making your own is easy. Soak 1 cup of raw, unsalted cashews in water overnight, drain well, then process in a blender or food processor with ¼ -½ cup of water until creamy and paste-like. You’ll need a high-speed blender to get a super-smooth texture. Nici’s note...

Berry lemon cheesecake

SERVES 8-10 Berries and lemon are a great match in this dairy-free take on an old classic. BASE 1 cup ground almonds ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup cocoa powder 2 tbsp coconut thread 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1 tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 2 tbsp water ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ¼ cup plant milk (almond, soy, rice, coconut) FILLING 1 cup coconut cream ½ cup cashew nut butter (see note) 3 tbsp lemon juice Zest of 2 lemons 3 / 4 cup coconut oil, melted 1 / 3 cup honey or maple syrup 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp nutrional yeast flakes BERRY CHIA TOPPING 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries 1 tbsp water 2 tbsp maple syrup 3 tbsp chia seeds 1 cup assorted fresh berries –

Gluten FREE

I used boysenberries and more raspberries Mint leaves, to scatter 1 Heat oven to 180oC. Line and grease a 23cm-deep tart or springform tin. 2 Mix all of the base ingredients together and press into your prepared tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm. Cool. 3 While the base cooks, make the filling by blending all of the filling ingredients together in a high-speed blender. Process for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. 4 Pour the mixture into the cake tin and chill until set – about 2-3 hours. 5 For the topping, bring the raspberries, water and syrup to a simmer in a small pot. Mash the raspberries and add chia seeds. Leave to thicken and cool. 6 Spoon the berry topping over your set cheesecake, still in the tin. Chill for a further hour. 7 To serve, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin, place on a serving plate and pile on an assortment of fresh berries and mint leaves.

Blueberry & white chocolate slice MAKES 16-20 SQUARES Packed full of fresh blueberries and with the lovely crunch of pieces of white chocolate, this slice is a tasty treat. 250 g butter 1 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla essence 3 eggs 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 200 g white chocolate buttons, roughly chopped Milk or yoghurt, as needed 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries 1 Heat oven to 180oC fan bake. Line a Swiss roll tin with baking paper. 2 Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy, then beat in the eggs. Add the flour, baking powder and white chocolate, mixing thoroughly. Add a little bit of either milk or yoghurt if too stiff. Scatter the blueberries evenly on top and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until it springs back to the touch. 3 Serve either warm or cold. You could also dust with icing sugar. This slice freezes well too.

K

um’s C H E N

• Slices cook faster than cakes so they’re great if you’re in a hurry to fill the tins. Mum’s tip...

• I remember, my sisters and I would come home from school and polish off one of these slices of Mum’s in one fell swoop. Yum! Nici’s note...

food EXTRA

grilling

RECIPES TO TAKE YOUR BARBECUE TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

Korean beef & mushrooms SERVES 4-6 500 g beef rump, trimmed, thinly sliced 300 g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped 2 onions, cut into wedges 1 / 3 cup soy sauce ¼ cup rice wine vinegar ¼ cup caster sugar 1 ½ tbsp sesame oil 1 butter lettuce,

leaves separated 2 long red chillies, finely sliced 1 In a large bowl, combine the beef, mushrooms, onion, soy, vinegar, sugar and oil. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes. 2 Preheat a barbecue plate on high. Stir-fry the beef in 3 batches for 3-4 minutes, being careful not to over-crowd the plate. Push the cooked portion to the side while repeating with the remaining mixture. 3 Serve the beef in lettuce leaves topped with sliced chilli.

SERVES 4 1 large eggplant, peeled, quartered 275 g baby truss tomatoes 5 garlic cloves, skin on ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 tbsp extra Salt and pepper, to season 1 bunch parsley, leaves picked, roughly chopped 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 Preheat a barbecue grill or char-grill on high. 2 In a large bowl, toss the eggplant, tomatoes and garlic with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 3 Barbecue the eggplant and garlic for 3-4 minutes each side or until lightly charred. Transfer to a wire rack. 4 Place the tomatoes on the grill and barbecue for 1 minute or until slightly blistered. 5 Roughly chop the eggplant further. Peel the garlic and finely chop. Transfer to a large bowl with the tomatoes, parsley, balsamic and extra oil. Toss to combine. Serve warm. Eggplant & tomato salad

• Prepare ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge without the parsley, balsamic and extra oil. When ready to serve, toss the eggplant mixture on the barbecue plate for a few minutes, transfer to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients. Tip...

food EXTRA

• Sardines can also be cooked directly on an oiled barbecue plate, but will cook quicker, so halve the cooking time. Tip...

Grilled lemon & thyme sardines

SERVES 4 1 lemon, thinly sliced 6 sprigs fresh thyme, halved 12 sardines, scaled and butterflied 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 dried chilli, finely chopped 1 Preheat a barbecue grill or chargrill pan on high. 2 Place a lemon slice and a thyme sprig on the flesh side of each sardine fillet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with chilli. Season. Place sardines on a wire grilling rack. 3 Barbecue the sardines skin-side down first for 1-2 minutes each side or until cooked through. Serve straight away.

Delightfully scrumptious

FOR A NUTRITIOUS START TO YOUR DAY, TRY THIS BETTER-FOR-YOU TAKE ON GRANOLA FROM SANITARIUM W ith less than 3.8g of sugar per 50g serve ^ and certified low GI*, Sanitarium ™ Low GI Granola ™ provides sustained energy ** as well as great taste. Try these creative breakfast ideas, which use both moreish flavours –Golden Almond Crunch, and Strawberry & Coconut.

BreakfastAçaíBowl SERVES 2 ½ cup coconut water 1 frozen ripe banana 1 cup frozen mixed berries 2 tsp freeze-dried açaí powder 1 cup (100g) Sanitarium™ Low GI Granola™ Strawberry & Coconut 12 grapes, halved 2 tsp chia seeds Edible fl owers to garnish (optional)

1 Place fi rst four ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. 2 Pour into a bowl and top with granola, grapes and chia seeds. Serve immediately.

NEW ZEALAND WOMAN’S WEEKLY + SANITARIUM

Pawpaw Bowl SERVES 2

1 pawpaw Juice of 1 lime 6 tbsp plain unsweetened yoghurt ¼ orange, peeled and sliced ½ cup berries, fresh or frozen 1 cup (100g) Sanitarium ™ Low GI Granola ™ Golden Almond Crunch 2 tbsp mixed seeds Mint leaves and edible fl owers to garnish (optional)

1 Slice pawpaw in half lengthways. Scoop the seeds out and discard. Squeeze lime juice over both halves of pawpaw. 2 Divide yoghurt between pawpaw halves. Arrange fruit on top of yoghurt, then sprinkle over granola and seeds. Garnish with mint leaves and edible fl owers and serve immediately.