cook | mango

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Mango cheesecakes

150g butternut snap cookies
60g butter, melted
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup caster sugar
90g white chocolate, melted, cooled
½ cup cream, whipped
1 mango, halved, flesh thinly sliced

1 .Place biscuits in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse to combine. Place 2 tbsp of crumbs into 6 large serving bowls or glasses. Set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and creamy. Fold through chocolate and cream.
3. Divide between serving glasses. Top with mango slices. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 6

Tip
Prepare up to 4 hrs ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve.

try this …….
Frozen mango margarita
Place 4 frozen mango halves in a blender. Add ¾ cup margarita mix, ¼ cup tequila and 1 cup of ice. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

cook | rocket

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Rocket & olive salad with crisp haloumi

1 bunch rocket, ends trimmed, halved
250g grape tomatoes, halved
2 lebanese cucumbers, quartered, seeded, chopped
1 red capsicum, sliced
1 small red onion, halved, thinly sliced
½ cup pitted black olives
½ cup mint leaves, torn
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
180g haloumi, thickly sliced
1 tbsp plain flour

1. Place rocket, tomato, cucumber, capsicum, onion, olives and mint in a large bowl.
2. Mix together extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and sugar.
3. Heat olive oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium. Dust haloumi slices in flour, shaking off excess. Cook haloumi, turning, for 2-3 mins, until golden all over.
4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to combine. Serve with haloumi.

Serves 4

Tip
Haloumi is best eaten immediately after being cooked, that way the outside remains crisp and the inside soft.

try this …….
Wilted rocket in balsamic with steak
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan on medium. Add 2 bunches rocket. Cook for 1-2 mins, until just wilted. Add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Simmer for 1 min, until vinegar is syrupy. Serve alongside chargrilled beef.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

cook | peaches

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Barbecue pancakes with fresh peach compote

2 cup self-raising flour, sifted
¼ cup caster sugar
1¾ cups buttermilk
2 eggs
thick cream, to serve
peach compote
4 peaches, peeled, chopped
¼ cup maple syrup, plus extra to serve
½ cup pistachios, toasted, chopped

1. Combine flour and sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk buttermilk and eggs together and pour into a well in centre of dry ingredients. Whisk, to form a smooth batter.
2. Preheat flat barbecue plate and lightly grease. Drop ¼ cup measurements of batter on barbecue and cook for 2 minutes, until bubbles appear on surface and begin to pop. Turn pancake and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until golden. Repeat with remaining batter. Stack pancakes on a plate and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, make compote. Combine peaches, maple syrup and pistachios. Spoon over pancake stack, drizzle over extra maple syrup and serve with thick cream..

Serves 4

try this ….
Vanilla poached peaches
Combine 3 cups water, 1 cup sauterne wine, 1 cup caster sugar and 1 split and scraped vanilla bean in a large saucepan. Stir on low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 6 peeled peaches, reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with thick cream.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

cook | carrots

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Honey lamb cutlets with carrot salad

8 lamb cutlets
½ cup honey soy marinade
4 carrots, peeled, shredded
¼ wombok, finely shredded
3 green onions (shallots), shredded
¾ cup coriander leaves
lime dressing
finely grated rind and juice of 1 limes
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp fish sauce

1. Place cutlets in a shallow dish. Pour over marinade and turn to coat. Set aside for 10 mins, to marinate.
2. Meanwhile, combine carrot, wombok, onion and coriander in a large bowl. Mix together all dressing ingredients. Add to carrot salad and toss to combine.
3. Preheat a barbecue or chargrill on high. Cook lamb cutlets for 2 mins each side for medium rare or until cooked to your liking. Serve cutlets with carrot salad.
Serves 4

try this … Carrot tart
Mix together 2 finely grated carrots, ¼ cup ground almonds, 2 eggs, ½ cup cream and ¼ cup chopped walnuts. Pour into a 22cm, par-baked pie shell and bake for 20 mins at 180C or 160C fan, until filling is set and golden.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

cook | asparagus

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Asaparagus, pancetta & labne spaghetti

400g spaghetti
100g sliced pancetta
2 bunches asparagus, chopped
Grated rind of 2 lemons
200g labna

1. Cook spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water according to packet directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to pan.
2. Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a frying pan on high for 1-2 mins, until crisp.Add
asparagus and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring, until just tender. Add half of the lemon rind and labne with the asparagus mixture to hot spaghetti. Toss on low heat, until just combined. Serve in bowls topped with dollops of remaining labne and lemon rind. Season well. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

tip ….
Labna is a soft cheese made from drained yoghurt, stored in stored in tubs of sometimes flavoured, oil. It is found in supermarkets or specialty stores.

try this ….
Barbecued asparagus with pangratata
Heat 1 tbsp extra vigin olive oil in a frying pan on high. Cook 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs for 2-3 mins, stirring, until golden and crisp. Remove from heat, add grated rind of 1 lemon and 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Season well. Trim woody ends from asparagus spears. Toss in a little olive oil and season. Cook on a barbecue plate for 3-4 mins, turning, until charred and tender. Serve topped with crisp breadcrumbs.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

cook | parsley

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Parsley & garlic tart

2 sheets frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed
1 small head garlic
1 ½ cups cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 cups flat leaf or curly parsley leaves, washed, dried
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mint leaves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 200C or 180C fan. Wrap garlic in foil and bake for 45 mins, until tender. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, cut one sheet of pastry into 4 even strips. Press pastry strips around the edges of remaining sheet of pastry, to form one large square. Ease into a greased 23cm loose-based flan pan to line base and sides. Trim edges. Chill for 20 mins.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 180C or 160C fan.  Cover pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights, rice or dried beans. Blind bake for 20 mins. Remove paper and weights and bake for another 10 mins.
4. Squeeze garlic from skin. Place flesh in a saucepan with cream and mustard. Bring to boil on medium heat. Remove from heat. Add 2 cups of the parsley and stir until parsley wilts. Remove from heat. Using a hand blender, blend until smooth. Season.
5. Add eggs to warm parsley cream, whisking until well combined. Pour into prepared pastry shell. Bake for 30-35 mins, until filling has just set. Sit in pan for 10 mins.
6. Toss together remaining parsley, mint and extra virgin olive oil. Season. Serve tart in wedges topped with parsley salad. Can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

cook | strawberries

By MANDY SINCLAIR

Strawberry & almond slice

150g butter, at room temperature
¾ cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 cups almond meal
¾ cup plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
300g strawberries, hulled
1 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra to serve

1. Preheat oven to 180C or 160C fan. Grease and line 20cm x 30cm slice pan.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold through almond meal, flour and baking powder, until just combined.
3. Fill prepared pan. Arrange strawberries over batter, pressing down lightly. Sift over icing sugar. Bake for 40-45 mins, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan.
4. Dust with icing sugar and cut into squares.

Serves 12

try this ….
Strawberry & smoked salmon salad
Combine 150g baby rocket, 100g sliced smoked salmon, 100g torn brie cheese and 1 small sliced red onion in a large bowl. Hull and slice 250g strawberries. Add to salad. Whisk together ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp raspberry vinegar and 1 tsp Dijon mustard. Season well. Add to salad and toss to combine.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS