Winter Warmers.........

So technically there are only 13 days before spring officially arrives in NZ and we are surrounded by daffodils and other flourishing spring blooms. This year Mr weatherman upstairs seems to be super confused in terms of the whats supposed to be happening. I don't think he quite remembers that we actually do in fact have seasons that generally begin and end at roughly the same time each year! This year we haven't been experiencing the usual intense cold snaps that habitually grace us with there presence during winter. Generally the cold icy weather would start to disappear during this time of year in order to let the gorgeous spring sunshine creep in ........but not this year!!!

Winter decided to really set in yesterday......in the middle of AUGUST!! what is going on!!! I feel this is rather inconvenient!! It was only last week that I was embracing the sunshine whilst sipping my tea at Mission bay enjoying the calm waters before me thinking that summer was well and truly on its way ....... How wrong was I!!!

Yesterday I had to drag my biggest, warmest, heaviest coat out from the back of my wardrobe (where I had happily shoved it when I THOUGHT I wouldn't be needing it again this year) so I could survive the icy polar blast that has decided to sweep over NZ. Despite this there was something that managed to perk me up and get me super excited ......the snow in Auckland!!! I know it was only a light sprinkling but still it was SNOW in AUCKLAND. It is a little embarrassing that I did get soo excited about the meagre dusting!!!.......but it NEVER snows here so I think I was entitled to my few minutes of acting like a 4 year old child who had never seen snow in her life.

The temperature at one point during the day plummeted to a mere 7 degrees which is way below the acceptable 15/16 degrees I have become accustomed to! Whilst caught outside in the snow shower yesterday I decided it would be a night where a super hearty meal would be required. I ended up embracing my roots and making an amazing lamb curry (adapted from a Bill Granger recipe) which is sooo easy to make, you just throw everything into a pot and pretty much leave it till its done! It is also really delicious. And as well as that I made a super scrumptious pear crumble - you could substitute the pear for apple if your not a pear fan. I used Donna Hay's crumble topped vanilla pear recipe and turned it into a crumble instead of individual desserts. I also substituted the almonds with extra rolled oats as my brother has a severe nut allergy, but I think it would taste better with almonds for extra crunch. I served it with vanilla bean ice cream but custard's also a good option :)

The aromas that filled the house were soooo good and at the risk of sounding super cheesy mouth watering!!! The indulgent curry and crumble combo (strange combo but noone had any qualms) definitely satisfied everyone on the cold wintry night and fulfilled the brief of a hearty meal. simran x

Lamb Curry

1 kg lamb pieces

2tsp ground coriander

11/2tsp ground cumin

1tsp tumeric

1tsp dried chilli flakes

1tsp paprika

1tsp cardamom pods crushed

3 cinnamon sticks

1tbsp grated ginger

1tbsp olive oil

25g butter

2 large brown onions chopped 

400g tin tomatoes

1 cup plain yoghurt

250mL water

juice of 1/2 or 1 lime- depending on your taste

Place the lamb in a large bowl, add the spices and ginger and toss to coat all the lamb.

Season with salt.

Place a large heavy-based pan over medium-high heat.

Heat the oil and butter, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened.

Add the lamb and cook for 5 minutes until the meat is browned.

Add the tomatoes, yoghurt and water and bring the pan to the boil.

Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover and simmer for two hours ( I left mine for 1 1/2 hours and it turned out perfect)

Stir in the lime juice and serve with basmati rice and naan bread.

Pear Crumble

4 beurre bosc pears

1/3 cup caster sugar

1/3 cup water

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

50g butter

crumble topping

1cup plain flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

100g butter, softened

1 cup rolled oats (recipe says 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 oats)

Preheat oven to 190 degrees.

Place the pears in an ovenproof dish with the sugar, water and vanilla and toss to combine.

Top with butter, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes till pears are tender.

Place the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and rub with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Add the oats (and almonds if using) and toss to combine.

Top the pears with this mixture and bake for a further 20 minutes.



Traditions....

With Easter looming closer I have decided once again to stick with my yearly tradition and bake some scrumptious easter treats for friends and family. My usual easter fare includes a batch of vanilla or ginger biscuits shaped into eastery things like easter eggs and bunnies. I often struggle however when it comes to the decorating part. Unfortunately I don't quite have the delicate touch required to precisely create eyes and ears and pretty little things. I'm a little clumsy when it comes to finicky detailing and my polka dots and stripes end up merging into each other and my bunnies eyes and nose tend to amalgamate into one big blob!!! The fine art of icing biscuits and decorating them with cute and precise details is a skill I am yet to master. This is some of what I consider to be my better work from a few years ago.






If only I could get them to look a little more like these!!





I am an avid lover of the humble hot cross bun but when it comes to this sweet spiced treat I am a bit of a stickler for tradition. I'm not really a fan of the chocolate chip, mocha and orange varieties which seem to be popping up all over the show! I mean really an orange flavoured hot cross bun???...come on!!! Don't get me wrong I'm all for embracing change and adopting new ideas and concepts but in this instance I really don't think it's necessary ..... I can't quite come to terms with the chocolate chip version. I see it as a bit of an impostor!! I guess I'm a little old fashioned when it comes to the hot cross bun. The traditional fruit buns will do just fine thank you very much! They are especially good toasted and smeared with lashings of butter!!

However today was not the day for me to master the art of hot cross bun making or even give it a go (though I will do so closer to easter....I might have to do a trial run before) Today was the day for me to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies ..... also known as comfort food! This came about as a result of there being nothing in the house to pair with my afternoon cup of tea. I have a bad habit of craving something sweet to go with my afternoon or evening cup of tea. So today I baked some chocolate chip cookies. One of the best recipes I've found for these delicious delights comes from Bill Granger . Bill is another one of my favourite Australian chefs. I love the way he is a self-taught chef whose experience comes from the acts of experiencing and enjoying food. He has a real easygoing approach to food and likes the idea of using fresh ingredients and seasonal produce. His food is so simple to prepare and that is why I have 8/10 of Bills cookbooks. The fantastic photography also helps make the book rather aesthetically pleasing! Bill has 3 amazing cafes in Sydney (Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Woollahra). I popped into bills in Woollahra when I was in Sydney in February and had a delightful afternoon tea of earl grey and scones with my dad. I especially love the ricotta hotcakes which come with the most amazing honeycomb butter!! and the scrambled eggs are equally sensational-they are so light and fluffy and made with cream .... mmmm!!! If your in Sydney it's definitely worth popping in for breakfast.

This recipe (from bills sydney food-his first cookbook) is so simple and creates delicious cookies which are rich and chewy ...... what more would you want from the perfect choc chip cookie.

Chocolate Chip Cookies


125 g unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups tightly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate bits


Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy.
Add vanilla and egg and stir to combine.
Stir in the sifted flour, baking powder and salt until just combined.
Fold through chocolate chips.
Place spoonfuls of the cookie mixture on a greased and lined baking tray, allowing room for spreading.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, until they turn pale gold.
Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before placing biscuits on a wire rack to cool further.
Makes 16 cookies.

Enjoy Simran xx