Season’s eatings

Great Kiwi Bakeoff winner Alby Hailes showcases his latest book, Good Vibes, with a selection of delectable, fresh recipes, each offering delicious flavours, perfect for celebrating.

Words Aaron Mclean

Turmeric roast potatoes with crispy kawakawa & brown butter whip

The perfect roast potato recipe, and potatoes this good deserve special treatment – kawakawa leaves, a plant endemic to Aotearoa, bring complexity to the brown butter and crisp up beautifully when fried to garnish. If kawakawa is unavailable, use fresh sage.

Hands-on time 30 mins

Total time 1 hour 10 mins

Serves 6–8 as a side

Ingredients

Brown butter whip

• 150g butter, chopped into small cubes

• 6 kawakawa leaves

  Turmeric roast potatoes

• 100ml canola oil

• 2kg agria potatoes, peeled and cut into 4cm chunks

• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 tbsp finely chopped sage

• 2 tsp ground turmeric

• ½ tsp cracked black pepper

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 8 kawakawa leaves

Method

First start the brown butter whip. Melt the butter with the kawakawa leaves in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring regularly and swirling the pan, until it starts to foam and the butter turns a deep golden brown (be careful here as it can rapidly go from brown to black). Pour the brown butter (including any flecks that have solidified) into a bowl, and discard the kawakawa leaves. Refrigerate the butter until cooled to the consistency of room temperature butter (this can take up to an hour). Stir a couple of times as it cools to mix up any browned solids with the melted butter.Remove from the fridge and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 190°C fan-forced (or 210°C conventional).

For the turmeric roast potatoes, pour the canola oil into a large roasting dish and place in the oven to heat. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water and add 2 tbsp salt. Bring to the boil over high heat. Once boiling, parboil the potatoes by cooking for 5–10 minutes, until a knife can go easily through the outer edge of a potato but they are still firm in the centre. Drain then return to low heat and stir for 1 minute to dry out the potatoes a little. Remove from the heat and give the saucepan a decent shake until the edges of the potatoes are fluffed up. Add the sage and turmeric, tossing to coat. Carefully remove the roasting dish from the oven. Add the potatoes and carefully toss to coat with the hot oil. Roast for 35–40 minutes, until golden, crispy and cooked through. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the pepper and remaining 1 tsp salt, tossing to coat.

To finish the brown butter whip, beat the brown butter with an electric hand mixer for 3 minutes until fluffy and whipped.

For the crispy kawakawa, place the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is really hot, add the remaining kawakawa leaves and fry for 20–30 seconds on each side until blistered and crispy, then remove from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Serve the potatoes warm, topped with dollops of brown butter whip and the crispy kawakawa leaves

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Lazy-day pulled pork with apple & beetroot slaw

This combination of pork and slaw can be stuffed into bao, tacos and flatbreads, or served with your favourite sides. A healthy swig of rum and grated green apple give the meat incredible flavour. Allowing the slaw to marinate 30 minutes in the fridge lets the cabbage soften just a little.

Hands-on time 15 mins

Total time 5 hours

Serves 6–8

Ingredients

Pulled pork

• 1.5kg pork shoulder or leg, bone-in

• 2 tsp ground sumac

• 1 tsp ground chipotle chilli (or other chilli powder)

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• ¼ tsp ground cloves

• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar

• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 large green apple, grated

• 60ml apple cider vinegar

• 60ml golden rum

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• ½ tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp cracked black pepper

• 2 red onions, thinly sliced

• 400ml can coconut cream

  Apple & beetroot slaw

• ¼ red cabbage, shredded

• 1 large green apple, halved, cored, cut into matchsticks

• 1 small beetroot (about 125g), finely grated

• 70g unsweetened natural yoghurt

• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

• 2 tbsp chopped mint leaves

• 1 handful coriander leaves

Method

For the pulled pork, trim any excess fat or skin from the pork. Pat the meat dry with paper towel. Using a sharp knife, score the meat diagonally a few times, making cuts just 1cm deep. This lets the marinade penetrate the flesh. Place into a medium–large (about 25cm diameter) Dutch oven or casserole dish with a lid. In a bowl, whisk together the spices, sugar, ginger, garlic, apple, vinegar, rum, tomato paste, salt and pepper until well combined. Pour over the pork and massage into both sides of the meat. Cover with the lid and leave at room temperature for 1 hour to marinate.

Preheat the oven to 140°C fan-forced (or 160°C conventional). Add the onion and coconut cream to the meat and stir through to coat. Cover and cook for about 4 hours, until the meat is very tender and falling apart.

For the apple & beetroot slaw, combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss together. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To serve, transfer the pork to a chopping board. Using two forks, pull the meat into shreds. Return the pork to the casserole dish and mix through the sauce to absorb all the moisture and flavour. Serve warm with the apple & beetroot slaw, either on their own or stuffed into tacos, buns or flatbreads.

Note: Alternatively, cook the pork in a slow cooker on LOW for 8–10 hours or HIGH for 6 hours, until tender and falling apart. Ensure you still marinate the pork first for maximum flavour

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Black sesame, rose & cardamom cake with honey mascarpone icing

If there is a quintessentially me cake, this is it. This cake has fed hungry hospital nurses, been cut by a married couple, and even featured as the base for one of my showstoppers on The Great Kiwi Bake Off. I love how visually striking the grey tones of the crumb are against the whipped cloud-like mascarpone. The combination of black sesame, rose, cardamom and black pepper is an unusual one, and it’s sure to become a favourite.

Hands-on time 20 mins

Total time 1 hour 30 mins

Serves 12

Ingredients

Cake batter

• 100g butter, softened to room temperature

• 200g caster sugar

• 2 eggs

• 125ml canola oil

• 2 tbsp rose water

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 75g black tahini

• 125ml coconut cream

• 150g plain flour

• 110g ground almonds

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp ground cardamom

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

  To decorate

• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds

• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

• 200g mascarpone

• 1 ½ tbsp honey, plus extra to drizzle

• 2 tsp rose water

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced (or 180°C conventional). Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line with baking paper.

To make the cake, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl, using an electric hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, for 3 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat for 1 minute, until well combined. Pour in the oil, rose water and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute, until smooth. Add the black tahini and coconut cream and beat for an additional minute, until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, cardamom, salt and pepper. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until smooth and just combined. There should be no remaining specks of flour left in the cake batter. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 45–50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To decorate, toast the sesame seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat for a few minutes, until starting to brown and pop. Transfer to a small bowl to cool. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mascarpone, honey and rose water until smooth. Pipe or spread the honey mascarpone evenly over the top of the cooled cake, then sprinkle with the toasted seeds and drizzle with extra honey.

Serve on the day of baking, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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Matcha & pistachio amaretti

In the style of Italian amaretti, these biscuits are wonderfully chewy due to a base of egg whites and ground nuts. Matcha and pistachio are buddies in green and a dangerously moreish combination, so if ingredients are on hand, this recipe is always worth doubling.

Hands-on time 15 mins

Total time 1 hour 10 mins

Serves 15 small cookies

Ingredients

• 100g pistachio kernels

• 110g ground almonds

• 200g caster sugar

• 1 tbsp matcha powder

• pinch of sea salt

• 65g egg whites (about 2)

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

• 75g icing sugar

Method

Place the pistachios in a food processor and blitz until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl, add the ground almonds, caster sugar, matcha and salt, whisking to combine. In a separate bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the egg whites and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to gently fold together to make a soft, slightly sticky paste. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 40 minutes, so that the mixture can be rolled into balls without sticking to your hands.

Preheat the oven to 150°C fan-forced (or 170°C conventional). Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Sift the icing sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll the chilled dough into small balls (about 30g each). Roll the balls in the icing sugar to coat generously. Place on the oven trays spaced at least 4cm apart, as they may spread a little as they bake.

Bake for 15–20 minutes, until cracked, fragrant and just starting to turn lightly golden brown at the edges. Leave to cool on the trays for 10 minutes, before carefully moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.