Decadent dishes Feast on this
Pour your love into these luxurious dishes and treat your beloved to a feast, says NZ House & Garden’s Sally Butters.
Lamb tagine
Tagines are the wonderfully flavoured stews of Morocco. Slow simmering and the rich flavours of the spices used make them special.
Lamb shoulder or other lean cuts of lamb work for this recipe. You can also use lamb shanks, but the cooking time before the dates are added will need to be increased to 21⁄2 hours.
Marinade
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1⁄2 tsp each: ground cumin, ground
ginger, turmeric, paprika, salt Juice of 1 orange
Tagine
1-1.5kg lean lamb meat
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped into
thin wedges
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp each: ground allspice
and cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1⁄2 tsp chilli paste
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely
chopped
2 tbsp liquid honey
1 small lemon, juice and finely
grated zest
375ml beef or chicken stock
1⁄2 cup water
1⁄2 cup pitted dates or prunes 400g can chickpeas, rinsed
and drained
1⁄4 cup coarsely chopped coriander
leaves Combine marinade ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl. Cut lamb into 2.5cm cubes, add to marinade and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 2 hours.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot or casserole and cook lamb in batches until browned all over, reserving any marinade. Remove meat from pot, cover and keep warm.
Add remaining oil to pot and cook onion, garlic and spices over medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Return meat to pot with any remaining marinade juices, the carrot, honey, lemon juice and zest, stock and water. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 11⁄2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add dates (or prunes) and chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer another 30 minutes or until meat is tender.
Serve the tagine on a bed of couscous or mash, scattered generously with coriander.
Serves 4-6
Rum & salted caramel truffles
These sweets make a fabulous after-dinner treat, sneaky nibble or impressive homemade gift. They can be made several weeks ahead.
400g dark chocolate (50 per cent cocoa solids), broken into squares
1⁄2 cup cream
11⁄2 tbsp rum
100g soft caramels, coarsely chopped (we used Werther’s Original Soft Chocolate Caramels)
1⁄2 tsp flaky sea salt
Cocoa powder to dust
Place chocolate and cream in a bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Stir until chocolate has completely melted and combined with the cream.
Remove from heat and stir in rum, caramels and sea salt. Pour into a shallow container and chill until firm enough to handle (30-45 minutes). Meanwhile, line a baking tray with baking paper.
Take heaped teaspoonfuls of truffle mixture and roll into balls. Place on the lined tray (your hands need to be cold for this job; run them under cold water occasionally to cool and clean them). Place truffles in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Sift cocoa onto a large piece of baking paper and roll truffles in the powder.
Truffles will keep for several weeks in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve at room temperature. Makes about 30
Chocolate swirl meringue cake
This is a glorious, free-form construction (gluten-free) of giant stacked meringues and chocolate sauce, loosely called a cake. The meringues will keep for several weeks in an airtight container. Meringues
11⁄2 cups caster sugar 5 egg whites
Pinch of salt
50g dark chocolate melts
or buttons
Chocolate drizzle
cup cream
30g butter, cut into small pieces 2 tbsp liquid glucose
175g dark chocolate melts
or buttons
Meringues: Heat oven to 200C. Spread caster sugar in a medium size roasting pan and place in oven for about 5 minutes or until it feels hot to touch. When it is ready, reduce oven temperature to 110C.
While sugar is heating, whisk egg whites until frothy using an electric mixer. Add hot sugar in one lot (if using a hand-held mixer, an extra pair of hands to do this is useful). Beat on medium to high speed for about 8 minutes or until mixture forms a very stiff meringue and it is completely cool.
Melt chocolate, cool slightly and pour it over the top of the stiff meringue (do not fold it through).
Take tennis ball-size spoonfuls of meringue/chocolate mixture and place on a lined baking sheet (mixture should make 8 big meringues). The movement of the spoon and shaping the meringues is enough to give a swirl effect.
Bake 1 hour then take from oven and allow to cool completely. Drizzle: Place cream, butter and glucose in a medium saucepan and stir over moderate heat until mixture begins to simmer. Take off heat and add chocolate, stirring until it melts and mixture becomes smooth.
Stack meringues on a serving plate in a rough tower shape. Just before serving, pour the chocolate drizzle over. Serve with a bowl of whipped cream, if desired.
Makes 8 large meringues