Negroni panna cotta

NEGRONI PANNA COTTA SERVES 6

Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

4 titanium-strength gelatine leaves 2 cups (500ml) pure (thin) cream

1/ 2 cup (110g) caster sugar 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped 2 cups (500ml) milk

1/ 2 cup (125ml) gin Finely grated zest of 1/ 2 orange

NEGRONI GRANITA

2 tbs caster sugar 8 juniper berries, bruised 100ml Campari 2 tbs red (rosso) vermouth

For the Negroni granita, place sugar, juniper berries and 4 cups (1L) water in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring regularly, until warm and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir through Campari and vermouth. Pour into a 6-cup (1.5L) freezer-proof tray and freeze for 3 hours or until ice crystals form. Using a fork, scrape granita to break up crystals. Return to freezer, scraping every hour, for 4 hours or until completely frozen.

Meanwhile, to make the panna cottas, grease six 2 / 3- cup (180ml) ramekins, place on a tray and set aside. Soak gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes to soften. Place cream, sugar, vanilla pod and seeds and milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring to dissolve sugar, until at a simmer, then remove from heat. Discard vanilla pod. Squeeze excess water from gelatine and add to cream mixture, stirring to dissolve, then stir through gin and zest. Divide among prepared ramekins and chill for 3 hours or until set. Invert panna cottas onto serving plates and serve immediately with granita.

MOSCOW MULE DELICIOUS PUDDING SERVES 6

125g unsalted butter, softened 200g caster sugar, plus extra

1 cup (220g) 4 eggs, separated Finely grated zest and juice of 4 limes,

plus extra juice of 1/ 2 lime 50g glace ginger, fifinely chopped 1 tsp ground ginger, sifted 125g self-raising flflour, sifted 400ml milk 6cm piece (30g) ginger, thinly sliced

1/ 2 cup (125ml) vodka Icing sugar and baby mint leaves,

to serve

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Grease a 6-cup (1.5L) baking dish.

To make the pudding, place the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fifitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high for 5 minutes or until thick and pale. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until combined. Add lime zest and juice and glace ginger, then fold through ginger, flflour and milk in 2 batches.

In the cleaned stand mixer, whisk eggwhites with a pinch of fifine salt until stiff peaks form. Fold one-quarter eggwhite mixture into the batter to loosen, then fold through remaining eggwhite mixture.

Pour batter into prepared dish and place in a large roasting pan. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up baking dish, then bake for 45 minutes or until risen and top is just fifirm.

Meanwhile, to make the ginger and vodka syrup, place extra sugar, fresh ginger, vodka and 1 cup (250ml) water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 6 minutes or until thickened slightly. Stir through extra lime juice and set aside until needed.

Dust pudding with icing sugar and scatter with mint. Serve with syrup.

ESPRESSO MARTINI CREME BRULEE SERVES 6-8

Begin this recipe 1 day ahead. You will need a kitchen blowtorch.

1.2L pure (thin) cream 1/4 cup (10g) instant-coffee granules 1/ 2 cup (125ml) coffee-flflavoured liqueur, such as Kahlua 12 egg yolks 1/ 2 cup (110g) caster sugar, plus extra 1/ 2 cup (110g) 11/ 2 tbs cornflflour, sifted 300ml thickened cream, whipped 2 tbs vanilla-flflavoured vodka

(substitute 2 tsp vanilla bean paste)

Preheat the oven to 120°C.

Place pure cream, coffee and coffee liqueur in a saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to just below boiling point.

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, sugar and cornflflour in a bowl until well combined. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture until well combined. Strain into a large

heatproof jug, then pour into a 8-cup (2L) ovenproof dish. Place dish in a roasting pan in oven and carefully fifill pan with boiling water until halfway up sides of roasting dish. Bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or until set with a slight wobble. Cool slightly, cover and chill overnight. The next day, fold thickened cream and vodka together in a bowl until combined. Sprinkle custard with extra sugar and use a kitchen blowtorch to caramelise. Serve immediately with vodka cream.

BELLINI PEACH PIE SERVES 6

Begin this recipe at least 7 hours ahead.

1kg yellow peaches, cut into eighths,

stones removed 2 cups (500ml) sparkling white wine

1/ 2 cup (110g) caster sugar Finely grated zest of 1/ 2 lemon 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped 11/ 2 tbs cornflflour 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 tbs raw sugar Double cream, to serve

PIE CRUST

2 tbs apple cider vinegar (we used Woolworths Marco) 21/ 2 cups (375g) plain flour 1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar 250g cold unsalted butter, chopped

To make the fifilling, combine peach, wine, caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla pod and seeds in a bowl, cover and stand for 5 hours or overnight to macerate. Drain peach mixture over a saucepan, reserving liquid and peach separately. Discard vanilla pod. Transfer 1/4 cup (60ml) peach liquid to a bowl and stir through cornflflour until well combined. Add cornflflour mixture to peach liquid in saucepan. Place pan over high heat and bring to the boil. Cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes or until reduced by two-thirds. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and stir through reserved peach.

Meanwhile, for pie crust, place vinegar in a jug with 1/3 cup (80ml) water and 4 ice cubes. Place flflour and sugar in a bowl with

1/2 tsp fifine sea salt. Add butter and toss to completely coat in flflour mixture. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until coarsely combined. Turn out onto a clean work surface and make a well in the centre. Add 2 tbs vinegar water at a time, carefully folding flflour mixture into water, until a fifirm dough (you may not need all the water). Discard ice. Divide dough into one-third and two-third portions and enclose each in plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Roll larger portion of dough on a lightly flfloured surface to 3mm thick and use to line base and side of a 23cm pie tin. Fill with peach mixture. Roll out smaller portion of dough and, using the tips of a 3mm plain piping nozzle and 5mm plain piping nozzle (substitute small end of a chopstick), make small holes across the pastry. Brush edges of pie with egg and top with rolled pastry. Trim excess pastry and crimp the edges. Brush top with egg and scatter with raw sugar. Bake for 1 hour or until golden and fifilling is bubbling slightly. Stand for 1 hour to cool slightly, then serve with cream.

PIÑA COLADA ICE CREAM WITH SUGAR-ROASTED PINEAPPLE

SERVES 4

Begin this recipe at least 6 hours ahead.

50g unsalted butter, chopped 100g shaved palm sugar 2 small pineapples, halved lengthways (substitute 1 large pineapple, quartered lengthways) Fresh coconut flflakes (optional) and lime

wedges, to serve

COCONUT ICE CREAM

400ml coconut milk 100ml thickened cream, whipped 425g sweetened condensed milk 1 tbs coconut-flflavoured rum

For the coconut ice cream, fold all ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Transfer to a 4-cup (1L) loaf tin and freeze for 6 hours or until frozen.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a large baking tray and line with baking paper.

Combine butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring regularly, until melted. Place pineapple, cut-side up, on prepared tray and drizzle with butter mixture. Turn pineapple cut-side down and roast, turning again halfway and basting with roasting juices occasionally, for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until tender and caramelised (cover with foil if browning too quickly).

Divide pineapple among serving plates and top with scoops of ice cream and coconut flflakes if using. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

CARAMEL OLD FASHIONED TRIFLE (COVER RECIPE)

SERVES 8

Begin this recipe at least 3 hours ahead.

85g unsalted butter, chopped 1/ 3 cup (120g) treacle 1/4 cup (85g) dulce de leche (from good grocers) 135g self-raising flflour

3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 eggwhite 1 orange, thinly sliced 11/ 2 cups (330g) caster sugar 2 tsp bourbon 1/ 2 tsp Angostura bitters 3/4 cup (100g) beer nuts (substitute salted roasted peanuts), chopped 2 cups (500g) sour cream, whipped 2 cups (500ml) caramel sorbet

(from ice cream or gelato shops)

OLD FASHIONED JELLY

5 titanium-strength gelatine leaves 10 white sugar cubes 2 tsp Angostura bitters 21/ 4 cups (560ml) sparkling water

3/4 cup (180ml) bourbon

For the jelly, soak gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes to soften. Combine sugar cubes and bitters in the base of a 16.5cm, 4L glass triflfle bowl and crush cubes with the end of a rolling pin. Add 2 cups (500ml) sparkling water and bourbon, and stir to combine. Place remaining 1/4 cup (60ml) sparkling water in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until hot. Squeeze excess liquid from gelatine and stir through hot sparkling water until dissolved. Stir

“Desserts are the socialites of a three-course meal, so basing these on cocktails was a natural choice. Party on a plate? I RSVP yes!”

gelatine mixture through bourbon mixture. Chill for 3 hours or until set.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease base and side of a 20cm round cake pan and line with baking paper.

Meanwhile, to make the caramel treacle cake, melt butter, treacle and dulce de leche in a saucepan over medium heat. Stand for 10 minutes to cool. Sift flflour and bicarb into a bowl. Stir eggwhite through treacle mixture, then add to flflour mixture and whisk until smooth. Fold through 1/4 cup (60ml) hot water. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Invert cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the bitter orange, place orange, 1/ 2 cup (110g) caster sugar and 1 cup (250ml) water in a large frypan and place over high heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, turning halfway, for 20 minutes or until orange is tender. Using tongs, transfer orange to a baking tray and drizzle with bourbon and bitters. Preheat oven grill to high and grill orange slices, checking regularly, for 3 minutes or until caramelised. Set aside to cool completely.

To make the beer-nut praline, spread nuts evenly across a baking tray lined with baking paper. Combine 1/3 cup (80ml) water and remaining 1 cup (220g) caster sugar in a saucepan over high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes or until dark golden. Working quickly, pour sugar mixture evenly over nuts. Stand until completely cooled, then break into pieces.

Trim cake to fifit neatly above jelly in triflfle bowl, then carefully place on top of jelly.

When ready to serve, top cake with sour cream and half the orange slices, then scoops of caramel sorbet and remaining orange slices. Scatter with praline and serve immediately.

GIN & TONIC CHEESECAKE SERVES 8

Just like the famous G&T, this cheesecake is full of punch and zip! Begin this recipe around 6 hours ahead.

120g digestive biscuits 70g unsalted butter, melted,

plus extra 125g 500g cream cheese, at room temperature 2/ 3 cup (150g) caster sugar 1/ 3 cup (50g) cornflflour, sifted 3 eggs 2 cup (500g) sour cream,

at room temperature Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 2 tbs tonic water

1/4 cup (60ml) gin

LEMON & JUNIPER CURD

2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar 80g chilled unsalted butter 6 juniper berries, bruised Finely grated zest and juice

of 2 lemons 1 tbs cornflflour

GIN & BAY LEMONS

2 lemons, thinly sliced 1/ 2 cup (110g) caster sugar 1/ 2 cup (125ml) gin 1/ 2 cup (125ml) tonic water 1 bay leaf sprig

For the lemon and juniper curd, whisk whole eggs, yolks and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat. Add the butter, juniper berries, lemon zest and juice and cornflflour, and whisk continuously until thickened (about 10 minutes). Strain through a sieve into a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Grease a 20cm springform pan and line base and side with baking paper. Wrap outside of pan with aluminium foil to make watertight.

To make the base, place biscuits and butter in a food processor and whiz to combine. Press crumb mixture into base of prepared pan. Chill until needed.

To make the fifilling, place cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer fifitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the cornflflour and beat until combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream, lemon zest, tonic water and gin until combined. Pour cream cheese mixture over base.

Place cheesecake pan in a large, deep baking dish. Fill dish with boiling water halfway up the side of cheesecake pan.

Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until cheesecake is mostly set. Carefully top with curd and bake for a further 10 minutes or until set with a slight wobble. Turn off oven. Stand cheesecake in oven with the door closed for 1 hour, then remove pan from water bath and set cheesecake aside to cool to room temperature. Chill cooled cheesecake for at least 3 hours or until fifirm.

Meanwhile, for the gin and bay lemons, place all ingredients in a large frypan and place over high heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, turning halfway, for 20 minutes or until lemon is tender. Set aside to cool completely.

Remove cheesecake from pan, transfer to a serving plate and top with gin and bay lemons to serve.