JULIE GOODWIN’S bestever family feast

Our much-loved Julie Goodwin bids The Australian Women’s Weekly a fond farewell with a festive menu featuring a special beef roast and a stunning showpiece celebration cake.

Roast beetroot and goat’s cheese terrine SERVES 8 AS AN ENTRÉE PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES (+ REFRIGERATION TIME)

5 medium (750g) beetroot 1 small bulb garlic 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 1 cup (100g) walnuts 550g marinated goat’s cheese or feta 1 bunch chives, chopped finely chervil, baby salad leaves and lemoninfused olive oil, to serve 1 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fanforced). Remove the leaves and trim the roots from the beetroot. Trim the top off the garlic bulb. Place beetroot and garlic on an oven tray; sprinkle with oil. Roast for 30 minutes, then remove the garlic; it should be soft. Roast the beetroot for a further 30 minutes, or until a skewer goes easily through them. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the walnuts to the tray. Remove the tray from the oven and allow everything to cool. 2 Peel the beetroot – the skin should come off quite easily. Slice into 2mm rounds. Squeeze the flesh from the garlic cloves and add to a bowl with the cheese, marinating oil and chives. Mash with a fork until everything is combined. 3 Line a 10cm x 18cm loaf pan with baking paper, leaving a generous overhang. Place a layer of beetroot slices over base. Spread ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the top. Repeat twice more and finish with a final layer of beetroot. Fold the baking paper over the pan; refrigerate overnight. 4 Turn terrine out of pan. Top with chervil and walnuts; serve with salad leaves and lemon oil. Slice carefully. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

Sugar snap peas with saffron almond butter SERVES 8 PREP AND COOK TIME 12 MINUTES

½ teaspoon saffron threads 250g butter, chopped, at room temperature 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely 2 tablespoons chopped chives finely grated zest of 1 lemon ⅓ cup (45g) slivered almonds, toasted 2 teaspoons sea salt flakes 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 650g sugar snap peas 1 Place saffron in a small heatproof bowl; tip 1 teaspoon of boiling water over it. Stir and place in a large bowl with the other ingredients, except peas. Mix well. 2 Lay a 60cm piece of plastic wrap vertically on the bench top. Place the butter mixture across the bottom of the wrap, leaving enough room either side to twist together. Roll the butter until you have formed a cylinder; twist each end into a bonbon shape. Freeze for 2 hours or until firm. Remove the butter from the freezer 10 minutes before you need to use it. Heat a sharp knife by pouring boiling water over the blade, and cut 4 slices. 3 Remove the “string” from peas. Bring a pan of salted water to a rapid boil. Add the peas; leave them for 1-2 minutes, until bright green. Drain; drop briefly into a bowl of cold water, then place in a serving dish. Top with saffron butter to melt through. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

Pearl couscous, zucchini and tomato salad SERVES 8 PREP AND COOK TIME 25 MINUTES (+ STANDING AND COOLING TIME)

20g butter 1 medium (150g) onion, chopped finely 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely 1½ cups (290g) pearl couscous 2½ cups (625ml) chicken stock 250g grape or cherry tomatoes, halved 2 small (180g) zucchini, sliced 6 spring onions, sliced thinly 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves coarsely chopped 1 bunch mint, chopped 1 bunch coriander, leaves chopped juice of 1 lemon ⅓ cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes 1 Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant and translucent. 2 Add the couscous and stock; cover, then cook for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Stand covered for 10 minutes. 3 Transfer the couscous mixture to a bowl; cool, stirring every couple of minutes. 4 Once cooled, stir in the tomatoes, zucchini, onion and herbs. To make dressing, whisk the juice, oil and salt together in a bowl. 5 Just before serving, toss dressing through the salad. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

Crispy roast potatoes with rosemary salt SERVES 8 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 35 MINUTES

2.5kg floury potatoes (such as Agria) vegetable oil, for roasting 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped finely 1 Peel potatoes; cut in half, or into quarters if they’re large – just make sure the pieces are evenly sized so they cook at the same time. Place the potatoes in a large pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Boil for around 15 minutes or until the cut edges are just starting to soften, and a knife or skewer goes easily into the potato. Don’t cook any further than this or the potatoes will fall apart. 2 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180° fanforced). Put about 1cm of vegetable oil into a roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven until the oil is hot. Drain the potatoes very well. It is critical that they are dry. 3 Very carefully lower the potatoes into the hot oil. Gently turn them, so that the whole surface area of each potato has a coating of oil. Place the pan back in the oven and cook for about 1 hour, turning the potatoes once or twice, until they are crisp and golden brown. 4 In a small bowl, combine the salt, rosemary and some freshly ground black pepper. 5 Drain potatoes on paper towels. Sprinkle with rosemary salt while still hot. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

Peach Melba celebration cake SERVES 12 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 40 MINUTES (+ COOLING TIME)

4 eggs 2 cups (440g) caster sugar 2 cups (300g) plain flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup (250ml) milk 125g butter, chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon coconut extract 1 cup (320g) raspberry jam, warmed 1½ cups (120g) flaked almonds, toasted 3 medium (450g) ripe peaches

RASPBERRY COULIS

½ cup (110g) sugar 375g fresh raspberries

BUTTERCREAM

375g butter, at room temperature 2 tablespoons vanilla extract 6 cups (960g) icing sugar 1 Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced). Grease 2 x 20cm cake pans; line bases with baking paper. 2 In an electric mixer, beat the eggs for 4-5 minutes or until pale and creamy. With the mixer still running, gradually add the caster sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes. To test if the mixture is ready, turn the mixer off. Lift the beaters; if the mixture falls and forms thick ribbons on the surface for a moment before it sinks, it is ready. 3 In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Fold through the egg mixture. 4 In the microwave or a small saucepan on the stovetop, heat the milk and butter until just melted. Add the vanilla and coconut extract. Gently fold the milk mixture through the batter. Pour mixture evenly into pans. 5 Place the pans side by side on the centre shelf of the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool. 6 RASPBERRY COULIS Meanwhile, place the sugar and ½ cup water in a small saucepan over high heat; bring to the boil. Add 250g of the raspberries; boil until they become liquid and slightly thickened. Push through a sieve over a bowl; pour into a jug and refrigerate. Reserve remaining raspberries. 7 BUTTERCREAM Beat butter and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer until lighter in colour. Sift icing sugar into the bowl and combine on low speed. Increase the speed and beat until light and fluffy. 8 To assemble, cut cakes in half. Place the base layer on a serving plate. Spread with 1/3 of the jam and a 1cm-thick layer of Buttercream. Repeat layering twice. Top with remaining cake layer and spread with a generous layer of Buttercream. Use the remaining Buttercream to evenly coat the side of the cake. 9 Press almonds around the side of the cake. Peel peaches; cut into thin wedges. Arrange on top of the cake. Pile reserved raspberries in the centre. Serve cake with Raspberry Coulis. Cakes suitable to freeze at end of step 5. Milk mixture suitable to microwave.

Mushroom-filled beef fillet with port sauce SERVES 6 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES (+ STANDING AND COOLING TIME)

20g dried porcini mushrooms 4 cloves garlic, peeled 200g Swiss brown mushrooms 200g cup or button mushrooms 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 2 teaspoons sea salt flakes 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1.8kg eye fillet of beef, trimmed and butterflied (see Test Kitchen tip on page 102) 1 cup (250ml) port watercress, to serve 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fanforced). 2 Place the porcini in a heatproof bowl; add 1½ cups hot water. Stand for 10 minutes, then strain over a jug. Reserve the liquid (about 1 cup). In a food processor, finely chop the garlic. Add the porcini, Swiss brown and cup mushrooms; process until the size ranges between a coarse breadcrumb and the fingernail of your pinkie. 3 In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, place 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the mushroom and garlic mixture, thyme leaves, half the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. The mixture will initially release moisture, then will dry up and eventually turn golden and take on a paste-like consistency. Remove from the pan; cool. 4 Lay the butterflied beef fillet on a board. Spread the cooled mushroom mixture over the meat. Roll meat up to enclose filling, then tie with butcher’s string. Season the base then flip the beef uncut-side up in a heavy-based baking dish. Splash the remaining oil over and under the beef and sprinkle remaining salt and pepper on top. 5 Roast, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Cover with foil; rest for 30 minutes. Transfer beef to a carving board, cover with foil to keep warm. Place the baking dish on the stove top over medium-high heat. Pour in the reserved porcini liquid and the port. Boil, while scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook to a syrupy consistency, then pour into a serving jug. 6 Slice beef thickly. Serve with the port sauce and watercress. Not suitable to freeze or microwave.