Kūmara mānuka crunch

SERVES 6 / PREPARATION 45 MINUTES PLUS 1 HOUR RESTING TIME / COOKING 15 MINUTES

FOR THE BASE

150g butter

60g mānuka honey 70g brown sugar

70g standard flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ⅓ teaspoon ground ginger 150g oats

Preheat the oven to 170℃ and line a 24 x 24cm tin with baking paper, making sure enough comes up the sides to pull the slice out later. Melt the butter, honey and sugar together in pot over a low heat, then stir in the remaining dry ingredients. Spread into the tin using a spatula to flatten it and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden and slightly puffed. Leave to cool at room temperature.

FOR THE TOPPING 150g mānuka honey 250g butter

3 cups icing sugar pinch ground ginger

Melt the honey and butter together in a pot. Whisk in the icing sugar and ginger until you have a smooth and thick icing, tasting and adjusting the ginger and honey to taste. You want the icing to be thick enough that it will just about hold its shape, but still runs slightly. Pour over the cooled slice and leave to set in the fridge for half an hour. Once set, cut into long finger slices, mine were 2½ x 12cm

FOR THE ROAST KŪMARA AND TO SERVE 1 kūmara

20g mānuka honey

15g butter edible flowers, to serve fresh thyme leaves, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180℃. Peel the kūmara and cut into cubes about 1½ x 1½cm. Put on a lined baking tray, pour over the honey and place cubes of butter in between. Bake for 15 minutes, mixing every 5 minutes, until the kūmara are cooked and the outsides are slightly crisp. Leave to cool.

Top the slice with the cooled kūmara, and decorate with edible flowers and fresh thyme leaves.