Festive Rumballs

Chocolate Bark

Line a 25cm x 35cm with baking paper. Place chocolate into a medium heat proof bowl; stir over a medium saucepan of simmering water until smooth (don’t let water touch base of bowl). Stir in puffed rice and coconut.

Working quickly, spread chocolate mixture onto tray as thinly as possible; sprinkle with dried fruits, nuts, remaining coconut & rice puffs.

Refrigerate until set. Break bark into pieces to serve.

Crunchy Apple Slaw

1. Place pinenuts and sesame seeds in a small frying pan and cook for 5 minutes until golden and toasted. Set aside.
2. Combine the cabbage, apples, spring onions, raisins and mint in a large mixing bowl and toss well.
3. Whisk together the oil and vinegar. Season to taste. Pour over apple mixture and toss well. Spoon onto serving platter and sprinkle with toasted seeds and nuts and some additional mint leaves.

Rocky Road

Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm square baking tin.

Mix together raisins, cherries, marshmallows and pistachios.  Pour 1 cup of the mixture into the base of the prepared tin.

Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, microwave for 30 seconds, stir then microwave in 10 second bursts until melted.  Allow to cool for about 5 mins before adding the remaining fruit and nut mixture.  Toss to coat then pour into the prepared tin, gently flattening the surface.  Refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours).

Remove from tin and slice into 4 long rows.  Wrap in cellophane for Christmas gifting.

Rainbow Couscous & Sultana Salad

In a small saucepan, bring water and salt just to the boil. Add couscous and stir once. Cover pan, remove from heat and set aside 10 mins, until water is absorbed.

Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.

Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Add sultanas, chickpeas, veggies, herbs, and onions, and tosswell.

Drizzle salad with half of the dressing and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle salad withwalnuts and feta. Serve with remaining dressing.

Tips

• Store salad in a covered container in the fridge, for up to three days.
• Couscous can be substituted with cooked and cooled quinoa, if preferred

Christmas Casata

Soften 2 litres vanilla ice cream by leaving out of the freezer for 15 minutes while you chop, glacé cherries & Allens Raspberries.

Toast the slithered almonds in a dry pan till slightly brown, set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl add softened ice cream, start by stirring in the frozen raspberries to give ice cream raspberry ripples and colour. Then add all the remaining ingredients and stir till combined.

Choose a mould or tin to set the ice cream in and freeze for a minimum 4 hours to set.

Serve frozen.

Pavlova Trifle with soaked Natural Sultanas

1. To make the Rum Custard: Soak Sunbeam Sultanas in the rum for 1-2 hours. Place milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger into a saucepan over low-medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer but below boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, removing the cinnamon and ginger pieces.
2. In a large bowl whisk together egg yolks and corn starch. Then, while whisking slowly mix in a ladle of the warm milk to temper the eggs. Continue doing this until you have mixed all the warm milk in. Clean out the saucepan and add the custard mixture back in. Heat over low heat for 20 minutes, whisking constantly, until the custard coats the back of the spoon. Remove from heat and stir through the rum-soaked Sultanas.
3. Pour into a heat safe bowl and let cool on the counter. Then, refrigerate until cold.
4. To make the Candied Pistachios: Add the sugar and honey to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add pistachios, salt and lemon zest. Stir to combine. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 2 minutes, or until the syrup coats the pistachios and is very thick. Place pistachios onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and allow to cool and set. Let cool completely before chopping and using.
5. Pour into a clean bowl the thickened cream. Add in the vanilla essence and whisk until soft peaks forms.
6. To assemble Trifle: in a large glass serving dish, layer custard, chunks of pavlova, spiced rum custard, whipped cream, honey candied chopped pistachios, strawberries and raspberries. Repeat this until your trifle bowl is full.
7. Garnish with fresh raspberries, strawberries, cream and honey candied chopped pistachios.

Serve and enjoy.