Delicious Cheesecake

Serves 10-12

Base:
250g malt biscuits, crushed
50g Alison’s Pantry ground almonds
130g butter, melted

Filling:
500g cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
4 eggs
3/4 cup prepared Alison’s Pantry Fruit Mince – Kiwi Style (see recipe)

To make base

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Brush a 20cm springform cake tin with melted butter.

2. In a bowl, combine the crushed biscuits, almonds and melted butter. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the base and up the sides of the tin. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

To make filling

1. In a clean bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the sour cream and beat until well combined and the mixture is light and fluffy.

2. Beat in the eggs, to just combine. Don’t overbeat at this stage. Stir in the fruit mince and pour the mixture over the crumb base. Bake for 40 minutes or until just set in the centre. Cool completely in the cake tin.

3. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove cheesecake from fridge 30 minutes before serving so that filling softens a little. Slice to serve.

Download the PDF version: Festive Cheesecake Desert

Christmas Cake with a Twist

Makes 23cm cake

1.5kg Cake Mix:
250g Alison’s Pantry Select Dates, chopped
300g Alison’s Pantry Sultanas
250g Alison’s Pantry Raisins
200g Currants
200g dark chocolate drops
300g Alison’s Pantry Figs, chopped

1/2 cup sherry
1 lemon, finely grated zest
1 orange, finely grated zest
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
250g butter, softened
1 Tbsp treacle
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp of ground allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and nutmeg

1. One to two days before the cake is to be made, put the cake mix into a plastic bag and add the sherry. Turn the bag a couple of times a day and leave the bag in a warm place until the sherry has been absorbed by the fruit

2. Preheat oven to 150°C and line a 23cm cake tin with greaseproof paper

3. Grate/zest the rind of the lemon and orange taking care not to include the pith. Process in food processor with the sugar until well combined

4. Add the butter and process until soft and fluffy, then add treacle and mix again. Add the eggs, one at a time, with a tablespoon of the measured flour between each egg

5. Mix the rest of the flour with the spices and fruit in a large bowl

6. Tip the creamed mixture into the floured fruit and mix until the mixture is soft enough to drop from the spoon. If the mix is too dry, add up to 1/4 cup of sherry or another spirit

7. Put the mixture into the prepared tin and bake at 150°C for one hour, then at 140°C for approximately three hours, until a skewer in the center of the cake comes out clean

8. Optional: Dribble 1/4 cup of alcohol (whiskey, rum or brandy) over the top of the cake whilst the cake is hot

9. Leave in the tin for an hour before turning it out

Download the PDF version: Alison’s Pantry Christmas Cake with a Twist

Fruity Pork Balls with Sticky Soy Glaze

Makes 20 small balls

Meatballs:
500g lean pork mince
4 spring onions, finely chopped
3 Tbsp fresh coriander or parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup prepared Alison’s Pantry Fruit Mince – Kiwi Style (see recipe)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Heat oven to 200°C. Line a large, shallow baking pan with baking paper

To make meatballs

1. Place all meatball ingredients in a bowl. Mix well to combine, and then with damp hands (to stop the mixture sticking), shape mixture into 20 small balls

2. Arrange meatballs in one layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, shaking the pan or turning regularly until meatballs are browned all over and cooked through

Soy Glaze:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Thai sweet chilli sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup water

To make soy glaze

1. While the meatballs are cooking, combine the soy glaze ingredients in a large saucepan and simmer for two minutes. Once the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the pan and place on paper towels to blot up any excess fat.

2. With a slotted spoon or tongs, add the cooked meatballs to the glaze and simmer for five minutes. Skewer the glazed meatballs with toothpicks and serve as finger food nibbles.

Download the PDF version: Fruity Pork Balls with Sticky Soy Glaze

Dark Chocolate Blueberry Truffles

(Makes approximately 25)

Ingredients
1/2 cup cream
200g dark chocolate drops
50g soft butter, cubed
1/2 cup Alison’s Pantry dried blueberries, plus extra to decorate
1/3 cup Alison’s Pantry pistachio nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
extra 250g dark chocolate drops

Reindeer Pops
Cake pop sticks, if desired (for Reindeer Pops)
1/4 cup Alison’s Pantry dried cranberries, to decorate Reindeer
1/2 cup Alison’s Pantry pretzel bows, broken in half to make ‘antler’ shaped pieces

Method

Place cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, or microwave in short bursts, to melt. Whisk until smooth. Add butter and stir to combine. Stir in blueberries and nuts.
Chill mixture for 2 hours or until firm. Roll mixture into 25 small, even-sized balls, place on a tray, cover, and chill.
To coat in chocolate, line a tray with non-stick baking paper. Melt the extra chocolate, stir until smooth and allow to cool slightly. With a fork, pick up one truffle at a time and dip into the melted chocolate to coat. Shake off any excess chocolate and place on the prepared tray to set. Decorate with extra blueberries placed on top.
To give as presents, place truffles in individual foil or paper cases inside small, flat boxes; tie up boxes with ribbons. Truffles will last well for up to 10 days if stored in a cool place.

To create Reindeer Pops, attach cake pop sticks to the base of each truffle before dipping in chocolate. Once dipped, press a pretzel ‘antler’ on each side of the reindeer’s head. Use a cranberry to make a nose. Press on blueberries to create eyes. Repeat with all the other Reindeer Pops.

Recipe from Julie Le Clerc for Alison’s Pantry Christmas booklet 2014
Download the PDF version here: Chocolate Blueberry Truffles and Reindeer Pops

Fig and Walnut Logs

(Makes 4 x 125g logs)

Ingredients
1/2 cup (85g) Alison’s Pantry unsalted roast almonds
1 1/2 cups (250g) Alison’s Pantry dried figs, roughly chopped with hard stalks removed
1 Tbsp brandy
1 Tbsp Mother Earth Liquid Honey
1/2 cup (85g) Alison’s Pantry diced apricots
1/2 cup (50g) Alison’s Pantry walnut pieces, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp mixed spice

Method

Place almonds in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Remove to a bowl.
Blitz the figs with the brandy and honey until they form a sticky paste. Add the fig paste to the bowl with the almonds. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
Mix well to combine, then shape into 4 small log shapes. Set on a plate, uncovered, in the fridge or in a cool, dry place for a week to dry.
Wrap and tie in baking paper if giving as a gift. If stored in a cool, dry place, these logs will keep well for up to 2 months. Store in the fridge during summertime. To serve, slice and serve alongside your favourite cheeses.

Recipe from Julie Le Clerc for the Alison’s Pantry Christmas booklet 2014
Download the PDF version here: Fig and Walnut Logs

Hot roasted nuts

Serves 4 as a snack

This simple snack is a delicious way to nourish your guests, plus it will make your kitchen smell amazing. You can adjust the seasonings to suit your own tastes and play around with other herbs and spices that you enjoy.

Ingredients

2 cups Alison’s Pantry Deluxe Natural Nuts

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves – diced

½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

2 pinches cayenne pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 140 degrees celsius. Place the nuts evenly spaced on a lined oven tray.
Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss well with all the remaining ingredients.
Roast for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes before serving.

Kiwi Style Fruit Mince Chocolate Brownie

Makes 18 pieces

225g butter, cubed
200g dark chocolate drops
1 cup brown sugar, firmly-packed
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups prepared Alison’s Pantry Fruit Mince – Kiwi Style (see Recipe)
1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Alison’s Pantry walnuts, chopped
Icing sugar to dust

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 17cm x 27cm slice tin with nonstick baking paper, ensuring there is overhang on all sides

2. Melt the butter and chocolate gently in a saucepan or microwave on a medium heat in bursts of 20 seconds in a heatproof bowl. Stir until smooth

3. Beat in the brown sugar with a wooden spoon and then stir in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the fruit mince then flour and cocoa. Lastly, stir in the walnuts

4. Spread mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean

5. Remove from the tin and transfer the brownie to a wire rack to cool. Cut into squares and serve dusted with icing sugar

Download the PDF version: Kiwi Style Fruit Mince Chocolate Brownie

Nut Truffles

(Makes 25)

Ingredients
2/3 cup Alison’s Pantry Walnuts
2/3 cup Alison’s Pantry Natural Almonds
2/3 cup Alison’s Pantry Hazelnuts
1½ cups dark chocolate drops
2 tbsp Alison’s Pantry Chia Seeds
3 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp honey
2/3 cup Alison’s Pantry Roast Unsalted Almonds, finely chopped

Serve

Ice cream cones

Method

Grind all the nuts together in a food processor. Add chocolate and pulse to grind. Add remaining ingredients, except roast almonds, until combined and the mixture clumps together.
Using damp hands, roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls. Roll nut truffle balls in chopped almonds, to coat. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
A fun way to serve these Nut truffles is to pop them into ice cream cones along with a mixture of Alison’s Pantry indulgent sweets to make individual servings.

Alison’s Pantry Milk Chocolate Almonds, Chocolate Salted Caramel Popcorn, Cranberry Nut Nougat and Chocolate Pretzels make a great combo with these Nut Truffles.

Download the PDF version here

This recipe was created by Julie Le Clerc for Alison’s Pantry.

Sourdough Stuffing with Walnuts, Caramelized Onion & Sage

Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Sweet caramelized onions and earthy aromatic sage add an irresistible depth of flavour to this delicious Christmas stuffing. It’s a lovely traditional style stuffing for roasted chicken or turkey, although it can also be served as a side dish on its own which is equally as delicious.

Ingredients
1 loaf sourdough, sliced into bite-size cubes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter 3 brown onions, roughly chopped
1 large handful sage, roughly chopped
1 tbsp honey
1 cup Alison’s Pantry walnuts, chopped
1 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 free-range eggs
sea salt and ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Place bread cubes in a single layer over two baking trays. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and then place in the oven to toast. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until slightly toasted. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
3. Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sage and stir to coat in the butter. Lower the heat and sauté until browned. Drizzle over the honey and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes or until caramelised. Leave to cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl, toss together the onions, toasted bread cubes, walnuts, and Parmesan.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the stock, eggs and a good pinch of sea salt and ground pepper. Pour over the bread mixture and then, using your hands, mix well. The mixture should be moist but not dripping with liquid.
6. Place stuffing into the cavity of a turkey or large chicken and cook as normal.

Alternatively, to serve as a side dish, transfer stuffing to a baking dish greased with butter or olive oil. Preheat oven to 180°C and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden on top. Serve in a heated dish for people to help themselves.

Download the PDF version here: Alison’s Pantry Sourdough stuffing with Walnuts, Caramelized Onion and Sage

This recipe was created by Eleanor Ozrich for Alison’s Pantry.

COOKIE CUTTER HACK!

Fall in love with cookie cutters all over again

Bring your chocolate brownie to life using cookie cutters! Grab your festive cookie cutters (think gingerbread man, Christmas tree, stars and even candy canes!) and cut into your cookies, brownies and even fruit to bring your food to life!

Try using cookie cutters to cut watermelon or other fruit to give your dessert platters an added touch!

For a delicious brownie recipe try Alison’s Pantry Kiwi Style Fruit Mince Chocolate Brownies here

Warm French Almond Cake with Strawberry and Dried Fruit Salad

Serves 6

Warm French Almond Cake

Ingredients
125g caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125g butter, softened, but not melted
250g Alison’s Pantry Ground Almonds
60g flour
icing sugar for dusting

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C
Butter and flour a 20cm diameter cake tin or a 22cm diameter ring tin.
Beat the sugar and egg yolks until pale and thick.
Beat in the vanilla and butter then stir in the almonds and flour until well mixed.
Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks.
Add a little of the whites to the almond mixture and beat it in to loosen the mixture. Fold in the remaining beaten egg whites making sure there are no lumps.
Spoon into the tin and bake 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, cool to warm (or cool and later reheat gently in the microwave) and dust with icing sugar.
Serve with some of the fruit salad (recipe to follow) in the middle of the cake if using a ring tin and with mascarpone on the side.

Strawberry and Dried Fruit Salad

Ingredients
¾ cup Alison’s Pantry Prunes
6 Alison’s Pantry Dried Figs, halved
½ cup sweet sherry or dessert wine
juice and zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons caster sugar
500g strawberries, hulled and halved
200g mascarpone (to serve)

Method

Put the prunes, figs, sherry or wine, juice, zest and sugar into a bowl.
Mix well and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.
Add the strawberries and mix gently.
Cover and chill.
Serve with mascarpone and warm french almond cake.

Recipe from Ray McVinnie for Alison’s Pantry Christmas booklet 2014
Download the PDF version here: Ray’s Christmas Dessert – Warm French Almond Cake with Strawberry and Dried Fruit Salad

Sticky Fruit Mince Scone Scrolls

Makes 12

3 cups self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
60g butter, chopped
1 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 cup Alison’s Pantry Walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Filling:
1 cup prepared Alison’s Pantry Fruit Mince – Kiwi Style (see Recipe)
1/2 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Lemon icing:
3/4 cup icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and butter. Using your fingertips, rub in butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Add milk and yoghurt to the well, then stir together, just enough to form a soft dough.

3. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to form a 35 x 25 cm rectangle. To make filling, combine fruit-mince, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread mixture over the dough.

4. Roll up dough to form a log. Use a sharp knife to slice log into 12 equal portions. Press, spiral-side up, onto a greased baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.

5. To make icing, combine icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Drizzle icing over finished buns, sprinkle with walnuts and serve warm.

Download the PDF version: Sticky Fruit Mince Scone Scrolls

Satay sauce

A punchy satay sauce is the key to tying together all the elements of this Gado Gado platter. Using homemade peanut butter makes this particularly delicious and really satisfying to make. It can be nice to serve the sauce topped with fried shallots, sliced spring onions and a little extra chill.

½ cup peanut butter½ cup coconut cream
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 rounded teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon brown or coconut sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Dried chilli flakes to taste

Place all the satay sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix together until completely blended. Taste and add chilli flakes as desired. Add a splash of boiling water if it’s too thick.

Homemade Peanut Butter

Making your own peanut butter is incredibly simple and very satisfying.

2 cups Alison’s Pantry roasted unsalted peanuts
Sea salt to taste

Place the peanuts in a food processor or powerful blender. Blend until the peanut butter is silky smooth or to your preferred consistency. This will take 3-10 minutes depending on your machine and you may need to give the blender / food processor a few breaks to avoid overheating. The mixture will start as crumbs and then become gluggy. Keep going (scraping the sides as needed) and it will eventually become a smooth runny nut butter.
Add salt to taste once completed.
Store in an airtight jar.

Roasted Kumara with Dried Cranberries, Feta and Pistachios

Serves 6

Ingredients
4 purple-skinned kumara, well-scrubbed but not peeled
100g feta, crumbled
¼ cup Alison’s Pantry Whole Cranberries
¼ cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Alison’s Pantry Roast Pistachios, shelled and chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C
Put the kumara into a dry roasting dish and place in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the kumara is tender.
Remove from the oven and halve the kumara lengthways.
Place the kumara halves side by side, flesh side up, in a warm serving dish.
Sprinkle the cranberries and feta over the kumara.
Drizzle the maple syrup over everything.
Sprinkle the pistachios on top and serve.

Recipe from Ray McVinnie for Alison’s Pantry Christmas booklet 2014
Download the PDF version here: Roasted Kumara with Dried Cranberries, Feta and Pistachios

Flaxseed crackers

These crackers are easy to make and will bring a major crunch to any platter. Play around with different seasonings to suit your own tastes.

¾ cup Alison’s Pantry flaxseeds
¼ cup Alison’s pantry sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon ground psyllium husk
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ¼ cups boiling water
To garnish: flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius

Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix until evenly combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Leave to sit for 5 minutes.

Pour onto a large (lined) oven tray and spread out thinly using a spatula or the back of a spoon. Keeping the spoon or spatula damp makes this easier. If you don’t have a very large oven tray, split the mixture in half and use 2 trays.

Bake for 40 minutes. Turn over the sheet of crackers after 30 mins and cook for the last 10 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while still warm. Allow to cool completely, break into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Seed and spice crusted tofu

Serves 4

A wonderfully tasty and visually appealing way to serve tofu. Delicious with satay sauce or a spicy mayo.

½ cup Alison’s Pantry coconut threads
¼ cup Alison’s Pantry sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon cornflour
½ teaspoon sea salt
Cracked black pepper
1 300g block firm tofu
1 free range egg for dipping
Olive oil for frying

Place coconut, seeds, spices, cornflour, salt and pepper into a food processor and blitz until a fine crumb. Cut the tofu into thick wedges and blot with a clean tea towel or paper towel. Dip in the egg and then coat well in the crumb.

Heat a generous glug of oil in a sauté pan over a medium low heat. Cook in batches until browned. Take care with the heat as the seed crumb will burn easily.