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Tis the Season
With the festive time of year upon us, we’re on the look out for excellent edible gift ideas and delicious food for entertaining, and Holly is here to deliver on all fronts
With the festive time of year upon us, we’re on the look out for excellent edible gift ideas and simple, delicious food for entertaining, and Holly
is here to deliver on all fronts
With the holiday season in full swing, I’m excited about a summer of long-overdue catch ups with those we’ve missed from around the world. And I also expect to be feeding a fair few people, so
I’m all about food that’s not only easy to serve guests, but ideal to bring to drinks and barbecues.
This chocolate bark is the perfect gift for teachers, coaches or to just to say thanks to your host, and
a loaf of freshly baked focaccia is a welcome addition to any meal. My kids love helping me make both. I’m also a big fan of making labneh. It’s so versatile and once you try making it, a world of possibilities opens up — take a look at my ideas.
to bloom (above).Below, top to bottom: the Dalmatian Bean is a heritage variety and the seeds have been passed down through Holly’s family for four generations; thyme ready to be picked for the focaccia; butter beans and green beans starting to grow.
Chocolate Bark
This is quite possibly the easiest gift to make, it’s perfect to get the kids involved, and can be customised to taste (see ideas at end). Use good-quality chocolate in this recipe — not baking
or compound chocolate.
Makes 8 gift bags
250g Whittakers milk chocolate
100g Whittakers white chocolate
100g roasted unsalted whole cashew nuts
50g dried pumpkin seeds
50g dried cranberries
Place chocolates in separate bowls and melt in the microwave in 20 second intervals, taking care
not to overheat. Mix well after each heating. This slow melting prevents chocolate from blooming. Alternatively, use the double-boiler method.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the milk chocolate to 4mm thickness. Dollop
the white chocolate across the milk and swirl with a knife. Scatter over the nuts, seeds and berries. Allow to cool and when firm, snap into shards.
Suggested flavours
Dark chocolate, candied orange peel and toasted almonds
White chocolate with freeze-dried raspberries
Milk chocolate with crushed candy canes
Labneh & Five Seed Crackers
Labneh is a simple, fresh yoghurt-based cheese you make a few days in advance. I love to serve it with these five seed crackers.
Labneh
Place 500g unsweetened Greek yoghurt and 1 teaspoon fine salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Place a clean cheesecloth (or muslin) over a mesh strainer and sit this over another bowl to catch
the whey. Pour mixture into the cheesecloth, wrap in a ball and gently squeeze the whey from
the yoghurt. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge, squeezing daily with clean hands for
2–3 days until the cheese is as firm as cream cheese.
Serving suggestions: Labneh is a great as a base for dips; rolled into a log and decorated with soft herbs and edible flowers; or rolled into balls and dusted with dukkah (as pictured), soft fresh herbs, finely chopped nuts, smoked paprika or cracked pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and let guests choose their flavour to spread on crackers.
Five Seed Crackers
Preheat oven to 170°C fan bake.
In a small bowl, combine a tablespoon each of salt and water, and set aside to dissolve.
In a clean bowl, combine ½ cup sunflower seeds, ½ cup pumpkin seeds, ⅓ cup chia seeds, ¼ cup sesame seeds, ¼ cup linseeds (flaxseed) and 1 cup water. Mix well and stand for 15 minutes to allow chia seeds to swell (this is the glue that holds your crackers together).
Spread mixture onto a lined baking tray to a thickness of about 2.5mm. Bake for 30 minutes then use a pastry brush to brush all over with your salt water. Return to oven and bake for a further 15 minutes until mixture makes a cracking sound when pressed (it depends on how thickly you spread your mixture). This is key. Cool on the tray and break into shards to serve. Store in an airtight container.
Quick Foccacia
Turning up to a barbecue with a warm focaccia is always going to be a hit. With so many options
for toppings, you can really get creative here.
Makes 1 loaf
500g plain flour
7g active dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
To make the dough, combine flour, yeast, honey, garlic, olive oil, 1 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper and 260ml lukewarm water. Bring all the ingredients together and knead until elastic — I use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.
Cover dough and allow to rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. I like to let my focaccia almost over-proof. This gives it a deeper flavour and chewy texture as the gluten and yeast develop.
Preheat oven to 220°C fan bake. Line a shallow 25cm x 30cm tin with baking paper or scatter it with coarse semolina for a crunchy base. Place your dough on top and press until flat. Allow to rise once again until it’s doubled in size.
Drizzle dough with olive oil and create dimples deep into the dough with your fingers. Scatter over pitted green olives, fresh thyme leaves, lemon zest (or your flavours of choice — see below), and add a good grind of salt and pepper. Place into hot oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and crisp. Enjoy warm or cold.
Suggested flavours
Green olive, thyme & lemon (pictured above)
Fig, chevre, rosemary & honey
Caramelised onion & parmesan with coarse black pepper
Pesto & roasted cherry tomato
