Mini Indulgent Puddings

Baby Spring Vegetables

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

1. Place the carrots and corn in a large pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes or until almost tender. Add asparagus and zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Drain well and place in serving dish.
2. Combine butter, apricots, Brazil nuts and chives in a saucepan and cook until nuts have begun to brown. Pour over cooked baby vegetables and toss to coat. Serve.

Roast Pork with Pistachio Stuffing

Pat the pork belly dry with a paper towel, then score the rind at 1cm intervals.  

To make the Pistachio Stuffing, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the shallot, lemongrass, garlic, ginger and chilli flakes. Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes until softened. Then add the remaining ingredients. And cook, stirring, until pistachios are lightly golden. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Then stir in the lemon zest and parsley leaves.  

Butterfly the pork belly, leaving one edge intact. Spoon the Pistachio Cranberry Stuffing inside the pork and then roll up. Secure the pork with kitchen twine. Place pork into the fridge overnight (or for 12 hours) to allow the skin to dry up and the pork meat to take on the stuffing flavour.   

Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan force.  

Place pork onto a wire rack and into a roasting tin. Rub the oil over the pork belly skin and sprinkle over salt. Place into the middle of the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Turn heat down to 160℃ and continue to cook for 2 hours to slowly cook the pork meat. Then, to finish, turn the oven up to the highest grill setting and continue cooking for 2-4 minutes until skin has turned to crackling – you may need to use tongs to rotate the pork a few times to brown all sides evenly. 

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes, before carving.  

Toasted Almond & Blueberry Salad

1. Toast almonds in a pan on medium heat then set aside.
2. Wash berries and slice strawberries into halves.
3. Crumble blue cheese and combine salad ingredients together.
4. Combine dressing ingredients and blend until smooth, pour over salad when serving.

Butter Biscuit Wreaths

1. Preheat oven to 160°C and line with baking trays. Set aside 1/4 cup raisins for decorating. Roughly chop remaining raisins.

2. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and creamy. Sift in flour and mixed spice and add chopped raisins. Mix until combined. Divide dough in half and form into two disks. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm.

3. Roll dough between sheets of baking paper to 0.5cm thick. Cut 8cm rounds with cookie cutter. Transfer to lined baking trays and cut 3cm circles from middle of rounds to form rings. Reroll dough as necessary and refrigerate if too soft. Bake 15-20 minutes until lightly coloured. Cool on trays.

4. To decorate, working with one biscuit at a time, drizzle white chocolate over the top and decorate with raisins, almonds and other decorations.

Gingerbread Decorations

1. Place butter, sugar and golden syrup in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until creamy. Add egg and mix until well combined.

2. Gently fold in the flour, almond meal and spices until a dough has formed. Shape into a flattened ball and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. Pre-heat oven to 180C (160C fan-forced). Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to 5mm thickness. Using star and round shaped cutters, cut shapes and transfer to lined oven trays. Using a small piping nozzle, cut a hole in the top of each shape prior to baking. Re-roll the dough offcuts until all has been used.

4. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool on trays for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

5. Once cool, decorate the biscuits with icing and currants. Thread lengths of ribbon through the holes and tie. Decorate your Christmas tree or give as gifts.

Alternative option: Prior to baking, press flaked almonds or slivered almonds into the dough and bake. Once cooked and cool, dust with icing sugar.

White Chocolate & Almond Tarte with Sherry Soaked Currants

1. Pre-heat oven to 180ºC (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease a 34 x 12cm rectangular flan tin and place onto a flat baking tray.

2. Combine currants, sherry and orange rind. Set aside.

3. For the crust, combine almond meal, sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add melted butter and mix until well combined. Press firmly into prepared tin and bake for 18-20 minutes until just golden. Set aside to cool.

4. For the white chocolate cream, combine chocolate and ¼ cup of the cream in a heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Mixing until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

5. Beat cream cheese, remaining cream and sugar until smooth. Add the cooled chocolate mixture, mixing until smooth.
6. Remove crust from tin and place onto a serving platter. Sprinkle currants over the almond crust and spread with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with almonds, pomegranate and mint. Serve immediately or chill for later use.