Merry Christmas from Aotearoa

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After a rather trying year, I am grateful that we in NZ are able to celebrate Christmas with open hearts, no restrictions and a generous bubbly allowance. With the vaccine rollout underway, we can hopefully look forward to a more positive 2021, full of good health, possibly overseas travel and reunions with loved ones. I still look forward to the frenzy of Christmas – seeing the new babies in the family, going mad with sisters, mothers, nieces and significant others in the festive food department. This year I might feature lots of Negronis. I just feel that a cocktail which involves 3 different alcohols – gin, vermouth and Campari can't be wrong. My Christmas recipe for you this year is my famous Tarte Soleil (sunshine tart), made with mincemeat and topped with honey, rose petals and pistachios. Enjoy.

Christmas Tarte Soleil

  • 2 packets of frozen flakey pastry (Paneton is the best)

  • 1 cup mincemeat

  • Large flat baking tray or dish – at least 32cm

  • 1 egg yoke beaten with a little milk

  • Tbsp runny honey for drizzling

  • Chopped pistachios for garnish

  • Dried rose petals for garnish

  1. Remove flakey pastry from freezer or fridge and bring to room temperature.

  2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

  3. Cut a 32cm circle out of one sheet of pastry (you might have to roll it out a little bit)

  4. Cover the baking tray with baking paper and place the pastry on top.

  5. Spread the mincemeat over, leaving 1cm free around the edge.

  6. Brush the edge with water and lay the second round of pastry on top.

  7. Place an upside down glass in the centre to make the sun - don’t press it in, just leave it sitting there as a marker.

  8. If the pastry has got a bit soft, put the whole tray with the pastry in the freezer for 5 or 10 mins to firm it up. That way it will be much easier to cut. With sizzors, cut the pastry from the outside edge up to the glass edge. Do quarters first then eighths then keep cutting till you have 24 or 32 sun rays.

  9. Remove the glass and start twisting the rays. Gently pick up the first ray about midway with your right hand fingers and twist twice with your left hand fingers, placing it down again. Repeat till all the rays are done.

  10. Brush with egg glaze.

  11. Bake in the oven for half an hour or till golden.

  12. Drizzle with honey then sprinkle with pistachios and rose petals.

Tours in 2021

The dates for my international tours are on my website but I don't yet know if they will be running – fingers crossed. But what is running is my collaboration tour with Robertson Lodges at Cape Kidnappers in Hawkes Bay. Four exceptional days of pure luxury – including markets, cooking classes, a cheese workshop, gannet watching at dawn, cycling in the vineyards and three-star cuisine. Welcome to my first staycation – 18 to 22 February 2021 and only 5 places left!

I also have tours planned for Rarotonga, South Australia and Western Australia for the New Year when the gates open for quarantine-free travel. And it looks like Rarotonga will be open by March next year, so dust off that passport and stand by for updates.

Events

In the meantime I am doing cooking classes and speaking events around NZ – here's what's coming up:

  • Wednesday 20 January – cooking class at Main Course in Auckland – book here

  • Sunday 9 May, two cooking demos at Tauranga Home Show – book here

I wish you peace, laughter and harmony for the holiday period – make the most of spending time together – if 2020 has taught us anything, it's you never know what's around the corner.

Peta