The Best of 2013: Relished memories & Katering escapades.

Well, well, well what a pleasurable year 2013 has been: adventurous, tasteful, overindulgent and laden with all things food. To celebrate another year of feasting I thought I would share an update of my latest Katering escapades and a snippet of 2013's greatest eats. 

A trio of truffles!

Firstly a Christmas party with the task to cater pre and post dinner treats for the elves that work their magic as Radiation Therapists. To sustain them through a night of competitive lawn bowls (and drinking!) I put together a simple range of tasty dips, veggie sticks and corn chips. Think coriander, peanut & sweet chilli dip, garlic hummus, moroccan carrot, spicy guacamole and the classic favourite - onion dip. It was just a nibble – although most bowls were licked clean.

Fruit kebabs in production...

The night got even sweeter, with a dessert spread fit for kings and queens. Inspired by trawling the net I included a few very festive Santa Hat Brownies. Rounds of decadent chocolate brownie, were topped with vanilla mascarpone, plump, ripe strawberries and finished with a mascarpone pom-pom. Dusted with a sprinkle of snow (icing sugar) they looked seriously cute. I do recommend using a more substantial creamy filling - humidity got the better of mine and a few strawbs had a slippery slope to their death.

Santa Hat Brownies!

Platefuls of my go-to dessert Raspberry Coconut Slice were contrasted with simple yet elegant mini fruit kebabs – loaded with grapes, melon, kiwifruit and pineapple. While a new addition to my repertoire, Joy Slice made its debut -a slightly more festive and chewy take on the ginger crunch. Complete with a variety of truffles including: White Chocolate and Honey covered in Toasted Almonds & Pistachios as well as Coconut Chocolate Truffles filled with a Chocolate Brownie centre.  Phew! Another bunch of satisfied sweetened souls.

Santa's Sweet Spread.

On to the next Katering gig this time for the talented creative collaborative that is – Collectif Magazine. A few savoury morsels to help celebrate the launch of their 6^th edition was a highlight of my festive season. I recommend getting your hands on this news print publication ASAP. Sophie and her contributors are seriously talented and you can see their passion springing from each page. Held within the walls of Terrarium, Kingsland it was very humbling to share and help celebrate such innovative young creative’s.

Saffron Chickpea Falafels w. Orange Tahini Dipping Sauce.

After being gifted a precious box of Saffron threads I had just the thing for the occasion. Inspired by the stunning blog that is Green Kitchen Stories I recreated their mini Saffron Chickpea Falafels and served them with an Orange tahini dipping sauce. Back on the Mexican buzz I opted for a few bowls of chunky salsa – one with avocado, tomato and cucumber and the other pineapple, black bean and coriander – perfect served with jalapeno corn chips. 

Fuelling the creative festivities.

However what seemed to be the dish of the day and one that came and went in record time was the platter of mini mint, pea & feta fritters served with a citrus yoghurt dipping sauce. Juicy, moreish and packed with flavour – sprinkled with pomegranate seeds they were pretty jolly spectacular. And I am chuffed to say they held their own against a gorgeous array of Milk Moustache & Cookie Bar Cookies (of which I may have had 3!). Moderation – right?

Mini Mint, Pea & Feta Fritters made beautiful with Pomegranate Arils!

So that was that – two more successful Katering gigs down and even more food to be savoured.

With such great intentions of putting together this list of favourites for 2013 – I soon realised that there have been so many wonderful memories that once I started I found it hard to stop. But I have pulled in the reigns and here is a short (ahem) list of relished memories:

The Relished Memories of 2013…

• Caramelised Pork Hock from MooChowChow.
• The Flakiest of Roti at Sri Panang on K Road.
• Orange and Almond Cake with Marmalade Ice Cream at Riverstone Kitchen. Bliss.
• Deconstructed Carrot Cake c/o Nick Honeymoon from Everybody’s Izakaya.
• All things Al Brown – Depot’s Fig Toasties, Best Ugly Bagels, Fed Deli’s Smoked Kahawai Fritters and Whitestone’s Smoked Butter. Bless that man.
• Lemon Creme Fraiche & Blueberry Tart - an off the cuff collaborative creation ft. R.Murds.
• Fish & chips cooked by Thomas & Lilian at Greenwoods Fresh Catch, Epsom.
• Best Coffee Award goes to Cereal Killa & Good One Cafe, Douglas St.
• Custard Square and Rosemary Loaf from Love Rosie Bakery in Tauranga.
• Salted Caramel Gelato on a stick from Ortolana + Tiramisu Gelato from Giapo.
• Pomegranate seeds and their ability to make any dish magical.
• Dad’s catch ft. Whitebait Fritters and Lake Rotoiti Trout hot off the smoker.
• Raspberry Coconut Slice for its impeccable flavour and reliability.
• Toasted Coconut Butter - what dreams are made of.
• Homemade Raw Chocolate – melted coconut oil, cocoa/cacao, honey/maple syrup & sea salt.
• Lemon Coconut Truffles + all the other wonderful creations from Petite Kitchen.
• Everything that touched my lips from Little Bird Unbakery – minus the price tag!
• Zoodles and Toodles – zucchini and tofu noodles!
• Salted Caramel Spiced Banana Cakes.
• Sweet Breakfast Omelettes inspired by The Holistic Ingredient.
• Most utilised cookbook - Ripe Recipes & A Fresh Batch

See what I mean - where do I stop! To find snaps of these images or for a more frequent rendition of my feasting moments follow @relishthememory on Instagram.

To add to the excitement, after all this years’ venting, photographing, eating, and writing about food I have managed to acquire my very first published piece!!! The talented Vicki from Nourish Magazine entrusted me to write about the true beauties that are ‘Bountiful Berries’. Pick up a copy of the December issue at your local café or check it out online here. A kiwi publication focusing on local fare from the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. 

And finally, it seems that the hospitality scene just can’t keep me away. With such fond memories of my Nova days I have spent the last month crafting menus, elbow deep in flour - baking scones, filling cabinets with cakes and polishing my skills on the coffee machine. I am officially back in the game… BUGGER (Cafe)! 

Pop in and say hi! Bugger Cafe...Thames NZ. 

2013 has been one truly sumptuous and delectable year. Thank you to all those who have inspired, eaten, enjoyed and supported my foodie ventures. Feeding your souls fuels my love for what I do. Bring on an even more outrageous, fearless and food ridden 2014. All my love. X

Passionate about Pomegranates.

Ever spotted one of these reddish-gold circular balls and wondered what on earth is going on under there? Well upon venturing past it’s leathery exterior I discovered a world of beauty and delight…amongst a maize of white; sits rows of small glossy pinky-red balls also known as seeds or arils. Such precious pieces deserve a more elegant name, and pomegranate pearls are the perfect description. This summer fruit has grown hugely in popularity in the culinary world over the last few years – in its many different forms: seeds, juice and that thickened gold – molasses. 

The Pomegranate.

There is no debate that its one downfall is the de-seeding process. Following a quick you-tube search I discovered various tips about how to pop out these pearls at record pace. Some suggest de-seeding underwater, others mentioned cut in half then again down the white ridges and peeling accordingly. I used a combination of the two – but mostly just dove in and made a red, juicy splattering mess -placing one in my mouth for every five that went into the bowl.

Pearls of joy.

Pomegranates have been popping up everywhere in our household menu lately. A favourite Christmas present housed the recipe for a Pearl barley, eggplant, carrot and pomegranate salad. The Ripe Deli on Richmond Rd – our go-to weekly lunch destination has put together a book of their best recipes, and boy am I glad they did! If you do not own this publication, go to the book store and buy it NOW. You will never look back. Packed with bold flavours such as sumac, dried mint, honey and fused together with tones of pomegranate. This salad is not for the faint hearted. Utilising the seeds, juice and molasses it was punchy, sweet, texturally surprisingly and in my house a huge hit! 

Pearl Barley, eggplant, carrot and POMEGRANATE salad.

A second more simplified salad consisted of fresh green beans, diced red onion, sliced toasted almonds and a handful of those pomegranate pearls. Dressed in a combination of freshly squeezed orange, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. It was heaven and summer all on one plate. 

Beans & Pearls.

There is a reason Pomegranate Molasses has found a home in the pantry of many culinary kings. The intriguing depth of sweetness and viscosity gives a unique dimension to any dish and makes it the perfect addition to any dressing. Another winning dish from the Ripe cookbook contains this liquid gold. Being their most popular dish this ‘Raw Energy Salad’ sells out most days. A similar version can be spotted in my Beetroot = Bestroot post – but as with most things the experts know best.  This salad screams health, freshness and flavour. It’s not just good, its bloody great. Providing yet another reason why making the ‘Ripe’ cookbook purchase is a must. PS. The lovely people at Ripe are so great they have shared the recipe here.

Raw Energy Salad made beautiful by pomegranate molasses.

Whilst gracing google for this post I discovered a famous Perisian Pomegranate and Split pea soup, called Ash e-Anar. An intriguing, wintery dish that I look forward to attempting over the next few months. But while the sun is shining and the weather is bliss, I’ll stick to popping pomegranate pearls at every opportunity. x