That’s Entertainment

Warmer weather always means an uptick in entertaining, so this issue I’m celebrating summer’s bountiful produce by creating recipes that are perfect for guests, but don’t involve slaving over a hot stove, and missing all the cocktails and conversation.

Our family has jumped on the hot honey trend — we make it in small batches ready to drizzle over crispy crumbed chicken tenders, barbecued haloumi or sticky ginger meatballs. Here, I’ve paired it with melty brie, spread over crisp sesame crackers that are baked in a single tray batch.

My corn fritters are laced with fresh veges and herbs from the garden, and served with a punchy chipotle aioli and fresh microgreens from Mama Kali’s Farm. This is a fantastic local product, and it’s easy to add the nutrient-dense, flavour-packed microgreens to many other dishes.

I’m also sharing another firm family favourite. The prep-ahead raspberry cheesecake sees the tartness of fresh fruit balanced out beautifully by the sweetness of the cheesecake. It’s the ultimate crowd-pleaser.

If you try these recipes, I’d love to see your creations — tag @madebyhollys

Mama Kali’s Farm Microgreens are available at the Tauranga Farmers Market and selected New World stores — for a full list of stockists, visit mamakalisfarm.co.nz

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Hot Honey Baked Brie‍

½ cup liquid honey
2 tbs chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 wheel of brie
½ tsp chopped rosemary

Preheat the oven to 2000C. For the hot honey, combine honey, chilli and cayenne pepper.

Bake the brie in the wooden box it comes in, or in an ovenproof dish. Slice the top off the brie and discard. Score the cheese with a knife. Scatter with rosemary and a large pinch of salt. Drizzle over 4 tablespoons of the hot honey. Bake until melted and starting to bubble (about 10 minutes), then serve immediately with the sesame crackers (recipe below).

Sesame, Lemon & Rosemary Crackers

Makes 1 tray (about 30 large crackers)‍

¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing
200g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
¼ cup each black and white sesame seeds
2 tbs finely chopped rosemary
1 large lemon, finely zested

Preheat the oven to 1800C.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl with 80ml of warm water and knead with your hands, or use a spoon, until mixture forms a ball and is no longer sticky (about 5 minutes). Place the dough between 2 baking paper sheets and roll out to the size of your baking tray. Remove the top layer of paper and place on baking tray. Cut dough into cracker shapes — I’ve made long triangles for dipping, but you can get creative.

Brush crackers with olive oil, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

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Haloumi, Corn & Zucchini Fritters with Chipotle Aioli

These are fantastic served bite sized when entertaining. For a summertime family dinner, try cooking them on the barbecue.‍

1 small zucchini, grated
420g can corn, drained, or 2 fresh corn cobs, kernels removed
100g haloumi cheese, grated
2 spring onions, finely chopped
½ tsp each ground cumin, paprika, coriander
¼ cup chopped coriander or flat leaf parsley
½ cup self-raising flour
2 large eggs
Microgreens, to serve (optional)

Chipotle Aioli

3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I used La Morena brand)
1 large egg yolk
½ lime, juiced, plus wedges to serve
1 clove garlic
½ cup rice bran oil

For the aioli, add the chipotles, egg yolk, lime juice, garlic and salt and pepper to a blender. While mixing, slowly drizzle in the rice bran oil until aioli thickens. Check seasoning and place in the fridge.

Mix all fritter ingredients together in a bowl with salt and pepper. Oil a barbecue flat plate or pan and cook spoonfuls of the mixture until golden and crispy.

Place the fritters on a serving platter, drizzle with the chipotle aioli, and serve with lime wedges and a scatter of fresh microgreens, if using (I used Mama Kali’s Farm).

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Raspberry Cheesecake

If you don’t have raspberries, other berries also work well — think strawberries, cherries, boysenberries and blueberries.

250g digestive biscuits
200g salted butter, melted
250g cream cheese, softened
250g caster sugar
2 large lemons, zested
250ml cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

250g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1 lemon, juiced
¼ cup raspberry jam

For the topping, add raspberries and lemon juice to a saucepan and cook, stirring, over low heat until starting to thicken. Add the jam and cook for a further minute, then remove from the heat, place into a bowl and cool completely.

Crush digestive biscuits until a fine crumb using a food processor (or I like to place them in a large bowl and give the kids a rolling pin to have a go at it!).Combine crumb with melted butter. Line a 20cm springform tin with baking paper and pour in the crumb. Press to shape into a crust, bringing the crumb slightly up the side of the tin. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.

For the cheesecake mixture, place the cream cheese, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl and beat until the sugar has dissolved. In another bowl, whip the cream and vanilla, then fold through the cheesecake mixture. Spoon onto the base and smooth the top before placing back in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up before serving.

When ready to serve, spread the cheesecake with the raspberry topping, remove from the tin and slice.

Words, recipes & styling by Holly McVicar ‍
‍Photography by ilk