Ingredient 40 - Cherries

Cherries are truly seasonal fruits, featuring on kitchen tables mostly from November to January.

The cherry tree will produce its first crop after 6-8 years and will continue to produce edible fruits for up to 100 years. Cherries are picked with care, as they will not ripen post-picking. The stem is also keep intact to the fruit until eating time to prolong its life.

Cherries are a great source of Vitamin C as well as containing many valuable antioxidants to help keep the body healthy. They are also a great nutritional snack with 100g providing only 210kJ.

A simple yet scrumptious Christmas salad!

Roasted Cherry and Goats Cheese Salad

700g cherries

70g pine nuts

1 packet baby spinach leaves

100g goats cheese

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp light olive oil

1 tsp sugar

• Preheat oven to 140°.
• Gently remove seeds from cherries by firstly slicing into hemispheres and then popping out seed with a knife.
• Lay on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and roast in slow oven for 15min.
• Remove the cherries and allow to cool slightly.
• Toast pine nuts in oven for approx. 7min or until golden.
• To make dressing whisk vinegar, oil and sugar together.
• Place the spinach leaves in large shallow bowl, top with cherries, scatter the pine nuts and crumble the goats cheese on top. Drizzle over dressing and toss well to combine.

Ingredient 39 - Mascarpone

Mascarpone is a indulgent triple-creme Italian cheese originating from Lombardy in southern Italy.

It is a very soft and spreadable cheese, extremely rich in taste, reflecting its 75% fat content. Some say that the cows are fed flowers and herbs to produce this distinguishable flavour.

Mascarpone can be used in savoury dishes, accompanying smoked salmon and chives or mixed with anchovies and spices as a spread, but can simply accompany fruit or mixed in with coffee. However it is mostly renowned for its inclusion in the traditional Tiramisu.

The festive season always provides a great excuse to indulge!

Grilled Peaches with Prosciutto and Mascarpone Macadamia topping

Serves 16 as entree

8 yellow peaches

¾ cup whole macadamias

¼ cup honey

8 thin slices prosciutto – roughly 100g

200g Mascarpone

• Half the yellow peaches by slicing and twisting to separate into hemispheres, then remove seed by scooping it out from the flesh gently.
• Preheat fan baked grill to medium-high.
• Place the peaches flat side up on a baking tray. Grill in oven for 10min or until just starting to brown and bubble on top.
• Roughly chop the macadamias. Place in a bowl with the honey and heat in microwave for 30seconds.
• Mix half the honey mixture in with the Mascarpone.
• Divide the slices of prosciutto into half by gently ripping the meat lengthways.
• To assemble wrap a piece of prosciutto around each peach half, spoon some mascarpone mixture on top in the little indents where seed used to live, and dollop remaining honey and macadamia on top.
• Immediately prior to serving place under grill for a couple of minutes to slightly crisp the prosciutto and warm Mascarpone.

Ingredient 38 - Fennel

Fennel is a perennial herb often described as either one’s ‘friend or foe’ depending on your tastebuds!

The herb dates back to ancient Greek time, given the name ‘marathron’ after it was grown on the field of one of the greatest ancient battles fought.

Fennel is quite a versatile ingredient. Its leafy foliage is often used as a base in Italian salads, as well as bulbs baked or eaten raw. Fennel fruits or ‘seeds’ in comparison are quite a unique and strong flavour, resembling that of aniseed, and are mostly used to spice Kashmiri and Guharati cooking.

Shop for bulbs with a clean, firm and solid appearance with no signs of bruising or splitting. The bulbs should be whitish or pale green in colour and leafs bright green.

Enjoy this summer salad!

Shredded Chicken, Fennel and Grape Salad

Serves 4

3 chicken breasts

1 tsp minced garlic

1 chicken stock cube

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp lemon rind

3 baby fennel

½ white onion

½ bunch flat leaf parsley

1 ½ cups seedless green grapes

Dressing:

2 tbsp capers – drained

2 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp minced garlic

4 tsp light olive oil

salt + pepper

• Bring to boil a large saucepan of water. Add chicken stock cube and minced garlic and stir to dissolve. Place chicken breasts in saucepan and poach for 15-20min or until cooked through. Remove and cool slightly
• Thinly slice the baby fennel. Heat a good dollop of olive oil, lemon rind and 1tbsp lemon juice in small saucepan and sauté fennel for 5min or until just wiltered but still firm with crunch.
• Thinly slice the white onion, halve the grapes and roughly chop the flat leaf parsley.
• Once the chicken is cool gently shred the breast with your fingers, pulling small pieces of breast in the direction of the cut to form long thin strands.
• To arrange the salad place the salad ingredients in a large bowl, top with chicken and toss well to combine. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.
• To make the dressing roughly chop the capers and place in a bottle with the mustard, olive oil, remaining lemon juice and garlic. Shake well to combine and season with salt and pepper