a few of our favourite things...

Becs: I know Whittakers has featured here before but they do make great quality, affordable chocolate. My current favourite is their new Berry and Biscuit (love the name!) Basically like black forest but not as sickly sweet as the Cadbury version. If you live in the South Island Whittakers is on special this week at New World for 2 for $6, I for one will be stocking up on their Dark Ghana for last-minute Christmas baking.


Libby: I tried this Paneton sweet short pastry at a Julie Buiso class in Auckland a few months ago. Yes, even the professionals use the bought stuff sometimes and why not when it's this good? It has a lovely biscuity texture and comes pre-rolled so it's very easy to use. After finding it wasn't available in anywhere in Wellington I asked Moore Wilson (several times!) if they could please find room in their freezer to stock it. I also emailed Paneton to ask if they could get Moore Wilson to stock it. And a few weeks later I heard back to from Paneton to say Moore Wilson had come round! Wellingtonians, you've got me to thank for this one!

I used some to make these delicious wee frangipane-topped fruit mince tarts... cut pastry into circles, press into the base of muffin tins (or shallow patty tins if you have them), spoon in a tablespoon of fruit mince (I used Ruth Pretty's recipe here), top with a dollop of frangipane (cream 50g butter and 50g sugar, add an egg and 50g ground almonds) and slivered almonds and bake at 180 degrees C for 15 minutes.

A few of our favourite things...

Libby: A treat from the French Baker used to require a trip over the hill to Greytown but now he's selling his breads and pastries on Sunday mornings at the City Market making them much easier to get hold of... perhaps a little too easy! It's impossible to leave the market without stopping by the French Baker and picking up a wee treat to take home and share. I was tempted by the delicious brown sugar brioche I'd tried before but decided to try something new and went with this almond pain au chocolat... yum!

Becs: Something I love but don't often make is bread sauce. I was introduced to it in London ten years ago when I spent my Christmas holidays working as a private cook in a very traditional English household. It is perhaps the least photogenic of foods, but is utterly delicious with roast chicken which we ate on Saturday night. To make it you heat half a litre of milk with a peeled, halved onion 'studded' with about 6 cloves, a couple of peppercorns and a bay leaf. Once it comes to the boil take off the heat and leave to steep for as many hours/minutes as you have. Then strain it, adding a few large handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs to soak up the lovely infused milk and salt to taste. Crunchy roast potatoes are also perfect dipped into bread sauce...this starch with starch combination must be the pinnacle of comfort food.

Miriam: It must be a reflection of the colder weather of late that both Becs and I have chosen warm comfort food as our 'favourite thing' this week. Sunday was pretty cold and gloomy in Auckland so the girls and I decided that was justification enough to have pies for lunch. The Fridge in Kingsland is renowned for its pies and they didn't disappoint. I enjoyed this moroccan lamb pie with lovely flaky pastry and a delicious filling of apricots, carrots and big pieces of slow cooked lamb. I always appreciate when you can decipher what's in your pie!

a few of our favourite things...

Becs: Daisy and I were treated by Anna to a lovely weekend up in Auckland. It was a whistle stop tour of all things food and eating-out related, visiting both old favourites and new arrivals around town. One such newbie is 'Little and Friday' a kitchen with a tiny shopfront (in a very non descript part of Belmont on the North Shore) that sells the most delicious array of rustic looking pastries, cakes and other treats. We enjoyed a cheese straw, savoury brioche with feta, tomato and basil, a mushroom, caramelised onion and cheese tart, and a pear, honey and almond tart. Their intention was to open on Fridays only, hence the name, but their food is so popular they now open 5 days a week.

Miriam: Crisps, or chips as us kiwis tend to call them fall into the 'occasional' food consumption category. So if you're going to eat them, you might as well eat good ones like these Proper Crisps. Handmade with nothing but potatoes, sunflower oil and sea salt, they are deliciously crispy, fresh and oh so scrumptious. At around $5 a bag, they're a bit more expensive than other crisps but they're well worth it - I also appreciate that unlike more commercial products, the packet is full to the brim with crisps!