Food March - April 2017

I love this time of year with its warm days and cool evenings – plus there is the Easter holiday, Anzac Day and I have four family birthdays (including mine) in quick succession to look forward to. With any family gathering home baking always goes down a treat, so we’ve put together a bumper baking issue full of fabulous recipes to ensure your tins are full to the brim. Speaking of treats, our Indulge section is all about chocolate this issue, with shamelessly decadent recipes from easy to expert level. And if you’ve ever wanted to make your own hot cross buns, Cook School will take you step-by-step through the process. Our version of this traditional favourite is studded with apricots and gorgeously glazed – we promise your house will…

ON THE UP Guys, take a pat on the back. I received my Jan/Feb issue in the mail and have not put it down since. I’ve been showing it to every fellow foodie I know. You have surpassed yourselves. How you manage to get better and better I have no idea, but this issue is just the best yet. I have marked so many recipes that I do not know what to start cooking first! Love it, thank you so much. Keep up the good work. Robynne Robbins BACK ON BOARD I have been a subscriber for many years, thoroughly enjoying making many new recipes which have been enjoyed by visitors to my home. The past year, however, I felt the magazine did not have the good old recipes like…

We love to see photos of your homemade creations from the recipes in Food magazine. Take a picture of a dish you’ve made from this issue, and email it to us at foodmagazine@bauermedia.co.nz , post it on our Facebook wall ( www.facebook.com/foodmagnz ), or upload it to Instagram with the hashtag foodmagnz, and you could win a great prize. We also have giveaways in Food for Thought; and there are even prizes for kids who are getting busy in the kitchen – check out our competition on page 111 .…

MORE THAN MEAT AND THREE VEG What a wonderful issue of your magazine [Jan/Feb]! The tips are great, as is the useful information, like the fact that Countdown are replacing meat trays – it makes you think differently about our supermarkets; they do care about things besides revenue! The section for kids is also a bonus as so many of our young people do not know how to cook even the basics. The fact that lots of recipes are made with seasonal products is great too. Okay, Kiwis might be still keen on meat and three veg, but in this magazine there are ideas to give them a new slant on things. I could go on but I’ll finish by saying thanks for a great magazine. Our star letter wins…

A picture can say so much – and who doesn’t love shots of delicious homemade food? Here is a small selection which you photographed, from recipes which appeared in the last issue: SIMONNE loved making this Buttermilk Mac ‘n’ Cheese with her kids. ELIZABETH felt that Polenta Chips made a novel change from potato ones. MICHELE says she isn’t much of a baker, but was delighted with her Plum Upside Down Cake. #FOODBY URSHA No spoon needed to eat our Chocolate Date Mousse.…

For a clever twist on the annual Easter egg hunt, why not try hiding delicious goodies within a chocolate piñata? The kids can take turns tapping the sides with a small wooden hammer until the colourful eggs come tumbling out. To make a chocolate piñata, chill a 10-cup bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes. Melt 375g of milk chocolate, then pour into the base of the chilled bowl, using a spatula to spread it quickly and evenly around and up the sides. Freeze for around 15 minutes until firm. Repeat the same process with 375g white chocolate. Freeze for 20 minutes until firm. You’re now ready to gently remove the chocolate shell from the bowl and fill with colourful Easter eggs. Jazz up your cake by drizzling dark chocolate…