GENUINELY SOUTHERN FORESTS CHRISTMAS FEAST

This Christmas, the Southern Forests invite you to a feast full of warmth, colour and flavour. From the first bite of sweet, slow roasted tomatoes on charred sourdough to a spiced, juicy leg of lamb brightened with a zesty gremolata, each dish celebrates the best of local produce. Vibrant sides of roasted vegetables, coal-baked potatoes and charred avocado bring texture and freshness, while a berry-studded trifle tiramisu rounds out the meal with a light, indulgent sweetness. It’s a menu made to savour, share and linger over, a true taste of Christmas from the Southern Forests.

STARTER

A relaxed, flavour-packed way to kick off Christmas. Sweet slow roasted Southern Forests tomatoes meet charred sourdough, creamy burrata and fresh basil for a starter that’s simple, generous and made for sharing.

SLOW ROASTED TOMATOES ON CHARRED SOURDOUGH, BASIL AND BURRATA

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

• 500g Genuinely Southern Forests cherry/grape tomatoes

• 1 tbsp Southern Forests Extra Virgin Olive

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• 1 tsp fennel seeds

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 50g fresh basil

• 1 ball burrata or ricotta

• 4 slices toasted sourdough or ciabatta

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 150C

2. Combine whole tomatoes, evoo, red wine vinegar, chilli, fennel and sea salt in a small bowl and toss to combine.

3. Spread tomato mixture on a roasting tray and bake for 2 hours or until tomatoes have collapsed. Take all juices and tomatoes and keep somewhere warm while you wait for your bread to toast.

4. Spread tomato mixture onto warm toast, place burrata on top and slice open. Scatter torn basil leaves, extra EVOO and cracked black pepper on top and enjoy.

Recipe by Wade Drummond and photos by Jessica Wyld for Genuinely Southern Forests.

MAIN The centrepiece made for long Christmas lunches. This butterflied leg of lamb is deeply spiced, smoky and juicy, finished with a bright gremolata of preserved lemon, pine nuts and herbs that cuts through the richness beautifully. Bold, generous and made to be carved at the table.

MIDDLE EASTERN BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB WITH PINE NUT & PRESERVED LEMON GREMOLATA

Serves 8.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 kg Butterflied leg of lamb

Marinade

• 1 tsp black peppercorns

• 2 tbsp cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds

• 1 lemon, juice and zest

• 2 tbsp smoked paprika

• 120ml olive oil

• 2 tbsp cherry vinegar

• 2.5g dried oregano

• 4 cloves garlic

Middle Eastern Gremolata

• 80g preserved lemon, diced

• 4 small cloves garlic, finely minced

• 1/2 cup pine nutes, toasted

• 1/4 cup currants or cranberries

• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

• 1 cup olive or avocado oil

• 80ml lemon juice

• Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD Massage your lamb all over with the marinade, cover and refrigerate overnight.

1. To make gremolata, combine all ingredients, toss and season to taste. Set aside.

2. Remove lamb from fridge 30 minutes before cooking to come to room temperature.

3. Heat BBQ plate to hot.

4. Allow excess marinade to slide off lamb. 5. Place lamb skin side down on the BBQ and grill for 5 minutes before lowering heat to medium. 6. Leave lamb on the same side for a further 10 minutes before flipping. 7. Continue to cook, lid down for 10 minutes or until lamb is cooked to your liking. 8. Remove and rest under foil for 15 minutes before slicing 1cm thick slices across the grain. 9. Season and serve topped with gremolata. NOTES You can oven roast your lamb. Seal both sides in a hot pan before transferring to a roasting dish and cook in an over at 200degrees celcius for 25 minutes or until cooked to your liking.

Recipe and styling by Kate Flower and photo by Nick Thake as featured in A Local Table cookbook by Kate Flower. SIDES No Christmas centrepiece is complete without sides that hold their own. Think warm, caramelised beetroot and cauliflower piled over fresh greens, coal-baked potatoes with tangy kefir cream and earthy porcini salt, and charred avocado layered with herbs, dukkah and quick-pickled onion. Together, these dishes bring colour, texture and bright, savoury contrast to the table, the kind of sides everyone keeps “just going back for a little more” of.

WARM BEETROOT AND CAULIFLOWER SALAD

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large beetroot

• 1 cauliflower

• 1 bunch Kale, washed

• 2 cups spinach

• 1 tsp ground garlic powder

• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes

METHOD

1. Wash the caulflower and cut into chunks. Season with the garlic powder and salt and pepper. Place on a lined baking tray and spray lightly with olive oil.

2. Wash the beetroot, peel it and cut it into chunks. Place it next to the cauliflower, Roast in a 180 degree celcius oven for 20 minutes.

3. Open the oven and add the cherry tomatoes. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

4. Wash the kale, roughly chop it and dry it thoroughly using paper towel. Season well and place it on a lined baking tray and place in the oven for 5 minutes. 5. Arrange the spinach on a plate and top with the warm vegetables. 6. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve.

Image credit: Ben Prosposch COAL-BAKED POTATOES, KEFIR CREAM, PORCINI SALT & CORNICHONS

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

• 500 ml Bannister Downs Fresh Cream

• 1 sachet dried kefir powder

• 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms

• 2 tbsp salt flakes

• 12 sml waxy variety potatoes (eg Laura, Royal Blue)

• 12 cornichons (pickled baby cucumbers)

METHOD

1. Allow the cream to come to room temperature in a bowl before whisking in the dried kefir powder. Leave covered at room temperature for a minimum of 24 hours to gently germent. Chill uncovered for a mininimum of 4 hours. this iwll allow a thin crust to form on the surface of the kefir cream.

2. Grind the dried porcinis in an electric spice mill until a fine powder and then combine with the salt flakes.

3. Safely build a small fire in the base of a barbecue kettle or in a potbelly-style combustion heater until you have a small pile of hot coals. The coals must be hot but black in colour, not red hot. Make a well inside the pile of coals and put in the potatoes. Cover with the coals and leave to cook for 20 to 30 minutes. The cooking time will vary but keep checking every 10 minutes after 20 minutes have elapsed.

4. Remove the potatoes and leave to cool slightly before dusting off the excess ash. Serve the potatoes halved wiht a large bowl of the kefir cream, small bowl of porcini salt and cornichons on the side.

NOTES If you dont have the facilities as described in this method to prepare coals to bake the potatoes, dry bake directly on the rack in a 200 degree celcius preheated oven until soft enough to pierce with a pairing knife.

Recipe by Sophie Zalokar and photos by Craig Kinder Food Photography.

GRILLED AVOCADO SALAD WITH DUKKAH AND QUICK PICKLED ONION

Serves 6.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 firm, ripe Hass avocados, quartered, leaving skin in place

• 2 lebanese cucumber, halved lenthways and deseeded

• 1 1/2 cups coriander, leaves picked, stalks reserved

• 1/2 cup mint leaves, torn

• 1/2 piece preserved lemon, julienne

• 1/4 cup dukkah

Dressing

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1/4 cup olive or avocado oil

• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp caster sugar

• 1 tbsp preserved lemon, finely diced

• 1 tbsp reserved coriander stalks, finely diced

• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

Quick Pickled Onion

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 1 tsp boiling water

• 1/4 cup white vinegar

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced in rounds

METHOD Prepare Pickled Onions To make pickling juice, in a small bowl, stir caster sugar into boiling water until dissolved. Add vinegar. Place finely sliced red onion into liquid and leave to pickle (10 minutes at least)

Prepare Dressing Combine all ingredients and give a quick whisk to mingle the flavours. Prepare Salad

1. Pre-heat BBQ or grill pan and bring the plate to high heat.

2. Whilst the BBQ is heating, prepare cucumbers, herbs and dressing ready for assembling.

3. In a separate bowl, toss cucumber through 3 tbsp of salad dressing.

4. Drizzle avocado quarters lighly with oil and cook, cut side down, for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until lightly charred.

5. Turn and cook other side for a further minute.

6. Remove from heat, set aside and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Cool for 5 minutes, peel skin and discard.

7. To assemble salad, dust half the dukkah across the base of your platter, layer with avocados, dressed cucumber, herbs and preserved lemon slices. 8. Dress sala with remaining dressing and sprinkle across remaining dukkah. NOTES This salad would combine superbly with grilled halloumi for a stand alone meal.

When grilling any fruit or vegetable, the BBQ needs to be really hot to maintain a crispness to the fruit yet create char marks which add the flavour. Give your grill a good amount of time to heat properly. The avocado in this salad responds best to a really high heat foa quick sear.

Recipe and styling by Kate Flower and photo by Nick Thake as featured in A Local Table cookbook by Kate Flower. DESSERT End on a light, festive note with this berry-filled twist on tiramisu. Juicy strawberries and blueberries are layered with soft sponge and a creamy mascarpone filling for a dessert that feels indulgent yet refreshing, the perfect sweet finish to a generous Christmas feast.

STRAWBERRY AND BLUEBERRY TRIFLED TIRAMISU

Serves 6.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 x 250 g punnets strawberries

• 3 tbsp sugar

• 3 tbsp water

• 1 x 125 g punnet blueberries

• 1 cup mascarpone

• 1 cup Greek yoghurt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp honey

• 100 g (5 lrg) sponge finger biscuits

• 3 tbsp Campari (optional)

METHOD 1. Roughly chop 1 punnet of strawberries. Mix with the sugar and water and then bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes and crush lightly with a fork. Thickly slice remaining strawberries before stirring through the cooked strawberries with the blueberries.

2. Fold the mascarpone, yoghurt, vanilla and honey together until combined.

3. Crumble the sponge fingers on to the base of one large bowl or 6 individual glasses. Drizzle over the Campari.

4. Reserve a little of the berry mixture for garnish before spooning over the sponge biscuits. Smooth the top. Top with the mascarpone mixture, cover and chill for 1 hour. 5. Garnish with the remaining berry mixture spooned over top. Variations

• Use Elderflower cordial instead of Campari

• Substitute the berries and Campari for fresh cherries and Kirsch, feijoas and gin or peaches and brandy.

• Garnish wiht grated chocolate or toasted almond flakes

• Substitute the yoghurt for custard fora richer deluxe version.
  

Recipe by Sophie Zalokar and photos by Craig Kinder Food Photography.