Harvest is a collection of recipes divided up by the seasons, with recipes for produce at its best in summer, autumn, winter and spring.
The book contains beautiful photography accompanied by gorgeous watercolour illustrations of the produce featured in the recipes. Embrace the summer sun with Seared tuna with fennel confit, or Butterflied king prawns with mango; watch the leaves fall while indulging in Chestnut risotto with sage and pancetta or Five-spiced duck with pomegranate salad; snuggle into winter with some Chipotle-braised beef ribs with spicy baked pumpkin or an Apple and quince pie; or celebrate the freshness of Spring with Moroccan broad bean salad with yogurt and crispy breadcrumbs or Blood orange and dark chocolate trifle.
Harvest will inspire you to build delicious seasonal feasts for any occasions in the year.
Harvest: 180 Recipes Through the Seasons is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.
Lemon Olive Oil Cake with Raspberry Curd
Serves 8
This is a delightful afternoon-tea cake. The curd recipe makes enough for two cakes, so you can either make this cake again or enjoy the curd by smearing on fresh crusty bread.
190 ml (61/2 fl oz/ 3/4 cup) light olive oil
2 eggs
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
150 ml (5 fl oz) lemon juice
250 g (9 oz/1 cup) plain yoghurt
345 g (12 oz/11/2 cups) caster (superfine) sugar
300 g (101/2 oz/2 cups) self-rising flour
250 ml (81/2 fl oz/1 cup) whipping cream
300 g (101/2 oz) fresh raspberries
Raspberry Curd
4 egg yolks
230 g (8 oz/1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
200 g (7 oz) butter, softened
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
80 ml (21/2 fl oz/¹⁄³ cup) lemon juice
210 g (7¹⁄³ oz/1²⁄³ cups) fresh raspberries
Raspberry icing (Frosting)
115 g (4 oz/1/2 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
210 g (7¹⁄³ oz/1²⁄³ cups) fresh raspberries
125–185 g (41/2–61/2 oz/1–11/2 cups) icing (confectioners’) sugar
To make the raspberry curd, beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl until pale and creamy. Add the butter, lemon zest and juice. Place over a simmering saucepan of water and whisk continuously for 20–30 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir the raspberries through, allowing the fruit to break up. Allow to cool, then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, until required.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 23 cm (9 in) round cake tin or a loaf (bar) tin.
Put the olive oil, eggs, lemon zest and juice, yoghurt and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Sift in the flour and stir until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, to make the raspberry icing, combine the caster sugar with 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) water in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Put the raspberries in a food processor and slowly add the cooled sugar syrup until you have a thick sauce (you may not need all the sugar syrup). Transfer to a bowl and stir in the icing sugar until thick and well combined.
Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Put half the curd in a large bowl and stir until it is malleable. Mix in a spoonful of the whipped cream. Add the remaining cream and gently fold through to make a light, airy mousse. Spread the mousse over the cooled cake. Top with the raspberry icing and fresh raspberries, and serve.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Hardie Grant Books.