New Zealand food writer and stylist, chef and photographer Gretchen Lowe has indulged her sweet tooth — but with a nourishing bent — in the following recipes from her book My Weekend Table: Celebrating Simple Food from Aotearoa and Beyond.
"Weekends are the time I get to relax and indulge in my passion for cooking. It’s a time when things slow down a little from our usually busy lives; it’s a time to reflect and get creative in the kitchen."
Her own health needs have also meant she has had to learn the art of cooking dairy- and gluten-free at times, and she is acutely aware of the impact food can have on her well-being.
Now she is a mum of two, finding time to do it all is always a struggle, so she has developed recipes to meet the busy lifestyle most parents have these days.
THE BOOK
My Weekend Table: Celebrating Simple Food from Aotearoa and Beyond, by Gretchen Lowe, photography by Gretchen Lowe, published by Bateman Books, RRP $59.99.
Chocolate chunk porridge banana bread
This banana bread has quite the reputation, and it’s one of my most requested recipes. It’s featured on my table for years now and is easily whipped together in the food processor. It’s that wonderful blend of indulgence and nourishment that makes mornings or snack times something to look forward to. My girls love it — it’s so simple to sneak the good stuff in and they’re none the wiser! (I sneak in porridge oats that have been blended to a flour.)
Serves 8
Suitable for DF
1 ⅓ cups porridge oats
3 ripe bananas
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
4 eggs
½ cup olive oil
½ cup caster sugar (it works well with honey and coconut sugar also)
1½ cups thread coconut
80g dark chocolate (at least 70%), chopped
Optional serving idea
berries, coconut yoghurt and walnuts
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a loaf tin and line with baking paper.
In a food processor, blitz the oats to a flour, add bananas and blend until smooth. Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and eggs and pulse until just combined. Add the oil and caster sugar and pulse again a couple of times. Remove blade from the bowl and stir in the coconut and dark chocolate.
Pour into prepared tin and bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. I love to serve this bread with berries, coconut yoghurt and walnuts.
Raw peanut slab with coconut cream ganache
My chocolate bliss ball recipe has made its rounds, and now I’ve created a twist on the classic Kiwi peanut slab that’s just as delicious. It’s become my new go-to, perfect for when I’m craving something sweet but fuelling.
Feel free to sub in almond butter or mix in some raisins.
Sometimes, I even replace the vanilla with rum for a cheeky rum and raisin flavour. The rich, crunchy base combined with the smooth ganache makes this treat a crowd-pleaser while keeping it gluten- and dairy-free.
Makes 16
Suitable for GF / DF
2 cups walnuts (or almonds)
1 cup thread coconut
2 cups medjool dates, pitted
3 tbsp coconut oil
⅓ cup crunchy peanut butter
¼ cup cocoa
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp vanilla (or rum)
1 cup salted peanuts
Coconut cream ganache
¾ cup coconut cream, heated until
almost boiled
200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Method
In a food processor, process the walnuts and coconut until crumbly.
Add the dates, coconut oil, peanut butter, cocoa, salt and vanilla and process again until a sticky, uniform batter is formed. Add the peanuts and pulse to roughly chop.
Press into a slice tin.
Mix the hot coconut cream and chocolate together. Let it sit for 1 minute then stir through until thoroughly melted and mixed. Top the slice with Coconut Cream Ganache, slice and keep in the fridge.
Dark chocolate, Caribbean rum and raisin torte
This torte is inspired by our time living in the Caribbean. It’s totally indulgent, with rich dark chocolate and plenty of rum, baked until it’s fudgy and dense. The rum cooks out during baking so it’s little-one-friendly or you could substitute the rum for orange juice instead. It’s baked in a water bath like a cheesecake, so once set, it has an amazing smoothness and silkiness.
Serves 12
Suitable for GF
Ingredients
⅔ cup rum (dark or golden)
⅓ cup orange juice or water
¾ cup white sugar
140g unsalted butter
500g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa), chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten
muscatels or berries, to garnish (optional)
whipped cream, to serve
1 cup cream
250g dark chocolate (at least 70%), chopped
1 cup raisins
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking paper and grease the sides with butter. Wrap three layers of aluminium foil around the outside of the pan, bringing the foil to the top of the rim.
Combine rum, orange juice or water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil gently, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove and set aside.
In a larger saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat. Remove from heat then add the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk the rum syrup into the chocolate and let it cool slightly.
Add the eggs to the chocolate and whisk until well blended. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and place the tin in a large roasting dish. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the outside of the tin. Carefully place the roasting dish and tin in the oven and bake until the centre no longer moves when shaken gently, about 45-50 minutes. Remove from the water bath and set aside to cool completely.
For the ganache, bring the cream to just simmering in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Stir through the raisins and pour over the top of the torte while still in the tin.
Gently shake the tin to distribute ganache evenly over the top.
Refrigerate the torte until the ganache is set, about two hours. It can be made up to two days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.
Run a knife around the inside of the tin to loosen the torte and release sides.
Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with muscatels or berries. Cut torte into wedges and serve with whipped cream.
