She appeared on television’s first My Kitchen Rules NZ series in 2014 and co-won the title and went on to release her first cookbook Flavourbomb based on low-carbohydrate, "keto-centric" dishes.
"This isn’t a diet book — I hate the D word."
Instead, she says, her new book Flavour Kiss is a guide to cooking dishes full of "fabulosity" with flavours from all over the world for everything from weeknight meals to entertaining family and friends.
MacDonald, who grew up on a farm in Cambridge and opened New Zealand’s first pop-up organic bone broth bar, starts out with a helping hand on the ingredients she likes to use such as keto sweetners and sugar substitutes and what a "fat bomb" is.
She then looks at vegetables and how they make meals feel fresher, crisper, greener while leaving people feeling healthier and more energised.
"I’ve filled the recipes ... with colour and flavour by using in-season produce from my local farmers’ market and my little home garden."
In another chapter she provides inspiration for "flavour bombs" the sauces, dressings, dips and pastes that transform dishes in next to no time.
She advises maximising the rewards by doubling the recipes that last well so the fridge is always well stocked.
"Then you can put on magician hat and impress the crowd with ease."
The Crowd Pleasers section is perfect for heading into autumn as people start to crave comfort food. MacDonald mixes classics with her own signature twists along with curries, sausage rolls and flatbreads.
"They’re easy to prepare, perfect for weeknights or weekends and there is so much to choose from to help you feel great and energised during the cooler months ahead."
At this time of year dessert is always appealing and so she has "embraced" some new-and-improved unprocessed ingredients to make dishes indulgent but still with the added bonus of protein, vitamins and minerals.
"I’m always keen to push your palates into new territories, so I’ve created some unique flavour-bursting combos with my love for tang."
THE BOOK
Flavour Kiss Belinda MacDonald, Penguin RRP $50
Affogato Live-in-lover
This ‘keep it simple, sexy’ (KISS) showstopper dessert is so indulgent, with its fudgy hazelnut brownie base and satin sheet-like coffee custard that swap positions during the cooking process. Intrigued?
Serves 10
Brownie Base
120g butter, softened
100g golden erythritol/blend or sweetener of your choice
2 eggs
100g hazelnut butter
1 cup almond meal
¼ cup cacao powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
100g hazelnuts, ground to make a flour
pinch of salt
50ml espresso
Coffee Custard
4 eggs
250g cream cheese
½ cup nut or dairy milk
2 Tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
50g powdered erythritol or puremaple syrup
50ml coffee liqueur
To serve
coffee liqueur, to splash
roasted chopped hazelnuts, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 160degC and grease a 25cm bundt tin with butter.
For the base, place the butter and erythritol in a large bowl. Using electric beaters, beat until pale and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, then add the hazelnut butter, followed by the remaining ingredients, and beat until combined. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
For the coffee custard, place all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and whizz until smooth, then pour this on top of your brownie base.
Cover the top with a layer of baking paper and foil. Place the bundt tin in a deep roasting dish and pour enough boiling water from the kettle into the roasting dish that it comes 3cm up the sides of the bundt tin. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the water bath, uncover and allow to cool.
Use a sharp knife to run around the edges of the tin to loosen the cake. Place a plate on top, invert the plate and tin, then carefully remove the tin and allow the beauty to chill in the fridge.
Before serving, splash the top with extra coffee liqueur and scatter over a few roasted hazelnuts. Enjoy the coffee-gasms, lovers.
Savoury herb cheesecake
This fresh and fabulous savoury cheesecake is rippled with fragrant herbs and has a nutty biscuity base. It’s ideal for entertaining because it looks kind of fancy but is dead easy to make and it can be made ahead of time.
Serves 6-8
Base
100g butter, melted
2 cups almond meal
salt and black pepper, to taste
Filling
100g chives
100g dill
250g cream cheese, slightly softened
3 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
pinch of sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 spring onions, finely chopped
Garnish (optional)
smoked salmon
capers
herbs dressed with avocado oil and
lemon zest
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180degC. Grease a 24cm springform cake tin or baking dish with butter and line with baking paper.
2 For the base, combine the melted butter and almond meal, season well with salt and pepper and press evenly into your prepared tin. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden, then set aside to cool slightly.
3 For the filling, place the chives and dill in a food processor and pulse slightly to roughly chop. Add in the cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, Parmesan and salt and pepper, then blitz until combined. Fold in your spring onions.
4 Pour the filling on to the cooled base and bake for a further 10-12 minutes until set. Cool before removing from the tin and place into the fridge to chill completely before slicing into wedges.
5 Serve with a garden salad on the side or add smoked salmon, capers and more herbs, all kissed with your favourite oil.
Sticky Tamarind & Fennel Pork Ribs
Serves 5
1kg pork ribs (ask your butcher to halve them crossways to make short ribs)
olive oil, to drizzle
Fragrant Fennel Spice Rub
3 Tbsp fennel seeds
1 Tbsp whole peppercorns
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
6 fresh bay leaves
1 tsp coarse sea salt
Curry Paste
3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 shallot, peeled
1 long red chilli, deseeded
½ cup fresh curry leaves
zest of 2 limes
Tamarind Broth
1 Tbsp coconut oil
400ml can coconut cream
100ml tamarind puree
juice of 2 limes
4 whole star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cardamom pods, bashed to release seeds
3 cups broth or stock of your choice
1 tsp erythritol/blend, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
Sweet & Sour Glaze
2 Tbsp tomato paste
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup tamarind puree
⅓ cup golden stevia or coconut sugar
1 For the spice rub, blitz all the ingredients together in a spice grinder until semi-smooth.
2 Drizzle the ribs with a little olive oil, then sprinkle with the spice rub so that it sticks.
Rub it in and around so that the ribs are evenly coated.
Place in the fridge overnight to marinate.
3 For the curry paste, blitz the ingredients in a food processor to create a dry paste.
4 For the broth, melt the coconut oil in a frying pan, then gently fry the curry paste.
Add the remaining broth ingredients and stir to combine.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5 Place the ribs into either a pressure cooker or slow-cooker, cover with the broth and pressure cook for 40 minutes or cook on low in a slow-cooker for 6–8 hours.
If you want to use the oven, preheat the oven to 150degC and cook the ribs, covered, for 2–4 hours until the meat is soft as butter and falling off the bone.
6 Remove the ribs from the cooking broth and place on a tray to cool.
7 For the reduced glaze, tip all the cooking broth into a large frying pan over a medium-low heat, add the remaining ingredients and reduce to 1–1 cups. This should take about 20–30 minutes. Discard the solids by passing through a sieve.
8 Preheat the oven to 180degC.
9 Baste the ribs with the glaze, reserving any remaining glaze.
Warm the ribs for 20 minutes or until golden and sizzling.
Serve with the reserved glaze to pour over if anyone wants extra sauce.
