Stories

The culinary legend behind Christchurch’s White Tie Catering, Tina Duncan draws on a lifetime’s experience of cooking for a crowd with her cookbook Plated. Here, she shares one of her favourite brunch recipes, Savoury Croissant Bake & Chilli Jam. Not only delicious, it’s also got that secret ingredient loved by every cook – it can be prepared the day before. Serves: 8 | Prep time: 20mins | Cook time: 45mins Ingredients 8 croissantsDijon mustard8 slices of good quality ham250g Gouda or Gruyère cheese, sliced or grated4 eggs300ml full-cream milk250ml cream1 tsp salt½ tsp pepper½ cup grated parmesansmall bunch chives, finely chopped Method Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a gratin dish large enough to fit the croissants in a single layer. Slice the croissants open and spread one side with mustard and fill with ham and cheese. Pack into the gratin dish.In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, cream and seasoning....

Culinary legend Tina Duncan draws on a lifetime’s experience of cooking for a crowd with her cookbook Plated. Here’s a taste. This tart is a wonderful combination of autumnal flavours — mushroom, quince and pecorino. I’m a great lover of a free-form tart and this method can be used for so many different fillings. These are quite small, suitable for an entrée or lunch dish, but they can be made any size you like. Serves: 6 | Prep time: 20mins | Cook time: 45mins Ingredients 1 cup cream1 egg, plus 2 yolks1 clove garlic¼ tsp salt¼ tsp white pepper¾ cup grated pecorino30g butter300g brown button mushrooms, sliced1 tsp finely chopped tarragon or thyme leaves2 tblsp quince jelly2 sheets pre-rolled flaky pastry Method 1. Combine the cream and eggs in a small saucepan and whisk to combine well. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and pecorino and cook over a low heat stirring constantly...

Culinary legend Tina Duncan draws on a lifetime’s experience of cooking for a crowd with her cookbook Plated. Here’s a taste. Fava beans are a great pop of colour and protein in a salad. The easiest way to get them out of their skins is to pour some boiling water over frozen broad beans, drain them and then remove their skins to reveal the fava bean. Of course, if you grow them in your garden then pick the young beans, pod them and blanch the baby beans just as they are. Serves: 6–8 | Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 5 mins Ingredients 2 cups peas2 cups fava beans60ml sherry vinegar60ml olive oil1 small red onion, very finely sliced200g prosciutto, torn100g feta cheese or similar, crumbled1 cup roughly chopped fresh herbs, e.g. parsley, basil, chives, fennelfreshly ground black pepperpomegranate seeds for garnish (optional) Method In a large saucepan, blanch peas...