Triple taste tease (+recipes)

Croissant and Butter Pudding.

We are so happy to be able to share these recipes from our new cookbook For the Love Of ... which is available from next Saturday. They are three of our favourite recipes from our cookbook. We chose them because we make them on a regular basis and they have become staples on our weeknight menu.

The salmon recipe is great for a light dinner, or a healthy lunch you can make the night before. We like to use New Zealand Regal salmon in this salad and a little salmon goes a long way. The butterflied chicken is extremely tasty and cooks much faster than a normal roast chicken. The croissant and butter pudding is the dessert our dad requests most often so we had to include it. We hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do and that you are able to share them with those you love.

We will be posting the locations and times of all of our book-signing events on Facebook and at karenakasey.com if you are keen to come and meet us. Thank you to Ibis for helping out with accommodation and to Regal for supplying delicious salmon for our cooking demonstrations. We hope to see you on our way around our beautiful country.

Kasey and Karena

Croissant and Butter Pudding

Serves 4

This is our version of a classic bread and butter pudding. We make this when we can get croissants on special in the supermarket, when they are no longer as fresh as normal. We came up with the idea of making sultana butter to spread on croissants while we were on MasterChef, it's our own special little touch.

Custard

½ cup white sugar
3 free range egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Sultana butter

150g butter
½ cup sultanas
1 tbsp apricot jam

Puddings

4 croissants, sliced into 3cm slices
½ cup sultanas

For the custard

In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the custard and set aside.

For the sultana butter

In a food processor, process all the ingredients until they are combined but the sultanas are still quite chunky.

For the pudding

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Spread
the sultana butter evenly onto each piece
of croissant. Butter 4 small ovenproof ramekins.
2. Place slices of the croissants in layers in the ramekins, sprinkling sultanas between each layer.
3. Fill the ramekins but do not press the croissants down; the custard will seep in and fill the gaps. Place the ramekins into a deep oven dish.
4. Carefully pour custard into each ramekin until it comes to the top, being careful not to overfill.
5. Pour hot water around the ramekins to come halfway up their sides. Cover the entire roasting tray with tinfoil and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the custard has set.
6. Take the oven dish out of the oven, remove the ramekins from the water bath and rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or icecream.

Feta and Thyme Butterflied Chicken

Feta and Thyme Butterflied Chicken.

Serves 4

Butterflying the chicken means you can cook it faster and more evenly. It is a great way to enjoy a roast meal without taking hours to cook it. Pushing the flavourings underneath the chicken's skin ensures the bird is packed full of flavour.

200g feta
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup parsley
¼ cup basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
1 whole free range size 14 chicken, butterflied
3 tbsp olive oil
6 sprigs thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 190C. Mix together all the ingredients except the chicken, oil and thyme, until well combined.
2. Work your fingers between the skin and the meat of the chicken, being careful not to make any holes in the skin, to make pockets for the filling.
3. Place spoonfuls of the feta mix under the skin and massage until it forms an even
layer underneath. Generously season and rub 1 tbsp of oil over the chicken.
4. Heat a large ovenproof pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the thyme as the oil becomes hot. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Sear the outside for 7-8 minutes, or until golden.
5. Turn over and brown the underside of the chicken. Place the whole dish in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, then remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Serve with a big leafy salad.

Salmon and Vermicelli Salad with Thai Dressing

Salmon and Vermicelli Salad with Thai Dressing.

Serves 4

As a treat, our dad brings home the most incredible smoked salmon. Usually, we just eat it with a squeeze of lemon but this salad makes it extra special.

Dressing

1 bunch coriander stalks
(reserve leaves for salad)
3cm piece of ginger, peeled
and chopped
1 clove garlic
¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 tsp sesame oil

Salad

250g vermicelli noodles
½ red capsicum, sliced
½ yellow capsicum, sliced
½ cucumber, deseeded and
sliced thinly
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 bunch coriander leaves, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced thinly

To serve

450g smoked salmon

For the dressing

In a small food processor, whizz together the dressing ingredients. Add water if it is too thick.

For the salad

Cook the vermicelli as per the packet instructions. In a large bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients and add three-quarters of the dressing. Add the drained vermicelli.

To serve

Arrange the noodle salad on a platter and flake the salmon over the top. Pour over the remaining dressing and add chopped coriander leaves to serve.

Win

Lunch with Kasey and Karena

You have the chance to enjoy a sumptuous lunch with Kasey and Karena Bird to celebrate the launch of their new book, For the Love Of. . . One lucky winner and three friends can win a feasting lunch with the Birds at Molten restaurant in Auckland's Mt Eden. Turn to page 14 to see part of the menu. The date of prize redemption is by arrangement and does not include transport to Auckland, transfers or accommodation.

To enter, visit winwithheraldonsunday.co.nz and enter the key word 'Feast' along with your contact details. Entries close 5pm on Wednesday, April 15.