Figs have a rich history: the fig tree was the Tree of Life to the ancient Egyptians, and in the Bible they were said to grow in the Garden of Eden and their leaves were allegedly used to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness.

Figs are one of the highest plant sources of calcium and fibre, and also contain potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and antioxidants.

When selecting figs, choose clean, dry fruit with unblemished skin. The colour of the skins is of little indication of ripeness, so give them a gentle squeeze – there should be a little “give”. Ripe figs are quite delicate, so handle with care! As figs are easily perishable, consume as soon as possible after buying. Ripe figs will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days however serve at room temperature to enjoy the full flavour. Unripe figs can be left at room temperature for a day or two until the flesh softens.

Remove the stems before eating. The entire fig including the skin can be eaten, although some people prefer to peel them if the skins are thick. Figs can be enjoyed in either sweet or savoury dishes.

Here are five ways to enjoy figs:

1. Grill halved figs with honey and serve with mascarpone or fresh ricotta.
2. Add sliced figs to a salad of rocket, walnuts and blue cheese.
3. Wrap halved figs with thinly sliced prosciutto and drizzle with caramelised balsamic.
4. Include quartered figs as part of a cheese platter.
5. If you’re lucky enough to have a fig tree or access to an abundance of fresh figs, make fig jam.

Ingredients (serves 4):
300g fresh ricotta (from delis)
75g finely chopped good-quality dark chocolate
Finely grated rind of 1 orange
1 tablespoon orange liqueur (eg Cointreau, Grand Marnier)
2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
8 ready-made cannoli shells (from delis and gourmet food stores)

To garnish: sifted icing sugar

Method:
1. Place the ricotta, chocolate, grated orange rind, orange liqueur and icing sugar in a bowl and combine thoroughly.
2. Spoon the ricotta mixture into a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle. If you don’t own a piping bag, use a clean plastic bag and using sharp scissors snip a 1cm hole in one corner.
3. Pipe the ricotta mixture into each cannoli shell through both ends.
4. Dust with sifted icing sugar and serve.

Enjoy!

A hooded gas barbeque

• Understand the difference between direct and indirect cooking. Direct cooking is when the food is cooked directly under the heat source (best for steaks, sausages, kebabs, prawns, fish and burgers). Indirect cooking is similar to roasting or cooking in an oven, and requires a barbeque with a cover or hood and the ability to be able to turn off the burner directly underneath the food (best for roasts, whole chicken or fish).

• Most barbeques will allow you the choice of cooking the food on either the flatplate or the grills. Cooking on the grill will give the food characteristic grill marks as well as enhanced flavour, but be aware that small items can fall through the bars. Food cooked on the grill can also be prone to flare-ups caused by fat dripping onto the flames.

• As with cooking in the kitchen, always ensure your barbeque is preheated before you commence cooking. The time will vary depending on the fuel you are using – gas is much quicker than charcoal or heat beads.

• If your barbeque has a lid, cook with the lid down and resist the temptation to check on the food too often. This will reduce the chance of flare-ups and will also retain the heat.

• Unless the recipes states otherwise, turn your food only once.

• NEVER prick sausages or other meats with a fork – this causes juice and flavour to escape and will result in a tougher meat.

• A light coating of oil will help the food to brown evenly and stop it sticking. You can also brush or spray the oil on the barbeque.

• Bring meat (NOT chicken) to room temperature before cooking, but don’t let it stand for more than 20 minutes, particularly if it’s a warm day.

• Trim excess fat from meat to avoid flare-ups.

• When using bamboo skewers for kebabs, always soak for an hour in water before using to avoid them charring catching fire.

• Smoking wood or chips add extra flavour to your food. These are available at barbeque shops in a variety of types – mesquite, hickory and applewood are popular choices. Always soak in water prior to using so that they smoulder slowly.

• As in all recipes, cooking times are a guide and vary depending on various factors such as wind, temperature and altitude.

• Never cut into a piece of meat to see if it is cooked, as the juices will escape resulting in a tough meat. A cooking thermometer is a highly useful tool and is the only true way to tell when your meat or poultry is cooked to perfection. life’s a feast recommends the Chefs Toolbox Digital Thermometer (which doubles up as a timer) and is a bargain at just $39. Click here to purchase online.

• After you’ve finished cooking, do a “burn-off”, which cleans the barbeque. On a gas barbeque, turn all the burners on high, close the lid and leave for about 10 minutes (check your instruction manual, as not all barbeques can withstand 10 minutes on high with a closed hood). Then brush the cooking grates with a long-handles grill brush (available from barbeque stores). For a charcoal grill, it’s easier to clean the cooking grate just before you begin cooking after the barbeque has pre-heated.

• Food safety is particularly important when barbequing. Always keep cooked and uncooked foods separate – never place cooked food on the same plate that the raw food was on prior to cooking. See our fact sheet on Food Safety for more food safety tips.

This is a fabulous salad for entertaining, as the majority of the preparation can be done prior to your guests arriving, so all that needs to be done last minute is toss everything together in a salad bowl. You could substitute the prawns with the shredded meat of a Chinese barbequed duck for an equally delicious result.

Ingredients (serves 4):
Salad:
¼ cup shredded coconut
500g peeled cooked medium prawns (you’ll need 1 kg unpeeled prawns)
175g baby spinach leaves
4 Asian shallots, finely sliced (substitute with 1 small red onion, finely sliced)
½ cup Thai basil leaves
1 tablespoon crispy fried onions (from Asian grocers)

Dressing:
1/3 cup coconut cream
2 teaspoons palm sugar (from the Asian section of supermarkets or Asian grocers)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon chilli jam (from gourmet stores or Asian grocers)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Garnish:  extra crispy fried onions

Method:
1.    Toast the coconut in a non-stick frypan over medium heat until golden. Cool and set aside in a covered container.
2.    Prepare the other salad ingredients and store separately in the refrigerator.
3.    Make the dressing: Place the dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine (or shake together in a screw-top jar). Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
4.   When ready to serve:  in a bowl place the prepared salad ingredients, pour over the dressing and toss well.
5.    Serve either on a serving platter, or on individual serving plates. Garnish with extra crispy fried onions.

Bon appetit!

Cooking class participants enjoying the salad

The divine Thai flavours of garlic, chilli, ginger, lime and coconut marry beautifully with the prawns and mango. The curry sauce can be made in advance – you only need to add the prawns and mango just before serving time. Perfect for entertaining and a piece of cake to make, you’ll make this recipe time and time again.

Ingredients (serves 4):
600ml coconut milk
750g peeled green king prawns
2 ripe but firm mangoes, cut into 2cm cubes (you can use frozen mangoes if fresh are not available)
1 cup coriander leaves, firmly packed

Curry Paste
2-4 birds eye chillies, halved and seeds removed
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 Asian shallots or 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 limes, zest grated and juiced
1 tablespoon grated palm sugar or brown sugar
2 teaspoons shrimp paste (known as belacan or terasi, available from Asian grocers)
1 tablespoon fish sauce

To garnish:  coriander sprigs, lime wedges

Equipment:
Large saucepan or wok

Method:
1. For the curry paste:  place all the curry paste ingredients in a food processor and process until it resembles a paste.

2. Place the coconut milk into the saucepan or wok together with the curry paste and bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Boil for 10 minutes or until it has thickened somewhat.

3. Taste for seasoning, adding a little more sugar, fish sauce or lime juice if necessary.

4. Add the prawns and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the prawns are just cooked through. Add the mango and the coriander leaves and cook for a further 2 minutes.

5. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and garnish with coriander sprigs and lime wedges.

Grapes are a good source of fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A and potassium, and contain more natural sugar than any other fruit.

Grapes do not ripen further after picking, so it’s important to try before you buy. Choose grapes with fresh green stems and plump fruit that’s firmly attached to the stalks. Avoid bunches with soft or wrinkled fruit, or grapes that are brown around the stem.

Store unwashed grapes in an airtight container or a sealed plastic bag in the fridge, where they will keep for about 3-4 days. Only wash grapes when you intend to eat them, as washing before storing will shorten their shelf life.

Here are five ways to enjoy grapes:

1. Include grapes as part of a cheese platter.
2. Include grapes in a fruit salad.
3. Add halved seedless grapes to a salad.
4. Grapes pair well with chicken, so add a handful to a chicken casserole.
5. Add grapes to a homemade jelly.

The history of Anzac Biscuits (ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) is debatable, but the most likely theory is that they were created by the wives and mothers of World War 1 troops who wanted to provide a treat for their men that could be sent by food parcel. These resilient biscuits travel well and will keep for several weeks in an airtight container.

Ingredients (makes about 30):
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup desiccated coconut
1 cup plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
120g butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons boiling water

Equipment:
Baking trays, greased or lined with baking paper

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
2. Place the rolled oats, coconut, flour and sugar in a large bowl and mix well.
3. Place the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until melted (you can also do this in the microwave).
4. In a small bowl mix together the bicarbonate of soda and boiling water.  Add to the melted butter mixture, and then stir into the dry ingredients. Mix well.
5. Place dessertspoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking trays, allowing room for spreading.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool on trays for a few minutes, then remove to wire racks.
7. Store in an airtight container.

Garnished with crème fraiche and tini basil leaves, they look as good as they taste. You can serve them either warm or cold, and as well as being fabulous finger food, these mini frittatas are wonderful served as part of an antipasto platter.

Ingredients (makes 24):
150g smoked salmon, chopped into small pieces
2/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil
8 eggs
1/3 cup milk
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
75g finely grated parmesan cheese

Garnish:  crème fraiche and small basil leaves

Equipment:
24 hole mini-muffin pan (30ml capacity each), lightly greased with melted butter

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Divide the chopped smoked salmon evenly between the muffin holes.  
3. Evenly place the chopped basil on top of the smoked salmon.
4. Place the eggs, milk and salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk together using a balloon whisk.
5. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the salmon and basil.
6. Sprinkle the grated parmesan evenly over the frittatas.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes in the pre-heated oven or until golden and puffed.
8. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until required.
9. The frittatas can be served at room temperature or warmed in a 150°C oven for about 10 minutes.
10. To serve, spoon a little crème fraiche on top of each frittata and top with a small basil leaf.

Oliebollen (translated, meaning “oil balls”) are essentially deep-fried doughnuts, and are traditionally eaten in the Netherlands on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. These tasty morsels can of course be enjoyed at any time of the year!

Ingredients (makes about 30):
500g plain flour
10g salt
2 large eggs
25g dried yeast
1 cup lukewarm beer
1/2 cup lukewarm water
300g mixed dried fruit (sultanas, currents, raisins, peel)
2 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
oil for deep-frying
To serve:  icing sugar

Method:
1. Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the eggs.
2. Mix the yeast together with a little of the lukewarm beer, and add to the bowl along with the remaining beer and the water.
3. Add the dried fruit and the apple pieces and mix well.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic food wrap and leave the batter to rise in a warm place for about an hour.
5. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan.
6. Using 2 greased tablespoons, form ito balls and slide into the hot oil.
7. Fry until golden brown (about 3 minutes), then turn them and do the same.
8. Remove the oliebollen from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.
9. Dust with sifted icing sugar and serve.

When catering for these numbers, I love preparing a large variety of cocktail food (also known as canapés, hors d’oeuvres, appetisers, finger food). Preparing appetising bite-sized pieces really lends itself to creativity – the possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Cocktail food passed around on platters encourages guests to mingle, rather than remain in one place if a sit-down meal was served.  Plus, it lends itself to a wide variety of dishes, and guests enjoy the anticipation of what the next platter will bring!

As I have catered for these numbers many times before, I prepare pretty much everything from scratch. However, I would not recommend this approach if you lack confidence in the kitchen!

I commenced the planning of the menu about 3 weeks prior. When planning the menu, I chose a diverse selection of dishes that were visually appealing, with varying colours, textures, flavours and temperatures. Influences from different cuisines also added to the variety, and as no Australian party is complete without a barbeque in operation, a number of the dishes were cooked on the barbeque. Vegetarians and gluten-intolerants were catered for as well, and naturally a Christmas theme played in there as well – there really was something for everyone on the menu!

Preparing the Wonton Cases

An essential factor in planning my menu was that each dish required minimal last minute preparation.  This is a key component of my philosophy to successful home entertaining. Almost all of the recipes are my own, created with this criteria in mind.

With the above in mind, the menu for my Christmas Cocktail Party was as follows:

Spiced Almonds
-
House Marinated Olives
-
Assorted Homemade Dips with crackers and crudités:
Creamy Tuna Dip
Guacamole
Broadbean Dip
Tzatziki
-
Christmas Caprice Skewers
-
Leg Ham on Baguette with Mustard Mayonnaise
-
Gorgonzola Stuffed Mushrooms
-
Smoked Salmon & Basil Mini-frittatas
-
Roast Beef and Horseradish Cream Cups
-
Greek-style Cocktail Meatballs with Tzatziki
-
Thai Chicken in Wonton Cases
-
Canapé Cups with Onion Jam and Goats Cheese
-
Peking Duck in Witlof
-
Smoked Trout on Cucumber Cups
-
Barbequed Chorizo with Chimichurri
-
Teriyaki Chicken Drummettes
-
Spicy Barbequed Pork Ribs
-
Fruit Mince Pastry Stars
-
Sweet Coconut Cardamom Snowballs
-
Festive Shortbread Biscuits
-
Chocolate Hazelnut Christmas Cake

Quite an undertaking, you are probably thinking! Organisation and planning are paramount in preparing such a menu and are the key to a successful party. Lists and checklists will allow you to have fun and be a guest at your own party (instead of feeling like a kitchen slave). 

To get organised, I determined which dishes could be made up to a week in advance. Preparing some of the menu items ahead of time means you are not left doing everything on the day of party.

The Spiced Almonds can be made 1 week ahead

Naturally I wrote shopping lists, which were broken down into supermarket, butcher, fishmonger, baker, greengrocer, liquor store, gourmet store, Asian grocer.

I then formulated an action plan of the food preparation that needed to be done on the day, and the order it will be done.  It’s a good idea to determine roughly how long the total food preparation will take on the day, to make sure you are setting realistic goals!

The Shortbread can be made several days earlier

It’s also wise to do an inventory of glassware, serving ware and equipment and make a list of what you need to hire, borrow or buy if necessary.

Another invaluable tool is a running sheet of what needs to be done after your guests arrive, ordered chronologically. You will be thankful for this if you have enjoyed a couple of drinks!

Frying the meatballs

I commenced the food preparation about 5 days before my party, making a couple of dishes each day.  This greatly reduced the workload for party day, which meant that I even had time to spend an hour or so at the beach earlier in the day!

We are lucky enough to live in a home with a large outdoor entertaining deck, which is the perfect location for our annual Christmas party. The weather was kind to us, delivering a lovely balmy dry summer evening. I had decorated the outdoor area in a Christmas theme, including fairy lights and various Christmas props and decorations.

Setting up the outdoor area

 My guests started to arrive at 7pm and by 8:30pm there were close to 40 people. Hungry people I might add!  As the vast majority of the food preparation had already been done, the only last minute preparation was heating and assembling some of the dishes and placing the various offerings onto platters. I had a number of willing helpers in the kitchen (the best parties always takes place in the kitchen in my opinion!) so we had a production line going.  Others offered to help pass platters around, so everything ran very smoothly and everyone got fed!

Kitchen production line

The food disappeared from the platters quicker than they could be refilled! As each platter brought a new dish, my appreciative guests declared that it was a fantastic and diverse selection of tasty morsels.

Smoked Salmon & Basil Mini Frittatas

Hubby Paul fired up the BBQ, and in typical Aussie style the men huddled around with their beers. Thankfully there was not a total fireban on the evening, and hubby used the charcoal barbeque with hickory smoking chips to enhance the flavour of the pork ribs and the chicken.

Boys around the BBQ (hubby's on the right)

The wine and champagne flowed very freely, and everyone was in good festive spirits. The upbeat music playing through the outdoor speakers added to the good mood, and it was clear from the laughter and interaction that a good time was had by all. And that included myself!

Partygoers having fun

Our dogs Ainsley and Missi joined the party later in the evening, when the barbeque food was finished (didn’t want to risk the possibility of one of them eating a cooked bone…). They too were in good spirits and much admired by our guests. 

Despite the number of dishes and quantities of food, there were very little leftovers! The favourites of the evening were the Thai Chicken in Wonton Cases (“quintessentially Aussie Asian fusion”), the Smoked Salmon & Basil Mini-frittatas (“melt in your mouth”) and the Spicy Barbequed Pork Ribs (“finger licking good and a beautiful smoky flavour”). All the sweet goodies went down a treat too!

In summary, here are my keys to hosting a successful and enjoyable party:
•    Choose dishes that can be prepared ahead of time and require minimal last-minute preparation.
•    Know your limitations – both cooking skills and time available.
•    Cheat a little – it’s perfectly okay to buy quality store-bought.
•    Have a running sheet of everything that needs to be done after your guests arrive.
•    Accept your guests’ offers to give you a hand assisting in the kitchen or passing food around.
•    Be a gracious host and enjoy yourself, even if things don’t go exactly according to plan.

Accept offers from your guests to pass around platters!

Here are a number of the recipes, all of which can be doubled or tripled to serve a crowd (which I did). A number of the other recipes are hyperlinked from the menu above.

MARINATED OLIVES
Home-marinated olives are so much better than most shop-bought marinated olives. These can be thrown together in minutes, but will need at least 24 hours to marinate and will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator. Any leftover oil is lovely for dressing salads or dipping bread into.

 
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
300g assorted olives in brine (eg Kalamata, green)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
4 x 2cm strips orange rind
2 fresh bay leaves (optional)

Method:
1.    Rinse the olives and drain well.
2.    Place the remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Add the olives and combine.  Cover tightly with plastic food wrap, or transfer to a sealable container, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to allow the flavours to develop. Stir occasionally.
3.    When ready to serve, discard the strips of orange rind and the bay leaves and allow to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. The olives will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week.

CHRISTMAS CAPRESE SKEWERS
Based on the famous Insalata Caprese, this colourful appetiser comprises cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and bocconcini (small mozzarella balls, available from deli’s and good supermarkets), seasoned with a balsamic vinaigrette. They can be prepared up to 3 hours ahead of time to step 3.

Ingredients (makes 20):
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper to taste
good pinch salt, preferably sea salt
20 small bocconcini (baby mozzarella balls, from deli’s and good supermarkets)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, extra
20 small cherry tomatoes
20 large basil leaves

Equipment:
20 small-sized bamboo skewers

Method:
1. For the balsamic vinaigrette: combine the balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, pepper and salt in a screw-top jar or small bowl.  Set aside.
2. Toss the bocconcini with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and a good grinding of pepper.
3. Assemble the skewers: slide 1 cherry tomato onto a skewer. Fold 1 basil leaf in half and slide onto the skewer. Add 1 bocconcini ball.  Repeat for all 20 skewers. Put on a plate or platter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Take the skewers out of the fridge 30 minutes before planning to serve.
5. Brush the skewers with the balsamic vinaigrette and serve immediately.

THAI CHICKEN IN WONTON CASES
Crispy wonton cases house a Thai-inspired chicken filling – these tasty morsels go down a treat at a cocktail party. Both the cases and the chicken mixture can be made up to 2 days in advance.

 

Ingredients (makes 24):
24 fresh wonton wrappers (in the refrigerator section of supermarkets or Asian stores)
Oil spray
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
500g chicken mince
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 stalk lemongrass, white part finely chopped (or 2 Kaffir limes leaves, shredded)
100ml coconut cream
3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
½ red onion, finely chopped

To garnish: coriander (cilantro) leaves

Equipment:
24 hole mini-muffin pan (30ml capacity each)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Spray the mini-muffin pan lightly with oil spray to grease.
3. Place a wonton wrapper in each muffin hole and press to line the base and sides, but still extending above the pan.
4. Spray the placed wonton wrapper lightly with oil spray.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool in the pan, then store in an airtight container (can be made up to 2 days ahead).
6. Meanwhile, heat the peanut or vegetable oil in a frypan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mince, garlic and lemongrass (or limes leaves) and cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked, stirring and breaking up any lumps as you go.
7. Add the coconut cream, sweet chilli sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, chopped coriander leaves and chopped red onion. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
8. Heat the chicken mixture in a microwave oven.
9. Spoon the chicken mixture evenly among the wonton cases. Top each with a coriander leaf and arrange on a serving platter.

SPICY BARBEQUED PORK RIBS
Spicy, smoky, tender pork ribs – definitely finger licking good! Even though these have a long cooking time, once they go on the barbeque they need no attention.

Pork ribs on the BBQ

Ingredients (serves 4-6):
2 slabs American-style pork ribs (about 1.5kg)
2 handfuls wood chips (eg. hickory)
Spice Rub
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Method:
1. For the Spice Rub: Combine all the Spice Rub ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Remove the thin membrane from the back of each slab of ribs and discard (you can ask your butcher to do this for you).
3. Place the ribs on a baking tray or similar. Sprinkle the rub over both sides of the ribs and pat in with your fingers or hands. Let the ribs stand in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.
4. Soak the woodchips in cold water for at least 30 minutes.
5. Heat a kettle-style or a hooded barbeque to medium-high heat for indirect grilling.
6. When the barbeque has reached the desired temperature, add the wood chips to the coals.
7. Next, place the ribs in the centre of the hot grate, away from the heat. Cover and cook for 90 minutes or until the meat has shrunk back slightly from the bones and the meat is tender enough to be torn apart with your fingers.
8. Cut the ribs into individual pieces and serve.

Wishing you a happy & delicious Christmas!