Allyson Gofton says, “GIVE is probably the book with the most soul I have ever written.” This is a big call from a woman who has written 28 cookbooks.
We recently interviewed Allyson on The Sauce NZ podcast, where we heard how her career in cooking began and how she became a household name with Food in a Minute in the 90s and early 2000s.
Allyson has been cooking for New Zealanders for nearly 30 years so knows just how to blend inspiring those who cook everyday along with teaching those just starting.
Allyson describes GIVE as “a passion project that from idea to release has been three years of work and a lesson in how to never give up”.
This cookbook is generosity in its most beautiful form, with $30 from each book sold being donated to Breast Cancer Cure – a charity that raises money for New Zealand-led breast cancer research.
The generosity continues with 10 amazing Kiwi women from the fashion and media world contributing their favourite recipes and thoughts on what breast cancer cure means to them. While the theme of the book is gifts of foodie love.
GIVE is divided into seasons so you can bottle, bake, craft and cook seasonal food when its flavour is peak and its price low. It inspires the reader to make rather than buy and to re-use ribbons, old jars and give that gift of love.
And with the festive season upon us GIVE would make the perfect gift to give.
Blueberry Friand Slice
Blueberry season carries over from summer into early autumn, allowing us to crib a few extra weeks of summer’s berry fruits. Friands – mini cakes made from almond meal, egg whites and fruit – are a delightful alternative to muffins. These French petits gâteaux are best made with unsalted butter. In order to simplify the recipe, I’ve turned the individual friands into a slice – no need for special moulds. This can be served as a dessert or an afternoon treat. To make the friand slice gluten free, replace the wheat flour with my Gluten-free Flour Blend (see page 285).
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Makes: 20 pieces
½ cup flour
1 ½ cups icing sugar, plus extra to serve
1 cup ground almonds
6 egg whites, room temperature
175 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract
grated rind of 1 large lemon
1½ cups fresh blueberries, sightly crushed
mascarpone or sweetened whipped cream to serve
Preheat the oven to 190°C and set the oven rack in the centre. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm slice tin with baking paper.
Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Stir in the ground almonds and make a well in the centre.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they begin to foam. Pour into the well, along with the butter, vanilla essence or extract and lemon rind and stir together gently until just combined. Gently fold in the crushed blueberries. Spread the mixture into the prepared slice tin.
Bake for 20–25 minutes until the friand slice is firm to the touch and has shrunk away from the sides. Cool in the tin for 2–3 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to finish cooling.
Serve warm dusted with icing sugar, accompanied with mascarpone or sweetened whipped cream.
Blueberries with Lavender
Crush half a punnet of blueberries with a potato masher. Mix in 1 tablespoon sugar and add 2–3 lavender heads and mash to release the oil from the lavender. It is best to use English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) as it has a softer, sweeter note. Stir in the remaining half punnet of berries and cover. Set aside for an hour at room temperature for the flavours to infuse. Delicious served with the slice.
GIVE: Seasonal recipes for gifting by Allyson Gofton, photography by Lottie Hedley, RRP $49.99, $30 of every book sold will be donated to Breast Cancer Cure Research, release date September, published by Bateman Books.
Looking for more edible gift ideas?
