Pittwater Life January 2024 Issue

Food Life
with Janelle Bloom
Food Life
Recipes: janellebloom.com.au; Insta: instagram.com/janellegbloom/
Sharing is caring with these
vibrant platters that matter
Happy New Year to 2024 – the Chinese
Year of the Dragon. It’s said to be one of
the luckiest and most prosperous, full
of unprecedented opportunities. Let’s hope
so! To kick off another year I’m focusing on
shared platters and boards, which are very
Shared Crudité
dip platter
My tips for a dip platter,
make 1-2 dips and enhance
any purchased dips. Serve
with a combination of fresh,
colourful vegetables, crisps
and crackers.
Jalapeno avocado dip
½ cup thick sour cream
1 large ripe avocado, peeled
2 tbs drained pickled jalapeno,
finely chopped
1 tbs finely chopped chives
1 tbs lemon or lime juice
Minicaps, sugar snap peas,
Qukes, carrot and celery sticks
and radish, to serve
Crackers and beetroot crisps,
to serve
1. Spoon the sour cream into
a sieve lined with muslin or
un-used Chux cloth. Place
over a bowl, cover and
refrigerate 1-2 hours, this
allows excess water to drain
so you end up with thick
sour cream mixture.
2. Mash the avocado with a
fork until almost smooth.
Stir in the sour cream,
‘in’. They have always been my favourite way
to entertain family and friends, as the work
is all done ahead of time. Enjoy these over the
summer ahead!
jalapeno, chives and lemon
juice. Season to taste. Spoon
into a bowl.
Spiced hummus
1. Combine 2 tablespoons
olive oil, 1 tsp each ground
cumin, ground coriander
and smoked paprika in
a small frying pan over
medium heat. Warm,
shaking the pan often until
warm and aromatic.
2. Pour the spiced oil mixture
into a bowl. Cool. Add
purchased hummus, stir to
combine. Spoon into a bowl,
drizzle with extra virgin
olive oil and season.
Beetroot tzatziki
1. Combine a purchased
beetroot dip and tzatziki
dip together. Grate one
Lebanese cucumber,
squeeze out excess moisture
and stir into the dip. Season
and spoon into a bowl.
paper towel. Pat dry with
more paper towels.
2. Lightly spray both sides
with olive oil. Place into
the air fryer in a single
layer. Cook 180°C for 12-15
minutes, turning halfway
through cooking, check
every 5 minutes until they
feel dry, they will turn crisp
on cooling.
Charcuterie platter
When assembling a charcuterie
platter, think colours, textures
and flavours. There are 5
categories essential to a wellbalanced
charcuterie platter.
Charcuterie is all about the
meat (in French it means cured
meat), so these need to be the
centre of the board. You need
at least 2 options – but 3-4 is
best. A combination of thickersliced
spicy cured meats like
salami and pepperoni with
wafer-thin salty ham and
prosciutto is essential.
Spreads & condiments
– olives, peppers, semi
dried tomatoes, pickles
and tapenades not only
add colour, but they also
complement the cured meats.
Sweetness – think fruit
pastes, like mango, fig or
quince paste. These are
delicious spooned into
peppers, bowls or simply
turned onto the board. Little
jars or bowls of fragrant
honey or spiced maple syrup
also add balance.
Bread and crackers – choose
a variety of flavours, textures
and shapes. Thinly sliced
baked sour dough, char
grilled Turkish bread or
even warmed garlic bread
is delicious. Spread warm
fig paste over thinly sliced
prosciutto and wrap around
breadsticks.
Finishing touches – fresh
herbs, good quality extra
virgin olive oil, sea salt flakes
and pepper mill should all be
on hand.
Cheese platter
A cheese board should be
quality over quantity. Select
3-4 types of cheese from a
variety of categories (see
below). You should allow
between 100-150g in total per
person.
When selecting what cheeses
to put together, keep in mind
shapes and textures.
Cheese
Hard cheese – like cheddar,
Air fried beetroot crisps
1. Peel and using a mandolin,
thinly slice fresh beetroot.
Place onto a tray lined with
66 JANUARY 2024
The Local Voice Since 1991