Welcome to The Penguin Supper Club! A (cook)book club for home cooks, aspiring chefs, and food enthusiasts where we’ll be trying out recipes from our fantastic new cookbooks.
There’s nothing better than coming together with your friends, family (or in this case your workmates!) for a night of delicious food… That said, hosting a dinner party can often be a daunting task. Where does one even start with deciding what to make?!
Basing your dinner party around a cookbook is a fun and easy starting point – no longer overwhelmed by endless options of what to cook, you now have a curated selection of fabulous dishes to choose from!
For our first supper club we did just that – with our New Zealand team using Belinda MacDonald’s punchy new recipe book Flavour Kiss to build their dinner party menu.
Read on to see what they thought of the recipes and get inspiration for your own dinner party.
To start/the table fillers:
60 Second Dip (page 41)
The name of this recipe felt like a challenge, would it really only take 60 seconds to make? While we didn’t time how long it took, it truly was so easy and quick to put together. The dramatic contrast of the bold infused oil drizzled over the yoghurt base makes it a beautiful addition to the table. If you want to impress with some culinary theatrics, make the oil in front of your guests so they can experience the pop and sizzle of the hot oil hitting the fresh herbs and spices.
Charred Cucumber Salad with Goat’s Feta & Spicy Dill Dressing (page 60)
A dish to raise eyebrows. Cooked cucumber?! Don’t worry, the cucumber stays crunchy but through being charred with half a lemon on the BBQ or under the oven grill (or in our case, in a hot pan) it gets infused with a smoky flavour and citrus aroma. Add the zingy dressing and a generous crumbling of feta cheese and you’ve got a refreshing and interesting salad to provide a bit of lightness to the table.
Green Chilli, Lime & Caper Splash with Fried Haloumi (page 117)
Another fantastically simple but beautiful dish. The Chilli, Lime & Caper splash was incredibly easy to put together and super zesty and fresh. Salty, tangy and with a bit of heat from the chillies. If you’re not a fan of haloumi you could easily use the splash on top of salads, chicken, or lamb.
The stars of the show:
Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi with Lemon, Sage & Pine Nut Brown Butter Sauce (page 64)
Our main dishes were two absolute showstoppers. First up, the gnudi - a lighter version of gnocci, made with ricotta and baked instead of boiled. This dish was an indulgent delight from start to finish. The whiffs of buttery sage while cooking, the match made in heaven that is ricotta and spinach, pine nuts! Pure luxury. A comforting, cosy meal – perfect for Autumn – or anytime you fancy really.
Fondant Sweet Potatoes & Whipped Goat’s Cheese with Lime, Pistachio & Cardamom Salsa (page 28)
The buttery goodness continued with the fondant sweet potatoes. These flavourful and tender sweet potatoes swam in a pool of melted butter and were topped with the salsa and clouds of goat’s cheese whip which cut through the dish with a nice tang. A very inviting, rich, and satisfying dish.
The delicious desserts:
Peanut Butter & Blackberry Freezer Fudge (page 215)
Yet another shockingly easy recipe to make, this delicious velvety peanut butter fudge was whipped up in mere minutes.
Passionfruit Skin & Miso Butterscotch Cheesecake (page 180)
A divine, perfectly balanced baked cheesecake. The sweetness didn’t overpower thanks to the fruity tang of the passionfruit and the unique umami sweetness of the tamari almonds and miso butterscotch in the base layer. An impressive sounding and even more impressive tasting dessert!
This article originially appeared on penguin.co.nz and has been adapted for the Australian website.
A comforting dish that also happens to be keto-friendly.
Loaded with nourishing fats, herbs and spices, this dip is super simple to prepare and an easy way to add a splash of vibrant colour and flavour to a big platter of veggies.
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