SOMETHING ON THE SIDE
Festive recipes for the holiday season.
The festive season invites us to practice the art of gathering. That might be around a table filled with food and familiar traditions, outdoors in the warmth of summer - and always in the company of those we love. To inspire your celebrations, we’ve curated a selection of recipes, each enjoyed together as a team in our home of Mount Maunganui, New Zealand.
Elderflower Spritz
INGREDIENTS
2 oz prosecco, well chilled
1½ oz St-Germain
1 oz soda water, well chilled
Lemon thyme sprigs, to garnish
METHOD
1. Fill a large wine glass generously with ice.
2. Pour over the prosecco, followed by the St-Germain.
3. Top with soda water and stir briefly and gently to combine, keeping the bubbles intact.
4. Garnish with two sprigs of lemon thyme and serve immediately
Elderflower Spritz
INGREDIENTS
2 oz prosecco, well chilled
1½ oz St-Germain
1 oz soda water, well chilled
Lemon thyme sprigs, to garnish
METHOD
1. Fill a large wine glass generously with ice.
2. Pour over the prosecco, followed by the St-Germain.
3. Top with soda water and stir briefly and gently to combine, keeping the bubbles intact.
4. Garnish with two sprigs of lemon thyme and serve immediately
Gildas
Salty, sharp, and designed to be eaten in a single bite. Gildas are a classic Basque bar snack—anchovy, olive, and pepperoncini—threaded together and served cold. Here, finished with silver cocktail picks, they become small, sculptural and celebratory: the kind of thing guests reach for without asking.
Ingredients
Pepperoncini
Sicilian green olives, pitted
Large anchovy fillets (oil-packed)
Silver cocktail picks
Assembly
1. Take a pepperoncini and gently twist it as you thread it onto a cocktail pick, piercing it three times so it folds back on itself.
2. Add a pitted Sicilian green olive.
3. Thread on a single large anchovy, folding it naturally as it goes on.
4. Finish with another olive, then a final pepperoncini.
5. Arrange on a chilled platter and serve cold.
Serving note
No garnish, no extras. These are meant to be briny, bold, and unapologetic—best eaten in one bite, preferably alongside a cold drink.
Gildas
Salty, sharp, and designed to be eaten in a single bite. Gildas are a classic Basque bar snack—anchovy, olive, and pepperoncini—threaded together and served cold. Here, finished with silver cocktail picks, they become small, sculptural and celebratory: the kind of thing guests reach for without asking.
Ingredients
Pepperoncini
Sicilian green olives, pitted
Large anchovy fillets (oil-packed)
Silver cocktail picks
Assembly
1. Take a pepperoncini and gently twist it as you thread it onto a cocktail pick, piercing it three times so it folds back on itself.
2. Add a pitted Sicilian green olive.
3. Thread on a single large anchovy, folding it naturally as it goes on.
4. Finish with another olive, then a final pepperoncini.
5. Arrange on a chilled platter and serve cold.
Serving note
No garnish, no extras. These are meant to be briny, bold, and unapologetic—best eaten in one bite, preferably alongside a cold drink.
Salted Crisp Tower with Prosciutto & Pepperoncini
Ingredients
Salted kettle crisps
Prosciutto
Pepperoncini
Smoked paprika
Method
1. Start with a single kettle crisp as your base.
2. Add a layer of prosciutto, gently torn rather than cut, followed by a few pieces of pepperoncini and a small pinch of smoked paprika.
3. Repeat the layering process 3–4 times, allowing the stack to remain loose and organic rather than precise.
4. Finish with one pepperoncini on top and a final light dusting of smoked paprika.
Serve immediately—this is about contrast, texture, and timing.
Peach and Burrata Salad with Picked Shallot
Ingredients
8 ounces (225 g) burrata
2 ripe peaches, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup (40 g) torn fresh basil, both green and purple, if you can find it
1⁄4 cup (25 grams) Pickled Shallots (page 268), plus 1 to 2 tablespoons of pickling liquid
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, for serving
1 lime
Method
Roughly tear the burrata, pulling it apart at the center, and arrange it on a plate. Top it with the peaches, basil, and pickled shallots. Drizzle with the oil and pickling liquid. Season with flaky sea salt and pepper and finish by zesting the lime directly over the salad.
Celebration Meringue Tower
This is a dessert made for the centre of the table. Crisp meringue stacked high with softly whipped vanilla cream, finished with cherries that spill and stain as it’s broken into. It’s meant to be admired briefly, then shared—spoons cracking through meringue, cream collapsing, fruit and dust caught in the middle.
Generous, slightly dramatic, and designed to be eaten together.
For the tower
Ingredients
French nut meringues (store-bought) here
For the cream
600 ml thickened cream, well chilled
2 tbsp mascarpone
1½ tbsp icing sugar, sifted
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
To finish
Cherries in syrup, drained
Freeze-dried raspberry powder
A dessert made for the centre of the table: crisp meringue layered with softly whipped vanilla–mascarpone cream, topped with cherries and a dusting of raspberry. Designed to be admired, then shared—spoons cracking through meringue, cream collapsing, and fruit caught in the folds. Generous, slightly dramatic, and meant to be eaten together.
For the base meringues (homemade)
Ingredients
3 egg whites, at room temperature
150 g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
For the cream
600 ml thickened cream, well chilled
2 tbsp mascarpone
1½ tbsp icing sugar, sifted
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
To finish
French nut meringues (store-bought)
Cherries in syrup, drained
Freeze-dried raspberry powder
Method
Make the base meringues
1. Preheat the oven to 100°C (212°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, continuing to whisk until glossy and stiff. Fold in the vanilla gently.
3. Spoon or pipe small mounds onto the tray. Bake for 1–1½ hours, or until crisp on the outside and easily lifted from the paper. Let cool completely.
Prepare the cream
Whip the cream, mascarpone, icing sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. The cream should be light yet hold its shape.
Assemble the tower
1. Place a small piece of aluminium foil on the serving plate as a temporary support.
2. Layer the homemade meringues with generous spoonfuls of cream, letting the shapes guide the form. Continue building until the tower feels stable.
3. Add the store-bought meringues on the top layer for height and visual drama. Gently remove the foil from the centre.
Finish
Fill gaps with remaining cream. Top with cherries and a light dusting of freeze-dried raspberry powder.
Serving note: This dessert is designed to be broken into, not sliced. Bring it to the table whole, then let guests scoop through meringue, cream, and fruit.
