Make some Anzac biscuits

A perennial Kiwi favourite treat, these cookies will have you wishing you were here already!

INGREDIENTS

125g flour
1 cup dried dessicated coconut
100g butter
1/2 teaspoon Bicarborate of Soda
150g sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon golden syrup
2 tablespoons boiling water

METHOD

Mix together flour, sugar, coconut and rolled oats. Melt butter and golden syrup. Dissolve Bicarbonate of Soda in the boiling water and add to the butter and golden syrup. Make a well in the centre of flour, stir in the liquid until combined. Place in spoonfuls on a greased tray. Bake 15-20 mins at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).

Bake a Pavlova

A beloved national dessert, the pavlova or ‘pav’ is a baked meringue typically covered with cream and fresh fruit. Famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova visited New Zealand in 1926 and the story goes that whilst she was in Wellington a hotel chef invented the dish inspired by her frothy tutu.

INGREDIENTS

4 egg whites
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
4 tsp cornflour

METHOD

Put the egg whites and cream of tartar into a clean bowl and beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks but is not dry. Gradually beat in three quarters of the sugar, about 2 tablespoonfuls at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the remaining sugar. The mixture should be thick and glossy. Sift in the cornflour and add the vinegar and vanilla essence. Beat on a low speed only to combine. Pile the mixture on to a baking paper-lined tray and mould into a 16cm circle, smoothing the top off.

Bake for one and a half hours at 120 degrees Celsius (250 degrees Fahrenheit), then turn off the oven and allow the pavlova to cool completely with the door closed. Serve piled with whipped cream and seasonal fruits.