Philippa Cameron's Winter Warmers

These recipe's are from high country cook and author Philippa Cameron's book Winter Warmers.

Yellow Duck Curry

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 ducks
• 2 carrots 
• 2 onions 
• 1 bay leaf oil for frying 
• 250 ml (9 fl oz) chicken stock 
• 400 ml (14 fl oz) can coconut cream 
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar 
• seasonal green vegetables or frozen green beans

Curry Paste

• 1 onion 
• 1 bulb garlic
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground chilli
• 4 tsp curry powder 
• 1 tsp turmeric 
• 2 tsp honey

Stovetop method 

Place the ducks in a large pot on a low heat and cover with cold water. 
Roughly chop the carrots and one of the onions and add to the pot with the bay leaf. Simmer for 2 hours. 
While the duck is cooking, prepare the curry paste. 
Blitz the onion, garlic, coriander, chilli, curry, turmeric and honey into a paste. 
When the duck is falling apart (you want the meat to fall off when you attempt to pick it up) and has separated from the duck carcasses, remove all of the meat.
Shred using two forks and set aside. 
Discard the rest of the pot's contents and give the pot a quick wash.
Put the oil in the bottom of the pot on a low heat. 
Heat the curry paste for 5 minutes until fragrant. Keep an eye on it, as it will easily burn. If it looks to be too hot, add some of the stock to stop it from catching. 
Roughly chop the remaining onion and add it to the pot. 
Stir in the coconut cream and brown sugar. 
Return the meat to the pot with the stock, and gently stir. 
Simmer for 45 minutes until the sauce thickens. 
Add the green vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes before serving

Crimble Crumble

Serves 4-6

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup coconut 
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 150 g (51⁄2 oz) butter
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) stewed fruit

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) fan-bake.

To make the crumble, place all of the ingredients in a cake mixer, food processor or simply a bowl. Whiz or rub together to make a crumb. 

Transfer half to a clearly labelled freezer- safe container or pouch for another night.

Dollop the stewed fruit into a baking dish. Sprinkle the remainder of the crumb onto the stewed fruit.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and liquid bubbles up through the crumble.

Tips and tricks

Use any stewed fruit you have stashed in the freezer or preserved. Canned peaches, pears, apricots or plums are delicious if you don't have any stewed fruit stashed.

Use any type of coconut you wish. Try desiccated for a subtle taste, or shredded for a fuller flavour (shredded retains more moisture than desiccated coconut). Or, if you don't like coconut, simply leave it out and add more rolled oats.

 If using a freezer stash of crumble, simply take it out of the freezer and break the crumble apart with a clean hand before sprinkling it on top of your pud. There's no need to wait for it to defrost.

I often use my crimble crumble as a gift. Place the mixture in a clean jar and tie with a pretty bow. Gift with a jar of preserves.

The Best-Ever Pikelet Recipe 

Makes 12-15

When I first began sharing recipes on my Instagram account back in 2018, a farming mum of five from Te Anau sent me this incredible pikelet recipe (thank you, Sharleen). Over the years I have tweaked it to make it what I call 'The Best-Ever Pikelet Recipe'. Now, to make the subject controversial - is it cream or jam first?

Ingredients

1½ cups milk 
1 tsp baking soda
 2 cups flour 
2 tsp cream of tartar 
1 egg 
3 Tbsp sugar butter for frying

Method

Warm the milk in a small pot (or microwave). You want it warm enough that you will feel the heat when you pop a finger in to check, but it won't scald you.
Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and set aside to cool. 
Place the flour and cream of tartar in a medium-sized bowl and use a dough whisk to disperse the cream of tartar throughout the flour. 
Crack the egg into a small bowl and add the sugar. 
Use a fork to beat together. 
Slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture, using the fork to combine. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the liquid ingredients. 
Combine with the dough whisk until smooth. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes. 
While the batter rests, heat a skillet or pan on a low heat. 
Grease the hot surface with a teaspoon of butter. 
Wipe away any excess. 
Now it's time to sacrifice one pikelet. 
Place a spoonful of batter onto the middle of the skillet.
Watch for bubbles to form across the surface of the pikelet. When there is an even covering of air bubbles, it is ready to flip over. 
You'll quickly know if the surface is too hot as it will stick. Adjust the heat if you need to before you spoon the next pikelets onto the skillet. 
I usually cook 3-4 at a time. 
Once the pikelets are cooked evenly on both sides, transfer to a cooling rack so they do not sweat.