Annabel Langbein: The Free Range Cook

Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook is the companion cookbook to the international TV series of the same name. With more than 150 recipes from the TV show, this gorgeous cookbook shares the secrets of Annabel Langbein's free range cooking style and shows how easy it is to put together home-cooked food with very little effort.

Photographed in the stunning surrounds of New Zealand's Southern Alps, The Free Range Cook is much more than a recipe book. Luscious spreads capture Annabel gathering the freshest fruit and vegetables from her lakeside garden and sourcing the best seasonal ingredients from local producers. Essays written by Annabel and interspersed throughout the book provide the reader with an insight into her cooking passions, and menu spreads offer dishes for every dining occasion. With Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook home will soon be your favourite restaurant.

SAMPLE RECIPES

Strawberry Cloud Cake (pictured left)
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 4 hours (in the freezer)
Serves: 10–12

150g plain sweet biscuits
½ cup desiccated coconut
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
100g butter, melted

To fill:
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
250g (1 punnet) ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

To garnish:
fresh raspberries

Berry Syrup:
3 cups raspberries, fresh or thawed from frozen
½ cup caster sugar
2 tbsp water

Line the base of a 26–28cm spring form cake tin with baking paper or waxed paper. This makes it easy to lift the cake out later.

Make the base by putting the biscuits in a brown paper bag and crushing them into crumbs by beating carefully with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a medium bowl and add the coconut, cinnamon and melted butter. Stir well to combine.

Press firmly into the base of the prepared tin. It doesn’t need to be a thick layer – just enough to cover the bottom of the tin. Refrigerate the base while you prepare the filling.

Place egg whites, sugar, sliced strawberries, lemon juice and vanilla in the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high speed for about 6–8 minutes until the mixture is very thick and fluffy and the sugar has dissolved. To test whether it is ready, rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers. You should not feel any gritty sugar. If you do, beat a little longer.

Spoon the filling over the chilled base, smooth the top, cover with a sheet of baking paper and freeze for at least 4 hours. The cake will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month.

To serve, cut cake into wedges using a knife that has been warmed in hot water. Garnish with fresh raspberries on top and drizzle with Berry Syrup to serve.

Berry Syrup:

Put the berries in a pot and add the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and press the berries through a sieve or mouli to extract the juice and remove the pips. Berry Syrup will keep for up to 10 days covered in the fridge.

This useful Fridge Fixing can be also be used as a tangy sauce for desserts, swirled through yoghurt or whipped cream, or drizzled over The Ultimate Chocolate Cake.

Roasted Chicken Wings or Drumsticks (pictured left)

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Place 16 chicken wings, drumsticks or nibbles in an ovenproof dish. Add about 4 tbsp Chilli Jam (see below) and stir to coat chicken. Spread out in a single layer and bake for 30–40 minutes or until golden and cooked. Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and serve. Serves 4–6.

Chilli Jam

Prep time 10 mins
Cook time 10 mins
Makes 1 jar (2 cups)

1 head garlic, cloves peeled
6–8 long red chillies, roughly chopped
3 thumb-sized pieces (200g) fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 double kaffir lime leaves, deveined (optional)
2½ cups caster sugar
½ cup water
finely grated zest of 4 limes
½ cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp soy sauce

Sterilise a 2-cup screw top jar and its metal lid.
Purée the garlic, chillies, ginger and kaffir lime leaves, if using, to a coarse paste. Place in a saucepan with the sugar, water, lime zest, rice vinegar, fish sauce and soy sauce.

Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then boil for about 10 minutes until reduced by a third. It will bubble up like jam.
Spoon the hot chilli jam into the warm sterilised jar until it is filled to within 3mm of the top. Seal with the screw lid. Once opened, store Chilli Jam in the fridge. It will keep for months.