Eat is her fifth book since she won the third season of MasterChef New Zealand.
The cookbook continues the theme of no ''fancy stuff, complicated instructions or hard-to-find ingredients'', as Winter likes to say.
It also includes a ''slow'' section of warming winter meals - hopefully we can tuck those away for next year - as well as a section on side dishes to mix and match with her mains and recipes for her favourite condiments, such as ketchup, pesto and even handmade bread.
Her Mama-Mia meatballs are great for feeding a crowd and there is some inspiration there for the barbecue season.
Photos: Supplied
Lemongrass and ginger chicken
Prep time: 10 minutes plus 3+ hours marinating time
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
This is a gorgeous marinade that's bursting with fresh, tangy Vietnamese flavours. The chicken is lovely cooked on the BBQ as below, or you can cook it in a frying pan if the weather isn't playing nice. A drizzle of sweet chilli sauce and you're taking it down to taste-town.
Ingredients
800g-1kg boneless chicken thighs
⅓ cup lemongrass paste (or 4 stalks lemongrass)
¼ cup peanut oil or neutral oil e.g. grapeseed
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh ginger
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 cup chopped fresh coriander (leaves and stalks) and mint (or just coriander), plus extra for serving
zest and juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
1 kaffir lime leaf, very finely chopped (optional)
½ tsp finely ground white or black pepper
pinch chilli flakes (optional)
chopped fresh chilli, deseeded
sweet chilli sauce (optional)
extra lime or lemon juice (optional)
Method
Place the chicken in a non-metallic bowl for marinating.
If you're using lemongrass stalks, peel off the tough bright green outer leaves. Cut off the very hard base. Bash each stalk with the base of your knife to tenderise it and chop finely before it goes in the processor.
Put the lemongrass in a food processor along with the oil, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, cumin, turmeric, herbs, lime zest and juice, kaffir lime leaf (if using), pepper and chilli (if using).
Process until you have a smooth paste - you'll probably need to scrape down the sides a few times. If you don't have a food processor, just mince everything as finely as you can.
Add the paste to the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight - up to 2 days.
Remove the chicken from the fridge 30-60 minutes before cooking. Arrange on a plate and season both sides with salt.
Preheat a clean BBQ hotplate (or frying pan) to medium, and oil it. When hot, add the chicken pieces and leave to cook for about 5 minutes before turning to cook the other side for another 5 minutes. If you like, give it 30 seconds on each side on the preheated grill plate to get the char lines at the very end. Let the chicken rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before serving.
To serve, scatter with extra coriander and chopped fresh chilli, and a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce and lime juice if you like.
Chelsea's tips
Kaffir lime leaves add a beautiful flavour to the marinade - you can find them at the supermarket or your local greengrocer.
Cookies and cream dream
Prep: 30 minutes plus 4+ hours setting time
Makes about 20 pieces
Okay, so this slice is a little bit outrageous - I think it's the equivalent of the Snickalicious Slice from Scrumptious, actually. Which means it's going to be a popular one because you guys are just so naughty.
It's creamy and sweet, as it should be - so you only need little slices. This was Mike's favourite of all the sweets in this book - excitement always ensued after dinner when he realised there was a container of it in the fridge.
Ingredients
Base
350g chocolate cookies (a chocolate cookie preferably with choc chips in it)
100g butter, softened
½ cup rolled oats
3 Tbsp cocoa or cacao powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract or paste
pinch salt
Cookies and cream filling
200g butter, at room temperature, cubed
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
125g good-quality white chocolate, chopped
3 Tbsp cream
2½ cups icing sugar
1 Tbsp cornflour
1 tsp pure vanilla extract or paste
½ tsp salt
¾ cup finely chopped dark chocolate
Chocolate topping
150g good-quality dark chocolate (at least 50% cocoa solids), chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
Method
Remove the butter and cream cheese for the filling from the fridge 30 minutes or so before you start so they can come to room temperature. If you're rushed for time, you can microwave each separately on a low heat for 20 seconds or so.
Line the base and sides of a 20cm x 20cm (or near enough) slice tin with baking paper.
Crumble the cookies into a food processor and add the butter, rolled oats, cocoa or cacao, vanilla and salt. Process to a very fine crumb, then tip into the prepared tin and press firmly into an even layer.
Put the chopped white chocolate and cream in a ceramic or glass mixing bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. You can microwave for another 30 seconds if it needs it. Set aside.
Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl on medium speed for a couple of minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and beat again until well combined. Sift in the icing sugar and cornflour, add the vanilla and salt and beat until smooth.
Scrape the melted chocolate and cream into the cream cheese mixture and stir or beat on a low speed until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go.
Fold the chopped dark chocolate through the mixture until combined.
Scrape the mixture out on top of the base, smooth with a spatula or the back of a warmed spoon, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
You can add the icing after the base has firmed up in the fridge for at least an hour. Microwave the chocolate in the same way you did for the filling above. Stir in the oil and spread on top of the filling with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate again until set.
Slice into pieces when it's well chilled, then keep the slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It will soften quite a bit in warm weather if it's out of the fridge.
