Organising a picnic is a great way to get friends and family together, embrace nature and enjoy some homemade food. If you’re heading to the beach or local park, here are three recipes that are easy to prepare yet sure to impress.
Berry pie
The delicious balance of sweet, buttery pastry and tart filling make this pie a firm favourite.
225 g plain flour
110 g butter, cubed
80 g caster sugar
1 egg
1–2 tbsp cold water
egg wash
300 g pitted cherries
225 g raspberries
225 g blueberries
150 g strawberries, chopped
175 g caster sugar
40 g corn flour
2 tbsp lemon juice
1) Mix flour, butter and sugar in a food processor. Add egg and water to form a dough. Chill for 30 mins.
2) Use the dough to line a pie dish (saving the excess pastry). Prick the pastry and blind-bake (with paper and beans) at 180°C for 15 mins. Remove the paper and beans and cook for 5 mins. Remove and cool.
3) Cook the fruit in an iCook™ pan for 10 mins. Add the sugar, corn flour and lemon juice. Once thickened, spoon into the pastry.
4) Cover the pie with a lattice using the remaining pastry. Brush with egg wash and bake for 20 mins.
The iCook Family Set helps you create nutritious picnic dishes, using a low-moisture cooking process to seal in essential nutrients. The three mixing bowls are great for transporting food items into the great outdoors.
Stuffed bread wreath
The perfect accompaniment for picnic salads, this wreath is packed with tasty ingredients and bursting with flavour.
250 ml warm water
2 tsp dried active yeast
375 g white bread flour
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
6 slices ham
390 g cheese, grated
1 bunch basil
egg wash
1) Mix the water and yeast in an iCook mixing bowl, wait 10 mins until frothy. Add flour, oil and salt. Knead dough until smooth. Place in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour.
2) Roll dough into a 45 x 30 cm rectangle. Cover with ham, cheese and basil. Roll the long edge of the dough over filling and pinch to seal. Place on a lined baking tray.
3) Cut into 2 and pinch to seal ends. Braid the pieces together, shape into a wreath and seal the ends. Wait 30 mins.
4) Brush with egg wash and bake at 200°C for 30 mins.
Peaches in a blanket
These baked peaches wrapped in flaky cinnamon pastry ooze juicy sweetness.
325 g plain flour
80 g caster sugar
175 g butter, cold and cubed
2 egg yolks
1–2 tbsp iced water
6 peaches
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into stems
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
egg wash
1) Pulse the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor. Add eggs and water to form a dough. Chill for 1 hour.
2) Cut out six rounds from the pastry, cover peaches and seal at the top.
3) Cut leaves from the remaining pastry and attach to the peaches. Add cinnamon as stems.
4) Place on a tray. Brush with egg wash, dust with sugar and cinnamon and bake at 160°C for 35 mins.
