Iconic New Zealand Chef retires

We remember Ruth Pretty for creating a multi- faceted business encompassing catering, cooking school and cookbooks for the love of good food and the hospitality which she learned at home.

Ruth has served, fed and privately dined with kings and queens. Our Government has sent her to far corners of the world to produce meals featuring the best of New Zealand’s produce for presidents, prime ministers and the particularly rich, but now a world famous Kāpiti chef is retiring and selling her landmark operations centre.

Ruth and husband Paul Pretty are New Zealand culinary ‘royalty’. Since 1988 they have sat atop the tree of this country’s caterers to the stars, literally, having catered for the premieres of films including Lord of the Rings and King Kong. They have been the caterers at Wellington’s Government House and Premier House, catered for most of the immediate Royal Family and innumerable world leaders. Ruth’s cook books are a staple in countless homes and restaurants.

One of Ruth's famous recipes:

Passionfruit Honey, Lime and Blueberry Cake

Recipe makes one large 25cm cake

170g unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature 
300g sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons finely grated lime zest
½ cup thread coconut, lightly toasted
210g flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup passionfruit honey (also called passionfruit curd, recipe follows)
40g ground almonds
300g blueberries, fresh or frozen
vanilla yoghurt cream, for serving (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Line the base and sides of a 25cm diameter cake tin with two layers of baking paper and lightly grease the paper with baking spray.

Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.

Add the juice, zest and coconut and beat to combine.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the butter mixture and  fold together with a spatula.

Pour into the prepared cake tin and smooth out the top of the cake batter to reach the edges of the cake tin.

Spread the passionfruit honey over the cake batter, leaving a 1cm rim around the outside of the cake.

Evenly sprinkle the ground almonds over the passionfruit honey and top the entire cake with blueberries.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until the cake does not wobble in the centre when gently shaken.

Remove from the oven onto a cake rack. When cool enough to handle easily, remove from the cake tin. Remove the baking paper.

Serve with the vanilla yoghurt cream.  Best eaten on the day it is made but fairly delicious for up to two days.

PASSIONFRUIT HONEY
Makes 435ml

I always use thawed frozen passionfruit pulp to make this recipe. 

3 eggs
200g sugar
50g butter, cut into cubes
½ cup passionfruit juice, obtained by straining passionfruit pulp

Put the eggs and sugar in a microwave-proof jug and whisk until combined.

Add the butter and passionfruit juice and whisk briefly.  Cook on high for 6-8 minutes, whisking every minute, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Cool for a few minutes then pour into a clean container.  Once cold, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

VANILLA YOGHURT CREAM
Makes 560ml

250ml cream
125ml yoghurt
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (or sugar)
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract or essence

Pour the cream into a small bowl and whisk until soft peaks form.

Add the vanilla sugar, yoghurt and vanilla and fold into the cream.  If not using immediately, store covered in the refrigerator overnight and reconstitute by folding the mixture together with a spatula.