Katie White | Contributors - Nourish plant-based living

Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce. She earned a diploma in Plant-based Culinary Arts through Le Cordon Bleu London and is also a singer and songwriter. Her first print book, The Seasonal Vegan, is coming out on 26 April 2023.


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Autumn harvest

As the weather cools, we let the kitchen warm us. We’re roasting, we’re baking, we’re making pies and tarts and pizza. Yum!

Autumn is an abundant time of year when many delicious plants are ready for harvest. We get to reap the benefits of nutritious figs and fill our cupboard with pumpkins to savour through the colder months to come. It’s also time for the food we eat to get heartier – more warming dishes and comforting meals begin to fill our bellies.

Autumnal abundance

Pumpkins are probably the most renowned autumn crop, likely due to the American ‘fall’ traditions of Halloween and Thanksgiving. Pumpkins can be stored for months when picked on the dark moon, and in old times before supermarkets and refrigeration, this was a miracle because it would allow the nutrients of the warmer months to be carried into winter.

Aside from pumpkin, corn and garlic are two vegetables that are also in season in autumn. When it comes to fruit, the rose family, which includes pears and apples, are ripe for the picking. In spring they blossom, in summer they develop fruit, and come autumn they are ready to share sweet fruit with us before going dormant over winter.

Easter is the holiday during the autumn of the Southern Hemisphere, so a time for chocolatey treats for many! My chocolate and bay tart uses bay leaves to impart a delicate sweet spice to the richness of the chocolate filling. While bay leaves are perennial and not unique to the season, they are a symbol of peace and have long been associated with Easter. This was the inspiration for infusing their sweet, soft spice with rich, decadent chocolate.

Savouring the season

Let the produce of autumn’s harvest get you inspired to get creative in the kitchen. Here are some favourites that you’ll find on regular rotation on my autumn table:

Roast Butternut Stuffed with Black barley Salad - by Katie White

Roast butternut pumpkin with black barley

Stuffed butternuts make a glorious seasonal dinner centrepiece in this hearty and flavoursome dish. If you don’t have time to pre-sprout the barley, this step is optional – although recommended!

Apple pie on outdoor table with apples and slice on plate - by Katie White of Olive Wood Vegan

Apple pie

You can’t go wrong with a classic homestyle apple pie, and this one ticks all the boxes, with its buttery crust, hearty filling, and crumbly topping.

Sweet fig pizza with salted caramel and chocolate on wooden board

Sweet fig pizza with salted caramel and chocolate

In this recipe, homemade pizza bases are smothered with sweet bechamel, and topped with figs, chocolate chips, and salted caramel sauce. A sprinkle of orange zest is the final magic touch.

Katie's vegan chocolate tart infused with aromatic bay leaves

Chocolate and bay Easter tart

This exquisite tart infuses the soft sweet flavour of bay leaves through its silky chocolate filling. Bay leaves are a traditional symbol of peace, long associated with Easter, making it perfect for seasonal spreads at this time of year – or any occasion that calls for a showstopping chocolate treat!

Katie White's pumpkin pie: Kelly Harwood photography

Pumpkin pie

This sweet pumpkin pie has it all: a melt-in-your mouth pastry crust, a rich cinnamon and nutmeg-spiced pumpkin filling, and a fluffy layer of whipped coconut cream to top it all off. It’s surprisingly easy, too – just remember to factor in time for it to cool and set in the fridge overnight.

 

Images: Kelly Harwood Photography.


This article is an edited extract from Nourish plant-based living, Issue 69 • View magazine
Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce.

Enjoying our inspiring stories? We always love to hear from you with suggestions for the content you want more of. Suggest a topic here.

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Sweet fig pizza with salted caramel and chocolate

Katie White

If you haven’t tried sweet pizza before, it’s time to fix that! In this recipe, homemade pizza bases are smothered with sweet bechamel, and topped with figs, chocolate chips, and salted caramel sauce. A sprinkle of orange zest is the final magic touch. 

Ingredients

Makes 4 pizzas

dough

salted caramel sauce

toppings

Method

  1. To make the dough, first combine the yeast, sugar, and water in a mixing jug. Leave for 10 minutes to ensure it’s active. If it’s frothy, it’s good to go. If not, start again.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt, then make a well in the centre. Stir through the yeast mixture to combine, then turn out onto a floured surface. Knead lightly into a ball, then return it back to bowl.
  3. Rub the top of the dough with a little olive oil to prevent it from drying out, then leave in a warm place for about 2 hours.
  4. Meanwhile, make the sweet bechamel sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then stir through the flour to form a paste. Slowly add the plant-based milk, whisking continuously until thickened. Add the maple syrup and nutmeg (if using), then stir through. Set aside.
  5. To make the salted caramel sauce, melt the butter and sugar together in a small saucepan until it forms a thick sauce. Reduce the heat, then add the coconut cream and salt. Whisk together and allow to thicken slightly on low heat. Set aside.
  6. When ready to make your pizza, preheat the oven to its hottest setting.
  7. Knock the dough back (giving it a little punch to let the air out), then knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface. Roll it into a log, then divide it into 4 sections. Roll each section into a ball, then into a flat pizza base with a rolling pin.
  8. Spread a thin layer of the bechamel onto each pizza base. Top each with sliced figs, chocolate chips, and drizzles of caramel sauce.
  9. Cook in the oven for 10–15 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is.
  10. Just before serving, drizzle more caramel sauce over the pizza and grate some orange zest over the top. If you like, finish with hempseeds or pine nuts, then serve.

Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce.

This recipe was first published in Nourish plant-based living, Issue 69 • View magazine

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Pumpkin pie

Katie White

This sweet pumpkin pie has it all: a melt-in-your mouth pastry crust, a rich cinnamon and nutmeg-spiced pumpkin filling, and a fluffy layer of whipped coconut cream to top it off. It’s surprisingly easy, too – just remember to factor in time for it to cool and set in the fridge overnight.

Ingredients

pastry

filling

whipped coconut cream

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Place all pastry ingredients, except the water, into a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Then slowly add the water, while pulsing, until a dough forms.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together with your hands. Using a rolling pin, roll it out into a round sheet, about 3 mm thick.
  4. Lay the pastry in a tart tin, pressing it firmly into the base and up the walls of the tin. Remove any excess pastry from around the sides. Place a sheet of baking paper into the pastry shell and weigh it down with baking beads.
  5. Blind bake in the oven for 30 minutes. When done, remove the beads and paper, and allow it cool. Leave the oven on.
  6. To make the filling, place all the filling ingredients into a blender and pulse until completely smooth. Pour into the pastry shell and bake for 55 minutes at 180°C. When done, allow to cool completely in the fridge overnight.
  7. When preparing to serve, whip the coconut cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until it is thick and fluffy. Evenly spread the cream over the top of the cooled pie. Using a sieve, dust the pie with a little cinnamon. Serve immediately or place back in the fridge so the cream can set a little more before slicing.

Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce.

This recipe was featured in Nourish plant-based living, Issue 69 • View magazine

Enjoying our inspiring stories? Sign up to our newsletter and receive our latest editorial and offers directly in your inbox.

Summer harvest

Celebrate this season’s freshest produce with delightful dishes, savoury and sweet.

Eating seasonally is not only a more sustainable and healthier way to eat, but it’s also a way of eating more mindfully. It connects us to our food and helps us value the foods we have available at different times of the year. In summer, this is easier than ever because it’s when most of our favourite fruits and vegetables have their moment in the sun.

What’s in season?

Plant families that thrive at this time of year are the solanaceous and cucurbit families. Solanaceous plants include chillies, tomatoes, eggplant, and, perhaps surprisingly, potatoes. Cucurbits refer to the melon family and include cucumber, zucchini, rockmelon, watermelon, and pumpkin.

Most of the veggies we love in summer, such as tomatoes, capsicums, chillies, eggplants, and zucchinis, are actually fruits. Fruits contain seeds, which sets them apart from vegetables such as carrots or kale. Summer’s abundance of warmth and sunlight is what allows many fruits to develop maximum flavour and sugar content, which equals deliciousness! This is why sun-ripened tomatoes always taste the best.

At this time of the year, we are also treated to a bounty of stone fruits and berries. Apricots, plums, peaches, nectarines, and mangos all have a turn featuring in our lunch boxes throughout summer. Early in the season, there is also a short window for harvesting fresh berries, such as raspberries and boysenberries.

For the window-sill herb gardeners, summer is really the only time basil thrives in temperate climates. So for most of us, now is the time to be planting and harvesting lots of basil, and living on pesto!

Serving up summer

Try the following recipes to enjoy the juicy delights of our summer produce.

Pizza on wooden board with homemade vegan mozzarella in background

Pizza with home-made mozzarella

For the perfect slice of summer, you can’t go past freshly baked pizza with a topping of seasonal veggies such as eggplant, zucchini, chilli, and fresh basil. Using fresh tomatoes to make your own passata takes it to the next level.

Eggpant Canneloni by Katie White

Marinated eggplant cannelloni

This dish is not only vegan and gluten free, but also offers much more of a flavour punch than regular pasta-based cannelloni. It’s a wonderful way to use eggplants, tomatoes, and basil.

Hands holding trifle showing bright layers of raspberry and cream filling, topped with raspberry coulis and edible flowers

Raspberry and coconut trifle

Luscious layers of tart raspberry paired with rich coconut custard and cream come together in this trifle to create the most heavenly celebration of summer berries.

Katie White - Apricot custard tart with Persian glaze

Apricot custard tart with Persian glaze

In this glorious dessert, a silky custard filling is encased in a homemade pastry shell, adorned with fresh apricots, and topped with an orange blossom-scented Persian glaze.

Images: Kelly Harwood Photography


This article is an edited extract from Nourish plant-based living, Issue 68 • View magazine
Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce.

Enjoying our inspiring stories? We always love to hear from you with suggestions for the content you want more of. Suggest a topic here.

Sign up to our newsletter and receive our latest editorial and offers directly in your inbox.

Raspberry and coconut trifle

Katie White

Luscious layers of tart raspberry paired with rich coconut custard and cream create the most heavenly summer berry trifle.

Ingredients

Serves 10

SPONGE

raspberry coulis

whipped cream

custard

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line 2 x 20-cm round cake tins.
  2. To make the sponge, first prepare the wet ingredients. Combine the soy milk and vinegar in a small bowl to make buttermilk then set aside. Add the aquafaba to a separate mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to whisk until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, combine the melted Nuttelex with the grapeseed oil. Set aside.
  3. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the centre of the dry mix and add in the bowls of wet ingredients you prepared earlier along with the vanilla.
  4. Combine swiftly but gently.
  5. Pour the mixture evenly into the 2 cake tins, level them, and then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
  6. To make the raspberry coulis, heat the raspberries and sugar in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Then set aside to cool.
  7. To make the whipped coconut cream, pour the cream into a (preferably) chilled mixing bowl. Add the icing sugar and vanilla then beat with an electric mixer until it’s thick and fluffy.
  8. To make the custard, add all the custard ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan and whisk well. Then place over a medium heat and use a spatula to stir continuously until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.
  9. To assemble, measure the trifle bowl against the sponge and, if necessary, cut to size for a snug fit in the bowl.
  10. Create trifle layers, with the sponge on the bottom, then coulis, custard, and cream, in that order. Then repeat. Top with a drizzle of remaining raspberry coulis and some edible flowers for a pretty touch. Place in the fridge to set, then enjoy!

Katie White

Katie has a down-to-earth approach towards vegan food, sharing gardening inspiration and deliciously decadent recipes that celebrate seasonal produce.

This recipe was featured in Nourish plant-based living, Issue 68 • View magazine

Enjoying our inspiring stories? Sign up to our newsletter and receive our latest editorial and offers directly in your inbox.

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