B and I don’t usually make a habit of taking short breaks away. I’ve never seen the point in them. By the time you’ve planned your trip, taken it and then travelled all the way back, you’re left exhausted and in need of another holiday.

But after spending a few days in the wilderness, and now feeling somewhat restored, I’m beginning to see its appeal. Even if the surprise lack of internet or phone reception was a source of initial anxiety.

We tramped through rainforest, experienced a flat tire, got sun burnt, swam in a river and then returned in the evenings to the cabin to rustle up a meal just as the sun was starting to dip. Postcard stuff.

The cabin we hired had a little barbecue stove on the verandah which was perfect for cooking for two. For dinners, we had marinated steak with plenty of fresh vegetables, homemade blue corn tortillas and warm soda farls. Afterwards, a very satisfying chocolate dessert. Two recipes I’ll definitely be taking with me the next time we go away again.

Soda Farls (that are perfect for breakfast or just the thing to chase the leftover bits of sauce on your dinner plate) :

2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 cup buttermilk (or thin yogurt)

Measure all the dry ingredients into a container or plastic bag. When you’re ready to make the farls, preheat your barbecue (or fry pan). Mix the buttermilk into the dry ingredients to form a dough. Pat the dough out into a flat disc roughly 1/2 inch thick. Cut the disc into 4 and cook the farls on low/medium heat for 6 – 7 minutes on each side. When done, split and serve with plenty of butter.

Sticky Chocolate Pudding Cake (to have spoon wars over after the dishes have been done and the sun has set) :

For the cake :
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips
1 egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup long life milk

For the sauce :
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder

In two separate containers, measure out all the dry ingredients for the sauce and the cake. When you are ready to make the cake, tip the dry ingredients for the cake into a heatproof container (round or square disposable pie tin is perfect). Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, add the egg, melted butter and milk. Mix together. Sprinkle the dry ingredients for the sauce over the cake mix, then pour the boiling water on top. If you want the resulting pudding cake to be extra fudgey, only use 1 cup of the required boiling water. If you like it to have more sauce, use the recommended 1 1/2 cups. Place the dish on a preheated barbecue (the temperature gauge should read between 150’C to 180’C) and cook covered for about 20 minutes. If the barbecue seems too hot, insulate the base of the dish with a bbq flat plate or something similar.

We are kicking off the new year with a little road trip this morning. It’s only a couple of hours drive but I’m incredibly excited about leaving the city behind to spend a few days in a rented cabin. The first thing I plan to do when we get there is inhale deeply and hopefully not smell or hear civilization.

For the car ride, we have chocolate dipped lebkuchen and a wedge of fruitcake, which I’ve resisted brushing liberally with extra sherry for the sake of the driver. (Certain concessions need to be made, seeing as he is the sole car owner and iPod wrangler in this relationship.)

These pocket pies would have also made for the perfect car snack, if only there were any left. To make them, cut squares or circles of your favourite flaky pastry, stuff with cookie dough and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on the outside. Serve warm, dusted with cinnamon sugar and you may never go back to making fruit-filled versions ever again.

The centerpiece of our family Christmas dinner this year was this rather magnificent ham. It was donated by my sister-in-law whose work had handed out hams as presents. Apparently everyone had a choice between receiving a ham or a selection of macarons. The idea that anyone would have conceivably picked macarons over ham had me laughing out loud. (Something along the lines of this, if you must know.)

Anyway, it’s rather fortunate that my brother married a truly lovely and wise lady, otherwise a few days ago you would have found me trying to balance a party hat on my head while attempting to carve macarons. Not a pretty sight.

After much feasting, our post Christmas meals have featured more sensible portions of rehashed leftovers. Sandwiches, kimchi ham fried rice and turkey curry. I’m already dreaming of the day when I’m eating notHam and notTurkey for dinner.

There were no dessert leftovers, so pie was made to keep us company.

Chocolate salted caramel pretzel pies :
(enough for 2 x 8 1/2-inch pies)

For the crust :
150g mini pretzels
100g melted butter

In a food processor, blitz the pretzels to a powder. Add the melted butter and pulse until well combined. Divide the mixture between two pie tins (I used foil pie tins). Press the mixture down and up the sides of the tin. It will seem a bit loose but persevere. The end result will be worth it. Chill the crust for 30 minutes then bake in a preheated 175’C oven for 12 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool down, then chill the pie crusts while you make the caramel filling.

For the salted caramel filling :
100g demerara sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
30g butter
good pinch of sea salt
100g pouring cream

(optional : 100g spiced peanuts, or roasted salted peanuts)

In a medium sized pot, combine the demerara sugar and corn syrup. Allow the sugar and corn syrup mixture to caramelise, stirring occasionally with a heatproof spatula. When it has reached a deep golden brown colour, remove the pot from the heat, add the salt and butter, followed by the cream, being careful not to scald yourself. Whisk until combined. Reheat the mixture gently over a low flame if the caramel hasn’t completely dissolved. Pour the finished caramel into a heatproof bowl to allow to cool down a little, before dividing it between the two pie crusts. At this point you can also sprinkle a handful of spiced peanuts over the caramel. Chill the pies while you make the chocolate filling.

For the chocolate filling :
225g 58% dark chocolate buttons
75g butter
60g water (or beer)

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Remove from the heat and set aside. Bring the water or beer to just below boiling point. Pour it over the chocolate-butter mixture. Let stand for 1 minute, then whisk to emulsify the chocolate. Divide the chocolate mixture between the two pies, then chill until just set. The pies are best served at room temperature but can also be served straight from the fridge. They take on a different, almost chewy texture when eaten chilled.