IT MAY have been the week of the Masterchef finals but at The Land the TV show was overshadowed as two of our own cooking heavyweights went head to head in One Chef to Rule Them All.
Last year's winner, graphic artist Josh Hall, was up against culinary queen, Magazine editor Emma Downey.
To add a little zing to the competition, the key ingredient was lime.
And what better accompaniment to lime than coconut?
Thankfully when we peeled back the lid of the voting box and Josh won by just one vote, there was no bitterness between the two competitors.
WINNER: Lime coconut stacks
The Land's graphic designer Josh Hall pulled out all the stops in last year's competition to win the coveted Bee's Knees trophy.
Clearly going for more of a minimalist approach this year, Josh has hinted that he feels there is little point in trying too hard, as the "tall poppy syndrome" was likely to stop people voting for the dishes of last year's winner.
"To decide what to cook with limes as the ingredient, I turned to Google's feeling lucky feature," Josh said.
"I was confident in my cooking abilities that the first thing to show up in the search would be do-able and this took the pressure off trying to find a recipe that people would like.
"Coconut Lime Stacks showed up and I figured it would do," he said with nonchalance.
RUNNER-UP: Lime Coconut Cake
The Land's Magazine editor Emma Downey is a regular contributor to the office morning tea where her sweet treats are often scoffed before the kettle has a chance to boil. So expectations were high, even if Emma indicated she subconsciously sabotaged her own dish.
"The basis for my Lime Coconut Cake is a long-held family favourite for a basic coconut cake, which is easy to make (although slow to cook).
"The dry ingredient amounts have been converted from imperial ounces to grams (which accounts for the weird final measures).
"I've made this recipe many times using lemon, orange and lime to add extra flavour.
"To make the plain coconut cake omit the juice and rind and increase the milk amount to 1 1/2 cups in total.
"Unlike most cakes, the butter is rubbed into this mixture - as you do with scones - rather than melted or creamed.
"A moist cake, any version will keep fresh for a number of days (if it lasts long), and is just as morish with or without icing.
"Make sure to use dessicated coconut (rather than shredded, as I did in this version) as it makes cutting the cake very messy.
"The most difficult thing about the cake is waiting for the cook - you can turn up the oven heat to cook faster but you will get a "brown" outside edge.
RECIPES
Lime coconut stacks
Ingredients
1 lime
60g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
1 250g pkt light cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon thin cream
8 sheets filo pastry
25g butter, melted
25g (1/3 cup) shredded coconut
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Use a zester to remove lime rind. (Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler to peel rind from lime. Use a small sharp knife to remove white pith from rind. Cut rind into thin strips.) Juice lime, reserving one tablespoon of juice. Toss lime strips and 1 tablespoon sugar together until strips are well coated.
Set aside.
Use an electric beater to beat cream cheese, cream and remaining sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon of lime juice at a time, beating well between each addition until mixture is combined. Place in the freezer.
Stack filo sheets on a clean work surface and use a 7cm cutter to cut out 8 discs. Brush both sides of discs with butter. Place on lined tray and sprinkle with the coconut. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
To serve, place one coconut disc on each plate. Divide cheese mixture into four even portions. Top each disc with a portion of cheese mixture and top with remaining coconut discs. Scatter with sugared lime zest and serve.
Lime coconut cake(modified)
Ingredients
425gm self raising flour
226gm castor sugar
113gm dessicated coconut
142gm butter (cold, cubed)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup of lime juice (from two good sized limes), plus the grated rind
Method
Preheat oven to 160 degrees C and lightly grease and line a 20-23cm diameter, ring tin with baking paper.
Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar, coconut and grated lime rind; rub the butter into the dry ingredients.
Add the milk, lime juice and eggs and mix well.
Fill tin and smooth the top of the mixture, and cook for 80 to 90 mins.
Cool slightly in the tin before removing.
Top with a lime-juice flavoured icing, and extra grated lime rind.
The Land's cookery competition continues next week.