Jax Hamilton needs little introduction – since her appearance on TV, where she won the affection and respect of hundreds of thousands of NZ viewers, she has become a well-recognised addition to the foodie scene in NZ.

Jax Cooks is a fabulous collection of 90 recipes woven around Jax's life and experiences – her story told in food. These recipes will appeal to those who already love her style and to those who want to try real, tasty, easy-to-prepare food – Jax'd up, of course!

SAMPLE RECIPES

Corn and Zucchini Fritters with Bacon, Avocado and Aïoli (pictured)
This is a very sophisticated way to combine breakfast and lunch and great for any number of people as the recipe can be reduced or multiplied as required.

Prep time – 20 minutes
Cook time – 15 minutes
Serves 4–6

1 cup mayonnaise, either bought or home-made
½ clove garlic, crushed
410 g tin corn kernels, drained
2 zucchini, grated and water squeezed out
1 cup self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ cup milk
3 eggs, separated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp of olive oil
12 slices bacon, cooked till crispy and kept warm
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

First make your aïoli by combining the mayonnaise and garlic. Refrigerate.
Mix together corn, zucchini, flour, baking powder, milk and egg yolks and season well. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy and stiff. Carefully fold the egg whites into your corn mixture.
Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook the first 6 fritters by dropping spoonfuls of your mixture into the hot oil. Wait until the bubbles have burst on the first side before flipping over.
When your fritters are golden brown, pop them in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining 6 fritters, using the rest of the olive oil.

TO SERVE: Place 2–3 fritters on each plate. Top with bacon, avocado and a giant spoonful of aïoli. Sprinkle with parsley.

Caribbean Kiss Trifle (pictured)
Chocolate sponge, rum, cream, chocolate, coconut liqueur, toasted coconut, mascarpone … No calories? In your dreams! This trifle sounds like it would take ages to make, but in truth it takes not long at all.

1/2 cup raisins
1 cup rum
2 cups desiccated coconut
100g rum and raisin chocolate
150g chocolate sponge
extra coconut liqueur to drizzle

Rum Mascarpone Cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup rum
250g mascarpone
1tsp vanilla essence

Chocolate Cream Mousse
2tbsp coconut liqueur
1/2 cup chocolate spread (eg Nutella)
300ml cream

Soak raisins in the rum for at least 30 minutes until the raisins are plump. Preheat the oven to 180C. Spread your coconut on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes until fragrant and lightly toasted. (Don't take your eyes off it because it can burn in seconds!) Remove from the oven and set aside.

Grate the rum and raisin chocolate and put it in the fridge to chill for about 10 minutes.

Make the rum mascarpone cream. Beat egg yolks and sugar together until thick and pale, 3–5 minutes. Add rum, mascarpone and vanilla essence and beat until you have a thick, gorgeous, velvety cream.

Next make the chocolate cream mousse. Mix your liqueur and chocolate spread together ensuring there are no lumps. Pour it into the cream and slowly whip until you have a soft mousse consistency.

The assembling process for individual trifles or one large trifle is the same.

Take your sponge and press it into the bottom of your dish(es). Drizzle with coconut liqueur and allow the sponge to absorb the alcohol.

Follow with equal (about 1cm) layers of mascarpone cream, then chocolate shavings, then mousse. Lastly top with a layer of toasted coconut.

To Serve: Serve with a few of the rum-soaked raisins arranged on the top.