Two simple festive treats

Both these recipes are for holidays and should be simple, easy and tasty. Walnut sable biscuits are a staple in our family to have with a drink.

With drinks I think of Christmas and celebration. When these cheese biscuits are fresh from the oven and made with delicious cheese, there is nothing better. They only need to be bite size, and are really quick to make.

This pickle looks festive, being red and white. In Japan, these pickles are called kohaku, which signifies happiness and celebration in Japanese culture.

At home in Australia for our Christmas holidays, I use this simple light pickle inside a crusty French stick with some butter and double smoked ham as a snack.

You can also use the pickle, drained of its liquid, as a salad beside grilled fish. This pickle in a preserving jar makes a nice food gift, too.

Walnut sables

100g butter

100g plain flour

100g grated parmesan, or a mix of parmesan and gruyere

salt and pepper

1 beaten egg

walnuts, coarsely chopped

Rub the butter into the sifted flour. Add the cheese, salt and pepper. Knead together into a paste. Roll out thinly. Cut into strips about five centimetres wide. Brush over with beaten egg and sprinkle thickly with walnuts. Sprinkle with sea salt, then cut each strip into triangles.

Bake on a baking tray lined with baking paper in a moderately hot oven till golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Daikon and carrot pickle

3 pieces daikon, peeled and cut into 10 cm lengths

2 carrots, trimmed to 10 cm lengths

2 tsp sea salt

250ml (1 cup) rice vinegar

80g castor sugar

1 tbsp mirin

½ tsp Japanese light soy sauce

1 chilli, diced finely (optional)

Use a mandoline or a sharp knife to very thinly slice the daikon and carrot lengthways. The slices should be about one millimetre thick. Stack up a few slices at a time and carefully cut them, lengthways again, into strips two millimetres wide. Place in a colander, sprinkle with salt and mix to combine. Turn often for 20 minutes until they become soft and pliable.

Rinse the vegetables and pat them dry so they do not dilute the pickling liquid with excess water.

Combine the vinegar, sugar and mirin in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the soy sauce.

Place the vegetables in a sterilised jar and pour the pickling liquid into the jar, so that all the vegetables are submerged. Store them sealed in the jar in the refrigerator. They will last for up to a week. When you want to use some, use clean utensils to remove the pickles. Never double-dip or return unused pickles to the jar.

>> Robbie Howard is former owner of Lynwood Preserves.