Meet the Home Cook Hero Classic Australian recipes winner

You can read more about what we thought about her recipe and discover the judges other favourite Aussie recipes shared in our Home Cook Hero competition in our Winner of Home Cook Hero Classic Australian competition announcement.

Our judging panel loved Karina's recipe for Lamington French Toast with Raspberry Jam Syrup. It’s seriously delicious way to have dessert for breakfast! We wanted to get to know Karina a little better and asked her to share her inspiration for this winning recipe and her love of cooking.

Interview with the winner

What inspired you to create this recipe?
Lamingtons! We love lamingtons in this house, and we love french toasts. I’m always looking for ways to keep my kids interested at breakfast time with different creations around the foods we love. So turning lamingtons into french toasts for breakfast was naturally the way to go!
When do you like to cook this recipe?
French toast, of any flavour, is an almost guarantee for Sunday morning breakfast when we’re all relaxed and together. My kids love this french toast in particular because it tastes like a lamington, just by using simple breakfast ingredients and traditional Lamington flavours…but no one loves chocolate and coconut more than my dad! It’s a pleasure to see him with a big coconut grin on his face, especially since his my best critic. If he likes it, then I know it’s good.
What kind of recipes do you like to cook?
I cook mostly anything that’s easy, fresh and simple, turning traditional recipes into my own style, while keeping all of those important flavours. I love food just and I love to eat, so I need to enjoy what I’m cooking and eating, or it’s a no-go zone. But! My sweet tooth always wins out in the end, and a good pan of fudgy brownies or blondies, deep dish cookies, pancakes and, of course, french toast can be found on my kitchen bench at some point!
Who or what inspires you to cook, create and share recipes?
My readers inspire me daily. I have a blog called cafedelites.com. I’m always looking at creating new ways to enjoy food while putting a spin on them, for not only my family, but for my readers too! And when they recreate my recipes and share them with me on their Instagram, or other social media accounts from all over the world, it’s the best feeling in the world. They keep my motivation at an all-time high. I love it!
What’s your favourite food memory or best food experience?
This would have to be coming home from school when I was younger and smelling my mums cooking from around the corner and down the street – almost a 20 minute walking distance away (and might I add, the longest 20 minutes walk of my life while smelling her food). Especially her roast lamb and potatoes. Growing up, my mum would cook the most amazing meals. Being from South American background, her flavours and style of cooking were so different, that my friends would basically camp out at my house, and they’d never want to leave! Anything she’d make was just yum.
When did you first learn to cook – what was the first recipe you ever made?
I first learnt how to cook when I was 9 years old! I used to watch my mum make this beautiful and fluffy banana cake from the kitchen bench every Saturday morning, and just by watching, I’d remember all of the ingredients and the methods she’s use. So one day while she was at work, I took over in the kitchen by myself and made her that very same Banana Cake to surprise her. And did I ever! After lecturing me about safety in the kitchen, her smile was priceless. So from then on, I made her that Banana Cake every weekend, with a little experimentation along the way.
Share the best advice you’ve ever received about cooking.
Keep it simple. My husband’s best advice with everything in life…but especially food. And it works. Over complicating foods with too many spices and flavour combinations (which I have done), can ruin it just as quickly, even if your intentions are good.
What’s the next cooking challenge you’d like to tackle in the kitchen?
I’d love to set a pan on fire without needing a fire extinguisher and burning the house down. I love watching professional chefs cook with fire. You just know that the steak, chicken, or whatever they’re cooking in the pan is pure perfection. Manu…teach me!