A Cracking Good Egg

New Blog

2011-07-25T18:52:00.004+10:00

I've started a new blog here - canberra1and1half.blogspot.com.

You will see photos and drawings (eventually) from my home. I would love to see you there.

Feel free to leave comments here still though. They are always very much appreciated.

Challenge Book #43 - Animal Crackers

2009-10-28T21:20:00.001+11:00

These animal crackers are deadly. Not in the figurative sense of being starfish - a creative use of my meagre stock of cookie cutters. Creatures not exactly known for their bloodthirsty cunning and ferocity.

They are more in the line of being deadly to your waistline. Not only are they delicious, they are hard to keep track of being so small. It's all too easy to have just one more!

I was very surprised when I saw this recipe. I had no idea that animal crackers were sweet biscuits. Shirley Temple has a lot to answer for.

They are also very quick and easy to make. I left out the honey, not being a fan and all and added an extra few teaspoons of sugar. It seemed to work well.

Icing them is probably the time consuming task. But it's worth it. I thought they tasted almost exactly like chocolate wheatmeals.

This recipe is of course from Challenge Book #43 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is the first recipe I have made from this book. The first of many for sure.

Animal Crackers
(adapted from Field Guide to Cookies)

1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tbspn light brown sugar
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 tspn baking soda
1/4 tspn salt
1/4 cup softened unsalted butter
2 tspn honey
1/4 tspn vanilla
1/4 cup cold buttermilk

Grind the oats in a food processor until they are very fine.

Combine the oats, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a stand mixer and mix on a low speed to combine.

Add the butter in pieces and mix to a fine meal.

Add the liquids and mix to fully combined.

Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch. Cut into desired shapes with cutters. Place biscuits on a lined baking tray.

Bake in an oven preheated to 175C for 7-9 minutes. Leave to cool.

Melt together 6oz chocolate and 3 tspn butter. Spread over the biscuits and decorate as desired.

Meringue with Pears, Hazelnuts and Chocolate Sauce

2009-09-20T23:00:00.000+10:00

Rest assured, I am still here. I have been very bad with posting. I haven't been well, and so the kitchen is collecting cobwebs. Hopefully, I will be back soon with goodies to share. And there is still the KJ Kitchen Aid Challenge. The finish line is in sight!!!

In the meantime I have searched the archives, or should I say archive, for a post. This pear hazelnut meringue was looking awfully sad rattling around in there all on its loneseome. It was time to release it to the world.

Shame on me for keeping it hidden for so long, because it is so good. I adore meringue in any form. But the pear chocolate sauce is an added bonus. It is so, so delicious.

There is nothing particularly tricky here. The most important thing in making meringue is to keep beating until the sugar is dissolved in the egg whites. Maximum result for minimal effort.

Meringue with Pear, Hazelnuts and Chocolate Sauce
(adapted from Jamie at Home)

4 large egg whites
200gm golden caster sugar
pinch of salt
100gm hazelnuts, toasted
2x400gm tins of pears, in syrup
optinal: 2 pieces stem ginger, chopped
200gm dark chocolate
400ml double cream
50gm icing sugar, sifted
1 vanilla pod, halved and seeds scraped
zest 1 orange

Whisk egg whites to firm peaks. Gradually add the sugar and salt. Whisk at high speed for 7-8 minutes, until the mixture is white and glossy and all the sugar is dissolved.

Spoon the meringue onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place in a 150C oven and for an hour, until crisp on the outside and a little soft and sticky on the inside. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Drain the pears and reserve the syrup. Slice the pears into thin wedges. Pour the syrup into a saucepan with the ginger and warm gently to simmering point. Take off the heat and add the chocolate, stir until melted.

Whip the cream, vanilla seeds and icing sugar to soft peaks.

Smash the hazelnuts to small pieces. Scatter half over the top of the meringue. Spoon over half the cream and drizzle with some of the chocolate sauce. Divide most of the pear pieces over the top. Pile on the rest of the cream and pears. Drizzle over more sauce and the rest of the hazelnuts. Sprinkle over the orange zest. Serve straight away.

Raspberry-Iced Cupcakes

2009-08-25T15:00:00.001+10:00

Is there anything more beautiful than the luscious red of a perfectly ripe raspberry? I think not. Is there anything more horrifying than the cost of said raspberries in the depths of winter? I think not!

Thank goodness for the wonders of the supermarket freezer section. Life is so much better with raspberries in it.

These cupcakes are so easy and so spectacular. Just look at that gorgeous colour. They are a delight in every way.

The cake batter is mixed in a food processor in just a few minutes. They are incredibly light and airy and buttery. If I had any criticism they are a wee bit crumbly. Next time I will also cut back on the baking powder a bit, as I found there was a very slight kinda alkaline after taste.

As for the raspberry icing, a minute or two max and you are done. Just delicious. And did I mention gorgeous!!

Raspberry Iced Cupcakes
(from Sun Herald Newspaper)

250gm unsalted butter, softened
200gm caster sugar
4 eggs
250gm self raising flour
2 tspn baking powder
1 tspn vanilla
5 tbspn milk*
160gm icing sugar
40gm frozen raspberries, defrosted
cachous
extra raspberries for decorating

Place butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. Gradually add milk until smooth and combined.

Spoon the mixture into cupcake papers to two thirds full. Bake for 15 minutes in a 200C oven or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Turn out and cool on a wire rack.

For the icing, place icing sugar and defrosted raspberries in bowl and whisk together. Push through a sieve to remove seeds. Spread the cupcakes with icing and decorate with cachous and extra raspberries.

* This is an Australian recipe. 1 Australian tablespoon (20ml)= 4 teaspoons. 1 US tablespoon (15ml) = 3 teaspoons.

Nougat

2009-08-16T21:22:00.002+10:00

I must be the only person on the planet who is quite happy they weren't at Woodstock. Not that I was even born or anything, but you know what I mean. I would be dirty and disgusting and tired. That's not the problem, I have been there many times. More importantly, I would be bored stiff, out of my mind in fact.

I have minimal interest in music. I appreciate songs for their association with personal events, rather than for themselves. It's a genetic quirk because noone in my family likes music much either. We had two albums to our name when I was growing up. One was Aker Bilk, which my Dad played occassionally. And the other was bagpipes from the Edinburgh Military Tattoo which my Mum played once in a blue moon.

What does this have to do with the nougat you see before you? Well, nothing, but I am so tired of people going on and on about Woodstock. If I hear that Marcia Hines (a deadly dull Australian Idol judge) was there ONE more time, my eyes are going to stay permanently rolled at the back of my head!!!!

Breathing...... breathing......okay, rant over. Thanks for listening.

Now, this nougat. I love nougat. Along with honeycomb, it is probably my favourite sweet. I have tried to make it before with no success at all. A big pan of super sticky runny mess.

But when I saw this recipe in a Delicious magazine supplement, I decided to try again. Apparently, the recipe comes from the Chocolat Cafe in Cairns. I have never been there, but I will make a beeline if I ever get to Cairns again.

I was just delighted when it set. The fact that it tasted so good was an added bonus. My favourite nougat combination is pistachio and cranberry. Cranberry cuts through the sweetness to give a delicious sharp tang. It is just yum!

There are a few important things to know when making nougat. You need the motor power of a stand mixer. This mixture is way to thick for a hand mixer. You have to get it into the pan and smoothed out lickety split, because it starts to stiffen almost instantaneously. Do not get your fingers involved in any way until it is well cooled. Do not store in a jar like this - it will all sink down together into one immovable mass. The story I could tell!!

Nougat
(adapted from delicious cafe food supplement)

edible rice paper
1/2 cup honey
1 cup liquid glucose
350gm castor sugar, plus extra 30gm
2 egg whites
45gm copha, melted*
125gm nuts, chopped
60gm candied or dried fruit, chopped

Line a 16cm x 26cm non-stick slab pan with baking paper overhanging on all the edges. Line the base with edible rice paper.

Place honey, glucose, sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook uncovered and without stirring until the mix reaches 120C. Continue boiling the mix.

At this stage, whisk the egg whites in a stand mixer (important!!) to firm peaks. Slowly beat in the 30 gm of extra sugar. Continue beating until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Fill the sink with 5cm of cold water.

Once the sugar mix has reached 140-143C (hard crack stage) remove from the heat, and dip the saucepan base into the cold water for 5 seconds or until the bubbles subside.

With the beater on a medium-slow speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites in a thin steady stream. Once the syrup is incorporated slowly add the copha. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until thick and glossy.

Working quickly, mix in the nuts and fruit and tip into the lined pan. Smooth the surface, lay over edible rice paper and press gently. (Do not get your fingers involved with the nougat as the mixture will still be very hot and very sticky!!!)

Set aside and leave to cool for six hours. Lift from the pan and cut into pieces.

* Copha is solidified coconut oil. It comes as a white block packaged like butter. When melted it goes clear. Other names include Kremelta or Palmin.

Little Apple Doughnuts with Blackberry Lemon Icing

2009-08-09T21:20:00.012+10:00

I think I have mentioned here before what a non-fan I am of deep frying. It's kinda scary and messy and plain old artery clogging. It would only be something with super duper irresistibly delicious potential that could tempt me into it. And here it is people - little apple doughnuts with blackberry lemon icing.

I spotted this recipe in the local paper a few months back. I eagerly clipped it out and every week or so I would pull it out and just gaze at them. So good. They just looked so good! Finally, I just wore myself down.

These were really worth the unfamiliar effort. Soft and fluffy, with a sweet hit of apples and a lovely zesty tang from the icing. They were really good!

While they take a bit of time, there is nothing particularly difficult in the recipe. The trickiest thing is getting the two halves of the dough to stick together. It would all look fine and dandy, only to have them split back into two during the final rise. I found that pleating the dough, as you would a dumpling, worked best.

Actually, there is another problem with these doughnuts. They are all too easy to eat. Three bites max, room for a second, oh maybe another, and just one more, and.....

Little Apple Doughnuts with Blackberry Lemon Icing
(adapted from Sun Herald Newspaper)

4 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
5 1/2 tbspn sugar*
180ml milk
3 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
500gm plain flour
2 pinches salt
12gm dried yeast
120gm unsalted butter, softened
1 egg, whisked
vegetable oil, for deep frying
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/2 lemon, juiced
6 blackberries, crushed (I used tinned)

Cook apples, 2 tbspn sugar and 2 tbspn water over low heat for 30 minutes or until soft. Set aside.

Mix remaining sugar, milk and eggs in a bowl. Place flour, salt, yeast and milk mixture in the bowl and mix with a dough hook attachment for five minutes on low until smooth and soft.

Cover with plastic wrap and place over another bowl of hot water for 40 minute or until the dough has risen. Add butter to dough and mix until combined. Continue mixing for five minutes. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 2 hours.

Roll dough out to 0.5cm thick. Use a 5cm cutter to cut out 24 tops and a 4cm cutter to cut out 24 bottoms. Brush the edges of a 4cm round with the whisked egg. Spoon 1/2 tspn of apple mixture onto the middle of the round. Top with the 5cm round and pinch the edges together. Repeat.

Cover with a damp tea towel and keep in a warm place for 35 minutes or until risen.

Preheat the oil in a deep fryer to 170C. Cook 2 doughnuts at a time for five minutes, turning halfway through, until golden. Place on some absorbent paper and leave on a rack to cool.

For the icing, mix the icing sugar, lemon juice and blackberries in a medium bowl until thick. Dip top halves of doughnuts into the icing and leave to set.

* This is an Australian recipe, so 1 tablespoon = 4 teaspoons. 1 US tablespoon = 3 teaspoons.

Cinnamon Buns

2009-08-04T19:32:00.000+10:00

See these, these are cinnamon buns. And they are yummy. Scrummy in fact.

See that icing, that is cream cheese icing. It is oh my god good. I was never all that enthused about cream cheese icing on cinnamon buns. It sounded kinda weird. It's not!! I made sure I did not miss out on even a drip.

The recipe for this came from my sister (who got it from someone who got if from someone who got it from a long forgotten source). She sent it to me ages ago and then hounded me until I baked them. I got a text message every Monday without fail. I'm glad she didn't give up because they are yummy. Did I mention that.

Cinnamon Buns

Dough

3 tsp Dry Yeast
1 cup Warm Milk
½ cup Sugar
½ cup Melted Butter
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
4 cups Plain Flour

Filling

1 cup Brown Sugar
2 ½ tbs Cinnamon
1/3 cup Butter

Icing

8 tbs Butter
1 ½ cups Icing Sugar
½ cup Cream Cheese
½ tsp Vanilla

Dough: Mix Yeast and 1 tbs sugar into warm milk. Leave in a warm place until frothy. Sift flour, salt, sugar and make a well in the centre. Add yeast mix, eggs and melted butter.

Mix to a dough and knead in a bread machine, using a dough hook or by hand until smooth and elastic.

Cover and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch and roll out until approx ½ cm thick.

Filling: Beat butter until creamy, add brown sugar and cinnamon and mix until smooth. Spread over the dough.

Roll up lengthwise. Cut into slices. Place on a biscuit tray and cover and leave to rise for an hour.

Bake for 10-15 mins in 190C oven until brown around the edges.

Icing: While buns are baking, beat the icing ingredients together and spread over each roll while still hot.

Eat while still warm for maximum enjoyment.

I haz an award

2009-08-01T19:41:00.004+10:00

Tis this one. How about that!!! From two lovely bloggers, JX from Culinary (Mis)Adventures and HFJ at Half a Pot of Cream. Both their blogs are full of deliciousness.

Apparently there are some rules for this award.

1 Thank the person who has given you the award. Thank you. So lovely of you. Am chuffed.
2 Copy the logo and paste it on your blog. Check.
3 Link to the person who nominated you for the award. Check.
4 Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting. Okey Dokey then.

1. The most famous person I have met is Steve Irwin.
2. As a kid, I loved the Trixie Belden books. I so wanted to be a Bob White (a secret club that they carefully hid by wearing jackets and driving a car with the name emblazoned all over it). Now I think they would be pretty insufferable, they were all such little goodie two shoes girlie swats. Except for Trixie who often had impure thoughts and intentions. But she always betrayed this promise by being wracked with guilt and desperate for forgiveness. She felt bad because she hated dusting for pete's sake!
3. I once got to pat and play with a baby rhinoceros. He was really bristly - a bit like patting a hairbrush. His favourite food was biscuits.
4. I am probably the worst singer in the world.
5. I hate rats.
6. I like cats.
7. I am indifferent when it comes to hats.

I am supposed to pass this on. But I am not going to. Just because. It would be too hard to pick and choose.

Challenge Book #42 - Grilled Strawberries with Pimms

2009-07-23T19:02:00.015+10:00

Last week I mentioned Masterchef a TV show that has drawn a record number of viewers here in Australia. I loved the show too. Most of all because it brought my favourite topic to the front and centre of general conversation. Everyone had an opinion on Poh's rhubarb pie or Chris's roasted pigs head. People were suddenly awake to the exciting possibilities open to them in their kitchens.

Hopefully, the show's finale won't dent this wonderful development. The surprising winner - Julie - was less than inspiring as she stumbled and bumbled her way to a cook book deal. I won't go into the ins and outs of it all (there is plenty of outraged commentary all over the internet), but it did make me think about what it is I look for in a cook book or recipe. What is my style of cooking? Why do I love Jamie Oliver's recipes but wouldn't lift a finger to cook a Gordon Ramsey dish (beyond personality issues)?

After much thought, I think it's the following:

1) I do not like overly fussy cooking. I am not willing to go through endless steps, processes and ingredients to end up with a plate of food. I have been known to go to ridiculous lengths for baking and desserts, but even that has limits.

2) I like classic dishes as they are meant to be. What I want is to be able to do them really, really well. I want to be able to make the best beef bourgnion, yorkshire puddings, lamingtons, scones etc that anyone has ever tasted. I am not interested in the dreaded 'twist' - where chefs try to differentiate themselves by adding stupid, pointless and/or surprising ingredients.

3) I like to cook with fresh seasonal local produce, but convenience has to come into it too. A few years back, I watched a cooking show done by Gary Rhodes. He insisted that you should pick and peel your own almonds for a particular dish. Good luck with that Gary. That is a very lonely road you are travelling right there!!!!

4) I like dishes that use ingredients that I haven't heard of before, but which are not ridiculously obscure or expensive. A few weeks back on The Cook and the Chef they made a dish using ponzu, a japanese citrus flavoured soy sauce. I now have a bottle in my pantry which I am all agog to try.

5) I like dishes that use familiar ingredients in a new and interesting way. A way that I have never thought of. And I sit there and wonder why I never thought of it. And finally we get to the subject of today's post

I must have eaten bazillions of strawberries in my time, but I have never in all that time thought to grill them. Why not? It seems like a perfect thing to do with strawberries. So when I spotted this recipe - Grilled Strawberries with Pimms - I was intrigued. I just had to try it for myself.

And so I ended up with the absolutely divine dish you see before you. The strawberries are sitting in a gorgeous sauce of Pimms, stem ginger, vanilla and juices (from the strawberries). It turns out Pimms and ginger were made for each other. I could have quite happily spooned it over ice cream, even before adding the strawberries.

As if all this is not good enough. It literally takes minutes to make. Add some good vanilla ice cream and you are done. So good, so simple and so me!!

This recipe is from Challenge Book #42 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. I think this is the best book Jamie Oliver has produced. The sweet cherry tomato and sausage bake is beyond gorgeous. Not to mention the crispy and sticky chicken with squashed new potatoes and tomatoes. YUM! And of course the proper chicken ceaser salad which has featured previously. My mouth is watering just thinking about these dishes.

Grilled Strawberries with Pimms

(adapted from Jamie at Home)

500 gm strawberries, washed

two pieces of stem ginger, chopped

3 tbspn of stem ginger syrup from the jar

1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped

a few splashes of Pimms

vanilla ice cream

shortbread biscuits, crushed (optional)

Preheat the grill to high. Slice off the strawberry stems and place them in a bowl. Mix in the stem ginger syrup, vanilla seeds, Pimms and chopped ginger. Place strawberries on their flat ends, tips in the air, in a shallow oven proof dish.

Pour over the juices and pieces of ginger from the bowl. Wind the vanilla pods around the strawberries and place under the grill.

Grill for 3-5 minutes until bubbling. When the strawberries are hot and have softened, divide into bowls. Add a dollop of ice cream and a sprinkling of shortbread biscuit crumbs.

Challenge Book #41 - Orange and Banana Pancakes

2009-07-17T20:15:00.001+10:00

There is a show on here in Australia at the moment called Masterchef. But don't be fooled by the name, it is nothing like its British namesake. Think more Biggest Loser with food. It's become a bit of a juggernaut. People were actually ringing talkback radio this morning over last night's decision to oust Chris.

Every Friday they suspend the competition for a masterclass, where the judges give a cooking demonstration. The dishes they make are generally mouthwatering. They could hardly be anything less than delicious with the mounds of butter, duck fat and other heart attack inducing goodies that are piled in.

Tonight they made a smoked chocolate mousse and poached stuffed tomato dessert. It looked intriguing. I am definitely going to try making the mousse. Not too sure about the tomatoes.

Anyway a few weeks ago the star attraction was crepes suzette. I was entranced and thought of nothing else for hours afterwards. Then I remembered a recipe I had seen which sounded awfully suzette like, with the added bonus of bananas.

This recipe is much simpler, as it avoids the terrors of caramel. And it is still a delicious outcome. The orange flavour is lovely and intense and complements the bananas. And are crepes ever a bad thing? I think not.

The Masterchef crepe suzette recipe is here if you are interested in the real thing. It looked divine.

This recipe is from Challenge Book #41 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. I think this was one of the first cook books I ever bought. I still use it quite often. It has some great simple recipes. The recipe for macaroni and cheese just cannot be beaten.

Orange and Banana Pancakes
(adapted from Quick Short Recipe Cookbook)

2/3 cup self raising flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
60gm butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tspns grated orange rind
1/4 cup orange juice
3 bananas sliced

Sift flour and make a well in the centre. Whisk eggs, milk and water together. Add gradually to the flour. Stir until it is combined and lump free.

Pour 2-3 tbspn of batter into a greased pan and swirl over the base. Cook over a medium heat until browned on the underside. Turn over and cook for another minute. Remove and keep warm.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the brown sugar. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbling. Add rind and juice. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer uncovered for 2 minutes. Add banana and simmer for a further minute.

Divide the mixture between 8 crepes. Fold and serve.

Chocolate Mousse with Salted Caramel Sauce and Chocolate Dirt

2009-06-28T19:39:00.008+10:00

I've been sitting here for five minutes trying to think of some witty, intriguing little tale to put in this post that will somehow segue seamlessly into talk of rich gooey chocolate caramel goodness.

But I really can't think of anything. My mind is a blank. I'm only writing this because I need to write something. Anything. It reminds me of when I was a tutor at University marking exam essays. Those who knew the answer would be so desparate just to get it all out in time their writing would be a scribble. Those who were clueless would write down all kinds of rubbish with exacting neatness just for something to do. This typing is copperplate!!

So anyway I guess I can just tell you about this dessert. It is a chocolate mousse with a salted caramel sauce and chocolate dirt. It is really really good. Just delicious in fact.

And it's not too tricky to make. The chocolate dirt is just a mix of ground almonds, sugar, cocoa and a little butter. It adds a wonderful crunch and texture. The chocolate mousse is chocolate mousse one of the easiest desserts out there. Making caramel is a bit more challenging but well worth the effort. If the sauce ends up too thick, not to worry, just add a splash more cream.

The recipe comes from one of my favourite TV shows the Cook and the Chef. There's also a coffee foam to go with it, but detesting coffee I ignored it.

I suggest ignoring both of the chocolate mousse recipes in this link. Who can be bothered mucking around with algae. As if life is not hard enough. And I see no way in which the one using chocolate and hot water could work. Just use a bog standard recipe. I think a soft aearated mousse made with egg whites is best (which is what I have used here), but it would also work well with a firm mousse. Unless you like little chocolate puddles, allow the caramel sauce to cool to just warm before plating up.

Well what do you know here's a post, whoo hooo!!

Challenge Book #40 - Golden Syrup Dumplings

2009-06-11T18:00:00.000+10:00

These are golden syrup dumplings. Golden by name, golden by nature. I made these to fight back against the bitter cold snap that is invading my world. The mecury in my weather thermometer is barely making an appearance these days. I wouldn't be surprised if it has gotten the hump and gone off to scoff maitais in Waikiki. I know I want to.

I made these dumplings in lieu of one of my favourite winter time desserts - golden syrup steamed pudding. My Mum's is just the best - feather light with great lashing of syrup and egg custard. After our weekly Sunday night roast beef dinner, my sister and I would to snuggle down under an eiderdown (not that it ever got this cold) to watch TV and scoff a big bowl full. YUM!!

These dumplings are almost as good. The dumplings were lovely and light. But there was just not enough of the golden syrup sauce to go with them. You need lashings of it. Lashing and lashings. But I didn't mind too much, because the dumplings soaked up a fair bit of sauce around their edges so they were still lovely and moist and syrupy. Again, YUM! Have I said that often enough yet.

These dumplings are a snap to make. Karen Martini made some on a TV show recently, so here is a video demonstration. The recipe is quite similar. See how much sauce she has, that's how it should be! Karen serves hers with ice cream, which is great or that hot and cold sensation. But I prefer just pouring cream.

You must be very careful when eating them. The syrup sauce comes out very hot and it is very easy to burn your mouth!!!

I'm not sure how available golden syrup is outside of Australia, the UK and NZ. This will tell you a bit about what it is and what it looks like. If you are a novice and you get the chance, do try some. I love it, especially on hot buttered toast or pancakes.

Today's recipe is bought to you by the CWA Cookery Book and Household Hints. Which is by the way Challenge Book #40 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. Now this book is no stranger on this blog. I have a lot of fun with it in the past (see here and here). I was quite tempted to try yet another intriguingly obscure recipe (like Middlesex Pie - a rather alluring combination of kangaroo and pickled pork cheeks). But in the end I stuck to the straight and narrow. Maybe next time.

Golden Syrup Dumplings
(adapted from CWA Cookery Book)

1 cup self raising flour
20gm butter
1 egg
a little milk

Rub butter into the flour add the egg and enough milk to form a soft dough. Roll into little balls (around 12).

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
15 gm butter
1 tbspn (4 tspn) golden syrup*

Place in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the dough balls into the mix on a large spoon. Cover and leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes (or until the dough balls are puffed and cooked through).

Serve immediately with pouring cream.

*This is an Australian recipe so 1 Tbspn = 4 tspn (20ml). 1US tbspn = 3 tspn (15ml).

KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge - Third Quarterly Update

2009-05-26T22:15:00.000+10:00

As you may or may not know, on 1 March last year I made a resolution. I would not buy a single new cookbook until I made at least one recipe from every cookbook I already own. All 52 (or thereabouts) of them. If I am good, I can buy myself a new mixer. Namely a Kitchen Aid.

Anyway, I have finally gotten myself to the three-quarter mark. Here is the first quarterly review and here is the second quarterly review. It has been slow going over the last six months due to my poor health. It is still quite difficult for me to spend much time in the kitchen. I can only really manage things that are quick or can be done in a number of short bursts. But I am determined to finish this. I shall plough on and on.

Because I am still really enjoying this challenge. I always try to pick new recipes and have discovered so many wonderful things. But looking back I have realised that I haven't varied the types of things I've cooked as much as I could have. There are lots of cakes, tarts and ice cream in there. So for the rest of the challenge I am going to try and pick out types of dishes that have not yet featured or I never make.

The highlight for this quarter was definitely the chocolate pizza. It was so delicious!! Whenever I think of it, I just think YUM!!! The not so much of a highlight was the lemon mousse. It really was foul, which was all my own fault. Hey, I can't be perfect all the time (as if)!!

Here is a brief overview.

Challenge Book #27 - Strawberry Cream Butterfly Cakes adapted from Marie Claire Kitchen.

Light, airy, tender, delicious and oh so pretty.

Challenge Book #28 - Lemon Mousse adapted from bills Food by Bill Granger.

Absolutely foul. But minus my incompetence probably a really delicious recipe.

Challenge Book #29 - Potato Swirls adapted from Popular Potato Recipes by Family Circle.

Not bad. A bit lacking in flavour, but they certainly looked great.

Challenge Book #30 - Spicy Butter adapted from Coming Home by John Burton Race.

Very luxurious and delicious.

Challenge Book #31 -Greek Yoghurt and Orange Pots adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros.

Quick and easy. Georgeously thick and creamy. Delicious and highly adaptable. There are so many directions you could go with this.

Challenge Book #32 - Lemonade Granita adapted from Family by Silvana Franco.

Lovely and refreshing. Perfect for the long hot days of summer.

Challenge Book #33 - White Chocolate and Raspberry Waffle Pudding adapted from 5 of the Best by Valli Little.

Rich and delicious. One of my favourite flavour combinations with the novel addition of waffles.

Challenge Book #34 - Tiger Tea Cakes adapted from Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan.

Lovely moist and flavourful cakes. Not to mention the silky smooth ganache. Just yum!

Challenge Book #35 - Plum Baklava Tarts adapted from The Best from the BBC.

So good. And so adaptable, the skies the limit.

Challenge Book #36 - Chocolate Pizza adapted from Pizza Modo Mio by John Lanzafame.

Yum, yum, yum!! It's novel, it's fun and it's divine.

Challenge Book #38 - Hazelnut Wafers adapted from Delicious Days by Nicole Stich.

I you like hazelnuts you will love these. Feather light, super crisp and a pure hazelnut flavour.

Challenge Book #38 - Passionfruit Cream Tarts adapted from Christmas Cooking by Women's Weekly.

Passionfruit heaven. I was delighted with how well the pastry turned out.

Challenge Book #39 - Banana and Ginger Cheesecake adapted from Home Cooked from the ABC.

A delightfully light and creamy cheesecake, with a lovely combination of flavours.

Challenge Book #39 - Banana and Ginger Cheesecake

2009-05-19T22:13:00.001+10:00

I have been writing this blog for quite a while now and in all that time you may have noticed (but probably not) that I have never posted a cheesecake recipe (well not technically and that I can remember).

A first assumption may be that I do not like cheesecakes. Oh but I do, I do. I like them a bit too much. That's the problem. Fortunately, I made this particular cheesecake for a friend's birthday. Which means there were plenty of other people to do the heavy lifting with all those calories. I am nothing if not strategic.

And really there is just no good time to eat cheesecake. If I eat it in the morning, I don't feel like lunch. If I eat it in the afternoon I don't feel like dinner. And it's way too heavy for dessert after a full dinner.

This cheesecake just about overcomes all those hurdles. It is actually quite light, much less dense than the usual baked cheesecake. And it is almost delicious enough to wipe away all thought of calories.

Oh and it doesn't get much easier to make. No cooking whatsoever. A wee bit of chopping, crushing, beating and assembling. Voila, yummy cheesecake.

And here we are at Challenge Book #39 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge - Homecooked. This is a collection of favourite recipes contributed by listerners of ABC radio. I was really excited when I bought this book. There's nothing better than tried and true family recipes. This cheesecake came from Mrs Wilma Winter in Lawton, Queensland.

However, nothing I have previously tried from this book has really worked out all that well. I almost think that there must be some kind of hoodoo at work. But hopefully, this cheesecake is a sign of better homecooked things ahead.

Banana and Ginger Cheesecake
(adapted from Home Cooked)

250gm plain sweet biscuits
125gm butter, melted
3 tbspn crystallised ginger, finely chopped
2 tspn powdered ginger
2 tspn powdered gelatine
2 tbspn boiling water
375 gm cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 egg yolks
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup cream, whipped
extra whipped cream and bananas

Crush the biscuits and mix in the butter and ginger. Press firmly into the base of a 23cm spring form tin. Chill.

Beat the cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice and egg yolks. Dissolve the gelatine in the hot water. Fold into the cream cheese mixture along with the mashed banana and cream. Spoon over the crumb base and refrigerate for several hours until set.

Decorate with more whipped cream and sliced bananas to serve.

Challenge Book #38 - Passionfruit Curd Tartlets

2009-05-10T22:06:00.000+10:00

When I was growing up our backyard was a mini orchard. We had a mandarine tree which produced so much sweet juicy fruit that branches used to snap clean off under the weight. We gorged on mandarines and litres of juice for months. Our ladyfinger banana plants regularly produced huge bunches of bananas, followed by weeks of banana on cereal for breakfast, banana sandwiches for lunch and a rotation of banana fritters, banana custard and banana splits for dessert.

In between that we coped with the output from our lemon tree, mango tree, paw paw trees, the neighbours mulberry bush, the strawberry patch and our passionfruit vine. Or rather I should say that I coped with the passionfruit vine. I happen to absolutely love them while the rest of my family verge from hate to they're alright.

And despite my overexposure, I still love their zesty perfumed flavour. I will jump at anything passionfruit flavoured on a menu or bakery shelf.

The problem is that my river of free passionfruit is long gone - passionfruit not being too enthusiastic about cold and frosty winters and all. Now, more often than not, I have to pay something like 50c to $1 just for one. Oh the humanity!!!! So when I got my hot little hands on a large non-contra bag full for nothing, free, zilch, I was over the moon.

After some careful consideration, I decided to make a batch of passionfruit curd and turn half of it into the delectable tartlets you see before you. Making tarts is always quite involved. I am not an enthusiastic pastry maker, but I am always glad I did once the effort is over and done with. Especially when it turns out this well. It was very light and tender with an almost shortbread flavour. YUM!

The filling was just as good. It was delightfully creamy and smooth. Although next time I may cut down a little bit on the cream to up the zesty flavour. The original recipe tops the tarts with fresh bluberries glazed in raspberry jam. No thanks. I wanted my passionfruit pure and unsullied.

This recipe came from Women's Weekly Christmas Cooking which is challenge Book #38 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge (which is by the way where I have to cook something from every cookbook I own before I buy any more). I bought this book about five years ago. The only other thing I have made from it are the stained glass biscuits you see on the cover. The centres are made from melted lollies. I gave them away as little Christmas presents and they were a huge hit. They looked spectacular and tasted good.

Passionfruit Curd Tartlets
(adapted from Women's Weekly Christmas Cooking)

4 egg yolks
1/2 cup caster sugar
80gm butter
1 cup passionfruit pulp
1 tspn gelatine
2 tbspn boiling water
1/2 cup cream

Pastry Shells
1 2/3 cup plain flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
140gm cold butter, chopped
1 egg, beaten lightly
2 tspn iced water, approx.

Shells - Process together the flour, sugar and butter until crumbly. Add the egg and enough water to make the ingredients come together. Knead lightly and enclose in plastic wrap. Leave in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight if possible.

Divide the dough into 8 portions and roll out to fit greased 10cm round loose base flan tins. Lift the dough into the tins and trim the edges. Prick the base of the pastry, line with greaseproof paper and fill with pastry weights, beans or rice. Place on a baking tray and bake in a 180C oven for about 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully remove paper and weights and leave to cool.

Filling - Combine egg yolks, sugar, butter and 1/3 cup of passionfruit pulp in a double boiler. Simmer and stir until the mix is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain and discard the seeds.

Sprinkle gelatine over the water and stir until it is dissolved. Stir into the still warm curd, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Beat the cream to soft peaks. Fold into the curd mixture and divide amongst the shells. Leave for two or three hours until the filling is set.

Serve with a small dollop of cream or a few fresh berries.

Challenge Book #37 - Hazelnut Wafers

2009-04-27T21:05:00.005+10:00

It's the ANZAC Day weekend here in Australia, the time in which we remember all our servicemen and women. So I really should be posting something iconic and patriotic like ANZAC biscuits or pie floaters or something. But I just didn't quite get around to it.

In actual fact I have spent very little time in the kitchen in recent weeks. I have been caught up in researching my family tree. This is supposed to be my Father's new hobby, but given his complete lack of computor skills I am the bunny that gets to scrawl through endless census returns and electoral rolls. Who knew that there could be so many people born with the same name in the same year in the same town? I'm beginning to wonder if there was ever anyone in England born without the names Henry, William or Edward. Sadly (or not as the case may be) I seem to have no claims to the nobility - this is pure peasant blood in these here veins.

I'm pretty sure my forebears would never have dreamed of snacking on something like this - hazelnut wafers and brie cheese. Bit of a stark change from gruel. But I'm sure they would have loved it. I must have gotten my tastebuds from somewhere after all.

These wafers are feather light, super crunchy and taste of pure hazelnut. They are lightly sweet. I think they went fantastically with a gorgeous brie cheese like this or with a sharp cheddar some dried apricots and apple. And then I ate the rest on there own just like normal biscuits. It was all good.

And they really are not hard to make. I didn't quite spread the mixture as thinly or evenly as I should. So my wafers coloured a bit unevenly. But it didn't seem to matter in how they tasted.

The recipe comes from the delicious days cookbook by Nicole Stich - which is by the way Book # 37 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. Nicole is of course one half of the delicious days website which is a vision of foodie loveliness. I was only given this book recently as a get well present so this is the first thing I have tried. I have, however, tried other recipes from the website, including the most gorgeous foccaccia in the world.

Hazelnut Wafers
(adapted from delicious days)

80gm ground hazelnuts
20 gm whole hazelnuts, chopped
50gm sugar
20gm plain flour
3 egg whites

Mix the ground nuts with the sugar, salt and flour. Break up the egg whites with a fork so that they are a bit foamy (but not stiff). Stir into the nut mixture.

Line a baking tray with paper and spread the mixture in a very thin and even layer. Sprinkle over the chopped nuts.

Bake in a 175C oven for 14-16 minutes until it is an even brown colour. Slide the paper off onto a rack and allow the wafer to cool. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Warm Italian Meringue and Vinicotto Grapes Pizza

2009-04-14T21:00:00.001+10:00

It's time for a not such a success story. Don't let this blog fool you (snort - yeah right, as if), I definitely have my fair share of failures. Sometimes it feels like more because, strangely, it all seems to happen at once. I'll be sailing along, baking happily, and then a cake will sink or biscuits will burn or pastry will be soggy. And for the next few weeks absolutely nothing will work - even long standing successful recipes. Curdled custards, lumpy sauces, leaden bread I could go on and on and on. It gets to the point where I throw my apron down in frustration and decide that I am completely useless and there is no point in my ever setting foot in the kitchen again.

And then a butterfly will flap its wings or the wind will change direction or something and it all comes right again. So weird!!!

But this time I do have a bit of an excuse, the recipe. I don't think it was all my fault.

This in case you were wondering is a Warm Italian Meringue and Vincotto Grapes Pizza. The crust was delightful as always and the grapes were simply delicious. I have not really tasted vincotto before. It was fantastically intense and flavoursome. I think the grapes themselves would be great with a whole lot of things. Even in a trifle with some rich custard, I think they would be great.

No, the problem was the meringue. When it came out of the oven it looked fantastic - a huge puffy cloud of meringue. But that lasted about three seconds. It shrank and shrank and shrank to just a little shrivelled ring, a mere parody of its former self. And it tasted eggy. Distinctly eggy. Not what you want at all.

The thing is that the recipe only calls for 1 tbspn (4 tspns) sugar for 3 egg whites. I'm not sure what the right ratio should be, but that sounds way too low to me. But on the other hand there may be a risk that, with more sugar, the meringue would simply burn to a crisp at the high temperatures needed to cook the base. Maybe it needs to be done in two stages. Cook the base and then add and cook the meringue.

I'm certainly going to give it a go, because I think that this will be a fantastic recipe if it can be made to work!!

Warm Italian Meringue and Vincotto Grapes Pizza
(adapted from Pizza Modo Mio)

20gm butter
90gm seedless red grapes
125ml vincotto
3 egg whites
1 tbspn caster sugar
1 quantity of pizza dough

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the grapes and cook for 3 minutes or until just tender. Remove the grapes, add vincotto and simmer until reduced by half. Return the grapes to the pan, toss to combine well, then remove from the heat and cool.

Place a pizza stone in the oven and heat to 250C.

Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Put the sugar and 1 tbspn water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Whisking continuously, gradually add the hot syrup to the egg whites and whisk until stiff and glossy.

Roll out the dough into two 15cm rounds or free form shapes. Prick with a fork. Spread with the meringue, place on the heated stone and bake for 4-6 minutes. Remove and scatter over the vincotto grapes and serve.

*This is an Australian recipe. 1 Australian tbspn = 4 tspn (20ml). 1 US tbspn = 3 tspn (15ml).

Challenge Book #36 - Chocolate Pizza

2009-04-02T10:02:00.002+11:00

The chocolate, it calls to me. When I said I can eat limitless amounts of good chocolate you thought I was joking right. No, it's true. Well, my work colleagues did gave a major helping hand with the baked chocolate fudge. It disappeared in short order. And so, it's time for the choc binge to go on - with chocolate pizza.

I know, I know right!!! Sounds hideous. I kinda thought so to. But I was intrigued and had to try it. And now I am here to tell you that this is quite simply DELICIOUS, YUMMY, GORGEOUS. You get the message I'm sure. I was shocked out of my little socks at how good it was.

It consists of a thin pizza crust, which is quite simply the best I have ever made. Lovely and light and gently crisp on the bottom. A layer of nutella, a few dollops of mascarpone, a score of sour cherries, a spattering of chopped turkish delight, a scattering of pistachios and a sprinkling of toffee shards. Does it get any better!!

I I can over one suggestion it is to ensure that there is sufficient sour cherries to have some in every bite. Otherwise the sweetness can just overwhelm you. There is also an option to go for a sweet dough. I thought it would just be too much so I went with plain.

This pizza is supposed to be served with vanilla ice cream. So why do I have a miserable little bowl of cream sitting there? Well, because I am a doofus. The vanilla ice cream I thought was in the freezer turned out to be lemon. Not really chocolate appropriate.

Fortunately I had some cream in the fridge. Which absolutely, stubbornly refused to whip. I have never had this happen before. It just sat there all thin and nyherrr!!! So I gave up. I actually don't think you need it. The pizza is great just on it's own.

And really it should be given that it's from a world pizza champion, an Australian chef called John Lanzafame. Apparently he learned all his pizza skills from his Italian mother. This book has an amazing range of dessert pizzas (among the more expected sort). Banana split, peaches and cream, cherry and almond. All sound divine!!

This is of course, Challenge Book #36 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is the first recipe I have tried from this book. Which is quite excusable I think as it was a Christmas present. I will certainly be making many more.

My Favourite Chocolate Pizza

(adapted from Pizz Modo Mio)

115gm caster sugar
1 tbspn lemon juice
1 quantity of pizza dough
100gm chocolate hazelnut spread (nutella)
2 tbspn mascarpone cheese
12 bottled sour cherries, halved
12 bite sized pieces turkish delight
40gm unsalted pistachios, chopped

Heat the sugar and lemon juice over a low heat until the sugar melts and becomes a caramel colour. Pour the toffee onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and tilt until it spreads out thinly. Leave to set. Then break into shards.

Roll out the dough into two 15cm rounds or a free form shape. Prick all over with a fork. Spread the bases with the chocolate spread, and top with small dollops of mascarpone. Scatter over the cherries.

Place the pizzas on a pizza stone preheated in a 250C oven. Bake for 5 minutes or until the base is golden and crisp.

Remove from the oven and scatter with the turkish delight, pistachios and toffee shards.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Pizza Dough
(adapted from Pizza mio modo)

1 tspn dried yeast
1 tspn salt
100ml warm water
2 tspn olive oil
160gm plain flour

Put the yeast, water and a tbspn of the flour into a small bowl and whisk together. Leave in warm place for 10 minutes or until the mix has started to bubble.

Add the flour, salt and oil and mix together. Knead for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Rub with olive oil and place in a bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough. If you wish to make a sweet dough add 1 tspn of brown sugar and knead in at this stage. (At this stage you can also leave the dough in the fridge overnight, bringing back to room temperature before continuing on).

Leave the dough in a warm place for 15 minutes until risen by half again. The dough is now ready to use.

Baked Chocolate Fudge

2009-03-26T17:04:00.002+11:00

In my recent post on Tiger Tea Cakes I talked about my lack of resistance to chocolate. And this got me thinking and thinking and thinking about chocolate. And all the good chocolaty things I had ever eaten. And then my mind recalled this baked fudge I had made a while back. And this got me thinking and thinking about this baked fudge. And next thing I am in the supermarket tossing unsalted butter and cream into my trolley. And woe and behold, there I am pulling a batch out of the oven. You can imagine the gory details of what followed.

If only I could off held for a few weeks I would have the exscuse of Easter. When you are more or less obliged to scoff down chocolate. But no, I am officially as weak as water. A slave to the little grey cells.

The thing about this baked fudge is that it is utterly decadent, delectable and deadly. Silky smooth, creamy, rich and deeply, deeply chocolately. Just reading this post has added an inch to your hips. Sorry, but it's true!!!

Sadly, it's all too easy to make. A bit of melting and mixing and baking in a water bath and you are done. When it first comes out of the oven it will be very soft. With more the texture of a firm chocolate mousse. By the next day it will still be quite soft, but will have settled to a firmer and denser texture.

As if the fudge was not evil enough it also offers unparallelled opportunities for bowl and spoon licking. Woe is me!!!

Baked Chocolate Fudge
(adapted from Donna Hay Magazine, July/August 2006)

400gm dark chocolate, chopped
120gm unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cream
5 eggs
2 tbspn plain flour, sifted*

Place the chocolate, butter, sugar and cream in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Whisk together the flour and eggs. Slowly whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.

Pour into a small rectangular loaf tin (12x21cm) lined with baking paper. Ensure that the paper rises above the edges of the tin as the fudge will rise a little. Place the tin in a deep baking tray and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the tin's sides.

Bake for 2 1/4 hours in a 150C oven or until the fudge is cooked. To test if it is cooked, insert a skewer in the centre of the fudge. If the batter clinging to the skewer easily rolls into a little ball, then the fudge is done.

*This is an Australian recipe. 1 Australian tbspn = 4 tspn (20ml). 1 US tbspn = 3 tspn (15ml).

Challenge Book #35 - Plum Baklava Tarts

2009-03-20T19:29:00.001+11:00

Traditional nursery rhymes are all very well, but I prefer my own versions. Like this.

Little Jack Horner sat in a corner eating a plum baklava tart.
He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum.
And then scoffed the lot.

Much better. Or this.

Mary had a little plum backlava tart
It's cream as white as snow.
Everywhere that Mary went
These tarts were sure to go.

She took a batch to school one day
And they all scoffed the lot.

Just wouldn't make sense any other way.

These tarts tick all the boxes - they are easy, attractive and taste darn good. The baklava component is a bit of an abstract interpretation. Demerera sugar, ginger, cinnamon and ground almonds (the recipe specifices walnuts, but I hate them) is layered between sheets of filo pastry. The sugar provides a great crunch and the ginger is just inspired. It complements the plums beautifully.

I think you could make these with any manner of fruit. I think pears or apple would be fantastic. Or how about some poached quinces. I think that would be really superb!!!!!

This recipe is of course from Challenge Book #34 in the KJ wants a kitchen Aid Challenge. This is the Best which is the book from the TV series of the same name. I adored this show. It starred Ben Donoghue (right) , Paul Merrett (left) and Silvana Franco (middle). Each week they would cook a dish based on a given theme like sweet breakfasts or cheesy snacks. The dishes were judged by a group of three food lovers. I am so disappointed that it never went to a second series.

This particular recipe was by Paul, who was my favourite. At the time I was more enamored of his smile than his food. But every recipe of his that I have tried has been excellent. In fact every recipe I have tried from this book has been excellent. Silvana's recipe for spaghetti carbonora is the best I have ever tasted.

Plum Baklava Tart
(adapted from the Best)

12 ripe plums, stoned and quartered
85gm caster sugar
50gm ground nuts (walnuts or almonds)
2 tbspn demerera sugar
1/4 tspn ground cinnamon
1/4 tspn ground ginger
6 large sheets of filo pastry
85gm butter, melted

Cook the plums with the caster sugar for 10-12 minutes. The plums should be soft but still hold their shape.

Mix together the ground nuts, demera sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Cut the filo pastry into 12 equal sized squares, which are large enough to fit into a muffin mold. Brush a layer of filo with the melted butter and sprinkle with the nut mixture. Place another square on top to form a star shape and repeat. Add a third and final filo sheet.

Push the pastry square into a greased muffin mold. Allow the points of the pastry to stick up. Place a ball of foil into the middle of the pastry. Bake in a 190C oven for 5-8 minutes until just beginning to colour.

Remove the pastry cases and spoon in the plum mixture. Serve immediately with a dollop of thick cream or ice cream.

Challenge Book # 34 - Tiger Tea Cakes

2009-03-15T13:13:00.001+11:00

Don't you just want to take a great big lick of this chocolate ganache? I know I certainly do!!!! And I've already eaten a pile of the stuff.

I just can't resist good chocolate. The budget stuff I can ignore till the cows come home. But deep, rich, quality chocolate owns my soul.

I do not keep it in the house, because if it is there it must be eaten. All of it!!! It does not matter what time of day it is, what else I've eaten, or how deeply I've buried it behind old sauce bottles or odd socks. Once my mind knows that it is there, its siren call drags me onto the rocks of overindulgence every time.

So while I really enjoyed these little tea cakes. What I really loved was the bonus hit of the rich, silky smooth ganache. It just made them something a bit extra special.

The cakes themselves are lovely and moist, with a delicious almond and chocolate flavour. Like most almond meal cakes, they are slightly on the heavy side though. One is enough. Next time I think I will make them in a mini muffin tin.

The method of making them is unusual, at least to me. Only egg whites are used and they are briefly mixed together with the almonds, sugar, flour and corn syrup before being refrigerated. It's easy enough and it works beautifully. So no complaints from me!!!

These tea cakes come courtesy of Dorrie Greenspan's Paris Sweets. Dorrie of course needs no introduction to the blogging community. There is a blog event (Tuesday's with Dorrie) entirely devoted to her recipes.

Paris Sweets is of course Challenge Book #34 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is by the way, where I have to make something from every cookbook I own before I can buy any new ones.

This is a lovely, lovely book. All the recipes are gathered from Parisian patisseries. It makes me just want to jump on a plane to Paris and start eating!!

I have had this book for ages, but shamefully have only tried a few recipes. I can highly recommend the TV snacks. Lovely little buttery biscuit shots tinged with salt. Delicious!!

Tiger Tea Cakes
(adapted from Paris Sweets)

6 large egg whites
235gm ground almonds
150gm sugar
45gm plain flour
210gm unsalted butter
25gm light corn syrup
145gm dark chocolate, finely chopped

Whisk the egg whites to just break them up. Add the ground almonds, sugar, flour and corn syrup. Mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Bring the butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir into the batter. When the batter has cooled, stir in the chopped chocolate.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the mixture into a buttered muffin mold.

Bake in a 180C oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool.

Chocolate Ganache
(adapted from Paris Sweets)

230gm dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
60gm unsalted butter, chopped

Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour it over the chocolate and let the mixture rest briefly. Very gently stir until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the butter until melted.

Refrigerate until the mixture is firm enough to hold it's own shape. Pipe onto the top of the cakes. Dorrie notes that the original tiger cakes are first turned upside down.

Challenge Book #33 - White Chocolate and Raspberry Waffle Pudding

2009-03-01T14:50:00.006+11:00

Hi ho everyone. I'm back!........You didn't even know I was gone, did you? And I bet you haven't noticed my chic new haircut and my cool new shoes I got for a bargain either. Sighhhhh........Why do I even bother?!!

Seriously though, I have been up in Queensland for a couple of weeks enjoying the rain. These days it's such a novel experience to have it rain from dawn till dusk. It was great. I read tons of books and just relaxed. So lovely.

Now, after my last post complaining about the abysmal inferno that Canberra had become, you are probably wondering why I am posting a warm baked pudding. Well, that's because after the fun of 40C plus mother nature decided to plunge temperatures down to the late teens and to single figures during the night. I felt ridiculous digging out cardigans after weeks of lamenting that I had to wear clothes at all.

I have been itching to make this pudding since I got this book for Christmas. I believe when I turned the page and saw it my first words were "WOOOOOOOOOOOAH".

White chocolate and raspberry is one of my most favourite combinations. And waffles. Waffles are not big here in Australia. You can get one brand in the supermarket. But I ate a few hundred when I visited Belgium some years back. So fantstically good.

Well how did it taste, I hear you ask. I have to say, deliciously yummy and no mistake about it!!! It was really good. And very rich. Small servings are advised. The only thing I can criticise is the texture. The waffles did get a little mushy at the bottom. But I didn't care.

As you might expect, 5 of the Best is Challenge Book #33 in the KJ Wants Kitchen Aid Challenge. Only around 30 more to go. Oh dear!!!!

Raspberry and White Chocolate Waffle Pudding
(adapted from 5 of the Best)

480gm waffles
300gm raspberries
200gm white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup castor sugar
1 tbspn plain flour*
3 eggs
1 tspn grated lemon rind
1 tspn vanilla
2 cups thickened cream
icing sugar to dust

Dice the waffles into 2cm cubes. Put about half into a greased medium sized casserole dish. Top with half the chocolate and raspberries. Repeat the layers.

Whisk together the eggs, flour, sugar, rind, vanilla and cream. Pour over the waffles and leave for around 10 minutes.

Bake in 170C oven for 35 minutes or until golden.

Dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

*This is an Australian recipe. 1 Australian tablespoon = 4 teaspoons (20ml). 1 US tablespoon = 3 teaspoons (15ml).

Challenge Book #32 - Lemonade Granita

2009-02-09T21:00:00.005+11:00

My goodness, talk about bad times. Here in Canberra we have endured the hottest weekend in our history - two days of over 40C (104F). This following two weeks of 36-37C plus. Amazingly, this is actually quite mild with other towns further west and south hitting 47-48C.

It's been miserable. But this pales into absolute insignificance compared to what is happening in Victoria. 131 people have died in wildfires and there are fears that the toll with reach 230. 230 people - it is almost unbelievable. Entire towns have been wiped out. I can barely bring myself to watch the news it is just all too horrible.

In 2003 Canberra had it's own wildfire disaster when hundreds of homes were burned to the ground. I remember I was at a friend's baby shower. It got darker and darker and darker until, although it was only early afternoon, it was like dusk. After a call from the backyard, we all went outside and looked over the backfence. Suddenly there was the fire. It came over the crest of a heavily wooded hill just a few kilometres away across some vacant grassed paddocks. It raced down that hill at a breathtaking speed. Black charcoal leaves were falling out of the sky. It was the scariest thing.

Luckily that house and my own in the next suburb were safe. Too many people were not so fortunate. I hope these fires in Victoria are over soon. I really do!!!

Anyway, putting this national disaster to one side, what is one to do in the midst of a horrendous heat wave. Take to the ice, that's what!!! I stuffed the freezer with frozen drinks. I sucked and slurped my way through the weekend.

Top of the pops was this lemonade granita. Simple to make. Cool and refreshing. It was perfect for the circumstances. I imagine it would work well with any number of other flavours.

I found this recipe in this book, which is Challenge Book #32 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is not a favourite book of mine. I have tried two other recipes from it previously and they have were terrible. I don't mean just displeasing. I mean shockingly bad, as in inedible. Which is a shame because I loved Silvana in The Best - my most favourite ever cooking show. So I'm glad that I have now managed to get something worthwhile from it.

Lemonade Granita
(adapted from Family)

juice and zest of six lemons
1 stalk lemon grass, bashed
175gm castor sugar
500ml soda water
150ml water

Put zest, juice, water and lemon grass in a saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved and simmer for five minutes. Cool.

Strain into a plastic container. Add the soda water. Freeze for at least two hours. Break into flakes with a fork to serve.

Challenge Book #31 - Greek yoghurt with condensed milk and oranges

2009-02-01T19:44:00.001+11:00

A few weeks back I talked about my love of summer. This may have been a bit rash and precipitous. After two weeks of 35 plus temperatures I am rapidly heading towards over it. OVER. IT. Is there anything worse than feeling those beads of sweat sliding down your back and your legs. Ick!!!!

I have seen just about every movie that is out in a desparate effort to soak up some air conditioning. I highly recommend Gran Torino, Doubt, Slumdog Millionaire and Bolt. Avoid Valkyrie like the plague, it is a surprisingly dull movie. Even curly hair can't help Tom Cruise, who projects all the charisma of a carrot. Not even a of baby carrot which can be kinda cute, in a carroty kind of way. More of a big old knobbly hairy carrot.

Inevitably, I have been avoiding the kitchen as much as possible. The thought of turning on the oven or a hot plate is an anathema. I'm all about the quick and the cool.

Which is how I came to this dessert. No cooking required. None. Nada. It is so easy. So simple. And so good. It is seriously delicious!! I think it is the perfect emergency dessert. Tins of condensed milk will sit happily in the pantry. And I always have yoghurt and oranges in the house. I'm so happy I found this recipe.

This recipe comes from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros - which is by the way Book #31 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is one of my all time favourite cookbooks. You only have to browse through my blog to see that. I have made dozens of its recipes and there are dozens more I want to try. It's like this book was written just for me!!

Greek Yoghurt with Condensed Milk and Oranges
(adapted from Like Apples for Jam)

100ml sweetened condensed milk
300gm natural Greek yoghurt
2 oranges
juice and finely grated rind of 1 small orange

Slice the skin from the oranges and slice into large wheels.

Mix together the condensed milk, half the rind and 4 tablespoons of juice. Slowly mix into the yoghurt.

Cover and put into the fridge for a few hours until it is soft creamy pudding.

Serve with a few orange slices, a dollop of yoghurt, a sprinkling of rind and a dribbling of juice.

Chocolate Raspberry and Lemon Meringue Ice Cream

2009-01-20T18:06:00.001+11:00

I thought I would continue the ice cream theme from my previous post and talk about a couple of other flavours that I have been indulging in. The first is an old favourite that I make on the merest of excuses - lemon meringue ice cream. The second is chocolate raspberry, but more on that later.

I think I've mentioned here before my strange non-love of lemon meringue pie. I love all the individual components but put them all together and somehow I go all....meh. It's a totally different story with this ice cream version. I love the sharp cool tang of the lemon and the crunchy sweetness of the meringue.

The recipe is from Delia Smith - one of my absolute favourite English cookbook authors. In my view she is unsurpassed when it comes to puddings and desserts (see for exampe here).

Delia suggests using shop bought meringues (which are harder and therefore less likely to dissolve) and actually incorporating them into the ice cream. I prefer to make my own and serve them alongside. Delia also has an excellent recipe for meringues which I use. It all works beautifully because it allows you to use up egg whites left over from the ice cream.

I serve this in a number of ways depending on the occasion and my mood. Sometimes I just serve a scoop on top of a nest meringue like so.

On very informal occasions (like at a barbecue for example) I serve a scoop encrusted with meringue in a cone like so.

When I really want to go all out I make a lemon meringue ice cream eton mess. Basically, I fill a glass with spoonfuls of the lemon ice cream, broken meringue, whipped cream and strawberries. Like so. I swear this is so delicious it should almost be illegal.

I seem to recall mentioning somewhere above a chocolate raspberry ice cream. Well, this is also a seriously delicious treat. I love the combination of chocolate and raspberry. Somehow the sharpish tang of raspberry is the perfect offset to chocolate.

For this recipe I turned to Mr Ice Cream Reliable David Lebovitz and The Perfect Scoop. If I had one minor minor criticism it is that there was a slight gritty texture to this ice cream. I presume from using cocoa for the chocolate flavour. Most other chocolate ice creams I have tried have used melted chocolate. It's a very small thing because the flavour is just fantastic.

So there you have it. Two very different ice cream experiences. Both delicious and both lots of fun. That's what ice cream is all about - at least for me.

Chocolate-Raspberry Ice Cream
(adapted from The Perfect Scoop)

1 1/2 cup thick cream
5 tbspn dutch processed cocoa
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups raspberries

Whisk together the cream, cocoa and sugar. Heat until it come to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the raspberries. Leave to steep for about ten minutes and then puree. Strain to remove the raspberry seeds.

Chill the mixture thoroughly and then freeze in an ice cream maker.

Saffron Rosewater Ice Cream with pistachio and cherries

2009-01-13T20:43:00.000+11:00

After months of false starts Summer is well and truly here at long last. You have to fight for a spot at the pool, a steady program of barbecue events is underway and the TV schedule is immersed in cricket and tennis. I love love love this time of year.

As well as all of the above, one of my favourite summer things to do is make ice cream. For me ice cream is like a canvas, open to a mind numbing array of flavour, colour and textural combinations. I love to experiment. The problem is that I also want to indulge in all my old favourites (chocolate sour cream, lemon meringue, choc mint, rocky road, coconut, lemon cheesecake - I could go on for forever). It all adds up to a lot of ice cream. Fortunately for my waistline, I have plenty of friends who are happy to take a share of it off my hands.

While I am always happy to experiment by my own little self, I also keep a vigilant lookout for interesting recipes and ideas from elsewhere. So when I stumbled across this recipe for saffron rosewater ice cream I knew I would be trying it out. I love Middle Eastern flavours, and this ice cream is just the epitome.

I was intrigued with how saffron would settle into an ice cream. I was worried that it would either be overpowering or simply disappear altogether. As it happened, this recipe is wonderfully balanced. The saffron comes through as a subtle undertone to the rosewater flavour. The crunch of the pistachios and the tang of cherries (I used bottled cherries) adds a lovely contrast.

Having said all that I liked this ice cream in small doses only. A spoonful or two is thoroughly enjoyable. Any more than that and it just all becomes too much. So I was thinking a better idea may be to serve just a spoonful or two of this ice cream alongside a scoop of plain cherry or pistachio.

Come to think of it, I have never tried a cherry ice cream. That is definitely one for the drawing board.

Challenge Book #29 and #30 - Spicy Butter and Potato Swirls

2009-01-08T21:45:00.001+11:00

When I was a tutor at University I always knew when one of my students was coming in to ask for an extension. There was a certain walk and nervous twitching of the eye that gave them away every time. Well that is me right now. My left eye is going crazy.

I had set a deadline of 23 February for the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This was a year from the date of my original resolution. However, the months I have had to spend out of the kitchen has now well and truly put me behind. I'm only about half way through. Plus I also have a stack of cookbooks given as birthday, christmas and get well presents to add to the mix. So I have decided to give myself to the middle of the year - 30 June.

And so now to get on with it - Book #29 Coming Home by John Burton Race and Book #30 Popular Potato Recipes from Family Circle.

I loved the TV series French Leave. I used to watch it green with envy. I mean spending a year in the French countryside eating fantastic food and playing in village boule tournaments. It would be too wonderful for words. I also enjoyed the follow up series Coming Home. A bit less so when all Mr Burton Race's grubby behaviour came to light. Those children did not deserve that.

Anyway, I snapped up Coming Home in a second hand store quite a few years ago. I had only ever gotten around to trying the shortbread recipe. It was quite nice. But I decided to go for something really different and decided to try the recipe for spicy butter to be served with steak.

The butter is not hard to make, but the list of ingredients is long and involved. It takes longer to gather them all together than actual cooking time.

As for the end result, well it was quite nice. I can't say I was blown away or anything. It was just nice. And I think the whole guilt thing kind of tarnished the experience. There I was with a perfectly nice piece of healthy lean steak and I was liberally smothering it in butter. It kind of went against the grain. I prefer any overindulgent intake of saturated fat to be conveniently hidden away from me in pastry or some other discreet vehicle.

To go with the steaks I decided to make some potato swirls. They sounded great - mashed potato mixed with parmesan and mustard. These were a bit disappointing. Somehow they turned out a bit dry.

Still they sound so promising I will try them again. If at first you don't succeed yada yada yada.

Spicy Butter
(adapted from Coming Home)

250gm unsalted butter
1 sprig thyme
1/2 bay leaf
1 sprig tarragon
2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
30ml white wine
1 tspn madras curry paste or powder
30gm parsely, finely chopped
1 tspn capers, chopped
3 small gherkins, chopped
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
2 large egg yolks
1 pinch cayenne pepper
juice 1/4 lemon
salt and pepper

Beat the butter until it is soft and white. Finely chop the leaves from the thyme sprig and the bay leaf. Blanch the tarrgon leaves in boiling water for 10 seconds. Refresh in cold water. Cry on kitchen paper and finely chop.

Melt a spoonful of the butter and fry the sallots and garlic for about 5 minutes. Watch that they do not colour. Add the wine and boil until it is completely evaporated. Stir in the curry paste/powder and cook for 2 minutes.. Add the thyme and bay leaf. Remove from the heat and cool.

Add the parsely, capers, gherkins, anchovies and tarragon to the beaten butter. Beat together. Add the egg yolks one at a time, then the cayenne and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and add the shallot mixture. Beat together.

Use 1 tbspn for a 200gm steak. Pan fry steaks. Place on a baking sheet and top with the butter. Put under a grill to glaze. The butter will melt and turn golden.

Potato Swirls
(adapted from Popular Potato Recipes)

4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tspn dry mustard
freshly ground pepper

Cook potatoes in boiling water. Drain and mash and leave to cool slightly.

Beat yolks, cream, cheese and mustard together. Beat yolk mixture into the potatoes. Seaon with pepper to taste.

Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe swirls onto a tray. Bake in a 210C oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Triple Choc Cranberry Oatmeal Biscuits

2009-01-03T21:30:00.004+11:00

It's a new year. Everywhere I look people are reviewing the year that was. Making resolutions for the year to come. I just can't be bothered with all that. Due to some health issues last year pretty much stank on a personal level. So I am just going to forget it ever happened. 2008, what?? Next year can't help but be better. I figure all I have to do is just get on with it.

And these biscuits turned out to be the perfect start. They are so, so good. Oatmeal, three types of choc chunks and cranberries. Sweet and tangy and YUMMY!!! The trick seems to be in using fresh cranberries. It adds that extra something in both taste and texture.

I found this recipe in amongst Epicurious's 25 days of Christmas cookies. Oh my goodness, I was just drooling over one cookie after another. Talk about spoilt for choice!! I would love to have the time and energy to bake and ice my own cookie decorations. So very Martha Stewartesque. Maybe next year. But probably not.

Hope you have a great 2009!!!

Rich Shortbreads

2008-12-30T14:38:00.001+11:00

Like any blogger I take a keen interest in the visitors to my blog. In particular, how people find me. A lot arrive through google or some other search engine. The keywords people use are endlessly interesting. Some make me wonder what is going on in their lives. Like the person who googled 'can jelly keep an egg from cracking'. Just what were they wanting to do with this egg? The mind boggles.

Then of course 'KJ' has an unfortunate association with certain kind of lubricant jelly. I imagine those people don't find much use for my recipes for banana cake and biscuits. Or maybe they do - who knows? The world is a strange place.

But what amazes me most of all is the number of people who are looking for Jamie Oliver's shortbread recipe. I blogged about this over two years ago. But this accounts for a full one-third of the keywords that have lead to my site. There were five people looking for this just yesterday. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as it is labelled as the 'world's best shortbread' after all. Jamie Oliver just can't help himself.

I however respectfully disagree. When it comes to shortbread this is far and away my favourite.

This rich shortbread recipe has been our family Christmas shortbread recipe for as long as I can remember. Incredibly light and tender it melts in the mouth. Half the batch always gets dipped in dark chocolate, which makes it even richer and extra delicious. Yum!!!

This was the shortbread I had in hand when my oven kicked up it's toes two days before Christmas. Thankfully, the electrician returned as promised and all was well. The shortbread dough did not seem to suffer from a night in the fridge. And we got to enjoy an incredibly tender and juicy cut of pickled marinated five spice pork for Christmas lunch. It was so good!! A perfect Christmas.

Rich Shortbread

250gm butter
4 tbspn icing sugar
1 cup cornflour
3/4 cup plain flour
1 tspn vanilla

Have the butter at room temperature. Cream the butter and icing sugar. Add the sifted flour and cornflour. Mix in the vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Place the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm star tube. Pipe onto lightly greased oven trays,in shapes about 5 cm long.

Bake 180C oven for 12-15 minutes. Leave to cool for a few minutes and then remove to a wire rack. If desired, melt some dark chocolate over a double boiler and dip half the biscuits to half way. Leave to set.

Rumballs and a Christmas Crisis

2008-12-23T20:46:00.005+11:00

My oven has been a faithful old soul. With nary a murmur of complaint it has journeyed with me through countless cakes, tarts, pies, biscuits, casseroles and roast dinners. We've had the odd falling out over burnt biscuits and rare roast chickens, but overall it's been a happy partnership. Until last night that is, when my devoted culinary retainer turned it's toes up and died.

I had just launched a major baking sesssion when this catastrophe came to light. There I stood with a tray full of carefully tended shortbread dough in one hand and a handful of hair in the other. No amount of twiddling with knobs, jiggling of elements or good old swearing could coax a celsius of heat from the thing.

And this was two days before Christmas. TWO DAYS!!!!

First thing this morning I started some serious finger walking through the yellow pages. And low and behold an electrician, otherwise known as the nicest man on earth, appeared on my doorstep late this afternoon. Fingers, toes and everything else crossed he will be back tomorrow with a new element. The family may yet be spared cold ham and raw stuffing.

If the worst comes to the worst I plan to buy them off with these rumballs.

They are a family tradition going back as far as I can remember. They have always been there. I just love them. They are made with wheet bix which gives them a great texture. I hate heavy mushy rumballs made from biscuits.

They are kinda messy to make, as the mixture has tendency to stick to fingers. But that is part of their fun. I always add a dash more rum as well. Just to give them that extra something something.

I can't wait for Christmas Day just to tuck into these!!!

Merry Christmas everyone

Rumballs

8 wheet bix1 cup sultanas, chopped

1 can condensed milk

2 tbspn cocoa

1 tbspn rum

dessicated coconut

Crumble the wheet bix with your fingers or a rolling pin. Mix in the remaining ingredients except the coconut.

Roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls. Roll in the coconut. Store in the refrigerator.

Challenge Book #28 - Lemon Mousse

2008-12-17T10:35:00.001+11:00

These are a just a few reasons why I love summer so much. I'm up to my little pink ears in sweet juicy peaches and nectarines. Not to mention the cherries, apricots and strawberries. I'm in heaven!!!!!

As far as I am concerned there is no better summer dessert - perfectly ripe sweet stone fruit or berries served just as they are. I never ever cook them because I simply cannot improve on perfection. I could cry when I watch TV chefs, usually the english ones, take a bowl full of glossy sweet perfect berries and turn them into a stew. Oh the humanity!!!

But there are times when I want to look as if I've made a bit of an effort, other than just visiting the markets. So I am always on the lookout for gorgeous light desserts. At the end of a hot day nobody wants to plough their way through a pudding. All that's needed is a gentle hit of sweetness.

Which is how I came to make this lemon mousse. It met the criteria perfectly. Pity it was absolutely awful. This was all my own fault, of course. It is based on a kind of lemon curd mixture that is lightened with egg whites. Which would be fine if I had actually read the recipe and added the egg yolks to the curd. What I ended up with was a thin liquid curd that tasted of butter. When mixed the egg whites and cooled, it separated out a bit and went all kinda grainy. Not nice!!!

I don't know what I was thinking. I wanted egg yolks to make ice cream, so I think my mind just blanked out the whole egg yolk thing to make me happy. Which worked wonderfully well right up until I tasted my mousse.

So if you like aerated vaguely lemony flavoured butter, then you'll love my mousse. If not try the recipe below, it's probably delicious.

This is by the way Book #28 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge - bills food. I have had this book for years but have really not made much from it. The one thing I can highly recommend is the recipe for buttermilk cake with raspberry syrup - delicious!!!!

Lemon Mousse
(adapted from bills food)

4 eggs, separated
60ml lemon juice
zest 3 lemons
185gm castor sugar
150gm unsalted butter

Mix together zest, sugar, juice and yolks in the top of a double boiler. Stir over a low heat for about ten minutes until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Slowly stir in the cubes of butter.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Carefully fold into the lemon mixture with a metal spoon.

Spoon into glasses and refrigerate until firm.

Simple Banana Cake

2008-12-09T14:44:00.011+11:00

I find it hard to properly regulate my banana buying at the moment. I buy a few and suddenly I can't get enough of them. I then buy a big bunch and the thought of eating them makes me feel positively sick. Illness can do funny things to your appetite.

Typically, once bananas start getting long in the tooth I throw them into the freezer with the promise that I will do something with them soon. This is all very well, but as usual, I do not quite get around to it and so their population builds at a rabbit like rate.

Last week I realised that I had frozen bananas in plague proportions. The freezer was so fed up with the situation that it had taken to hurling them at my toes every time I was silly enough to open the door.

What else was there to do but to make a banana cake. I have only ever used one recipe for banana cake - Simple Banana Cake in Stephanie Alexander's Cook's Companion. It's such a good recipe I have never had to look elsewhere.

It's hard to beat banana cake. Not only is it delicious there's also that illusion of healthiness - after all it's full of fruit which is full of fibre and vitamins and all that. I choose to believe.

Simple Banana Cake

(adapted from Cook's Companion)

125gm unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
few drops vanilla
250gm plain flour
1 tspn bicarbonate soda
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn cinnamon
1/8 tspn ground allspice
1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup milk with 1 tspn lemon juice

Butter and flour a 20cm square cake tin, then line the base with baking paper.

Cream butter and sugar and then beat in eggs, banana and vanilla. Sift the dry ingredients and add to the mixture, alternating with the milk or buttermilk.

Spoon into tin and bake in a 180C oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for a few minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.

Chocolate Pistachio Apricot Spice Cake

2008-11-10T13:51:00.010+11:00

There's nothing like a good spell in hospital to make you appreciate the simple things in life. Just walking down the street feeling the warmth of the sun and a fresh breeze across your face is heavenly. This is the situation I found myself in last week.

Then of course there is the food. I have to say that the meals were not bad, but institutional cooking is institutional cooking. It can never match up to home cooked food.

And given that I was feeling so much better, one of the first things I wanted to do was get into the kitchen and do some baking. Together, this all added up to a cake. A cake to celebrate was definitely in order.

This was the end result - a pistachio almond and apricot cake studded with chunks of chocolate and spiced with cardamom and vanilla. I spotted the recipe in the weekend paper a few months back. It's been on my mind ever since. It just sounded so so good.

And it is. Lovely and soft and moist. Rich with complex flavours. And simple to make to boot. A perfect homecoming.

Chocolate Pistachio Apricot Spice Cake
(adapted from The Sun Herald)

100gm pistachios
100gm slivered almonds
165gm butter
100gm caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
100gm dried apricots, finely sliced
150gm dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 tspn ground cardamom
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 190C. Grease and line a 25cm round cake tin.

Process two thirds of the nuts until finely ground. Roughly chop remaining nuts by hand.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale. Add egg yolks one at a time, then stir in both ground and chopped nuts, apricots, chocolate, cardamom and vanilla seeds.

Whisk egg whites with the salt in a stainless steel bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture.

Pour into the tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

When cool dust with icing sugar and serve with thick cream.

Iced Lychee and Mint Drink

2008-10-30T17:39:00.000+11:00

Oh hai!! My name is Smeagol. I lives with my hoomin across the road from KJ. I wants to be a LOL cat, but is very hard. Too much competitions. So KJ says if I want, I can go on her blog to be on the interwebs. So here I is.

First I says something about meh. Den KJ asks me to introduce recipe for hoomin food.

Name: Smeagol as I says.

Age: Dunno akshually. I's not a kitten and I's not a senior cat. I's somewhere in betweens.

Favourite things: Jumping up onto da roof. Is very high. I hangs my paws over the gutter and watch KJ jumpin and yellin. She so funny. I just laff and laff.

Snoozin' on da neighbours BMW. Is most comfy car in da street. He's always yellin. I dunno why.

Poles. I likes gliding against poles. Is my thing. This one my favourite. Is nice.

Things I no like: Hoomins pattin meh on da head. On left cheek and behind right ear is OK. Else, hands off the kitteh.

Dat big black kitteh that lives down da road. I hate him.

Now for the recipe. Is a drink akshually - Iced Lychee and Mint. I no know what dat is. But is pretty colour - no!!!.

Thank Smeegs. As you can see I am a cat person. I find them intriguing creatures. Take Smeagol here. One day it's all BFF forever and I am showered with love and affection. Next day I am cut dead. She looks at me like I'm some stranger trying to lure her into a car with a bag of sweets. There's no reckoning with that little feline mind.

But there is nothing complicated about this drink. It's a cinch to whip up. Mint is always refreshing. It's fantastic on a long hot day.

Iced Lychee and Mint Drink
(adapted from marie claire Kitchen)

Place 5 lychees and 125ml of syrup (from a tin of lychees in syrup) in a blender. Add 15 large mint leaves, 1 tbspn lime juice and 10 ice cubes.

Blend until smooth. Pour in chilled glasses.

Makes 2 small or 1 large drink.

Pizza with a pastry crust

2008-10-25T18:14:00.009+11:00

First of all, a big thank you to everyone who left such kind encouraging comments in response to my last post. It means a lot to me. I am soldiering on as best I can. Being home from work I get to watch Dr Phil and Masterchef Goes Large, so it's not all bad. But onto my post.

If I wanted to I could walk out my door right and enjoy an authentic meal from any number of countries around the world. This is light years away from my childhood. Growing up in a small country town there was a choice of various clubs and pubs serving steaks and sausages, the fish and chip shop and a lonely chinese restaurant that served glow in the dark sweet and sour pork. Plus my parents were homebodies and eating out was a rare treat that was reserved for birthdays.

As a result my idea of international dishes was whatever my Mother served up. A far as I was concerned curry was flavoured from a little tin and always had sultanas in it, fried rice had pineapple and pizza was made with pastry.

While my family has gladly left most of these behind, we have grimly hung onto our pastry pizza. Because we all really love it. The pastry is really light and melting and to my mind really complements traditional pizza ingredients.

The source of the pastry recipe is long forgotten, but my Mum thinks is might be a Margaret Fulton recipe. Margaret Fulton was the pioneer for cookbook writing in Australia and has had a huge influence on our food culture.

The pizza sauce recipe came stuck to the pizza tray my Mum bought back in the early 1970s. There's never been any reason to update it because it's a really good sauce.

The topping was always sliced up kabana sausage and grated cheddar cheese. There was no such thing as mozarella or pepperoni in our town. But really any topping you chose would be good.

I am not sure how to describe kabana sausage. I think it's a peculiarly Australian thing. It's very long and thin and red. It's kind of like a cabanossi. I have no idea what kind of meat it's made from. Apparently, it's beef and pork but it could be anything. It's best not to ask those kind of questions I find. You generally find it sliced up and served cold with cheese and jatz biscuits as an appetizer at parties and barbecues.

Anyway, put all that together and you get an unorthodox but delicious pizza. I promise!!!!!

Pizza Pastry Crust

1 cup self raising flour
1 cup plain flour
1/2 tspn paprika
4 oz butter
1 tbspn lemon juice
3 tbspn cold water
pinch salt

Put flour into the bowl of a food processor, add butter and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over water and lemon juice and mix to a firm dough. Knead lightly.

roll out on a lightly floured board. Fit to two 12" pizza trays. Cover with filling. Bake in a 200C oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden and cooked.

Pizza Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tbspn olive oil
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 tspn sugar
1 clove garlic
1 can tomato paste
1 tspn dried oregano
1 bayleaf
dash pepper

Saute onions in the olive oil. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer, stirring often until thick.

Challenge Book #27 - Strawberry Cream Butterfly Cakes

2008-10-15T14:49:00.001+11:00

I'm not sure how to approach this other than to just say - that right now I am dealing with some substantial health issues. All I really want to say is that it is not life threatenening, but it is hard and while the end is far away it will all be over eventually. I just have to get through it.

When this all began I blithely thought that my baking and cooking and blogging could just continue on - it would be a refuge and a solace. It hasn't quite worked out that way. It's been harder and harder to get into the kitchen, both physically and mentally. In a way, it's been one of the worst things about this whole ordeal - slowly losing something you love - your normal life just slipping away.

So anyway, I will continue to post what I can, when I can. But it may not be often and it may not always be great. I have also resigned from the Daring Bakers for now. I just can't commit to a regular baking schedule and it wouldn't be fair for the group. I still try to visit my favourite blogs. Even if I don't comment often I'm still blown away by all the great food that is being posted.

But enough of that. Onto a brighter note, I did make these strawberry cream butterfly cakes a few weeks back. I didn't make them for any particular reason. I just wanted to make something pretty to cheer myself up. I picked lots of bright cheerful flowers to decorate the plate. Then I poured a big glass of milk, sat myself down in a nice sunny spot and ate away. Life became a much better place.

Generally, when I make cupcakes I use the excellent Vanilla Vanilla cupcake recipe I first discovered on Stephanie's lovely blog A Whisk and a Spoon. But for these I decided to test another recipe from Marie Claire Kitchen for my KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge.

I'm glad I did because this is a great cupcake recipe. I do not like dense, heavy cupcakes - especially for butterfly cakes. In my view, they should be light and fluffy. These fit the bill perfectly. They are as soft and airy as I think cake can get. And very basic to make. I was just delighted

Not having the energy for buttercream or anything too elaborate. I simply whipped some cream and mixed in some finely diced fresh strawberries to make the filling. A little drop of strawberry preserves at the based of the cake before piling on the cream also added a little extra taste sensation.

This is Challenge Book #27 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. I have generally used this book for its great basic recipes. It also has some great drinks recipes - I can particularly recommend this cheesecake shake. It is scrumptious.

Vanilla Cupcakes
(adapted from Marie Claire Kitchen)

175 gm unsalted butter
175 gm caster sugar
3 eggs
125 ml milk
1 tspn vanilla extract
175 gm self raising flour

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla extract. The mixture may look slightly curdled at this stage, but that's okay.

Sift the self raising flour and fold in.

Spoon the mixutre into patty cases and bake for 15-20 minutes in a 180C oven.

KJ Wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge - Second Quarterly Review

2008-10-06T15:56:00.018+11:00

As you may or may not know, on 1 March this year I made a resolution. I would not buy a single new cookbook until I made at least one recipe from every cookbook I already own. All 52 of them. If I am good, I can buy myself a new mixer. Namely a Kitchen Aid (yipeeeee!!).

Anyway, now that I am at the the halfway way mark I thought it was time for another quarterly recap. The first quarterly recap can be seen here. I am still really enjoying this challenge. I have tried so many new things.

The highlight for this quarter was definitely the cha sui bao and the ginger lemon eton mess. YUM.

Again a big thanks to everyone who has left such kind and encouraging comments. I am simply delighted that anyone visits my blog and I love hearing any thoughts, advice or feedback.

Here is a brief overview.

Challenge Book #14 - cha sui pork adapted from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen.

Surprisingly easy and delicious to boot.

Challenge Book #15 - Cha sui bao adapted from A Little Taste of China.

Yummy, yummy, yum!!! So tasty and delicious.

Challenge Book #16 - Raspberry Chocolate Lattice Slice adapted from Care for Kids Morning Tea Recipes Charity Cookbook.

A rediscovered old favourite. As good as I always remembered.

Challenge Book #17 - Lovely Lemon Curdy Pud adapted from Happy Days with the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver.

A good old fashioned favourite. Tangy and lemony and comforting.

Challenge Book #18 - Ginger Lemon Eton Mess adapted from Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver.

Just divine!!!!

Book #19 - Chocolate Custard Tarts adapted from bills Open Kitchen by Bill Granger.

Crisp buttery pastry and soft deeply chocolaty custard. So good!!!

Challenge Book #20 - Marshmallow Clouds adapted from Mrs Fields Cookie Book by Debbi Fields.

Not the most beautiful looking biscuits, but do they taste good or what!!!

Challenge Book #21 - Pineapple Tea Cake adapted from Day to Day Cookery by some miser or other.

A cake and a book to be avoided at all costs.

Challenge Book #22 - Small cheese pies adapted from The Best Traditional Recipes of Greek Cookery.

Easy, quick and delicious.

Challenge Book #23 - Chocolate Melting Moments and Passionfruit Butter Yo Yo Bites adapted from Wicked by the Australian Women's Weekly.

Biscuits which are both easy and oh so elegant. The best of both worlds.

Challenge Book #24 - Maple Banana Porridge adapted from Sydney Food by Bill Granger.

A bit of a revelation - great tasting porridge.

Challenge Book #25 - Zucchini Slice adapted from Care for Kids Easy Meals Charity Cookbook.

A great budget classic. Packed with taste and it's actually on the healthier side of cooking.

Challenge Book #26 - Cabinet Pudding adapted from Home Collection Desserts by Le Cordon Bleu.

Another english classic. A quick and simple dessert.

And here is a sneak peek of Challenge Book #27. Stay tuned.

Challenge Book #26 - Cabinet Puddings

2008-10-01T14:49:00.000+10:00

I love computor effects. My parent's computor has all these great ones. I've spent ages churning out Andy Warhol inspired cucumbers and all kinds of things. This is one of my favourites - pen and charcoal. I think it has done wonders for this cabinet pudding.

Not that the pudding is not worthy in itself. Cabinet pudding is a traditional English dessert of baked custard studded with liquer soaked cake, sultanas and cherries. They came about as a way to use up left over stale cake.

But, what is it with the English and stale baked goods? There seem to be endless traditional recipes for using up old cake and bread, which suggests that they were constantly having to deal with the stuff - trifle, bread and butter pudding, summer puddings, stuffing, bread sauce. It says good things about their thriftiness, but you would have thought that they would have learned to regulate the quantity of their baking at some point or other. Oh dear Henry, those ten loaves of bread and five cakes I baked yesterday are just sitting there going to waste, whatever shall I do with them?

Anyway, back to these puddings. They are very simple, very quick and quite delicious. Just the thing when you are caught out for a dessert and you just happen to have some stale cake knocking about :} I think you could add any number of flavourings - maybe some ginger, some mixed peel, some cinnamon and nutmeg. I think they would be very adaptable. I used brandy rather than kirsch. And I didn't use quite the quantities of cherries, currants and sultanas outlined in the recipe. I think it is a bit much, but I have included the proportions from the printed recipe here. It's a question of personal taste.

This recipe is by the way, from Challenge Book #26 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge - Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection Desserts. My Mum gave me this book a few years back. She also bought a copy for herself and for my sister. None of us have ever made anything from it until now. A bit of a travesty really. I should make better use of such gifts.

Cabinet Puddings
(adapted from Home Collection Desserts)

100gm sponge cake
1 tbspn glace cherries, chopped
2 tbspn currants
3 tbspn sultanas
3 tspn kirsch
2 eggs
1 1/2 tbspn caster sugar
1/2 tspn vanilla
250ml milk
exra caster sugar

Lighly grease four 160ml moulds or ramekins with softened butter. Coat with the extra caster sugar.

Cut the sponge into small cubes and mix in a bowl with the cherries, sultanas and currants. Pour over the kirsch, toss and leave to soak for a few minutes. Divice the cake and fruit mixture between the moulds.

Beat the eggs lightly and whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Warm the milk to just below boiling point. Whisk the egg mixture and as you do so, slowly pour in the milk. Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over a gentle heat. Stir until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Half fill a baking or ovenproof dish with water and place the moulds inside. Gently pour the custard into each of the moulds.

Bake for 1 hour in a 150C oven or until puddings are just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before turning out. Serve with custard or cream.

Crisp Coconut Biscuits

2008-09-26T15:19:00.003+10:00

These are good biscuits. Even ornamental turtles struggle to resist them! So it stands to reason that I can't be expected to either, right. Right? Is that a yes I hear. I'm sure it was. Oh good, I can go and have another one or three in good conscience then. Be right back!

Right, here I am showering crumbs everywhere.

There is always a batch of home baked biscuits in my parents house. They are an essential component of the afternoon ritual - sitting out on the verandah with a nice cup of tea watching the world go by.

When it came to this week's baking session, I got to choose. My Mum has dozens of recipe books devoted to biscuits. Even she is a bit bewildered by this plethora. She can't quite account for how they all got there. Especially given that she really only bakes the same old favourites over and over again.

Out of this mega-choice I pondered monte carlos, neenish, passionfruit creams. I was on the verge of nominating viennese shortbreads when I did an about turn and selected probably the simplest of biscuits - crisp coconut. The reason was quite simple, these biscuits are a part of my childhood. There always seemed to be some of these in our house when I was growing up. But they somehow fell out of favour many years ago. It's odd how that happens. I guess we are always moving on - even in our biscuit choices.

One of the things I like about them is the crisp sugar coating. They are by no means fancy, these biscuits. But it just makes them that extra bit special somehow.

They are simplicity to make. The best kind of biscuits. Maximum return for minimal effort.

Crisp Coconut Biscuits
(adapted from The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits)

125gm butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg
2 cups SR flour
pinch salt
1 cup dessicated coconut
extra sugar

Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg, add sifted flour, salt and coconut. Roll into balls and press flat between your hands. Dip top side into the extra sugar.

Place on greased oven tray sugar side up. Bake in 220C oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Cocoa Sesame Biscuits

2008-09-19T19:33:00.012+10:00

This post is bought to you from warm, sunny Queensland where I am visiting my parents. It is so nice to be away from Canberra. There the weather is slowly creaking towards thinking about perhaps warming up a bit. Here it is actually warm. After so many months it is just heavenly to walk outside without bracing yourself for that initial blast of cold. Not to mention the feeling of actually being warm right to your bones. Such bliss!!!

A visit to my parents inevitably involves a slew of baking. This recipe caught my eye from among my Mum's moutain of cookbooks and recipes. I have never thought of trying sesame and chocolate together, so I was kind of intrigued by these biscuits.

As it turns out they are very nice. I won't lie and say they are my favourite biscuits ever. But they are actually quite good. There is one thing though, you can't really eat to many. Which is probably a good thing, right. Sesame seeds are quite rich and they are definitely a feature of these biscuits.

Cocoa Sesame Biscuits
(adapted from Biscuits and Slices Step by Step)

3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup sesame seeds
3/4 caster sugar
100gm unsalted butter
2 tbspn golden syrup*
1 tbspn boiling water
1 tspn bicarbonate soda
185gm chocolate melts, melted

Sift flour and cocoa together. Stir in the oats, seeds and sugar.

Combine the butter and syrup in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until butter is melted.
Pour the boiling water into a small bowl and add the bicarbonate soda. Add to the butter syrup. Using a metal spoon fold the mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until well combined.

Place level tablespoons of the mix onto a lined baking tray and flatten slightly. Bake for 12 minutes in a 160C oven. Leave to cool for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Spread a teaspoon of melted chocolate onto each biscuit.

* This is an Australian recipe. 1 Australian tablespoon = 4 teaspoons. 1 US tablespoon = 3 teaspoons.

Challenge Book #25 - Zucchini Slice

2008-09-08T16:20:00.001+10:00

Today's post is being brought to you from a very prestigious location - the National Library of Australia. This is one of my favourite places. It's a quiet and comfy place to just sit and read papers and journals from all over the world or just have a bit of a think. There are always interesting exhibits and I just love the thought of all that fascinating history tucked away in the archives - everything from Captain Cook's Endeavour Journal to junk mail (collected as Australian ephemera).

I'm not sure that the recipe quite lives up to this auspiciousness (if it's not a word it should be!). Zucchini slice is a very everday budget kind of dish. It was a very regular feature of my student and early working life when money was tight and cooking was less than a priority. But I still make it every now and then because it is just so damn tasty.

It's basically a crustless quiche/omelette kind of a dish. Light and fluffy egg studded with zucchini, bacon, onion and cheese. It's generally served with a green salad. Just delicious. It takes no time at all to make. Which makes it perfect for those annoying middle of the week dinners when you just do not want to bother. I don't know about you, but by the time it gets to about Wednesday night I am looking for the easiest of easy options.

I have long lost my old student recipe for this dish, so I now rely on my Mum's recipe which was printed in the Care for Kids Easy Meals Cookbook - a charity fundraiser for the local hospital dating from about fifteen years ago. Which is by the way, Challenge Book #25 in the KJ Wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge (sorry I don't have a photo for this one). This a pretty universal recipe here in Australia - demonstrated by the fact that there are three versions of it in this cookbook alone. Variations include adding red capsicum, grated carrot or french onion soup mix.

Zucchini Slice
(adapted from Care for Kids Easy Meals Cookbook)

5 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup diced bacon
1 grated onion
400gm grated zucchini

Mix all the ingredients together. Pour into a well buttered pie or quiche dish. Bake in a 180C oven for about 50 minutes or until it is cooked through (a skewer should come out clean and it should be all puffed and golden). Leave to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

If I Could Kick Myself I Would

2008-09-05T14:13:00.003+10:00

Dear friends in food,

Due to some techinical difficulties (otherwise known as dropping a heavy object from a great height onto a laptop screen) posting here will be intermittent for a while. I will also struggle to visit my other favourite blogs, which makes me very sad.

Hopefully, normal service will resume shortly (friendly local IT expert and bank balance willing).

cheers
KJ

Daring Bakers: Chocolate Eclairs

2008-08-31T14:39:00.001+10:00

The Daring Bakers have struck again. This time it is chocolate eclairs.

My efforts this month were very rushed. As is this post. Life is just like this sometimes.

The rule was that we must make use of at least one of a chocolate sauce recipe or chocolate custard recipe. I chose the chocolate sauce and then decided to use a canolli filling - ricotta, pistachio, stem ginger and finely chopped chocolate. I found the recipe here.

Overall, they came out very well. For some reason half the eclairs on each tray collapsed after taking them out of the oven. Which I found very odd. It's not as if their cooking conditions could be that different to their fellow traymates.

If you wish to see more eclairs a few million more can be found through the Daring Baker Blogroll. Thanks to Meeta and Tony for a great challenge. The full recipe can be found on their blogs (shortly if not already).

Challenge Book #24 - Maple Banana Porridge

2008-08-26T18:58:00.002+10:00

If anyone has any ideas about how to take a good photo of porridge, please let me know!! It just does not lend itself to aesthetics. It's beige and kinda lumpy and formless. The only thing I could think to do was focus on a spoon.

Just as well it tastes so much better than it looks. I found the recipe for this - Maple Banana Porridge - in Sydney Food by Bill Granger. I've only ever eaten plain old traditional porridge - a dash of milk with a sprinkling of brown sugar. I've never really thought that it could be anything else. It's just one of those functional foods that you never really think much about. So this flavoured porridge was a real revelation to me - pleasantly but not overly sweet with a delicious banana flavour.

Bill serves his porridge with buttered apples. But who can be bothered with all that first thing in the morning? I simply diced up some fresh apple. I think it went rather well. It added a lovely bit of texture, crunch and flavour. Really I think you can use any fruit you wish.

Sydney Food is book number #24 in the KJ Wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. I love Bill Granger's cookbooks. I have quite a few. Strangely though, despite the fact that he is an Australian chef, I have never seen his TV show. It is only shown on pay TV and I am too stingy to shell out for Foxtel. Anyway I watch too much TV as it is, without another 30 channels to waste my time over.

Banana Maple Porridge
(adapted from Sydney Food)

1 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup milk
pinch salt
1 tbspn (4 tspn) brown sugar*
2 tbspn (8 tspn) maple syrup
1 banana, finely sliced

Place oats and water in a saucepan and leave to sit for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir often until the banana is almost dissolved. Remove from the heat, cover and leave stand for about 10 minutes. Serve with warm milk, some extra maple syrup and additional fruit if you wish.

*This is an Australian recipe. 1 Australian tablespoon = 4 teaspoons. 1 US tablespoon = 3 teaspoons.

Double Chocolate Pudding Parfait

2008-08-21T16:57:00.001+10:00

I am still watching the Olympics. And I'm happily cheering Australia on. Which is actually a bit odd because I have never been particularly patriotic about sport, except when it comes to cricket. There is nothing better than Australia beating England for the Ashes. But generally, I am more interested in the competition than who is winning. I generally think Australia goes way over the top in celebrating sports people and sporting achievements. But here I am kinda joining in, which is kinda disturbing.

But it's not all bad. The sport I have been enjoying the most is volleyball. Not an Australian in sight in this competition. There was a cracking match the other day between Germany and Serbia.

Again this has nothing to do with today's recipe of choice - Double Chocolate Pudding Parfait. I actually made this ages ago and it has been waiting patiently in my archives . I haven't been baking much lately due to some troublesome mouth ulcers. If I can't enjoy the fruits of my baking, the fruits don't get baked.

But the fact that I haven't posted this earlier doesn't mean that it was not good. Because it was. Silky smooth and deeply chocolaty pudding layered with chocolate cream. What's not to love!!!

It's more that I was not so happy with the photos. And I really need to get a full set of matching glasses. A pudding has to work hard to overcome the fact that it's being served in an old jam jar. Small servings are better as it is quite rich. I served one of these between two people. Luckily, we were all good friends and no one minded. I really need to get those glasses.

I found the recipe on Epicurious where it has excellent reviews. Apart from the person who said it was too much work and you're better off with instant mix and cool whip. I try hard not to judge but I did kinda snort at that one.

It's a fairly straightforward recipe. But you need to take a lot of care to avoid lumps. There's nothing worse than hitting on a lump in custards and puddings. I've found that if the pudding mixture starts to stick while its boiling and thickening, it's best just to lower the heat and avoid scraping up the bottom of the pan. If worse comes to worse get out the stick blender and give it a quick whizz before chilling the mixture down.

And now I'm off to watch more volleyball. The USA is about to take on Cuba. Go whoever!!!

Challenge Book #23 - Chocolate Melting Moments and Passionfruit Butter YoYo Bites

2008-08-15T19:33:00.011+10:00

Like the rest of the world I have been watching the Olympics. Australia is coming third on the per capita medal tally (medals per head of population). Yaaaay us!!!! This is, I am sure, a peculiarly Australian way of looking at things. We will always find a way to win.

One thing that has become crystal clear is that there is no sport I would rather play less than water polo. Let's look at the pros and cons.

Cons

1) You're out there in a swimsuit. I mean enough said!!! You do have some consolation in that, unlike beach volleyball, most of you is underwater for a good bit of the match. But still. No!

2) It's just sheer hard work. Treading water for that length of time would just be an exercise in survival. There's not even a prospect of a breather. Let alone worrying about the ball and stuff. I would be outraged that anyone would expect me to score goals as well.

3) People are actively trying to drown you. Not to mention the kicking, clawing and jabbing. I am a delicate little flower. Why not just beat me with a stick on dry land and be done with it!!!

Pros

[...a clock ticks........crickets chirp.........another angel gets its wings]

I rest my case. Not that there is any real option for me to become a world class water polo player or anything. The only chance I have for Olympic glory is if I uncover some long hidden genius for shooting or archery.

At this point, you are no doubt wondering what all this has to do with the biscuits you see before you. Absolutely nothing. I just wanted to get it off my chest. My disdain for rigorous aquatic sports was really weighing me down.

These biscuits are Chocolate Melting Moments. They are well named as they are very soft and light. They are also deeply chocolately without being particularly sweet. Sandwiching them together with nutella adds a nice nuttiness as well.

Whereas these are Passionfruit Butter YoYo bites. Again these are lovely short biscuits. I love anything with passionfruit so these will always be a winner with me.

Both are very quick biscuits with simple and minimal ingredients. You can whip them up at a moments notice and they look so lovely and elegant. At least I think so.

Both recipes are from this book - The Australian Women's Weekly Wicked Sweet Indulgences. This is Challenge Book #23 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. It's aptly named this book. Every page is mouthwatering. There is a particularly wicked cherry ripe mud cake in here that I have been known to make on occassions.

Chocolate Melting Moments
(adapted from Wicked)

125 gm butter
2 tbspn (8 tspn) icing sugar*
3/4 cup plain flour
2 tbspn (8 tspn) cornflour
2 tbspn (8 tspn) cocoa powder
nutella

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift the dry ingredients and stir in.

Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a fluted tube. Pipe rosettes of mixture onto a lined baking tray.

Bake in 180C oven for 10 minutes. Allow biscuits to cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool.

Sandwich with nutella to serve.

Passionfruit Butter YoYo Bites
(adapted from Wicked)

250gm butter
1 tspn vanilla extract
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour

Beat butter, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted dry ingredients.

Roll round teaspoons of mixture into balls. Place on lined baking trays. Dust a fork with a little flour and gently press into the top of each biscuit to flatten slightly.

Bake in a 170C oven for 12 minutes. Allow biscuits to cool on the tray for 5 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack to cool.

Sandwich with passionfruit butter to serve.

Passionfruit Butter

Beat 80gm butter with 2/3 cup icing sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in 1 tbspn (8tspn) of passionfruit pulp.

* This is an Australian recipe. 1 Australian tablespoon = 4 teaspoons. 1 US tablespoon = 3 teaspoons.

Dutch Ginger Cake

2008-08-11T20:40:00.001+10:00

Could you all do me a favour? Can you just imagine that there are some almonds studded into the top of this cake in a nice pretty pattern? And if it's not too much trouble can you make them all nice and toasty and inviting. Taaa. Much appreciated.

Because that would be how this cake would have looked if my Dad hadn't launched one of his devestating snack attacks during his recent visit. My Dad is a nut fiend. He has this uncanny ability to winkle them out of any pantry, no matter how well hidden or long forgotten they are.

It's not just nuts, either, this is a major talent he has. He never shops. He never cooks. But seemingly at a whim, he can wander in a kitchen and extract unimagined delicacies from the meanest of pantries. The high water mark was definitely when, during a late night sugar attack, he zeroed in on a packet of chocolate coated sultanas skulking behind the flour canisters. No chocolate coated sultana has ever gotten past me and lived, so this was like something of a minor miracle. I always imagine that if we were lost in the woods, he would just wander over and pull a whole Yogi Bear style hamper from behind a log or something.

Anyway, back to this cake, almonds or no almonds it is seriously good. It's not really a cake, it's more of shortbready biscuit - buttery and crumbly. Big chunks of ginger make it extra delicious.

It also had the added advantage of being quick and easy. There's nothing to it really.

The recipe came from Maggie Beer who made it on her TV show, The Cook and the Chef. I've spoken before of how much I love Maggie. This cake has just taken her up yet another few notches.

Challenge Book #22 - Small Cheese Pies

2008-08-06T18:03:00.000+10:00

It's time to return to the KJ Wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge (where I have to make a recipe from every book I own before I can buy any new ones) with these Small Cheese Pies.

This time we are visiting Greece. Specifically, in the form of The Best Traditional Recipes of Greek Cookery by author unknown. I bought this book while on holiday in Greece quite a few years back. I loved Greece. My friends and I had a crazy time on the bus system, ending up in all kinds of unexpected places. A couple of times we had to end up hitchhiking because we did or did not get on or off at the wrong or right places. Happy days!!!!

I think this is the first thing I have made from this book. Somehow I have never really delved in Greek food. There are two reasons for this. First, Greek cuisine seems to be heavy on seafood and olives and I cannot stand either. Second, I just cannot get past the few great dishes I have tried and loved. I just go for moussaka every time. It's like it's pre-programed or something, I just cannot help myself.

Then there are cheese pies. When I was in Greece I almost ate the country out of these things. I would search out the nearest bakery type place and emerge with a little greasy bag of happiness - hot crisp buttery pastry, melted cheese, ham or spinach. They were just divine.

So when it came to choosing a recipe from this cookbook, what else was I going to try. In these pies the cheese filling is based on a bechamel sauce and ricotta cheese, seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg. They were good!!

I halved the recipe because it makes a lot. I mean party sized quantities. They were fairly straightforward, although I had to add another 1/3 to 1/2 cup of milk to get a liquid but thick bechamel. Admittedly, this could be from my dodgy mathematical skills in dividing 2.5 by 2. It's possible people. By the time I get halfway through a recipe, I forget that I'm altering it or how I'm altering it and anything can happen.

Forming the pies is also quick and painless. As you can see in the photos below, it's just a question of laying out the strip of pastry, adding a teaspoon of filling at one end, folding the pastry across the filling to form a triangle shape, and then folding forward along each inner edge until no unsealed edges are left. Then just slice off the pastry and then start again at the square end of the remainder of the strip of pastry. Like so.

Too easy!! This is the recipe for the full amount of pies.

Small Cheese Pies
(adapted from The Best Traditional Recipes of Greek Cooking)

1/2 kg of filo pastry
1 cup flour
1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups milk, warmed
350gm feta cheese, crumbled
3 eggs
1 tspn nutmeg
salt and pepper

Melt half the butter and stir in the flour and mix well for about five minutes. Add the warmed milk continuing to stir well. Add more milk if necessary, you should end up with a thick but liquid sauce.

Add the feta cheese, the nutmeg, eggs, salt and pepper to taste. Leave to cool.

Cut the filo pastry into long strips that are 3 inches wide. They can be made smaller, but they are easier to form if they are a bit bigger. Melt the remaining butter. Brush one strip with the butter and place another strip over the top.

Put a teaspoon of filling at one end and fold over into a triangle shape (as above). Place on a baking tray and brush lightly with the melted butter.

Bake in a 180C oven for about 35 minutes.

Brown Windsor Soup

2008-08-01T21:45:00.001+10:00

Here in Canberra, I am suffering the depths of winter. I hate winter. It's cold. I hate being cold. Enough said.

For the last few weeks my parents have been braving this purgatory to visit me. This is quite something given that they have spent their entire lives in warm and tropical Queensland. As compensation, they demanded 1) free reign over the heater, 2) sole custody of the TV remote control while the lawn bowls was on and 3) good food.

I was happy to oblige with one. I coped with two by retreating to the kitchen in order to deliver on three. I can think of nothing more snoreworthy than an afternoon of Jack High.

The requests on the food front came thick and fast, but the longest and loudest was for soup. Lots of hot and steaming soup. It was the perfect excuse to try out a Jamie Oliver recipe I snaffled while waiting endlessly in my doctor's surgery a few weeks back.

It's called a brown windsor soup. Not particularly appetising is it. I don't know about you but any food described as 'brown' just screams bleeech. Which is odd because there are lots of delectable brown coloured foods - chocolate being the prime example.

Not to mention this soup which is quite simply delicious. It's flavour is deep and rich and hearty. No doubt ably assisted by this little number - Vegemite.

As you probably know, Vegemite is a peculiarly Australian staple. Unpalatable to many foreigners but much loved by ourselves. I practically existed on this stuff as a child and I still eat it almost every day. It's usually spread on toast, sandwiches or cracker biscuits, but it can also find its way into gravies, soups, casseroles.

Marmite is an (albeit inferior ;-}) alternative for those in the UK and NZ. However, for those elsewhere, I'm not sure what the options are. There's nothing else quite like Vegemite. Unless it's Promite and you can only get that in Australia as well.

Brown Windsor Soup
(adapted from Delicious Magazine July 2008)

a large knob of butter
olive oil
500g chuck steak, diced
1 tbspn vegemite or marmite
splash worcestershire sauce
1 red onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
sprig of rosemary
1 tbspn plain flour
2 litres beef stock
1/3 cup pearl barley

Melt butter and add olive oil in a large saucepan. Lightly brown the meat and stir in the vegemite and sauce. Turn up the heat and keep stirring until all the liquid has evaporated.

Add the veggies, bay leaf and rosemary. Cover and sweat gently over a low heat for about 8 minutes until the veggies have softened.

Stir in the flour, and after about a minute add the stock. Season with pepper and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Add the barley and cook for about an hour and a quarter, or until soft.

Take the saucepan off the heat and discard the bay leaf and rosemary sprigs.
Whiz the soup with a hand held blender to allow it to thicken. Leave plenty of chunky bits.

Daring Bakers - Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream

2008-07-30T00:05:00.000+10:00

Ring out the Filbert Gateaus it's Daring Baker time. The blogosphere will shortly be awash with hazelnuts, cake, chocolate and buttercream.

If I am perfectly honest I was a teeny bit disappointed to find another layered cake as this month's challenge. There have been quite a few lately. But I should not have doubted this month's host, Chris of Mele Cotte, because this cake is superb.

Yes it was a lot of work. But the end result was worth it. Let's go through the list:

1) hazelnut genoise - light, airy, soft and deliciously nutty
2) sugar syrup - flavoured with cointreau
3) praline buttercream - impossibly smooth, light and strewn with toffeed hazelnuts
4) whipped cream - always a good thing
5) glaze - tangy marmalade laced with cointreau
6) chocolate ganache - deep and rich and chocolatey

I had few problems in making it. The only issue was that the cake was not terribly high. I was convinced that if I tried to cut it into three layers it would crumble into crumbs. So I played it safe and stayed with two. I really need to learn how to do this better because one layer was double the size of the other.

There were no complaints though. Everbody loved it, including me.

The recipe can be found on Chris's blog. If it is not there just yet it will be in the next day or so.

To see a million other delicious versions of this cake, visit the Daring Baker blogroll.

Challenge Book #21 - Pineapple Tea Cake

2008-07-20T10:20:00.001+10:00

This is a photo of a black swan swimming on a lake at the Tidbinbilla nature reserve just outside of Canberra. I took this photo when I was at Tidbinbilla for a picnic a few weeks ago. Australia has the only native black swans in the world. They are also found in New Zealand where they were introduced.

And here is Mum and Dad swan with a selection of their five adorable little babies. I was actually this close to them. I was standing on the edge of a boardwalk and they swam right up to me and then paddled around by the shore. As you can see by the little ones dunking their heads they eat weeds and things found in shallower water.

While I wanted to show off some of Australia's beautiful wild birds, I have an ulterior motive for posting these pics. It's to draw attention away from this cake.

In the normal course of events I wouldn't post it. But I'm kinda stuck by the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. When I started this challenge I knew it would come to this. I was going to have to make something out of this book - Day to Day Cookery (although mine is an earlier edition).

I really don't know how I came to own this. I have a feeling that it was an old home economics textbook of some ancient flatmate. They moved out and conveniently 'forgot' to take it with them. Somehow it gravitated into my belongings.

This always seemed to happen in share houses. There was always a pile of things everybody disclaimed. And a pile of things that everyone would swear was theirs. I had an almost knock down argument over a cake rack once. I won. I've still got it.

Anyway, back to this cake. It's a pineapple tea cake. And it's alright. I mean it is perfectly edible and okay. If you eat it straight away, because it turns rather rocklike after a few hours.

But really if you put this next to one of those mass produced cakes out of Woolworths or Coles supermarkets you could not pick the difference. And that's because this book and all its recipes are mean. Don't get me wrong I'm all for economy. But I can't help thinking that this book was written with the mindset of a population on war rations. You know the type - how to make the largest cake with the least amount of eggs, butter, milk and sugar. All the meat recipes are made with scraps of stewing steak. Desserts are tapioca, creamed rice, blacmange, sago and thin watery custards.

This is exactly in accordance with my own memories of home economics. The teacher didn't have much faith in the future prospects of the youth of today. She seemed to think we would all be ekeing survival out of welfare cheques.

There was one whole year where we just made tuna mornay, rice pudding and stewed apples over and over again. What's worse we had to take them home in old ice cream containers. So appetising. I remember my Mum getting mad because she had to keep spending money on ingredients for these dishes when the whole family detested them.

I'm not even going to bother posting the recipe for this cake.

Instead, I will leave you with a photo of Mr/Mrs Emu, another Australian native bird. The emu is unusual for being very large (up to almost 2 metres tall) and flightless, but even more so because the males hatch and raise the chicks. Those Mrs Emus have it all worked out. There was big kerfuffle a while back when two male emus co-shared a nest of eggs and chicks. Possible evidence of homosexual activity in the bird world apparently.

This particular emu and about four of its friends kept a handy eye on our picnic activities.

Challenge Book #20 - Chocolate Marshmallow Clouds

2008-07-16T08:50:00.000+10:00

Believe it or not, these biscuits are called marshmallow clouds. You can't really see it can you? Puffy, fluffly, cottony....? No. More like deflated marshmallow balloons. Like they've smacked into a rosebush and fallen splat onto the ground

This is all my own fault. It was only when I was in the kitchen surrounded by ingredients and all set to bake that I realised that the marshmallows were supposed to be frozen. BOTHERATION!!!!

I reasoned that the mallows would have plenty of time to freeze while I was making the batter. So I hurled them in and got started. It was a bit optimistic to say the least. By the time I came to form the biscuits they were only a bit frozen around the edges.

So I fidgeted around for a while. Then I fidgeted around for a bit more. Then I got fed up. Watched marshmallows never freeze!!!!!! I decided to just get on with it.

I'm hopeless at this kind of thing. I was not born with a waiting gene. I am the kind of person that constantly pokes at things to see if they are done yet - jelly that is trying to set, jam that is trying to gel, bread that is trying to rise, cakes that are trying to cool, sauces that are trying to reduce, meat that's trying brown. I'm there doing minute by minute reports in forensic detail.

Fortunately, in this case it really didn't matter too much. Yes, they don't look fantastic. I wouldn't serve them at any formal occasion. But they tasted great. The biscuits are quite soft and fudgy with the chips providing hits of chocolately goodness. With the addition of marshmallow - yum.

I found this recipe in the Mrs Fields Cookie Book, which is Book #20 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge (where I have to make a recipe from every book I own before I can buy a new one). I bought this book somewhere back in the depths of time. It has been well used but not by me. I think I have lent it to everyone I know at some point or other.

I'm kinda fascinated by Mrs Fields. In her picture in this book she is the very archetype of the late 1980's - big hair, big nails and big lipstick. Apparently, she is no longer Mrs Fields, having divorced and remarried. Whooooops!!

Jessica's Marshmallow Cloud
(adapted from Mrs Field's Cookie Book)

3 cups plain flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tspn baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
225gm unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tspn vanilla extract
2 cups of chocolate chips
225gm mini or chopped marshmallows, frozen

Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat at a medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and the chocolate chips. Blend until combined. The mix will be quite stiff.

Group some marshmallows in your hand and encase them in the cookie dough. Make a ball about 5cm across.

Place on a non-stick baking sheet spaced well apart. Bake 8-10 minutes in a 200C oven. Leave to cool for 3-4 minutes on the tray and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Apple Paste

2008-07-11T23:14:00.003+10:00

Earlier this year I made membrillo - quince paste. It was something I have been wanting to try forever. It was a huge success. I was delighted.

So when I spotted a recipe for apple paste in this month's Delicious Magazine. Well I was there. There was no way I was not going to try it.

The magazine actually belonged to my Doctor's Surgery. I am of course banned from buying any new cook books due to the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid challenge. But I had a pen and a couple of old receipts. Some old dear was occupying the doctor well into my appointment time. So some mad scribbling, and voila, a hoard of scrumptious recipes were mine.

What a stroke of luck, because this apple paste is delicious. The apple flavour really comes through and the lemon juice provides a lovely acidic contrast.

It was simple to make. Pushing the softened apples through a sieve takes a little effort. But otherwise it just takes a bit of time and patience to allow it to come to the right consistency. As with my membrillo, it started to catch and burn at the end. I think next time I might try using a simmer mat for the last part of the cooking process.

I served this at a dinner party hosted by some friends. I served it with some Piano Hill Ironstone cheddar. Oh my golly gosh, I love this cheese!!!! It is really sharp and crumbly and intense. I love the combination of sharp cheese and fruit.

As if the taste is not fantastic enough, to buy this cheese I have to go into the cheese room at Manuka Fine Foods - a local gourmet store. You open a big sliding door and there is a whole wall of cheese in front of you. And they let you try anything you want. It is heaven!! I could spend all day in there.

Apple Paste
(adapted from Delicious Magazine July 2008)

2kg of granny smith apples
600gm castor sugar
juice 1 lemon

Roughly chop the apples with skin and cores. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for about 10-12 minutes or until soft.

Strain and discard the liquid. Push the apples through a sieve into a bowl. Return the puree to the saucepan.

Add the sugar. Cook over a low heat, stirring often, until the mixture is thick and coming away from the sides of the pan - about 2 hours. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.

Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper. Spread the paste evenly to form a 2cm slab. Leave to cool completely. Invert onto a plate. Leave for a day or two to dry. Store in an airtight container.

Challenge Book #19 - Chocolate Custard Tarts

2008-07-04T20:41:00.012+10:00

Sometimes posts just write themselves and sometimes I sit for ages just twiddling at the keys. Like I am doing right now. All I can think to say is that these tarts are absolutely delicious and I love them. That's the whole story really.

The pastry is crisp and buttery. The filling is soft and deeply chocolately. It's just all good.

They are also easy to make. Using bought pastry simplifies thing magnificently.

They are also quite versatile, just by changing the type of chocolate and subsituting the water in the custard for a fruit puree. I have made these tarts as raspberry and white chocolate, as you can see here. They don't look terribly attractive, but they do taste fantastic. I've also made raspberry and dark chocolate and white chocolate and passionfruit, both also good. I am also keen to try a banana and milk chocolate version one day soon.

This recipe is from bills open kitchen by Bill Granger, which is Book #19 in the KJ Wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. Bill Granger has some great recipes. I can highly recommend the yoghurt panacotta recipe from this book.

Chocolate Custard Tarts
(adapted from bills open kitchen)

3 egg yolks
55gm caster sugar
2 tbspn (8 tspn) cornflour
1 tspn vanilla extract
185ml cream
150gm dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 sheets puff pastry

Whisk together the yolks, sugar, cornflour and vanilla. Add the cream and 125ml water. Pour into a saucepan.

Stir over a medium heat until the mix is thick. This should take about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, leave to cool.

Layer the two sheets of puff pastry one on top of the other. Roll up like a swiss roll. Cut into 1 1/2 cm sections. Lay the rounds flat and roll out into discs.

Lightly grease a muffin tin and gently push a round of pastry into each hole. Chill in the freezer for about ten minutes. Divide the custard mixture evenly between the shells.

Bake in a 220C oven for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Remove and leave to cool.

White Chocolate and Raspberry

Replace the 125ml of water with 125ml of raspberry puree. Replace the dark chocolate with white chocolate. Add a whole raspberry or two to the tarts just before you pop them in the oven .

Challenge Book #18 - Ginger Lemon Eton Mess

2008-07-02T20:16:00.002+10:00

I have a confession to make. You know I am Australian and all, right. Well....I am afraid that I......cannot make pavlova to save my life. There I said. I'm a national disgrace. If you never hear from me again I have been bundled onto the nearest means of transport and shipped to parts unknown.

Pavlova is Australia's national desert (mitts off Kiwis ;-}). My aunts seem to churn them out effortlessly. There is a pavlova at any family occasion. Me, not so much. But not for lack of trying.

I've tried everything. Recipes from all the tried and tested Australian cooks - Margaret Fulton, Stephanie Alexander, Women's Weekly. Every tip and trick and bit of advice has been put into practice. And I've come up with nothing. They always seem to spread out so they are very thin and pancake like. Most often they are tough and sticky and plain awful.

I'm not giving up though. I will crack this eventually.

In my latest attempt I turned to an overseas chef - Jamie Oliver to be precise. Cook with Jamie has a coconut, banana and passionfruit pavolova that looks simply mouthwatering. I had to have a go.

But at the last moment I swerved off in a different direction. In discussing meringue's Jamie talks about the different flavours that can be added. I was seized by the idea of making a ginger and lemon pavlova. Served with strawberries I thought it would be absolutely delicious.

So I dived in. And well, as you can see above, I got the usual result. A flat pancake of a pavlova. At least it was marshmallowy on the inside and only slightly sticky. That's an improvement, believe it or not.

The thing is, it tasted FANTASTIC!! The heat of ginger with a tang of lemon all wrapped up in sweet cripsy and marshmallowy meringue. YUM!!

So what do you do when life gives you a deliciously sorry excuse for a pav? You make a mess that's what. An Eton mess. A gorgeous concoction of broken up meringue, cream and strawberries. It's all served in a bowl. So what the meringue looks like is no never mind.

I served it to some friends for lunch. It was a smash hit!!!! Not only the taste, but it was a bit of a novelty. We Australians are conservative with our pavlovas. The meringue is always vanilla and its always served with whipped cream and some combination of banana, kiwifruit, strawberries and passionfruit.

I didn't measure the ginger and lemon additions to my pav that closely. I've included approximations in the recipe. I actually used crystallised ginger, but I think its sugar coating may have contributed to my sad result. So I have suggested using stem ginger. I would be reluctant to add too much more lemon juice, but I think the zest and ginger can be increased or decreased as you like.

Cook with Jamie is Challenge Book #18 in the KJ Wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is where I have to make a recipe from every cookbook I own before I can buy a new one.

Ginger and Lemon Eton Mess
(adapted from Cook with Jamie)

6 large egg whites
300gm castor sugar
zest 2 lemons
1 tbspn lemon juice
2 tbspn stem ginger, finely chopped
2 tspn ground ginger
whipped cream
strawberries, sliced

Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar. Beat until the sugar is fully dissolved into the egg whites. Rub the mix between two fingers. It should be completely smooth. If you can feel any grains keep beating. It may take 7-10 minutes.

Gently fold in the ginger, lemon zest and juice.

Heap the mixture into a mound on a lined baking tray. Bake in a 150C oven for about an hour. The meringue should be crisp on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside.

Let the meringue cool completly. Break it up into small pieces. Divide into bowls. Top generously with whipped cream and strawberries.

Meme times 2

2008-07-01T15:28:00.003+10:00

Elle at Feeding My Enthusiasms tagged me for this meme. Thanks Elle. I have to answer the following questions.

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATRE?

Get Smart. Before that was Kung Fu Panda. Oh dear, this is sounding bad!! Before that was Moliere, so see I do have some sophistimication.

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING?

Oh crumbs. The Devil Doctor - a Fu Manchu novel. I know, I know. The blatant racism is galling. Put that entirely to one side, and these books are so bad as to be almost brilliant.

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME?

The way things are going I should say Hungry Hippo. In fact, I rarely play board games, but I do like scrabble.

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE?

I had a mischevious urge to say Zoo Weekly. But it is in fact Delicious.

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS?

Freshly baked bread, freshly baked biscuits, freshly mown grass, fresh flowers.

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS?

Magpies warbling, rain on the rooftop, laughter.

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?

Knowing that I have let somebody down.

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?

If it's a weekday it usually goes something like this - I want to go back to sleep, I don't want to get up, go away world.

If it's a weekend or holidays it's usually - what's the weather like and what's for breakfast.

9) FAVOURITE FAST FOOD PLACE?

Lemongrass Thai for pad thai noodles. I also like Kingsley Chicken for their chips - but I don't eat them very often.

10) FUTURE CHILDS NAME?

Girl - Murgatroid Snufflepops

Boy - Egbert Wrigglebott

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D......

Travel the world, renting little cottages here and there, trying out all the local eateries and produce and specialities.

12) DO U DRIVE FAST?

Ummm yes (hangs head in shame).

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?

No, I really don't like stuffed animals.

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?

Cool. I love storms.

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?

A Honda. It was over 20 years old when I bought it and it ran fautlessly for another seven years.
16) FAVOURITE DRINK?

Otai a fruit coconut drink from Tonga. YUM!!

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…

Buy a car and drive across the United States.

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?

Yes. Why? Am I not supposed to!! Am I going to die now?

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?

If I had the nerve I would choose green. Not kermit the frog green you understand. A nice tasteful shade.

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?

Pick some for me. They will probably be more interesting.

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Cricket and tennis.

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

I don't know much about Elle, but I do know that she posts the kind of recipes I like. I'm always thinking 'oooh I would love to try that'.

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?

Dust, odd socks and stuff. Even I don't want to know what's under there!!

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??

Yes. But it woud be even better if I was the heiress to a great fortune.

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?

Neither. I need a lot of sleep.

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?

I like runny yolks. So whichever one of those that is.

27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX?

On the lounge with a good book, tasty snacks and something nice to drink.

28) FAVOURITE PIE?

Apple.

29) FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR?

What? I can only choose one!! The pressure!! Mint choc chip. Or caramel. Or cherry coconut chocolate. Or....

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?

I'm not tagging anyone. Feel free to participate if you wish. Really, go right ahead. Do!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next meme is kind of a follow on from an earlier meme. If you read it you will see. The less I say about it the better.

Oh hai, I am the food mill in Kitchen Chez KJ. When I heard that KJ had let that complete imbecile - the toaster - answer a meme, well........ I mean why him?? What makes him so special?? Big noting, two bit nothing special.... ‘I’m an actor’ my a...

Anyway, after a bit of healthy discussion (okay, a few grinding discs maaaaaay have been thrown across the kitchen) KJ said I can do one too. Fortunately, Dolores from Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity also tagged KJ for this meme. So here goes.

What was I doing ten years ago?

I guess I was hanging out as polymers or chemicals or some such. I’m not into the past. I’m all about the future.

What are five things on my to do list for today?

Well I generally sleep in until lunchtime. Then I’ll wander over to the tupperware corner. They always have a poker game going. You’ve got to watch yourself though. There’s a lot of odd mismatched lids that have gone a bit strange. They skulk around in the corners a lot. And they don’t muck around. I got in a bit over my head a few months back. I had to borrow off the spice grinder to keep things sweet. He always seems to have a lot of ready cash. I do wonder....

Anyway, then I will rice some potatoes for dinner. Then I’ve got a hot date with the magimix. Read it and weep bread boy!!!

Snacks I enjoy

Well I’m a veggie man. Mainly potatoes and tomatoes. I’m well known for my light fluffy potatoes. I did some apples a few days back. Superb if I do say so myself.

Things I would do if I was a billionaire

I would turn myself into a post-modern sculpture and live in the Louvre.

Then I would commission an autobiography of my life. Of course the book would be turned into a musical. Naturally, there would be a movie version of the musical. Followed by a TV series of the movie, based on the musical.

5 places I have lived

Well before I moved to the cupboard under the sink, I was a highly esteemed item in Cooking Coordinates - a select kitchenware store specialising in quality cookware and ingredients. I don’t slum it in department stores unlike some appliances I could mention.

I was great friends with the Le Creuset range. We're both European after all, we have a lot in common.

5 jobs I’ve had

Well, I’m a food mill. I mill. That’s what I do? I’m a highly trained specialist. I can do fine, medium or coarse. I don’t chop. I don’t grate. And I certainly don’t mash.

So there you have it. I'm sure you've enjoyed getting to know me. People usually do.

KJ said not to tag anyone specific. Anyone who wants to answer can join in.

Daring Bakers - A Non Danish Braid

2008-06-29T22:31:00.004+10:00

If you have come to visit me in the hope of seeing some Daring Baker Danish Braid I'm afraid you will be disappointed.

Life has intervened in my best laid plans. I still hope to make it - hopefully soon.

But don't despair you can see a squillon beautiful braids through the Daring Bakers' Blogroll.

I hope you are having a nice day.

Cheers
KJ

Challenge Book #17 - Lovely Lemon Curdy Pud (cue eyeroll)

2008-06-27T13:09:00.001+10:00

Jamie Oliver calls this 'A Lovely Lemon Curdy Pud'. Hrmmmph. Whatev Jamie. This is a Lemon Delicious Pudding or my name is Morag McSpuckleduck.

I know this because I have eaten hundreds of them. My Aunty is the best delicious pudding makers in the world. Her orange delicious pudding is to DIE FOR.

Now I am a Jamie Oliver fan, but I consider this to be a major failing of his - the tendency to give ridiculously twee or horribly gushing names to dishes. 'A Rather Pleasing Carrot Cake' anyone? Or how about some 'Bloomin' Easy Vanilla Cheesecake'? Would you prefer the 'Superb Sweet and Sour Squash' or the 'Incredible Boiled Butternut Squash'? Gaaaah!!!!

Petty grumblings aside, Lemon Delicious is a simple and lovely pudding. It's decidely old fashioned and has been enjoyed by many generations of my family.

A lemon curd custard settles on the bottom while a spongey cakey layer sets on the top. It should be served just warm. It has a delicious citrus tang which contrasts beautifully with some sweetened thick cream.

It's dead easy to make. I added a bit more lemon juice, as the pudding seemed a bit bland and I like it with a fair bit of lemony pep. I think just adding lemon juice to taste is the way to go.

This pudding is from Challenge Book #17 in the KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge - Happy Days with the Naked Chef. I have used this book quite extensively. I can thoroughly recommend the steak and guiness pie, the pineapple with mint sugar and the summer fruit jellies. Avoid the the honey and banana bread at all costs, unless you really like chewing on hockey pucks.

Lovely Lemon Curdy Pud
(adapted from Happy Days with the Naked Chef)

55gm butter
115gm sugar
1 lemon, grated rind and 3 tbspn juice
2 large eggs, separated
55gm self raising flour
285ml milk

Cream the butter, sugar and lemon rind. Beat in the egg yolks and flour. Then add the flour and lemon juice.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently mix into the lemon batter. Pour into a buttered dish. Place in a roasting tray about a third full of water.

Bake in a 200C oven for about 45 minutes. The top should be set and cake like and golden brown.

Taste & Create - HobNobs

2008-06-22T14:57:00.001+10:00

I love a good HobNob me!!! A definite result of my English ancestry. I also have a prediliction for Yorkie bars, clotted cream, rainy days, hedgehogs and Ronnie Barker.

The recipe comes from my Taste & Create partner for this month - Kittie from Kittens in the Kitchen. I was already familiar with Kittie's blog as she was my partner back in April when I made her delicious Spinach and Garlic Soup.

HobNobs are a delicious cruchy oaty biscuit made by McVities. Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down has done a review and they suggest that they are "an ideal ice breaker at say a romantic biscuit moment".

I have no objection to trying this out, but I'm not sure what 'a romantic biscuit moment' would be??? Sure, I can see the concept back in say Edwardian times when the only chance of physcial contact was to brush fingers while passing a plate of biscuits over a cup of tea in the drawing room. But what about today? You catch someone's eye across a crowded bar and whip out a few HobNobs to entice them over? The mind boggles.

Anyway whatever you might do with them, these HobNob are great.

I had to add a bit more flour (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup) than the recipe suggested. I initially put this down to my poor maths in converting the butter measurement from cups to grams. But Ivy over at Little Ivy Cakes had the same experience. You should be able to roll the mixture into reasonably firm balls with your hands.

I was absolutely delighted with them. They were dead tasty and crisp and buttery. I halved the recipe, but then I made them a bit smaller than suggested. I ended up with a lot of HobNobs.

I am going to dip some of them in chocolate. So then I will have chocolate HobNobs. Apparently there's a chocolate orange version as well. I'm not too sure about that. Chocolate, orange and oats...hmmmmmmm. Maybe I will leave it for another day.

The recipe for these HobNobs can be found here on Kittie's site.

Challenge Book #16 - Lattice Slice

2008-06-17T19:18:00.001+10:00

This recipe is a slice of my childhood. This was my Mum's favourite recipe for get togethers - Horticultural Club meetings, tupperware parties, sewing circles. There always seemed to be a tray of this walking out our front door. Fortunately, she would always leave a few squares behind for my sister and I.

And it was not only my Mum making this. It was a favourite in our town. It would turn up pretty much everywhere - brownie meetings, netball breakups, picnics.

So much so, that it was certain starter in any local charity cookbook. It made it into this one twice. This book dates from before the days of calorie consciousness - there's a whole whallop of cream cheese and butter in there.
Amazingly, until now I have never made it myself. There's no reason for this, it just kind of fell off the radar when I moved away from home.

It seemed time to rectify this when I was asked to bring a plate to an afternoon tea. And it would give me the chance to cross off another book in my KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is Challenge Book #16.

It is the easiest thing to make. Really it could not be simpler. And it is so yummy. Creamy smooth cheescake with the snap of crisp sugary biscuits.

My Mum always made the filling plain. Which is delicious. But I couldn't help myself - I mixed in some raspberries and grated chocolate. Also great. I think you could mix in pretty much any flavours you want.

I have no idea about the origin of lattice biscuits. All I know is that they are made by Arnotts and are available in Woolies supermarkets. They are a bit like a sweet glazed SAO. I think really you could use any crisp sweet biscuits or pastry.

I'm so glad I rediscovered this!!!

Lattice Slice
(adapted from Care for Kids Morning Tea Recipes)

250gm cream cheese
250gm butter
1 cup castor sugar
1 tspn vanilla extract
2 tspn lemon juice
2 tspn gelatine
lattice biscuits

Beat together cream cheese and butter. Add sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Dissolve the gelatine in water and stir in.

Line a small deep baking tray with the lattice biscuits, golden side down. Spread the mixture over the biscuits. Add another layer of lattice biscuits on top, golden side up.

Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares.

Challenge Books #14 & #15 - Char Siu Bau

2008-06-12T18:49:00.004+10:00

I love Asian food. I could regale with you endless tales of my culinary adventures in China and Viet Nam. But I will spare you, your life is too short. Consider your thank yous gracefully received.

But the thing is that I rarely cook Asian food. There is a reason for this - I totally suck at it. To cook Asian food well you need to be able to balance flavours. I struggle with this. It ends up bland, or too salty or too sweet or too something.

But naturally, that has not stopped me from buying cookbooks on the subject. Oh no!!!

And so we have Challenge Books #14 and #15. Into the Vietnamese Kitchen I bought after I returned from living in Hanoi. A Little Taste of China I bought after a trip along the Silk Road. Until now, I have never made a single thing from either. Shame on me!!!!!

Fortunately, the KJ Wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge has forced me to rectify this. There was no great difficulty in deciding what I would make - char siu bau (or pork buns to most of us). I am a nibbler by nature. My perfect eating habitat is having lots of different little dishes to choose from. I was born for yum cha.

The first step to Char Siu Bau is Char Siu (barbecued) Pork. I kinda wish I could infuse the whole process with the mystery of the orient, by making it out to be all complex and mysterious and hard. But really, there is nothing easier. It's just a question of mixing up the marinade and leaving the pork overnight so you end up with this.

And then roasting in the oven so you end up with this.

The recipe suggests pork shoulder. I used pork neck which was on special at the butchers. I had to cook it a bit longer than the recipe specified to get it done. But that's hardly mystical - I have a dodgy oven.

Next, came the dough. Again, there is nothing different here to most other yeast doughs. Just mix some basic ingredients together and leave to rise. Perhaps the only difference is that the dough is activated by kneading in baking powder as the last step.

This dough is fabulous to work with. It is lovely and soft and pillowy.

While the dough was rising I converted the cha sui pork into filling for the buns. The pork is diced and mixed with some oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and rice wine. It literally took all of five minutes.

I ended up doubling the amount of filling suggested in the recipe. I rolled my dough quite thinly so I could fit much more into each bun.

Now it was just a question of rolling out little circles of dough and adding some filling. The dough is gathered up over the top and pressed together to seal.

To be authentic they should be cooked in bamboo steamers over a wok. As I do not own bamboo steamers or a wok, I used a metal steamer over a stockpot. It worked just fine.

I steamed them seam side down to form little smooth balls.

And was all this effort worth it. Oh yes!!! Oh my, YES!! They were fantastic. Incredibly tasty and delicious. My neighbours came over and we scoffed the lot in one sitting. I was ever so delighted with how they came out.

I still have a couple of strips of pork tucked away in my freezer, so these buns will be making a reapparance in my kitchen soon.

Char Siu Pork
(adapted from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen)

1.1kg of boneless pork shoulder

marinade

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbspn sugar
1/2 tspn chinese five spice powder
3 tbspn hoisin sauce
2 tbpn honey
1 1/2 tbspn shaoing rice wine or dry sherry
2 tbpsn light soy sauce
1 tbspn dark soy sauce
2 tspn sesame oil

Cut the pork into strips about 15cm long and about 5 cm thick.

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the pork and coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, turning 2-3 times.

Remove the pork from the fridge about 45 minutes before you wish to begin cooking. Place a rack in the top third of the oven and heat to 250C.

Line a roasting tray with alfoil and add a roasting rack. Put the pork on the rack with plenty of space in between each piece.

Roast the pork in the oven, basting with the marinade every ten minutes. To do this, roll the pork in the marinade using tongs.

The recipe suggests:

The pork is done when it looks glazed and charred. It should register about 63C on a meat themometer. This should take about 30-35 minutes.

My experience:

The pork was still very rare at this stage. I cooked it for about 50 minutes, at which point it was cooked but ever so slightly pink.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes to seal in the juices. Thinly slice the pork and serve warm or at room temperature.

It can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Basic Yeast Dough
(adapted from A Little Taste of China)

3 tbspn sugar
250ml of warm water
1 1/2 tspn dried yeast
400gm of plain flour
2 tbspn oil
1 1/2 tspn baking powder

Dissolve the sugar in the water and add the yeast. Stir lightly and then set aside for ten minutes, until foamy.

Sift the flour into a bowl, add the yeast mixture and the oil. Mix to a rough dough and then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 8-10 minutes or until the dough is light and elastic.

Lightly coat the dough in oil and place in a bowl. Leave to rise for about 3 hours.

Punch the dough down. At this stage it can be stored in the refrigerator for later use.

To use the dough, make a well in the centre and add the baking powder. Knead the dough until it is well incorporated.

Char Siu Bau
(adapted from A Little Taste of China)

1 tspn oil
250gm char siu pork, diced
3 tspn shaoxing rice wine
1 tspn sesame oil
2 tbspn oyster sauce
2 tspn light soy sauce
2 tspn sugar
1 qnty of basic yeast dough

Heat the oil. Add the pork, wine, sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar and cook for 1 minute.

Divide the dough into 12 or 24 pieces depending on how big you want your buns. Roll the dough into circles with the edges thinner than the middle.

For small buns, place 1-2 tspn of filling into the centre of the dough circle. For big buns, use 3-4 tspns. Use as much filling as you can comfortably manage. Pinch the top together and ensure they are well sealed.

Place the buns into a steamer lined with greaseproof paper. Cover and steam over simmering water for about 15 minutes. The buns should be well risen and skewer inserted into the centre should come out hot.

KJ Wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge Quarterly Review

2008-06-09T18:39:00.002+10:00

As you may or may not know, on 1 March this year I made a resolution. I would not buy a single new cookbook until I made at least one recipe from every cookbook I already own. All 52 of them. If I am good, I can buy myself a new mixer.

I have my heart set on a Kitchen Aid. It's going to be pistachio green. And I will hug it and squeeze it and call it George.

Anyway, having hit the quarter way mark I thought it was time for a recap. So far this challenge has been fantastic. It has forced me to try new things, instead of just making endless cakes and ice creams. I am particularly pleased that I have blogged some savoury dishes. I always find these far more challenging than baking. So it is particularly satisfying when they come out well.

The highlight so far has definitely been the Plums in Marsala I made back in March. These were simply divine. This would be closely followed by the Water Pastry. I was delighted with the way this came out.

And a big thanks to everyone who has left such kind and encouraging comments. I am simply delighted that anyone visits my blog and I love feedback.

Here is a brief overview.

Challenge Book #1 - Toasted Coconut Ice Cream and Pear Caramel Ice Cream adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

Delicious and delicious. I seriously doubt that there is a less than delectable recipe in this book.

Challenge Book #2 - Plums in Marsala adapted from How to Cook Book One by Delia Smith.

An eventful experience, with oven doors flying open all over the place. But oh so so worth it. DIVINE!

Challenge Book #3 - Rocky Road Ice Cream adapted from Iced.

Fun to make and fun to eat.

Challenge Book #4 - Coconut Lemon Twinkies adapted from The Sweet Spot by Pichet Ong.

They looked good and they tasted good.

Challenge Book #5 - Italian Stallion adapted from Simply Simpatico by the Junior League of Alburquerque.

Blokey food at its best.

Challenge Book #6 - Water Pastry, Kofte and Pilaf adapted from Turkish Cookery by Inci Kut.

Delicious!!! I was so excited that this came out so well.

Challenge Book #7 - Membrillo adapted from Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander.

There were a few issues - namely its tendency to burn. But it was a great result.

Challenge Book #8 - Quince Yeast Cake adapted from Maggie's Table by Maggie Beer.

Not a great success, but I can see the potential.

Challenge Book #9 - Pot Roasted Quinces adapted from Maggie's Harvest by Maggie Beer.
Again not a total success, as the jelly didn't set. But it was still a delight to eat.

Challenge Book #10 - Plum and Cinnamon Oat Slice adapted from How to Cook Book Two by Delia Smith.

Loved the plummy jam filling.

Challenge Book #11 & #12 - Ice Cream Sundae adapted from Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros and Family Circle's Classic Essential Chocolate.

A traditional favourite. Simplicity at its best.

Challenge Book #13 - Chicken Leek Pie adapted from Family Circle's Classic Essential Pies.

Hard to go wrong here - with puff pastry, chicken, bacon, leeks and cream.

As for Challenge Book #14, here is a sneak peek. Stay tuned.

Challenge Book #13 - Chicken Leek Pie

2008-06-05T17:35:00.001+10:00

I cannot resist puff pastry. It's just so good. It's all golden, crispy and buttery. Wrap it around an old sock and I would still try to eat it.

So it was a foregone conclusion that I would like this chicken leek pie.

Fortunately, the filling is worthy of praise in its own right. But really, how can you go wrong with chicken, leeks, bacon, cream and a lash of seasoning. I was always going to like that as well.

And it's dead easy to pull together. And it looks nice. So really, it's an all around foolproof winner.

And here I am at Challenge Book #13. Woohoo, I am motoring along. This one is Classic Essential Pies from the Family Circle collection. Yet another one of those little books that sit so invitingly at supermarket checkouts. While I've owned this book for many, many years, I've only ever made one other recipe from it. So it's about time I made some use of it.

Chicken Leek Pie
(adapted from Family Circle Classic Essential Pies)

30gm butter
2 small leeks, whites only
3 rashers bacon
3 chicken breast fillets
1/2 cup cream
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper
2 sheets of puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Thinly slice the leeks, dice the bacon and cut the chicken breasts into thin strips.

Melt the butter in a fry pan, and saute the leeks over a low-medium heat for about 10minutes. They should be very soft and golden. Spoon from the pan and set aside.

Fry the bacon until brown. Spoon from the pan and set aside.

Add the chicken and cook until lightly brown. Remove from the pan.

Wipe the pan clean. Return the bacon, chicken and leeks. Add the combined cream and eggs. Cook gently for about two minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

Cut thin strips from around the edge of one pastry sheet. Place the sheet on a lightly greased oven tray. Spoon on the chicken mix, leaving a border (about 2cm) all around the edge.

Brush the edge of pastry sheet with water and then lay the second pastry sheet over the top. Brush the edges with water and then roll them back over toward the middle of the pie and tightly seal. You can decorate with the cut strips of pastry.

Prick the pastry with a fork and brush with the beaten egg.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown in a 210C oven.

Challenge Books #11 & 12 - Ice Cream Sundae

2008-05-31T16:15:00.001+10:00

Simple things are always the best. Yes, yes, it's a cliche. But it's true, nonetheless.

At least it is when it comes to this dessert. A scoop of dense creamy vanilla ice cream and super thick rich chocolate sauce topped with chopped nuts. That's it. Perfection!!!

I discovered this ice cream in Tessa Kiros's Falling Cloudberries a couple of years ago. Tessa says 'this is not one of those nouvelle vanilla ice creams - it is dense, rich and very country style'. I could not have put it better. There is nothing airy fairy about this ice cream.

I have been making it pretty much constantly ever since that day of discovery. It can always be found in my freezer.

But it never lasts very long.

Falling Cloudberries is Challenge Book #11 in the KJ Wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is where I have to make a recipe from every single cook book I own before I can buy any new ones. If I am a good girl, I can buy myself a new mixer.

Falling Cloudberries is a gorgeous book. I love the family stories she has entwined through the recipes. What an interesting life she has had.

A warning though, this ice cream contains raw eggs. Which is not for everyone.

Vanilla Ice Cream
(adapted from Falling Cloudberries)

4 egg yolks
1 tspn vanilla extract
300gm sweetened condensed milk
500 ml thick cream

Whisk together the yolks and the vanilla. Whisk in the condensed milk.

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Mix in the yolk mixture.

Refrigerate until cold. Churn in an ice cream maker.

The chocolate sauce recipe is from Challenge Book #12 - the Family Circle Classic Essential Chocolate. I have a whole stack of these little books. They are sold at supermarket checkouts, cost just a few dollars, in other words impossible to resist.

Chocolate Sauce
(adapted from Family Circle's Classic Essential Chocolate)

100gm dark chocolate, chopped
100gm unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
300ml cream
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Combine the butter, sugar, cream and cocoa powder in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer, stirring, for two minutes.

Strain the mixture over the chopped chocolate and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until melted and smooth.

Daring Bakers - Opera Cake

2008-05-28T00:05:00.001+10:00

Give me a D, give me an A, give me an ..... oh never mind. Yes, it's Daring Baker time again. Be prepared to be inundated by opera cakes. Don't fight it people. There's no escape. They're everywheeerreeee!!

When I saw this month's challenge I couldn't help but wonder just how many, if any, operas feature cake. Are there any arias devoted to pflaumenkuchen? An arietta in praise of madelines?

The computor says nooooooooo.

The closest I could get was a song called 'Opera Singer' by the band Cake. It goes a little something like this - I am an opera singer, I stand on painted tape, It tells me where I'm going, And where to throw my cake ... ooops.... cape. Eat your heart out Mozart!

So what about my opera cake? Well, first of all I had to choose the flavour. The stipulation from the hosts was that the cake must be light coloured. So I went for rose syrup and pistachio buttercream. I wish I had some deep and meaningful inspirational reason for choosing this. But no, it was the first thing that popped into my head and I just went with it. Sorry.

Now comes the making of. Well, it was quite a long and eventful experience.

First of the all the cake. It all went very smoothly, right up until I popped it in the oven. As I stood there patting myself on the back for a job well done, I spotted a little bowl of melted butter going all 'what about me' on the kitchen bench. Dooooh!!! I yanked the tin straight back out of the oven. Poured the batter back into a bowl. Mixed in the butter. Washed and relined the tin and shoved it all back into the oven. Crossed fingers and wished on a star. Amazingly, it came out again all risen and golden and spongy and cake like.

Next, the buttercream. I melted and beat and whipped. Runny goo. Delicious runny goo, but utterly useless. So I started from scratch and somehow, someway ended up with lovely, light fluffly buttercream. Don't ask me how. I was just along for the ride.

Followed by the white chocolate mousse. Clumpy curdled mess. Not delicious and equally as useless. This was no mystery. It was not a good idea to try to whisk the cream and melted chocolate together. Starting again, I mixed ever so gently and ended up with lovely light mousse.

I pushed my luck to the limit and went for the glaze. In a stunning upset, I actually managed this one first go. Haaa!

Pulled all together it looked like this.

And how did it taste. Well it was very nice. Everyone enjoyed it. But to be honest, it was not quite nice enough to justify the effort all over again. I am glad I tried it, but you can't win them all.

Thanks to this month's hosts Ivonne, Lis, Fran and Shea for a great challenge. Please visit the Daring Baker Blogroll to see what my fellow Daring Baker's have created. If you are interested in the recipe, you can find it here. If it's not there yet it soon will be.

Vanilla Custard Tarts

2008-05-22T06:09:00.001+10:00

Stop the world, I want to get off. Life is rocketing along at a million miles an hour right now and I have had enough. ENOUGH. I do not like being busy and rushing around. I like dawdling about and pondering things. I am big on pondering.

As if the squillion things going on weren't enough, I rashly promised to bring a dessert to a lunch last weekend. I searched desparately for an easy option. I could have just bought a cake from a bakery or something, but home baking is just so much nicer. And I knew just how much it would be appreciated. And you know, I am so glad that I made the effort because otherwise I would never have discovered these - vanilla custard tarts.

Basically, they are little filo pastry cases filled with deliciously silky vanilla bean custard. My big idea was to serve them with some sliced tinned pears. Easy is as easy does. I was sure I had a tin of pears skulking about at the back of the pantry. But dragged into the daylight it turned out to be a tin of fruit cocktail. What the??? I have absolutely no recollection of ever buying fruit cocktail. I doubt I've eaten it since my last school camp. But good thing I did buy it for some reason at some point, because it went beautifully with the tarts. It was perfect.

I think these tarts are THE perfect lunch time dessert. They are lovely and light, just adding a delicious note of sweetness at the end of the meal. And oh so refined and elegant. I also think they would be absolutely perfect to serve alongside rose scented poached pears as a dinner dessert.

Admittedly, the tarts were not quite so quick and simple to make as I envisaged. The custard is straight forward enough. But forming the pastry cases in the muffin tins takes a bit of time and patience. I swear if filo pastry wasn't sooo temptingly delicious, I wouldn't touch the stuff with a bargepole. It breaks and tears and is generally a pain in the proverbial. But in this case, it redeemed itself. Totally worth it.

Vanilla Custard Tarts
(adapted from Donna Hay Magazine Sept/Oct 2006)

pastry cases

sheets of filo pastry
unsalted butter, melted
caster sugar

custard

1 1/2 cups single cream
1 vanilla bean, split
3 egg yolks
2 tbspn (8 tspn) caster sugar*
1 tbspn cornflour
2 tbspn water

For the custard, heat the cream and vanilla bean. Do not allow to boil. Cover and leave to steep for 20 minutes. Reheat to just below boiling point and remove the vanilla bean.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk the cornflour and water together.

Slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg mixture. Add the cornflour mix and return to the saucepan. Return to a low heat and stir until the mix thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a spoon. Cover and refrigerate.

Brush the a sheet of the pastry with the melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar. Top with another layer of pastry. Brush with the butter and sprinkle with sugar. Add a final layer of pastry.

Cut the pastry into squares or circles and press into the lightly greased cups of a muffin tin. Trim the edges of the pastry.

Bake for 4-6 minutes or until lightly golden in a 180C oven. Allow to cool. To serve, spoon the custard into the pastry cases.

* This is an Australian recipe so 1 tbspn = 4 tspn. In the US 1 tbspn = 3 tspn.

Taste & Create - Mango & Cucumber Salad and Shopping

2008-05-19T19:26:00.004+10:00

Here I am home again, with shopping. This is my Solomon Islands haul. A beautiful bowl carved from coconut and inlaid with shells. And some jewellery all carved from shells. The long strings are shell money, a traditional currency of exchange - used to pay for brides, land and pigs. I bought them at the local markets from some lovely women with the most amazing array of tattoos.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to do much more during the day than work. In the evenings I did manage to get to some quite nice restaurants and see a traditional dance performance. Overall, I really enjoyed the trip.

Despite the cold blustery weather of Canberra, I have remained in a tropical frame of mind. So when I came to this month's Taste & Create challenge I chose this - mango and cucumber salad.

My partner for this month is Gay from A Scientist in the Kitchen. Her blog has lots of interestingly exotic recipes. I now have my beady little eyes on her papaya and coconut spring roll recipe.

This salad was very enjoyable. It was just so colourful, you couldn't help but be cheered by it. And I love adding fruit to salads. There's nothing like a lovely accent of sweetness to break up all those boring leaves and crunchy things.

The recipe can be found here. For those interested, the Taste and Create is hosted by Nicole over at For the Love of Food and details can be found here.

Challenge Book #10 - Plum and Cinnamon Oat Slice

2008-05-11T21:07:00.002+10:00

Hi everyone, I am going to be out of action for the next week or so, because I will be in the Solomon Islands. Unfortunately, I won't by lying on the stunning white palm fringed beaches, swimming in the crystal clear waters or diving the world class reefs and WWII shipwrecks. No, I will be sitting in an office wishing I was doing all of those things. Life can be cruel.

In the meantime, I will leave you with this piece of deliciousness - plum and cinnamon oat slice.

I actually made this a couple of months ago when it was the height of the plum season and my local farmer's market was literally bursting with sweet juicy plums. I went plum crazy.

What I loved about it was the way the slices of fresh plum turned into a thick flavourful plum jam. The oats give a wonderful chewy texture.

My version was a bit strong on the cinnamon, strictly as a result of my own clumsy carelessness. When will I ever learn not measure out spices over a bowl full of ingredients? Tipping up the spice jar, you always get either a few specks or a huge clump. You can guess which one this slice ended up with.

This recipe is from Delia Smith's How to Cook Book: Book 2. Along with Book 1, this is one of my most used cookbooks. I think I've made most of the recipes at some point or other. This is also Challenge Book #10 in my KJ wants a Kitchen Aid Challenge. This is where I have to make a recipe out of every cookbook I own before I buy any new ones. If I succeed, I can buy myself a new mixer. So far, so good.

Plum and Cinnamon Oat Slices
(adapted from Delia's How to Cook Book 2 by Delia Smith)

450gm of fresh plums
1 rounded tspn of cinnamon
275gm of plain wholemeal flour
150gm of porridge oats
1 tspn salt
225gm of butter
110gm of light brown sugar

Cut the plums in half and remove the stones. Cut plums into thin slices. Toss with the cinnamon and set aside.

Mix the flour, oats and salt together. Melt the butter and sugar together over a low heat. Mix into the flour and oat mix until you end up with a dough.

Press half the dough over the bottom of a lightly greased 25x15cm baking tin. Scatter the plums over the dough. Top with the remaining oat mixture.

Place tin in the centre of a 200C oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares. Leave to cool completely in the tin.

Meme - Foodie Book Wisdom

2008-05-08T08:46:00.000+10:00

The lovely Fiona over at The Cottage Smallholder has tagged me for a meme. This is a fun one.

The rules are:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

Fiona has passed it on in the hope of keeping a foodie theme happening. I am happy to oblige. The nearest foodie books, were two old favourites sitting on my desk. They are my go to references for all kinds of foodie questions. I had pulled them out to look up cooking times for roast pork.

Surprisingly, the correct paragraphs in both books yielded something other than a list of ingredients or instructions to cream the butter and sugar and add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.

Here they are.

Cook's Companion - Stephanie Alexander on basil

'Its most famous partnership is with a ripe tomato and extra virgin olive oil, although some might argue that pesto deserves that accolade. I have one Italian friend who tells me that he only ever eats his pesto the next season and that he makes bottles and leaves his pesto topped with a film of olive oil to mature. On the other hand, in Rome and other Italian towns where I have shopped, brilliant green, just-made pesto is on sale in every salumeria each day throughout the summer months.'

Delia's How to Cook Book Two - Delia Smith on cauliflower

'Then place them, along with the leaves, in a steamer, sitting them up vertically (ie stalk-side at the base and flower heads up). Now pop a bay leaf in, which has a fragrant affinity with cauliflower. I also add some salt, and I like to use another very English flavouring, nutmeg, which I grate lightly over the surface of the florets. Now pour in boiling water from the kettle and steam for 6-7 minutes, or until tender when tested with a skewer. Serve with a little butter or grated cheese , or in our modern variation of cauliflower cheese on page 135.'

So there you have it. I'm going to tag the following people whose blogs I enjoy:

Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Kelly-Jane - Cooking the Books
Dharm - Dad, Baker & Chef
Chriesi - Almond Corner
Anita - Married With Dinner

What have the photos here got to do with anything. Well, nothing actually. I took them at the Botanical Gardens a few weeks back and I really like them. I have been looking for an excuse to post them. I still don't have one, so I am just going to do it anyway.

Bollywood Cooking - Rawa Idli and Coconut Chutney

2008-05-04T20:48:00.002+10:00

I returned from my soujourn to India last year with many things. One of which was a love for Bollywood films (as I blogged here). So you can imagine my excitement when THIS came to a cinema near me.

I saw the shorts for it when I was in India and I was so sad I was going to miss it. So I tootled along to see it ASAP. It's an awesome action adventure flick staring from left to right - Anil Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. All huge Bollywood stars. It was FANTASTIC!! It was just like being back in India. It was just me and a few friends in a cinema full of Indian families. All laughing and just having a great time. How could you not love jetskis flying about in the middle of the desert and cycle rickshaws of death. You just can't help but have fun in Bollywood!!!

I just wanted to rush off and jump on a plane back to India. That being out of the question, the next best thing was to indulge in some delicious Indian food. As it happened, the theme chosen for this month's Monthly Mingle over at What's For Lunch Honey is Bollywood Cooking.

How about that!! It's like everything just came together as the perfect time to make my favourites - rawa idlis and coconut chutney. Although, I'm not sure how well this fits into the Mingle criteria of glitter and gloss. This is more like comfy home baking snack making. Oh well.

I learned these recipes in a cooking class I did with Kurma Dasa, a famous vegetarian chef here in Australia. As I understand it, this is a traditional Southern Indian dish. I make no claim for authenticity.

I love these dishes. Rawa idli breads are small steamed breads made with coarse semolina (top) and split urad dal (bottom).

This recipe adds mustard seeds and cashews. You can also add chopped chilies as well, if you like some heat.

They are made in special idli moulds that stack up into trees, as you can see in this photo. I bought mine in a local Indian grocery for $5.

You will end up with these. Once you've got all the necessary bits and pieces together, they really are easy to make. And oh so, so tasty.

One of the most important things is to grease the moulds well, otherwise you will end up with a bunch of stuck and broken idlis. They will still taste great, but won't look so pretty.

As for the coconut chutney, well it could not be easier. I use frozen fresh coconut that I buy in little packets from a local asian grocery. There's a little bit of frying. But really it's all about mixing. It's lovely and refreshing. So good!!

Here you have it the complete meal. I could sit and eat this all day!!!!!

Rawa Idli studded with Cashews
(adapted from Kurma Dasa)

2 tbspn split urad dal, soaked in warm water for 2 hours
2 tbspn cashews, chopped
1 1/2 tbspn black mustard seeds
1 tbspn ghee
1 1/4 cups coarse semolina
3/4 tspn baking powder
2 tspn salt
1 tspn baking soda
1 1/4 cups yoghurt
1/2 - 1 cup warm water
ghee to grease the moulds

Heat the ghee, add the mustard seeds and fry until they commence popping. Add the drained dal and cashews (and chopped chilies if you wish). Fry until the mixture darkens. Set aside.

Heavily grease the idli moulds. Add about 5cm of water to a tightly lidded saucepan and place over a high heat.

Combine the semolina, baking soda and salt and mix well.

Stir in the yoghurt. Add enough water to form a smooth batter than falls easily from the spoon, but is not too runny. Stir in the fried mixture.

Spoon the mixture into each compartment of the moulds.

Lift the idli tree inside, drape a tea towel over the top of the saucapan and replace the lid. Steam for 7-10 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

Remove the tree and cool for 2 minutes. Use a spoon to scoop the idlis from their moulds. Place in a tea towel ensuring that the idlis do not touch (they are likely to stick). Eat while still hot with coconut chutney. They can be reheated in the microwave or by steaming.

Coconut Chutney
(adapted from Kurma Dasa)

1 1/2 cups shredded fresh, frozen or dried coconut
1 1/2 cups yoghurt
1/2 cups cold water
1 tbspn minced ginger
minced green chiles or crumbled dried chiles to taste
1/4 tspn freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tspn salt
1 tspn vegetable oil
1 tspn black mustard seeds
1 1/2 tspn split urad dal
10-12 curry leaves, fresh or dried
1/4 tspn yellow asafetida powder

Combine the coconut, yoghurt, water, ginger, chilies, pepper and salt.

Heat the oil. Drop in the mustard seeds and fry until they crackle. Add the urad dal and fry it until it turns golden. Toss in the curry leaves and stir until they soften.

Add the asafetida and then immediately remove from the heat. Mix the spices into the bowl of yoghurt and coconut.

Serve at room temperature. It can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 days.

A Very Special Guest Meme

2008-05-03T15:15:00.000+10:00

Hi, I am the newest member of Kitchen Chez KJ. When KJ told me that she was tagged for a meme by Fiona over at Cottage Smallholder I begged her to let me do it. You know as a way of introducing myself to the world. She said I could, so here goes.

What I was doing ten years ago

Oh you know, just hanging around underground as ore and stuff. Finally I got dug up and processed and here I am.

My to do-list today.

Well mornings are my busiest time. I’ll start off doing some slices of thick cut wholemeal flour loaf at around 8am-ish.

Then I've got a meeting of the Breakfast Cereals are Evil League. Toasters have come together to foil a massive conspiracy to weaken the human race. Greedy breakfast cereal manufacturers are using subliminal messaging to turn people away from physcially, socially and emotionally nurturing toasted bread products and toward the empty debilitating nothingness of corn flakes and coco pops. They must be stopped.

Then I’ll have a bit of a snooze until about 7pm-ish when I’ll be working on some ciabatta to go with soup for dinner. Then I’ll hang out and gossip with the jaffle iron until about 10pm-ish when I’ll knock up some fruit ‘n spice muffins for a late night supper.

Snacks I enjoy

Well naturally I enjoy all kinds of bread products, but my favourite has to be crumpets. Getting that crisp crunch just right and with the oozing butter and syrup, just yummy. Thanks to my dedicated setting I'm a bit of a crumpet expert, if I do say so myself.

Things I would do if I was a Billionaire

I would retire to a custom built kitchen by the sea and toast just for fun. You know the odd bap here and there. Maybe a bit of turkish bread every now and then just for kicks.

3 Bad Habits

I beep annoyingly at people if they don’t come and collect their toast asap. I’ve taken the time to toast it, the least they can do is eat it while it’s still hot.

Other than that I am a well functioning machine. I do not do idiosyncrasies.

5 placed I have lived

Various mines. Dull and dirty places. I was glad to get out of there.

The Breville toaster factory where I was born. My memory of those days is pretty hazy.

The wholesale wharehouse. It was fun hanging out with all the other toasters. We had some wild nights in that place. The stories I could tell.

David Jones small appliances section. It was hard work, you always had to be putting your best foot forward. Keep yourself shiny that kind of thing. The staff got testy if their sales figures weren’t up to scratch.

The cupboard under the sink. It’s a cool pad. The pasta machine and I are best buds. And there’s a very fit little magimix living in the far corner. We’ve been looking at each other significantly for a while now. I’m in with a chance there. So long as that moronic food mill doesn't keep pushing his way in. Idiot!!!

5 jobs I’ve had

Well it's just been domestic work so far. But I'm keen to go into showbiz. I've got the looks. But just as a sideline you know. Maybe a bit part in Neighbours or Home and Away. Those people are always hanging about in the kitchen. I could just be an extra sitting on the kitchen bench. Maybe getting the odd action shot in breakfast scenes - doing a bit of toast or muffins here and there. Who knows!!

So that’s me. KJ said not to tag anyone. Rather anyone who wants to join in feel free. Casting agents can contact me through KJ's email address.

Chocolate Creme Caramel

2008-04-29T21:41:00.001+10:00

There is something edible in this photo I promise. And no it's not the little kitty kat letter holder that I bought home from Cape Town many years ago. It's this - chocolate creme caramel.

When I started taking photos I realised that it makes a wonderful reflective surface. Here is a portrait of the cord on my iron.

And here you were thinking all these photos were produced in my very own studio with custom lighting, backdrops, the works. LOL!! Oh how I wish!!! No it's a corner of my lounge room by the glass sliding doors where the ironing board hangs out when I'm too lazy to put it away.

And see those pukey apricot vertical blinds. HATE THEM!! Whoever invented those things deserves something very nasty. They refuse to open, they refuse to close, they're impossible to clean and bits keep falling off. Grrrrrrrr!!!!

You may remember the chocolate coconut banana bread I made a while back. Well this creme caramel is the second recipe from Karen Martini's supplement in the Sun Herald that I mentioned.

I have to admit I am in two minds about this recipe. It was quite straightforward to make, so long as you are comfortable with caramel. I generally find that I do not have too much trouble using the water method - where you first melt the sugar in water and then bring it to a boil until you have a lovely golden caramel. Ask me to melt sugar dry in the pan and I will run a mile.

And it does taste delicious - chocolate and caramel with a touch of orange. Yum!! It's important to unmould the creme while it is chilled but to let it come back to room temperature before eating. It improves the taste and texture a dozen fold.

No my problem was with the mouth feel - if you know what I mean. I cooked it exactly as instructed, but when it was chilled a few little balls of white fat formed around the bottom and edges of the creme. I assume from the milk or chocolate. This left a slight kind of grainy fatty feeling in my mouth. Mind you, nobody else noticed it but me. It may have been purely psychosomatic, as I had spent quite a few minutes pondering the little blobs. Who knows?? Next time I may try cooking it at a lower temperature. That may help.

Chocolate Creme Caramel
(adapted from The Sunday Herald)

zest of 1 orange
160gm of dark chocolate, chopped
600 ml milk
250gm castor sugar, plus 3 tbspn (12 tspn)*
120ml water
4 large eggs
3 egg yolks

Combine chocolate and zest in a bowl. Bring milk to a simmer and pour over the chocolate. Stir until smooth and then set aside.

Combine the 250gm of castor sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and leave until it is a golden caramel. Do not stir. Pour into a 20cm ceramic ovenproof dish. Swirl to cover the sides.

Whisk eggs, yolks and the 3 tbspn of sugar. Slowly add the milk mix and stir together. Pour mix through a strainer into the baking dish. Place dish in a baking tray and add hot water until it comes halfway up the dish.

Bake in a 180C conventional or 160C fan forced oven for 75 minutes or until just set. Remove, allow to cool and refrigerate for at least six hours.

To serve, run a knife around the edge of the creme and turn out onto a plate. Allow to return to room temperature before serving.

*This is an Australian recipe. An Australian tablespoon is equal to 4 tspn. An American tablespoon is equal to 3 tspn.

Daring Bakers - Cheesecake Pops

2008-04-27T00:05:00.000+10:00

I am a slave to recipes. I admit it. I'm drawn to a recipe because I want to try THAT. And if I'm really honest:

a) if I muck around with it I will just end up with a mess and have to stand there sadly scraping it into the bin; and

b) I rarely have any better ideas. I'm not known for my foodie imagination.

But when I saw this month's Daring Baker's challenge - cheesecake pops - it's like something clicked in my brain. I was just coming up with ideas left, right and centre. The little grey cells were on fire. It got to the point where I was worried that I would not have enough pops to demonstrate my creative genius. Heaven forbid!!!!

It was all alright in the end. The recipe said 40 pops, I think I ended up with about 60. I did this by breaking the Daring Baker rules. Oh dear! There I said it. Before I am blackballed into oblivion, let me explain my truly excellent excuse. I could not find lollipop sticks. I tried. The only other thing I could think of was wooden skewers, which are long and thin and not built for 2oz pops (as directed by the hosts). So I made them skewer appropriate. I throw myself on the mercy of the blogosphere.

So what were these wonderous ideas I dreamed up. I will go through them.

But first a quick word about the cheesecake itself. YUM!!! I think that about covers it. I had to cook it for much longer than the recipe suggested - over an hour versus 35 minutes. But it set up beautifully. And it was incredibly creamy and delicious.

I scooped out about half the cheesecake into balls and cut the rest into squares. So onto my big ideas.

Cachous

Okay not exactly ground breaking, but who cares. They are so pretty.

Milk Chocolate and Musk

These pops are dusted with ground muskettes. I love musk lollies. I always have a packet on hand. I think it all went together really well.

White Chocolate and Lavender

I was a bit worried that white chocolate and cheesecake would be too rich. But it turned out well. The lavender added a lovely touch. I've added a bit too much here, but they just looked so pretty. You really only need a few buds to add a lovely touch of flavour.

Dark Chocolate Rum and Raisin

These were one of my favourites. I soaked some sultanas in rum overnight. Then I roughly chopped them and pressed them into the cheesecake pops. I then froze the pops and dipped them into the chocolate. Yum.

Triple Threats

I made these to use up the chocolate leftovers from the pops above. But they were good in their own right.

Passionfruit Jelly

I was really keen to experiment with jellies. Unfortunately I couldn't find any fresh passionfruit. Usually I can get large nets for only a few dollars at the markets. But it seemed to be an off week. So I used passionfruit syrup instead.

I heated 300ml in a double boiler and then added some sugar to taste. I stirred in six gelatine leaves until dissolved. Once the jelly had cooled I quickly dipped some frozen pops and returned them to the freezer. This created a thin initial layer of jelly. I then left the jelly until it was very thick and just beginning to set. I then dipped the frozen pops again. The best approach is to twirl the pops horizontally and all around after dipping to force the jelly to roll around the pop. It is then able to set around the pop rather than just running off.

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate

I coated the pops in a raspberry jelly using the same method as for the passionfruit pops. This time I used a light sugar syrup, added some pureed raspberries which had been sieved to remove the seeds. At the very end I crumbled in some whole raspberries. I returned the jellied pops to the freezer and then dipped them in dark chocolate.

These were my other favourites.

Rose and Pistachio

Again I used the same method to coat the pops in jelly. This time I used a light sugar syrup flavoured with rose water. I dipped them in milk chocolate and sprinkled them with pistachio.

These were really good, but the rose flavour needed to be a bit stronger. It has to be quite intense to cut through the chocolate, pistachio and cheesecake.

Mango and Coconut

I abandoned the whole chocolate dipping thing. Instead, I made up a crumb base and used that to coat the pops. I crushed some Nice biscuits and mixed them with some melted butter. I toasted them in the oven until they were golden and crisp. I mixed up the cooled crumbs with some dessicated coconut.

I didn't freeze these pops at all. I simply rolled them in the crumb mix and then topped them with some sliced mango.

These were absolutely delicious. The crisp crumbs and coconut contrasted beautifully with the sweet mango and creamy cheesecake. Yum!!!

Pear and Hazelnut

I made these the same way as the mango coconut. Instead of coconut I added some ground hazelnuts to the crumb base. I topped the pops with some sliced pear. Again delicious.

Strawberry and Chocolate

Again, this is the same method as above. This time mixed some grated dark chocolate into the crumb mixture. I topped it off with strawberries. These were my other other favourites. They were really really seriously good.

Jelly and Crumble

I had quite a few pops, crumb mix and jelly left over. So I put them all together. These were good too.

Overall, I rate these as a huge success. I will be making them again. I'm not sure if I would go for the dipped chocolate, as good as it was. I much prefer the crumb mix. I can see a whole platter with different combinations of nuts, fruit, jellies and grated chocolates.

Thanks to this month's hosts, Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah of Taste and Tell , for a great challenge. The recipe will be available on their blogs sometime soon. To see a million more beautiful pops visit my fellow Daring Bakers through the Blogroll.