Pavlova

                                       

At this time of the year we tend to go out for BBQ or lunch's and I always like to take something. A pavlova is easy to transport and I just add the filling when I get there. And it always tastes good.

Pavlova:

150ml eggwhite {approximately 4 eggs}

1 cup {220g} caster {superfine} sugar

2 tablespoons cornflour {cornstarch}

2 teaspoons white vinger

Filling:

1 cup {250ml} cream

1/2 passionfruit pulp

250g strawberries

or what berries you have and a banana

Preheat the oven to 150 c {300f}. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a clean electric mixer and whisk till stiff peaks. Adding the sugar gradually, whisk well, until the mixture is stiff and glossy.

 Add the cornflour and vineger and whisk until combined. shape the mixture into an 18cm round on a lined baking tray. Reduce the oven to 120 c {250f} and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Turn the oven off, and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven with out opening the oven door.

whisk cream until soft peaks. spread over the pavlova, top with the topping of your choice.

Enjoy:

Donna Hay

Lemonade Butter

I'm sure you have heard of Lemon butter, but I make a slightly different recipe. As we have a lemonade tree in the back garden, lemonades are very sweet and not tart at all. So today I started on my gifts, made by me in our kitchen.

Lemonade Butter
180gm chopped butter
2 cups caster sugar
3/4 cup lemonade juice
4 eggs beaten and strained
+ a bit of corn flour to help thicken

Combine all ingredients in a double boiler stir constantly, simmer till thick and covers the back of a spoon. Poor into hot sterilized jars.
Enjoy.

Getting Started

Today was the day to start getting my baking organized for Christmas. The fruit is soaking in brandy for the Christmas cake and pudding, I made four batches of shortbread dough ( coffee, chocolate , and two batches of cranberries ) and for the first time I tried making lemon Macaroons, I will have to try a few more times to get them right. Lots more to do but a least I have started. What have you been baking?

Fruit Mince Slice

I thought you might like this slice as Christmas is on it's way. I love fruit mince pies but find them to fiddley to make and I don't have the right tins and Mum always makes them at christmas time.

Fruit Mince Slice

2 cups Plain Flour
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
185gm Butter, Cubed
1 Egg
One 410gm Jar of Fruit Mince

Mix all together and chill for 15mins

Press into a lined 20x28cm tin leaving a small piece to crumble over the top of the Fruit Mince.

Pour the Fruit Mince then crumble the piece you set aside.

Bake at 190  for 30mins. When cool cut into slices.

Enjoy.

Sticky Date Pudding



We love to make this especially on a cold winters night, a favourite of Master M, he even likes to makes this.

Ingredients

300 g Pitted dates

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

600 ml boiling water

120 g butter

dash of vanilla

2 Eggs

460 g Plain flour

3 tsp Baking powder

Caramel Sauce

800 g Brown sugar

400 g butter

450 ml cream

1 Mix chopped dates bicarb soada pore boiling water over dates and let sit for 10mins.

2 combine the sugar, butter and vanilla and beat till creamy.

3 Add eggs, beat.

4 Add the dates and the flour and fold through

5 Pore into a lined cake tin and bake at 180 degrees 40-45mins.

In a saucepan boil brown sugar, butter and cream for 5mins

We like to make a praline to go with our pudding, equal amounts of water to sugar, boil till golden. Pour on to a lined tray.
Enjoy

Orange Cake

This cake is so easy to make I hope you give it try.

1 whole Orange

11/2 cups caster sugar

3 eggs

11/4 cups of oil

* 2 cups SR flour

Mix it up in a blender until the orange has disintegrated. Into a bowl add 2 cups SR flour and poor in the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon, pop into a tin and bake in a moderate oven for 45mins or until cooked.

Enjoy

Chocolate Mousse Meringue Cake

Meringue

4 eggwhites

11/2 cups icing sugar

1 Tbsp cornflour

1 cup hazelnut meal

Chocolate Mouse

400g dark chocolate chopped

1/2 cup cream

2 eggs separated

11/2 thick cream

Preheat oven to120oc. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat till stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is thick and glossy. Add the cornflour and hazelnut meal and beat until well combined. Draw 2x22cm circles on 2 pieces of non-stick baking paper, Place on trays, dived the mixture evenly between the circles. Spreed the mixture evenly over the 2 circles.Bake for 35mins or until the meringue is just crisp. Turn oven off and allow to cool completely in the oven.

To make the chocolate mousse, place the chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate is melted. Allow to cool slightly.Add egg yolks and stir until combined.

Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Fold through the chocolate mixture until combined.

Fold through the wiped cream. Refrigerate for 15mins.

Place 1 meringue in the base of a 24cm-round spring form tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Spread with the mousse and top with the remaining meringue. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until set. Dust with cocoa.

donna hay.

Enjoy

Steamed Pudding



All photos taken on a i pod.







 A guest post from Master M. In the holidays I went to my nanns house and we really wanted to make something so we decided to make a Steam Pudding! it was really and I mean really GOOD! I hope you like the look of my Pudding. Master M

2 eggs
4 oz butter
6 oz sugar
8 oz SR flour
1/2 cup of milk
We creamed the butter, sugar together then added the eggs. Adding the milk and flour.
We then added the mixture to a greased pudding tin, with golden syrup in the base of the tin.
We cooked the pudding in simmering water for 40mins
I hope you enjoyed my blog post!

Anzac Biscuits



Anzac Biscuits:

125g butter, chopped

2 Tbsp golden syrup

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 Tbsp boiling water

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup plain flour

1 cup caster sugar

3/4 cup coconut

Combine butter and sugar and melt. Stir in combined soda and water then remaining ingredients; mix well. Drop rounded teaspoons of mixture about 4cm apart on greased oven trays.

Bake for about 20mins at 150o

Enjoy

Crunchy Cake

This is my mum's recipe for Armenian spice cake or in our house we like to call it crunchy cake. It's great to make a head of time,  it keeps well in an air tight container for several days. 

Recipe:
2 cup plain flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
4 oz butter
Crumble all together with finger tips till it represents bread crumbs. Add half of the mixture to a lined cake tin.
To the rest of the mixture add.
2 tsp mixed spice
1 egg
1 cup of milk
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Mix all together then pour into the tin. Bake for 1 hour at 180o

Enjoy

Ham and Cheese Pinwheels



I saw these ham and cheese pinwheels over at http://picklesandcheeseblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/ham-and-cheese-pinwheels.html  blog. And thought I will give them a try. I should have given myself more time as we got home at 1.50pm and everyone was hungry, so mine look a little rushed, but they tasted so good.

A sheet of puff pastry. I spread mustard and shallots over mine. Then added Ham and grated Cheese. I rolled them tightly and cut them into 2cm pieces then baked them for about 15mins at 200.



Chocolate Brownies



These Brownies are so easy to make and everyone loves them.

Chocolate Brownies:

250g butter

1tsp vanilla
4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/3 cup cups plain flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

Place the butter,vanilla, sugar, and brown sugar in to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into the butter mixture and fold through.

Pour the mixture into a 20cm square  lined cake tin, and bake foe 40-50mins or until set. Bake at 170o

Enjoy

Tortilla Chicken Soup

 OK I found this great soup recipe. It's so easy. I justed chopped all the ingredients and added them to the slow cooker.

You see. The secret to this is the toppings... the fixings... whatever you call them, basically you throw togther a pretty tasty soup and with a hole lot of lovelies to shove on top to make it all taste divine...

Too Easy Chicken Soup:

2 Onions diced

2 Cans chopped tomatoes

1 Handful herbs (parsley/coriander/basil)

1 tsp Cummin

1 Jalapeno chilli diced

3 cups Chicken stock

4 Cloves Garlic

1 Red Capsicum diced

1 tsp Tabasco Sauce

1Tbsp Olive Oil

Dash of Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Garnishes:

Avocado, shredded Cheese, Sour Cream, Tortilla Chips, Spring Onions, Hot Sauce & Sliced Pickled Jalapenos.

Try it ... don't be concerned about putting avocado & chips on a bowl of hot soup... I swear it's so yummy.

Enjoy

Dates

After my morning walk, I came home and did some baking, ( better be sure not to eat it after all the walking I have done lately ).  I made date scone then I made a date loaf. I have shared the recipe for the date loaf in an early post, here is the recipe for the date scones. And after all my hard work in the 

kitchen , just when I was cleaning up, I wiped my Mobile phone into the washing up water not my day.

Date Scones 
225g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 small egg
150ml milk ( I use 100ml)

Method
1. Pre heat oven 200 degrees c
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into large bowl.
3. Rub in butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Stir in chopped dates.
5. Combine the egg and milk in a jug. Stir into the flour mixture to make a sticky dough.
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 30 seconds
7. Cut the dough into about 8 squares or rounds, brush tops with a little milk and place on tray.
8. Bake about 10-15 mins or till golden.
Enjoy

Radishes

Today the sun way shining and I had some time to get out into the garden, what a different a bit of sunshine makes. I picked the Radishes not one of my favorite veggies. Then I thought I would to make pickled radishes. Very easy, white vinegar, pepper, salt, sugar, bay leaf, small onion, I heated the hole lot up, then waited for it to cool, poured over chopped radishes. I just love how the colour has changed from this morning, to this lovely pinkie red.



Lemon Slice

Master M is having a friend over after school for a play, so I though I would make this for their afternoon tea.



Lemon Slice

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

100g butter

200g Granita biscuits

1 cup desiccated coconut

1 lemon, rind finely grated

Lemon Icing

2 cups icing sugar

40g butter

1 lemon, juiced

Method

Line a 3cm-deep, 15.5x25cm (base) slab pan. Melt butter add condensed milk then add to biscuits that have been blended in a food process to fine crumbs. Add coconut and lemon rind combine. Pore into tin and press in. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour or until firm.

Make lemon icing: Place icing sugar, butter and lemon juice beat till smooth. Spread over slice. Refrigerate for a further 30mins. Cut into piece.

Enjoy