~base~
300g flour
75g dessicated coconut
1t baking powder
50g crystalised ginger
225g sugar
250g cold butter, diced
~topping~
150g butter
50g golden syrup
25g finely diced crystalised ginger
200g icing sugar
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease & line 26X38cm(ish) slice tin. Blitz dry ingredients in food processor, then add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Turn into tin and press gently. Bake for 25 minutes or until pale brown. Melt butter and golden syrup with ginger in a saucepan. Remove from heat and whisk in icing sugar. Pour over base, spreading evenly and refrigerate for an hour. Cut into small squares.
Monday 10 June 2013
Saturday 1 December 2012
raspberry jam
4 cups sugar
4 cups crushed raspberries
Bring raspberries to boil and keep at a rolling boil for two minutes. Add sugar and return to a rolling boil for two minutes, stirring throughout. Mix with a handheld beater for four minutes before decanting into sterilised jars. Yield: approximately four jars.
Thursday 24 November 2011
no-knead bread / aka "shaggy bread"
My lovely sister-in-law, Joey, introduced me to this recipe. I love home-made bread but I rarely have the time or the inclination to commit to the laborious knead-rest-knead roundabout that it demands. This recipe solves all that. You simply mix the ingredients in the evening, go to bed, get up in the morning and turn the dough, nuke it for five seconds, have a shower and get dressed, nuke it again, switch on the oven and bake it. Bloody revolutionary stuff.
Most shortcut breads taste like shortcut breads. This one doesn't. It has a good crust and a soft airy texture with just the right amount of toothsome chewiness. It is versatile - equally delicious warm from the oven, in sandwiches, toasted and grilled as bruschetta.
Apparently some New York City genius called Jim Lahey came up with the recipe. Journo Mark Bittman wrote about it in The New York Times in 2006 and a bread-making frenzy swept through the Big Apple: “The loaf is incredible, a fine-bakery quality, European-style boule that is produced more easily than by any other technique I’ve used, and it will blow your mind.”
It can be adapted by adding different grains and flavourings (olives, rosemary, seasalt, etc) and can also be used as a pizza base.
3c high grade flour
1.5c water
1 sachet or 1/4t instant yeast
1 1/4t salt
Mix ingredients in a bowl (I use a butter knife as the dough is quite wet and sticky). Cover with clingfilm (or a tea towel) and set aside for at least 12 hours.
Turn out of the bowl onto an oiled surface. Rub your hands in the oil too and then fold either side of the dough into the centre, rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Return to bowl and either leave for 2 hours or zap for 5 seconds in the microwave and set aside for 30 minutes and repeat.
Put a heavy pot with a lid into the oven and heat to 230C. Once oven has reached temp, sprinkle some flour or (my preference) coarsely ground semolina into the bottom, turn dough into pot, coat with more flour or semolina, put the lid on and bake for 25 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 10 minutes. That's it!
Most shortcut breads taste like shortcut breads. This one doesn't. It has a good crust and a soft airy texture with just the right amount of toothsome chewiness. It is versatile - equally delicious warm from the oven, in sandwiches, toasted and grilled as bruschetta.
Apparently some New York City genius called Jim Lahey came up with the recipe. Journo Mark Bittman wrote about it in The New York Times in 2006 and a bread-making frenzy swept through the Big Apple: “The loaf is incredible, a fine-bakery quality, European-style boule that is produced more easily than by any other technique I’ve used, and it will blow your mind.”
It can be adapted by adding different grains and flavourings (olives, rosemary, seasalt, etc) and can also be used as a pizza base.
3c high grade flour
1.5c water
1 sachet or 1/4t instant yeast
1 1/4t salt
Mix ingredients in a bowl (I use a butter knife as the dough is quite wet and sticky). Cover with clingfilm (or a tea towel) and set aside for at least 12 hours.
Turn out of the bowl onto an oiled surface. Rub your hands in the oil too and then fold either side of the dough into the centre, rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Return to bowl and either leave for 2 hours or zap for 5 seconds in the microwave and set aside for 30 minutes and repeat.
Put a heavy pot with a lid into the oven and heat to 230C. Once oven has reached temp, sprinkle some flour or (my preference) coarsely ground semolina into the bottom, turn dough into pot, coat with more flour or semolina, put the lid on and bake for 25 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 10 minutes. That's it!
Saturday 29 October 2011
banana cupcakes with chocolate icing
1.5c flour
1t baking powder
1t baking soda
1/2t salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4c sugar
1 egg
75g butter, melted
Heat oven to 175C. Line cupcake tins with paper cases. Sift first four ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine bananas, sugar, egg and butter, then fold in the dry ingredients and mix gently until smooth. Spoon into tins and cook for 25-30 minutes or until they spring back to the touch.
When cool, ice with a thin layer of chocolate icing using a butter knife heated in boiling water.
~icing~
1T soft butter
1.5c icing sugar
3 heaped dessert spoons of cocoa
hot water to mix to a paste
1t baking powder
1t baking soda
1/2t salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4c sugar
1 egg
75g butter, melted
Heat oven to 175C. Line cupcake tins with paper cases. Sift first four ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine bananas, sugar, egg and butter, then fold in the dry ingredients and mix gently until smooth. Spoon into tins and cook for 25-30 minutes or until they spring back to the touch.
When cool, ice with a thin layer of chocolate icing using a butter knife heated in boiling water.
~icing~
1T soft butter
1.5c icing sugar
3 heaped dessert spoons of cocoa
hot water to mix to a paste
Monday 5 September 2011
mango rice salad
1.5c jasmine rice
1 bunch Thai basil
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon/lime, plus lemon/lime halves to serve
1/4c olive oil
1 bunch mint, leaves picked
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked
2/3c shredded coconut
6 spring onions, thinly sliced on an angle
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, sliced
2 mangoes, chopped
1/2c roasted peanuts
1c fried Asian shallots
Place rice in saucepan with 2 basil sprigs and 1t salt and cook. Drain and refresh in cold water, discarding the basil. Whisk the lemon juice and oil with salt and pepper. Chop most of the herbs, reserving a few whole leaves to garnish. Stir the shredded coconut in a dry frying pan until lightly toasted. Place the rice in a bowl with the herbs, coconut, spring onion, chilli, lemon zest, mango, peanuts and dressing and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and scatter with fried shallots and herb leaves. Serve with lemon/lime wedges.
1 bunch Thai basil
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon/lime, plus lemon/lime halves to serve
1/4c olive oil
1 bunch mint, leaves picked
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked
2/3c shredded coconut
6 spring onions, thinly sliced on an angle
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, sliced
2 mangoes, chopped
1/2c roasted peanuts
1c fried Asian shallots
Place rice in saucepan with 2 basil sprigs and 1t salt and cook. Drain and refresh in cold water, discarding the basil. Whisk the lemon juice and oil with salt and pepper. Chop most of the herbs, reserving a few whole leaves to garnish. Stir the shredded coconut in a dry frying pan until lightly toasted. Place the rice in a bowl with the herbs, coconut, spring onion, chilli, lemon zest, mango, peanuts and dressing and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and scatter with fried shallots and herb leaves. Serve with lemon/lime wedges.
coconut custard & fruit salad
custard
1.25c shredded coconut
1c coconut cream
1c milk
90g caster sugar
4 egg yolks
3 gold strength gelatine leaves
ice for an ice bath
300ml thickened cream, lightly whipped
fruit salad
5 kaffir lime leaves
1c caster sugar
3 cups tropical fruit cut with a small melon baller (kiwifruit, watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, papaya)
Stir the coconut in a dry frying pan over a low/medium heat until lightly toasted. Place in a saucepan over a medium heat with the coconut cream and milk and bring to just below boiling point before setting aside for 30 minutes to cool.
Whisk sugar and egg yolks in a bowl, adding the strained milk/cream/coconut mixture, discarding the shredded coconut. Whisk to combine and then return to a low heat, stirring for 2-3 minutes until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Squeeze to remove excess water, then add to the custard, stirring to dissolve. Remove from the heat and transfer the custard to a bowl resting in a larger bowl of iced water. Stir occasionally until cool.
Fold the lightly whipped cream into the cooled custard. Pour into six 1c serving glasses (or 12 1/2c glasses - they should be only 1/2-2/3 full) and chill for at least 4 hours or until set.
Place 4 of the kaffir lime leaves in a saucepan, sprinkle with the sugar, cover and leave to infuse for 4 hours or overnight. Add 1c water and stir over a low heat for 1-2 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Increase heat to medium and simmer, without stirring, for 5 minutes until syrupy. Cool, then shill until needed.
Just before serving, finely shred the remaining kaffir lime leaf and add to the syrup with the tropical fruit, then spoon over the custard to serve.
1.25c shredded coconut
1c coconut cream
1c milk
90g caster sugar
4 egg yolks
3 gold strength gelatine leaves
ice for an ice bath
300ml thickened cream, lightly whipped
fruit salad
5 kaffir lime leaves
1c caster sugar
3 cups tropical fruit cut with a small melon baller (kiwifruit, watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, papaya)
Stir the coconut in a dry frying pan over a low/medium heat until lightly toasted. Place in a saucepan over a medium heat with the coconut cream and milk and bring to just below boiling point before setting aside for 30 minutes to cool.
Whisk sugar and egg yolks in a bowl, adding the strained milk/cream/coconut mixture, discarding the shredded coconut. Whisk to combine and then return to a low heat, stirring for 2-3 minutes until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Squeeze to remove excess water, then add to the custard, stirring to dissolve. Remove from the heat and transfer the custard to a bowl resting in a larger bowl of iced water. Stir occasionally until cool.
Fold the lightly whipped cream into the cooled custard. Pour into six 1c serving glasses (or 12 1/2c glasses - they should be only 1/2-2/3 full) and chill for at least 4 hours or until set.
Place 4 of the kaffir lime leaves in a saucepan, sprinkle with the sugar, cover and leave to infuse for 4 hours or overnight. Add 1c water and stir over a low heat for 1-2 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Increase heat to medium and simmer, without stirring, for 5 minutes until syrupy. Cool, then shill until needed.
Just before serving, finely shred the remaining kaffir lime leaf and add to the syrup with the tropical fruit, then spoon over the custard to serve.
danks cured cucs
4 Lebanese cucumbers
salt
sugar
lemon juice
finely chopped chives
Cut the cucs lengthways into quarters or sixths. Sprinkle cut side with a little salt and sugar, then squeeze on a little lemon juice. Leave to sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. When ready to serve, remove them from their liquid and sprinkle with a few finely chopped chives. Serve in an ice-cold glass.
salt
sugar
lemon juice
finely chopped chives
Cut the cucs lengthways into quarters or sixths. Sprinkle cut side with a little salt and sugar, then squeeze on a little lemon juice. Leave to sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. When ready to serve, remove them from their liquid and sprinkle with a few finely chopped chives. Serve in an ice-cold glass.
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