Category Archives: Uncategorized

Dec6

Mars Bar Slice

Posted on by
Standard

IngredientsOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

  • 4 x 65 g Mars Bars, chopped 
  • 100g butter 
  • 4 cups Rice Bubbles 
  • 200 g dark chocolate
  • 25 g butter extra

Method
Line a slice tray with baking paper.
Combine Mars Bars and butter in a saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat, without boiling, until the mixture is smooth.
Stir in Rice Bubbles and press mixture evenly into lined tray.
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave on a low setting, stirring every 20-30 seconds. 
Spread the chocolate evenly over the slice mixture and refrigerate until topping is set. Slice into squares.

Advertisement
Dec5

Pork Patties with Mango Salsa

Posted on by
Standard

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This is a nice alternative for xmas. I used a mix of beef and pork for this recipe, because that is all I had in my freezer.

Ingredients

  • 1 large red onion finely diced
  • 1 tsp  ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 500g lean pork mince
  • 3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 small red chilli fine chipped
  • 3 tsp hot mango chutney ( you can buy this in most supermarkets)
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • generous handful of chopped fresh coriander
  • Oil for frying

Method

Combine all ingredients, season and mix together. (If you have a food processor you can use that). With damp hands, form the mixture into 8 patties, then chill for 10 mins to firm up. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frypan over medium heat. Add the patties and cook 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked through. Serve with mango salsa.

Mango Salsa

  • 1 large mango, peeled and flesh chopped
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • a couple of pinches  of brown sugar
  • 1 small chilli seeded and chopped.
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh coriander

Method

In a bowl combine lemon juice, sugar, chilli and coriander and let it stand.  Before serving add mango – give it a gentle toss and serve.

Dec2

Honey Roasted Pear Salad

Posted on by
Standard

Honey Roasted Pear Salad

The pears in this recipe were supposed to be roasted, but my oven was busy with the magnificent glazed ham so I ended up cooking the pears on the stove top. If you were to roast it – it would be for 20 mins at 200 Deg C.

Ingredients

  • 4 Pears cored and each half cut into thirds
  • 60 g butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugarHoney Roasted Pear SAlad 2
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • Bag of mixed leaves or rocket
  • 1/2 punnet cherry tomatoes
  • shavings of Parmesan Cheese 
  • Handful of Crushed walnuts
  • 2 Lemons
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard

Method

 Once pears are cut toss it in lemon juice to avoid pears turning brown. In a large saucepan melt butter, add sugar and honey. Once the sugar has melted, add pears and mix well so each pear is coated.  Cook for 20-25 mins on low heat turning pears every 5 mins. The pears should be caramelised but still crunchy.  Prepare vinaigrette by combining olive oil, lemon juice and dijon mustard, season to taste.  On a large platter place rocket tossed in vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes and pears. Top with shaved parmesan and crushed walnuts.

Dec1

And the winner is ………Glazed Ham

Posted on by
Standard

I served this to some of my friends this week and I had thirteen thumbs and many second and third serves. It was accompanied by a Roasted Pear Salad (posting recipe tomorrow)..

Leg of Ham

Ingredients

  • 7Kg cooked leg of ham
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/2 cup sweet sherry
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar – extra
  • 2 cloves garlic, halved lengthways
  • 1/4 tsp ground clove
  • handful of cloves

Method

Cut through rind about 10cm from shank end of leg; run thumb around edge of rind just under skin to remove rind.  Start pulling rind from shank end to widest edge of ham; discard rind.  

Using sharp knife, make shallow cuts in one direction diagonally across fat at 3 cm intervals, then shallow- cut in opposite direction, forming diamonds.  So not cut through top fat or fat will spread apart during cooking.

Preheat oven to 180 deg C/160 deg C fan forced.  Place ham on a wire rack ; rub with combined mustard and sugar.  Place ham on a wire rack in baking dish.  Bake for 30 mins, then take out of the oven, decorate with cloves and baste with sherry glaze. Put ham back into the oven for another 15 mins and then pull out, baste with sherry glaze, and put back into the oven – repeat this process 3 times.   After the final 15 mins, remove ham from oven, cover with foil and stand for 15 mins before slicing.

Sherry Glaze: Combine juice, sherry, extra sugar, garlic and ground clove in a small saucepan; stir over heat until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered, about 10 mins or until glaze reduces by half.

 

 

 

 

 

Nov27

Rum Balls

Posted on by
Standard

I will be honest, I don’t eat these because I find it too sweet. Those with a sweet tooth however seem to love this.  I am specifically putting this post up for my cousin – the last time I made these, she actually hid the container so she could scoff them on her own – no names but she knows who she is….:-)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Ingredients

  • 1 packet arrowroot
  • 400g condensed milk
  • 2 tbsp cocoa
  • 1 cup coconut flakes or hazelnuts 
  • 1-2 tsp rum

Method

Crush biscuits till they are very fine crumbs. Combine all ingredients except coconut and mix together. Roll into balls and lightly coat with coconut.  

Nov26

Prize Winning Fruit Cake

Posted on by
Standard

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

This recipe did win a prize in 1937.  This is my favourite fruit cake and I have been baking this for a long time. It takes a little bit of effort but it is definitely worth it.

IngredientsOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

  • 500g sultanas
  • 500g currants
  • 250g chopped raisins
  • 125g glace cherries halved
  • 1/3 cup mixed peel
  • 185g blanched almonds
  • 1/3 cup orange marmalade
  • 1 tbsp grated orange rind
  • 2 tsp grated lemon rind
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2/3 cup brandy
  • 500g butter
  • 500g brown sugar firmly packedOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
  • 8 eggs
  • 3 cups plain flourOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
  • 1 cup self-raising flour

Method

Combine fruit, almonds, marmalade, rinds, juice and brandy in a large bowl; mix well. cover bowl, stand mixture for up to a week.  Cream butter with sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer only until ingredients are combined. Beat in eggs one at a time, beat only until combined between each addition.  Add creamed mixture to fruit mixture, mix well; mix in sifted flours in 2 lots.

Spread mixture evenly into deep 25cm square or 28cm round prepared cake tins. Bake in Slow oven 150 deg C for 3-5 hours. Tip: I wrap newspapers around the tin to keep the cake from burning or drying out – refer photo on post.

Note: Oven temperatures vary and my cake cooks in 2.5 hours in my fan forced oven. Start checking your cake at the 2 hour mark.

 

Nov25

Mix and Melt Fruit CakeCake

Posted on by
Standard

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This is the first time I have baked this particular fruit cake. The recipe is straightforward and there is no soaking of fruits for a week.  With the help of my friend’s daughter who very kindly spent half a day teaching us all about fondant, I was able to decorate the cake .

Ingredients

  • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA1.5 kg mixed fruit, chopped
  • 1/2 cup run
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, coarsely grated
  • 1 tbsp honey or golden syrup
  • 1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
  • 4 eggsOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
  • 250 g butter , meltedOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
  • 1 1/2 cups plain flour
  • 1/2 cup self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp mixed spice

Method

Place mixed fruit in large bowl, then add run, apple, honey, sugar and eggs and mix well.  Stir in cooled butter, sifted flours and mixed spice. Spread the mixture evenly into a deep 19cm square or 23 cm round prepared cake tin. Bake in a  slow oven 150 deg C for 2-3 hours.   Note: This is a really old recipe and oven temperatures vary, so please start checking if your cake is cooked by the 2 hour mark.  

 

Nov21

33 days to Christmas

Posted on by
Standard

“I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous, pleasant time; a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely, and so I say, God bless Christmas!”  Charles Dickens

For the next few weeks my blog will be about Christmas.

Coming soon are Christmas Cakes, White Chocolate lemon lime truffles, rum balls, shortbread, Devika’s Caprese salad, Aussie BBQ Ham, Stollen, Roasted lemon and thyme chicken, a variety of salads and it goes on….look out for it – Starts Monday!!!!

christmas_tree_192909

 

Nov19

Eggs with Chorizo and Asparagus

Posted on by
Standard

We had this for brunch over the weekend…….it does taste as divine as it looks.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup chorizoOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 Egg white
  • 1 chilli de-seeded and diced
  • 1/4 cup cheese
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/2 dozen sticks of asparagus
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp butter
  • salt to season
  • handful of fresh chives chopped

Method

Eggs: Dice chorizo and fry in a heated a frying pan till it becomes slightly crispy. Drain on paper towel. Crack eggs in a bowl, add the egg white, milk, salt  and whisk. Add 3/4 of the chorizo and 1/2 the chopped chives to the mixture.  In a frying pan heat oil  and 1 tsp butter. Pour in the egg mixture and cook for a minute, add cheese and cook for another minute or so before taking pan off heat.  (We like our eggs firm so we cook it for at least 3 mins.)

Asparagus: Heat remaining butter in a frying pan, throw in the chilli and cook for 1/2 minute, add asparagus, toss for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if you wish.

To serve, Place eggs on toasted sourdough, with asparagus on the side and  garnish with remaining chives and chorizo.

 

 

Nov18

Blueberry Friands

Posted on by
Standard

Friands

My husband’s favourite…..this is definitely something I make with a lot of love.

Ingredients

  • 180g butter melted
  • 200g Icing Sugar
  • 60g plain flour
  • 120g Almond Meal
  • 5 Egg whites
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup blueberries

Method

Heat oven 200 deg C.  Sift icing sugar and flour in a bowl then add almond meal. Lightly beat egg whites with fork until bubbles form and fold into dry ingredients.  Don’t over mix.  Add butter and zest.

Butter friand tins well. (10 large or 15-20 small).  Fill mould 3/4 full and top with berries.

Cook in over 9 minutes then turn and cook for further 9 minutes. Leave in mould for 5 minutes before turning  out.  Dust with icing sugar before serving if you wish.