Baked Peaches

Clipped from the Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 13-19 2001

6 white peaches
3 tbsp honey
100ml verjuice
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Halve and stone the peaches. Whisk the honey and verjuice in a bowl, then add the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. Place peaches in an ovenproof dish and pour liquid over them. Bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes. Serve with double cream or creme fraiche.

Chocolate

1 and a quarter cups non-fat Bonlac
1 and a quarter cups sifted icing sugar
4 level tablespoons cocoa
quarter pound melted Copha

Mix all ingredients tog. and pour into tray and place into fridge to set. Cut into squares.

Passionfruit Mousse

1 and a half cups mango pulp
half cup passionfruit pulp
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp Gelatine
quarter cup water
2 eggs separated
1 x 300ml carton thickened cream
extra cream and shredded orange rind to decorate

Lightly oil a fluted mould. Blend or process mango pulp. Combine in bowl with passionfruit and sugar. Sprinkle gelatine over water in a cup. Stand cup in pan of simmering water, stir till dissolved, cool slightly. Stir gelatine mixture and egg yolks into fruit. Beat cream in small bowl of electric mixer until soft peaks form, gently fold in fruit mixture, pour into prepared mould. Cover, refrigerate overnight.

Melting Moments

125g butter softened
half cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain flour
3 tbsps cornflour

Icing. 30g butter, three quarters cup icing sugar, 2 tsp strained passionfruit juice

Cream butter sugar tog. then add vanilla. Sift flour and cornflour and beat well. Roll into small balls and place on baking trays, flatten with fork. Bake in mod. slow oven 160 C (325F) for 12 to 15 mins

Pecan Bars

Base- 90g butter
half cup brown sugar
1 and a third cups plain flour
half teaspoon baking powder
quarter cup pecan nuts chopped

Topping- 3 eggs
1 cup dark corn sugar
1 third cup brown sugar
1 third cup plain flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecan nuts (chopped)
pecan halves to decorate

Cream butter and sugar tog. til light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking powder nuts and combine well. Firmly press into well greased 23cm x 29cm baking dish. Bake in mod oven 10 mins. Mix all topping ingreds. and put on top, bake until set

Date and Pecan Slice

4 oz butter
4 oz brown sugar
4 oz self raising flour
half cup dates
half cup pecan nuts
1 egg
Vanilla Essence

Melt butter and sugar mix in egg and vanilla essence- nuts and flour
Press into tin. Mod oven, ice with lemon icing.

Apple Crumble Slice

Base- 125g butter
half cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup plain flour
half cup self raising flour

Filling- 4 large Granny S apples
3 tabs caster sugar
quarter cup water

Topping- 1 cup Corn Flakes lightly crushed
1 cup cocoanut
3 tabs Condensed Milk

Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add egg beat well. Fold in flour, mix well. Spread over base of 20cm x 30cm lamington pan
Cook in mod oven 180 C for 25 mins, cool
Filling- peel core and slice apples. Place in saucepan with sugar and water. Cover, cook over med heat until apples are just tender. Cool
Topping- Combine cornflakes, cocoanut and milk, mix well. Spoon filling evenly over base sprinkle with topping. Cook in mod oven 10 mins or until golden brown.

Linda's Orange Cake

1 cup sugar
4 eggs separated
1 cup plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
125g butter, melted
grated rind and juice 1 orange
3 quarters cup orange juice
2 tbsp sugar

Chocolate icing
125g semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp instant coffee
1 tbsp boiling water
1 tbsp sour cream

Lightly grease a 23cm cake pan and preheat oven to 180C. Beat sugar and yolks till thick and creamy. Sift flour and baking powder and fold into beaten egg yolks. Fold in melted butter orange rind and juice, then the egg whites beaten till they stand in peaks. Place mixture in tin and cook 40 mins. Remove from oven and turn onto cake cooler while you combine the orange juice and sugar stirring until sugar is dissolved. Return cake to pan and while still warm spoon on the sweetened orange juice. Leave until cold, cake will absorb the juice. Turn out onto flat plate and spread top and sides with chocolate icing. Serve as a dessert with bowl of unsweetened whipped cream. Dress up with fresh berries.
Icing- place all chocolate in a bowl and stand over hot water. Dissolve coffee in boiling water add to choc and stir till smooth. Remove bowl from heat and stir in sour cream. When mixture is smooth, spread over cake.

Cocoanut Syrup Cake

250g butter
2 cups raw sugar
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
8 eggs
4 cups cocoanut
2 cups Self Raising flour
fresh berries and icing sugar to decorate
Syrup: 1 lemon, 2 cups raw sugar, 1 and half cups water

Lightly grease a 25cm round cake tin, line base with paper, then grease. Beat butter sugar and rind in large bowl electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in cocoanut then sifted flour. Cook in mod slow oven 160 C 325F 1 and half hours.
Syrup. Veg. peeler rind from lemon. Cut into 5mm long strips. Combine rind sugar and water in pan stir without boiling until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil reduce heat simmer 3 mins without stirring
Strain
Pour hot syrup over hot cake, cool in pan
Decorate with fresh berries dusted with sifted icing sugar

Mango Sorbet

1 cup water
two thirds cup castor sugar
2 Mangoes (about 750g) chopped
2 tsps grated lime rind
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup apple juice
1 x 150g can cocoanut cream
extra lime rind to decorate

Combine water and sugar in pan. Stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil, boil 5 mins, cool to room temp. Cover refrigerate till cold.
Blend mangoes, rind, juices and cocoanut cream til smooth. With motor operating grad. add sugar syrup in thin stream. Pour mixture into a 20cm cake pan. Cover, freeze for several hours.
Spoon mango mixture into a bowl. Beat with electric mixer till smooth. Return to pan, cover, freeze till set.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

3 cups plain flour
2 cups castor sugar
1 tsp salt
1 and half tsps Bicarb of Soda
1 cup undrained canned crushed pineapple
2 cups grated carrott
4 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 and half cups salad oil
1 tsp vanilla

Sift flour, sugar, salt and bicard tog. in a large mixing bowl. Add pineapple carrott eggs oil and vanilla and beat till combined. Stir in chopped nuts. Spoon batter into 2 well-greased and lined 20cm sandwich tins. Bake in preheated oven 180C for 1 hour or til skewer comes out clean. Put frosting between and on top.
Soften 125g cream cheese and gradually beat in 1 cup sifted icing sugar till light and fluffy. Add a little grated lemon or orange rind, or citrus fruit to flavour.

Baked Cocoanut Custard

3 cups Milk
half cup castor sugar
4 eggs
395g sweetened Condensed Milk
300ml carton Cream
1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
1 cup cocoanut
raspberries and mint to decorate

Stir milk and sugar in medium pan over low heat til sugar dissolves and milk is hot. Transfer to large heatproof jug. Whisk eggs in bowl til lightly beaten. Grad. whisk in milk mixture til smooth Add condensed milk, cream and rind whisk until combined. Pour mixture into a greased ovenproof dish 8-cup capacity. Sprinkle cocoanut evenly over top. Mod oven for 50 mins or until custard is set.

Honey Nut Slice

From Woman's Day

1 and half cups Kellogg's Corn Flakes
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup dessicated coconut
two thirds cup chopped unsalted toasted macadamia nuts
half cup caster sugar
125g melted butter
one third cup honey

Grease a 19cmx 29cm slice pan. Line base and two opposite sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm above edges of pan. Combine Corn Flakes, oats, coconut, nuts and sugar in large bowl. Stir in butter and honey, mix well. Spread into prepared pan. Cook in a moderate oven , 180C, for about 20 min or until lightly browned. Cool slice in pan. Cut slice into squares to serve. Slice can be drizzled with melted dark, white or milk chocolate for a different flavour.

Grilled Bananas with Mango Sorbet

4 Bananas, brown Sugar, Passionfuit, mango sorbet.

Split unpeeled bananas. Sprinkle with sugar. Grill until sugar is melted and browned slightly. Drizzle bananas with passionfruit pulp. Serve with sorbet.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Best made on the day.

2 cups (300g) plain flour
two thirds cup icing sugar mixture
185g butter chopped
2 egg yolks
1 tblsp cold water
1 tblsp sugar
milk for glazing

Filling- 12 medium apples, quarter cup brown sugar, half tsp ground cinnamon

Process the flour, icing sugar and butter. Add egg yolks. Add enough water to bring ingred. tog. Turn onto board press into ball and knead gently till smooth. Roll two thirds of dough. Lift onto pie plate and refrigerate for 1 hour. Hot oven 220C. Spoon filling into pastry case.Cover with rem. dough, Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. 3 cuts in pastry.
Cook apples till just tender. Drain juice off and cool.

Melting Moments

250g butter
half cup (80g) icing sugar mixture
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 and half cups (225g) plain flour
half cup (75g) cornflour

Butter Cream: 80g butter, two-thirds cup icing sugar mixture, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp grated lemon rind.

Oven 160C, line baking trays with bak. paper

Beat the butter icing sugar and vanilla until pale. Stir in combined sifted flours. With lightly floured hands roll two level teaspoons into balls and place on tray. Press down with fork. Bake in mod slow oven for 15 mins or until biscuits are pale straw colour. Beat butter icing sugar, juice and rind. Dust with icing sugar.

Crush half a packet of amaretti biscuits, mix well with a little brown sugar lemon rind and a spoonful of butter. Place a spoon of mixture into canned or fresh peach halves. Use same recipe with gingernut biscs and pears.

Mandarin Salad

1 cup pineapple pieces, drained
1 cup mandarin segments, drained
1 cup cocoanut
1 cup white marshmallows chopped
1 carton light sour Cream.

Mix Cream, Cocoanut, Marshmallows. Add pineapple and tinned mandarin.

Fruit Salad with Yoghurt Dressing

Lettuce leaves
1 large peach and nectarine peeled and cut into wedges
1 large Banana peeled and cut into chunks
Lemon juice
1 large orange peeled and segmented
2 large scoops cottage or ricotta cheese

Dressing:
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp honey
2 tsps finely chopped mint
1 cup yoghurt
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
chopped walnuts

Arrange 2 or 3 lettuce leaves on 2 plates. Sprinkle stone fruits and banana with lemon juice and arrange on top of lettuce with orange and a scoop of cheese. Combine dressing ingred. well and spoon over all, serves 2.

Bread and Butter Pudding

1 egg
1 tbsp raw sugar
Few drops Vanilla essence
600ml milk
4 slices bread, lightly buttered
Favourite jam (apricot / strawberry)
Fine dessicated coconut

Beat egg well. Add sugar and vanilla essence and beat into milk. Place milk in a baking dish leaving about 2cm at the top. Butter bread and cover lightly with jam. Cut each slice into 4 squares and place on top of milk. Submerge bread lightly for a few seconds to wet them. Shake coconut over the top. Bake slowly in preheated slow oven 150 C (300 F) for an hour or until lightly browned.