Sun 21-Sep-2008

Categories: Baking

A recipe from my mother's cookbook. I just tell the scales to measure in imperial.

Ingredients

  • 4 oz Butter
  • 4 oz Sugar
  • ½lb Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon Golden Syrup
  • 1 tablespoon Milk
  • ½ teaspoon Baking Soda

Method

  1. Melt butter, sugar, golden syrup, milk, and baking soda in a saucepan.
  2. Stir in flour and vanilla.
  3. Roll into small balls and press with a fork.
  4. Place on a baking tray with plenty of room for these to spread.
  5. Bake 10 minutes in a pre-heated moderate oven (350°F/175°C)

Sun 17-Aug-2008

Categories: Spreads

MarmaladeThis takes some time cooking and is ideally prepared the day before.

Ingredients

  • 4 large grapefruit (about 750g)
  • 2 medium lemons
  • 2 litres water
  • 6 cups sugar

Method

  1. Peel grapefruit and lemons thinly. Cut the peel into very fine strips.
  2. Remove pith from fruit and cut flesh into small pieces, reserving seeds.
  3. Tie seeds and some pith in a piece of muslin.
  4. Add fruit, peel, seeds, and water to large pot and leave overnight.
  5. Bring to the boil then simmer until peel is tender and liquid reduced by half.
  6. Remove muslin bag.
  7. Add sugar, stir until dissolved, then boil rapidly until setting point is reached.
  8. Leave 10 minutes, skim gently and pour into warm sterilised jars. Seal.

I have a zester that produces long fine strips. Criss-crossing it over the fruit produces long and small strips.

Sat 09-Aug-2008

Categories: Baking

Rustic Apple TartBased on the recipe found at Instructables

Ingredients

  • Sweet shortcrust pastry
  • Apples, peeled and sliced (I used canned)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

  1. Prepare baking tray with either baking parchment or lightly coat with vegetable cooking spray.
  2. Add lemon juice, cinnamon, and 2T sugar to apples and mix to coat apples.
  3. Place pastry on prepared baking tray
  4. mound apples in centre of pastry.
  5. Sprinkle zest over apples.
  6. Fold up the edges of the pastry, making pleats as necessary, around apples.
  7. Brush pastry with egg.
  8. Sprinkle entire tart with remaining sugar
  9. Bake 190°C until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Sat 26-Jul-2008

Categories: Baking

Ingredients

  • 60g Butter
  • 2 tablespoon Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Ripe Banana, mashed
  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • 2 tablespoons Golden Syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/3 cup Milk

Method

  1. Cream butter and sugar together
  2. Add egg and mashed banana
  3. Sift in flour and ginger
  4. Dissolve syrup and baking soda in milk and add to mixture
  5. Mix lightly
  6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pans
  7. Bake 200°C for 15 minutes

I baked these in a mini-muffin pan, a mistake as they are delicious bite size morsels encouraging you to have just one more.

Sat 12-Jan-2008

Categories: Baking

This recipe comes from Instructables, modified by what I did. It only makes half-a-dozen so it is good when there is only a few people. My lemonade scones recipe makes a much larger amount.

Ingredients

  • 225g self raising flour (or standard flour plus 1 tsp baking powder)
  • 55g butter, chopped into small (2-3cm) chunks)
  • 150ml milk
  • pinch of salt

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 220°C.
  2. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl.
  3. Using fingers, rub butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
  4. Make a well in the mixture and pour in the milk.
  5. Using a knife mix it all together until it resembles a gooey lump.
  6. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it into a squarish shape, about 2.3cm thick.
  7. Optionally glaze with milk.
  8. Place of ungreased baking tray (I use baking paper) and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops are browned.
  9. Cool for 2-3 minutes on a wire rack covered with a tea-towel. this lets the centres go from doughy to crumbly.

Serve with jam and cream.

Categories: Baking

Ingredients

  • 4 cups self-raising flour (I use standard flour plus baking powder)
  • 1 can lemonade (330ml)
  • 1 bottle cream (300ml)
  • Pinch of salt (always when using flour)

Method

  1. Pre-heat oven to 220°C.
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl to form a soft dough.
  3. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead into a squarish shape, about 2cm thick.
  4. Cut into size and place together on an ungreased baking tray. (I used baking paper.)
  5. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until top is browned.

Enjoy with cream or jam.

Sun 11-Nov-2007

Categories: Nibbles

Ingredients

  • 4 large onions, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 2/3 cup soft brown sugar, firmly packed
  • ½ cup malt vinegar

Method

  1. Heat oil in a large pan, add onions and gently cook for 20-30 minutes, until onions are very soft and lightly browned.
  2. Add sugar, stirring until it is melted.
  3. Stir occasionally until mixture is thick and caramelised.
  4. Add vinegar, simmer uncovered for 5-10 minutes to reduce.

Serve with crackers, or in place of tomato paste on a pizza.

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