Cheat's crumble

Apple, rhubarb, apricot crumble, together or separately, perfect for a winter dessert.  Sometimes making a crumble can be a lot of effort especially if you are only making it for two people.  I revert to a cheat's version.

All you need to do is rub together unsalted butter, flour, oats and your choice of extras.  I like to add in chopped up dried apricot, dessicated coconut, chopped nuts, choc chips... mmm.  Rub it until it is all mixed together and clumpy.

Then all you do is fry it in a fry pan, no oil because the butter in the mixture will be enough.  Cook it until the things start to brown and there are no clumps of butter or flour.  Pour on stewed fruit (or pie fruit from a tin) and maybe top with some cream.

Stracciatella

This is not true stracciatella - 2 confessions:

1. I cook risoni in the stracciatella
2. I don't make my own stock

It's super simple and super tasty - a fabulous combination of parsley, stock, egg, butter and parmesan and you will end up with this:

Bring some stock to the boil (375ml per person) and throw in 1/4 cup risoni per person.  Cook that until done (to your taste).

Stir in a knob of butter, then stir in 1 beaten (with a fork) egg per person.  I like to not beat the eggs too much and then you get some distinct strands of white and yolk as well as some mixed strands.

Quickly stir in as much chopped parsley as you like, some grated parmesan and some pepper - you probably don't need salt if you use regular stock (not salt reduced) and parmesan.

Carrot salad

This is such a simple salad that can be jazzed up to match whatever you serve it with.

At its most simple it is grated carrot, spring onions, salt, pepper and olive oil.  To make it more complicated/match the rest of dinner I add slivered almonds, fresh herbs, sesame/peanut oil, aloo bhuja (crispy Indian flavoured noodles) or crispy fried shallots.

This one is almonds, sesame, spring onions and aloo bhuja:

Custard powder biscuits

I have 2 biscuit recipes that I love - for different reasons.  This recipe, which uses custard powder and no eggs, creates a deliciously soft dough and a biscuit with soft insides - perfect for jam drops or larger biscuits!

250g butter
125g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup custard powder
2 tbs milk

All in the stand mixer (using the paddle attachment)/using hand beaters if they are strong enough

Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla
Beat in custard powder, flour and milk until a soft dough forms
Turn it out onto your bench (either floured or otherwise greaseproof'ed - paper, nordicware baking sheet etc) and bring together into a ball, which you wrap in cling film and refrigerate for an hour.

Make whatever biscuit shape you like, which will also determine the cooking time.

I like interesting jam in my jam drops - I made half with orange marmalade and half with blueberry jam, and baked for 25 minutes at 180 degrees.

Chocolate (almost mud) cupcakes

I've previously described these cupcakes as melted butter and chocolate with a thought of flour - to indicate how little flour is in this recipe.

The ingredients:

• 300 grams butter
• 300 grams chocolate
• 115 grams sugar
• 115 grams flour
• 5 eggs

The method:
Melt the butter and chocolate together - I have done this over the stove in a double boiler, and in the microwave.   I have heard of brave souls who have melted chocolate and butter together in a saucepan over direct heat.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and yellow, and thicker.

Fold in melted chocolate/butter mixture, and make sure it is all mixed through - you don't want any vanilla streaks in your cupcakes!

You will be left with a pretty runny batter - remember, there is very little 'dry' ingredient in this mix.  So you will probably make a mess as you distribute it amongst a lined cupcake pan.

Bake, 25 minutes, 160 degrees.

Of course, for those chocaholics amongst us, the only option is to ice this cupcake with dark chocolate ganache!

Chocolate meringue cookies

These cookies are delicious and so simple.  Most of the work happens in the kitchen aid (whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks) and then you just fold in melted chocolate and chopped nuts.

The recipe:
Melt 1 cup choc bits (your choice, though I've never tried white)
Stir in 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (your choice, I've tried walnuts and almonds and I recommend you choose a nut that is light weight for its size - walnuts, pecans etc)
Mix the nuts and chocolate together, and then set it aside to cool - it needs the next few minutes to cool so that it doesn't cook the egg when it gets mixed in.

Beat 2 egg whites with 1/8 tsp white vinegar until soft peaks forms.
Slowly beat in 1/4 cup sugar (I always use caster sugar so the meringue is super smooth) and 1/8 tsp vanilla essence and beat until very stiff peaks form.

Fold in choc/nut mix.

Put teaspoon size drops onto lined tray and bake at 175 degrees for 15 minutes.

You have to give the biscuits some time to cool on the rack so the bottom hardens up.  If you lift them off too early the centre of the biscuit will stick to the baking paper.

This recipe originally came from Cindy Harris - Harwood Productions (link here)

Raspberry coulis

I know you have already seen this picture of the Brown Sugar Custard - but I am showing it again as it displays my raspberry coulis beautifully!

Anyway, the recipe:

• 150g raspberries (frozen is totally fine)
• 3 tbs sugar
• up to 3 tbs water

Bring to boil, then simmer 'until thick' - but remember that it will thicken more once it cools.

Let it cool - strain through muslin or a super fine mesh if you don't like the seeds.

Palmiers

I love to make palmiers (also known as Elephant Ears) - however, I can never get mine to look as good as I have seen in shops, so I usually dip them half in chocolate (I can cover up the less attractive side).

Yesterday I made palmiers, and dipped them in white chocolate - my friend loves white chocolate.  I got a lot of compliments!  At least 2 people described them as 'phenomonal', which is almost embarrassing given how easy they really are.

My original recipe came from Dyann Bakes - her (no longer active) blog can be found here.  She used to star in a video podcast that I thought was pretty good.  She only did less than 20 episodes, and finished in early 2008.  However, her on screen manner was good, and her recipes aren't 'fashionable' so the old episodes are still good today (in my opinion).

Anyway - 'the recipe':

• Defrost a sheet of puff pastry
• Cover in sugar
• Fold top into the middle, bottom to the middle and then fold the top over the bottom 
• Fridge for 30 minutes
• Slice and bake
• Once cool, dip in chocolate (optional)

I love to serve them with strawberries dipped in chocolate. 

My tried and tested frittata

I have made the frittata so many times that I don't remember the recipe, nor where I got it from in the first place!

Basically, I used a slice tray (sometimes called a lamington tray in Australia) and chop up enough vegies to loosely layer them in and fill the tray half way up, then I add in 6 beaten eggs and bake.

Some delicious flavour combinations:

• tomato, olives and capers with some parmesan cheese
  
• tinned tuna, cooked potatoes and parsley with some tasty cheese
• antipasto mix - roasted things like capsicum, eggplant, tomatoes with some fetta
• cooked potatoes, tomato, brie and topped off with some smoked salmon after it has cooked

I always serve it with a nice big salad, using all the vegies I have left in my fridge.  

My tried and tested savoury muffins

What to do when you have bought way too many carrots? Or zucchinis?  As long as you have some cheese (and flour, eggs and milk) you can turn them into some delicious savoury muffins.

A good formula:
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 cups grated vegetables
1 cup cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Sift the flour and baking powder together, stir in the vegetables and half the cheese
Mix milk, eggs and oil together.
Add wet mix to dry mix and stir until combined.
Bake 25 mins at 180 degrees

My tried and tested vanilla cupcakes

I have been using the same recipe for vanilla cupcakes for years - it was originally from the Australian Women's Weekly, but I lost the original magazine page a long time ago.  I can make these cupcakes without even really looking at the recipe, though it is dependent on the oven that I am using.  Right now, our oven can cook 12 in 18 minutes, whereas at my old house it was closer to 25 minutes.



The ingredients:
125g unsalted butter (softened)
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups SR flour
1/2 cup milk

Cream the butter and sugar together - I am an advocate of beating the butter by itself for a couple of minutes, and then slowly adding in the sugar, about a tablespoon at a time.

I recently learnt that baking soda and baking powder can't create bubbles, rather, they raise the cake by expanding the bubbles that already exist, so it's really important to create lots of bubbles when you cream the butter and the sugar, because once you add the eggs you can't create more bubbles.

Beat the essence in, and then beat the eggs in, one at a time.  Then stir in half the (sifted) flour, half the milk, half the flour, half the milk - stir, don't beat. 

Put into a muffin tray, lined with cupcake papers and bake at 190 degrees (celcius) for as long as your oven takes.

When you take them out of the oven leave them in the tray for a few minutes, but flip them onto their sides (means the bottoms stay crispy) - it's a Martha trick that I have seen done. 

Some modifications:

• change the essence: I love almond essence in these cakes.  I also have eaten cupcakes made with rose water, and am keen to try orange blossom water. 
• use orange juice instead of milk (or a combination of citrus juices), add a little zest to intensify the citrus flavour
• try using buttermilk, rather than regular milk - you will end up with thicker batter, so you will need to watch your cooking time
  
• bake the cupcakes in flat bottomed ice cream cones