Lemon Butter

Mum's lemon butter. Adjust quantities to suit the amount of fruit you have.

4 lemons

3 eggs

1 ¼ cups sugar

90g butter

Process eggs for 5 seconds and then add sugar and lemon juice. Place in saucepan, add butter, stir over low heat till thick. Place into sterilised jars and process.

Lemon Tea Cake

To start, grease an 18cm round spring form pan and heat your oven to 180
degrees celcius.

Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup self raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup castor sugar
60g butter, cubed
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:
Mix dry ingredients.
Rub butter into dry ingredients until crumbly.
Add egg to form a soft dough.
Press 2/3 of mixture into cake tin.

Sauce
Ingredients:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup castor sugar
60g butter
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:
Place all ingredients into saucepan.
Heat and stir until sauce thickens
Pour over cake mixture in cake tin.
Sprinkle with remaining cake dough.

Bake for 35 mins.

Spanish Custard Flan

6 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sugar
3 c. milk
1 piece of lemon rind
Pinch of salt
1/2 c. sugar & Dash of lemon for caramel

Bring milk, salt and lemon rind to a boil. Remove from heat
and remove lemon rind. Add sugar, stirring until well
dissolved. Let cool. Beat eggs well. Gradually add to milk
mixture. Add vanilla.

Place sugar and lemon for caramel into mold and cook gently
until it becomes golden brown. Spread evenly over sides and
bottom of mold. Let cool. Pour milk mixture into mold after
caramel has cooled. Put mold in a pan of water. Put pan in
oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Test with a
toothpick.

Butter Cake with Vienna Cream Icing

Butter Cake

125g (4oz) butter
1/2 tspn vanilla
1/2 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/3 cup milk

Have butter at room temperature, beat butter with vanilla until light and creamy, add sugar, beat until light and fluffy; add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in half the sifted flour with half the milk, stir until combined. Add remaining milk and flour, stire in lightly, then beat lightly until mixture is smooth. Spread into greased tin, bake as directed in individual recipes. Cooking times are the same as for packet butter cake mix.

Cooking Times:

28 x 18cm lamington tin 30 mins
20cm ring tin 35 mins
30cm x 25cm swiss roll tin 20 mins
25 x 8cm bar tin 30 mins
loaf tin 50 mins
18cm round cake tin 1 hr 10 mins
20 cm round cake tin 50 mins
23cm round cake tin 45 mins
15cm square cake tin 1 hr 10 mins
20cm square cake tin 55 mins

Oven temp: 180 degrees

Vienna Cream

125g (4oz) butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Have butter and milk at room temperature, place butter in small bowl of electric mixer, beat until butter is as white as possible, gradually add about half the sifted icing sugar, beating constantly, add milk gradually, then gradually beat in the remaining icing sugar; mixture should be smooth and easy to spread with a spatual

Chocolate Vienna Cream - basic recipe and add 2 tablespoons sifted cocoa to icing sugar.

Black Forest Trifle

I made everything from scratch but you could buy the cake, custard etc if you wish. You can get the sour cherry jam and the jars of cherries from deli's at the markets if you can't find them in the supermarket - that's where I got mine from. You can also make your preserved cherries during cherry season (we now have our own made up for next year).


1 Chocolate cake (see recipe below)
Chocolate crème anglaise (see recipe below)
600mL of pure cream
vanilla paste
Sour cherry jam
2 x 500g jars of pitted sweet cherries
Kirsch (or cherry brandy if you prefer)
Dark chocolate for decoration
Cherry juice reduction (see below)


Spread cherry jam thickly on approx half the chocolate cake and layer on bottom of trifle dish.
Cover with 1 jar of drained and pitted cherries.
Pour over approx 30mL of kirsch.
Pour approximately half the cooled chocolate custard over the cake and cherry layer.
Whip cream with 1 tsp of vanilla paste and small amount of kirsch. Spread approx half the whipped cream in a layer over the custard layer.
Repeat all layers again, finishing with the cream layer.
Decorate with curls of grated chocolate and drizzles of the cherry reduction.

chocolate cake recipe:

• 1 cup water
• 1¼ cups caster sugar
• 125g butter
• ½ cup Cadbury Bournville Cocoa
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1¼ cups self raising flour, sifted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 190ºC conventional or 170ºC fan forced. Line a 20cm cake pan base with baking paper and lightly grease sides of pan.
   
   
2. Combine water, sugar, butter, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda in medium saucepan; stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, reduce heat & simmer uncovered for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cool to room temperature (this takes about 30 minutes).
   
   
3. Add flour and egg and beat until just combined. Pour into pan and bake for 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes then turn onto cooling rack.

For the chocolate crème anglaise:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
9 large egg yolks
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate; coarsely chopped

1. Combine the cream and half the sugar (1/4 cup) in a medium saucepan
over medium heat. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from the
heat.
2. Whisk together the remaining sugar (1/4 cup) and the egg yolks
until well incorporated, then whisk in half of the hot cream. Pour the
cream and egg mixture back into the saucepan and place over low heat.
Stirring constantly, cook the mixture until it is viscous and coats
the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Melt the chocolate over low heat and whisk into the crème anglaise.
Cool and refrigerate.

Cherry reduction
Place approx half of the cherry juice from one jar in a small saucepan. Add a small amount (approx 30 mL) of kirsch or other liquor. Bring to boil an simmer gently until the liquid has reduced to approx 1/3 the volume and is thick and glossy. You may wish to add a small amount of cornflour to the reduction to help thicken.

Blood Plum Jam

This is my mum's recipe (you can tell it's old as it's in pounds)! Adjust quantities to suit the amount of fruit.

4lbs plums

3lbs sugar

chop up plums and cook till soft with a little bit of sugar.

warm sugar - I put in baking dish and gently warm in oven

tip sugar in with plums and stir until sugar dissolved

boil rapidly until set

to test when set, put saucer in freezer, drop bit of jam on and when it wrinkles when you push with finger take off.

Process in sterile jars to keep for longer

Dry Potato Curry

Ingredients

1 lb potato; red skins
1 salt to taste
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 onion; finely sliced
2 garlic cloves
1 (1 inch) piece gingerroot; fresh grated
1 green chile; seeded, chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red (cayenne) pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup green pepper; strips to garnish if des



Directions: How to Cook Dry Potato Curry

Cut Potatoes into 3/4 inch chunks. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water 6 to 8 minutes, until just tender. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in a large saucepan, add mustard seeds and onions. Cook 5 minutes until onions are soft, but not brown. Stir in garlic and gingerroot; cook 1 minute more. Add cooked potatoes, chile, turmeric, cayenne and cumin. Stir well. Cover and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are very tender and coated with spices. Serve hot, garnished with bell pepper strips.

Salad of Mixed Greens, Roasted Portobello Mushrooms and Red Onions with Sherry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

VINAIGRETTE :
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Pinch of dried tarragon
• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

SALAD :
• 8 large portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch-wide slices
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 red onions, peeled, halved and cut into 1/4-inch-wide slices
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups torn salad greens, such as mesclun mix, red leaf lettuce, Boston lettuce,
• Bibb lettuce or green leaf lettuce (see Note)
• Shaved Parmesan or pecorino cheese, for garnish

Method:
1. To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the mustard and vinegar in a small bowl and whisk well. Season to taste with salt, pepper and tarragon and whisk again. Slowly add the olive oil, pouring it in a steady stream while whisking constantly to emulsify the vinaigrette. Taste and correct the seasoning, if necessary. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. To prepare the salad, place the mushrooms in a shallow baking dish lined with aluminum foil, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently.
4. Spread the onions in another foil-lined baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently.
5. Roast the mushrooms and onions for about 1 hour, until very tender. Stir them a few times during roasting. Set aside to cool.
6. To serve, put the greens in a large bowl and toss with about 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and then arrange on 6 salad plates.
7. Put the mushrooms in the bowl and toss with about 2 more tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Spoon these over the greens. Put the onions in the bowl and toss with about 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette. Spoon these over the mushrooms. Top each salad with the shaved cheese and season with freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Note that the dressing always makes up a lot more than you need but it's hard to cut down. We use the left overs on green salad etc. The onions and mushrooms take about an hour to cook, sometime a little more.

Spicy cauliflower fritters

320g cauliflower, trimmed
120g plain flour
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus some tender leaves to finish
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 eschalots, finely chopped
4 eggs
11/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3 pinches salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
500ml extra virgin olive oil

Trim cauliflower into small florets to give desired total weight. Add
to a pot of salted boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes or until
very soft. As it is cooking, whisk the remaining ingredients, except
olive oil and parsley leaves, in a bowl to make a homogenous batter.
When cooked, drain cauliflower and set aside. Add warm cauliflower to
batter and mix briskly to break it down a little. Pour olive oil in a
pan so that it is about 15mm deep, and heat. When oil is very hot,
drop in 3 tablespoons of mixture for one fritter. Keep fritters apart
with a fish slice, making sure they are not touching. They should
take 3 minutes each side. Fry in small batches and drain on absorbent
paper. Eat hot, warm or cold. Can be packed for school lunches or
picnics.
Serves 4

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Spinach dip

Spinach dip

1 pkt frozen spinach heated in a little butter then cooled
1 tub sour cream
1/2 small jar mayo
lemon juice
1 pkt of spring vegetable soup mix

Whiz everything together and serve with fresh bread or veges

Moist orange and almond cake

Ingredients
1 medium sized orange plus the zest of 1 orange
3 free range eggs
1 cup castor sugar
300 gm almond meal
½ teaspoon baking powder

Method
Preheat oven to 150 C. Grease a 20 cm round cake time and line the case with baking paper.
Place the orange in a small saucepan, cover with water and boil for 10 mins. Remove, peel and remove seeds.
Blend then seive, saving juice and discarding pulp.
Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until pale and thick. All other ingredients. Mix well.
Pour into tin and bake for45 mins or until top is spongy to touch and lightly browned. Cool in tin for 5 mins.

Rice salad recipe

This recipe is from a friend's aunt.

The dressing is 1 part vinegar to two parts oil. I'm pretty sure that I used 1/2 cup oil and 1/4 cup of vinegar, a couple of cloves of garlic, and a teaspoon or so of brown sugar! Enjoy!

I cup cooked rice
I red capsicum
1 green capsicum
1 red onion
1 cup sultanas
1 cup peanuts
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup peppitas
1/2 cup soy sauce

dressing:
garlic
olive oil
vinegar
brown sugar

Couscous Salad

Uncooked but marinated in a salad dressing, couscous has a little more bite and texture than when boiled or steamed. Serve this as a main course salad,
or with pitta bread and grilled chicken. It keeps well in the fridge until
the next day or so. The herbs are very important but you can really do your
own thing with the other ingredients - experiment!

Serves 4

255g/9oz couscous
olive oil and lemon juice dressing (see below)
285ml of cold water
2 red capsicums
2 small shallots or 1 spainish onion, finely chopped
1/4 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 medium fresh chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, desseded and diced
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 handfuls of fresh herbs (basil, coriander or flat leaf parsley)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the cous cous in a bowl and toss with the olive oil and lemon juice
dressing. Add the water, stir, and leave to stand for 15 minutes or so for
the dressing to be absorbed. Meanwhile, grill the peppers whole, turning at
intervals, until blackened all over. Place in a bowl (still hot), cover
with clingfilm and leave to steam, then peel, dessed and chop finely. (This
might sound like a bit of a fuss, but you can do it while the coucous
marinates.) - I don't do this to the capsicum I just finely chop them raw
and it turns out just as nice, it's really up to you.

Put the peppers in a bowl and add the shallots (or spainish onion), garlic,
chilli, tomatoes, lemon juice, vinegar and herbs. Drizzle with olive oil,
season with salt and pepper to taste and stir. Leave for 15 minutes then
incorporate with the couscous. (I don't wait i just bung everything in
together then wack it in the fridge to infuse all the flavours).

Olive Oil and Lemon Juice Dressing

Serves 4

2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 table spoons olive oil
1 level teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix together all the ingredients.

caramel coconut slice

Ingredients

Base
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup caster sugar
100g butter, melted

caramel filling
395g can of condensed milk
2 tblsp golden syrup
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
60g butter, melted

coconut topping
4 eggs beaten lightly
2/3 cup caster sugar
4 cups dessicated coconut

1. preheat oven to moderate. Grease 26cmx32cm swiss roll pan, line base and 2 long sides with baking paper, extending paper 2cm above the edge of the pan.
2. sift flour into medium bowl, stir in coconut, sugar and butter; press evenly over base of prepared pan.
3. bake in moderate oven about 10 mins or until lightly browned, cool.
4. spread caramel filling evenly over base; sprinkle with coconut topping.
5. return to moderate oven, bake 25 mins or until topping is browned lightly; cool in pan before cutting.

caramel filling: combine ingredients in bowl, mix well.
coconut topping: combine ingredients in bowl, mix well.

Left over coconut topping can be made into macaroons.

LEMON SLICE

Base:

Packet of Marie biscuits (crushed)
125 grams butter
One cup of dessicated coconut
Grated rind of one lemon

Melt butter and add to rest of ingredients. Press firmly into slab tin.

Lemon icing:

One tablespoon of butter
8 dessert spoons of icing sugar
Nearly 1/2 juice of one lemon

Mix - if needed, add hot water

Stir-fry Cabbage:

Needs: a quantity of cabbage - lets say 4 cups, roughly chopped and washed & dried

• Olive oil - apx 2 Tablespoon...

• garlic 6 cloves finely diced (or magic jar)

• 2 teaspoons of grated ginger

• 1 teaspoon diced chilli.

• pinch of salt

• ground pepper to taste.

Method:
Heat wok or large saucepan and then add oil.
Add chilli and cabbage - fry off for approx 1 minute stirring constantly (caution wet cabbage will spit)
add garlic & ginger & continue to fry for 2(ish) minutes.
(optionally) add a couple of tablespoons of water to provide a sauce.
add salt & pepper to taste.
Eat.

For a non - vegie version add some fried pancetta or bacon. Alternatively add some wok fried prawns (the frozen ones from the supermarket are fine). Anto has tried both these version and they work well apparently.

Pumpkin and onions with harissa

• 1 kg of pumpkin (we usually use jap) peeled and cut into pieces
• 2 red onions, cut into quarters
• 6 shallots
• 1/2 bunch of spring onions
• harissa spice mix
• pomegranite molasses*
• olive oil
• lemon juice
• salt and pepper

In a large baking tray add the pumpkin, oinons and shallots. Season well with salt and pepper and coat with olive oil. Bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes toss and add the spring oinons, bake for a further 20 minutes or until cooked (should only take 40 minutes). Coat with harissa dressing and serve.

We usually serve this on a bed on cous cous with a bit of baby spinach which is quite good!

Harissa dressing - Mix harissa spice mix (just buy a harrissa spice mix from the supermarket)

2 Tbsp Harrisa spice mix
apx 2 Tbsp olive oil
lemon juice to taste
1 Tbsp Grenadine (pomengranite) molasses (hard to get - you could possibly substitute honey or brown sugar)

Method:
combine spice mix & molasses
gradually add olive oil while continually mixing.
add lemon juice to taste.



*Note that pomegranite molasses can be hard to find, you can't get it from the supermarket. You need to look in deli's and specialty food stores. I think we got ours from the specialty store at the belconnen markets from memory. A few delis do have it though. It pops up in quite a few recipes!

Beetroot and nut salad

• bunch of beetroot
• salad leaves
• walnuts (approx 1 cup, although I probably just adjust depending on what I feel like)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  
• 2 tsp honey
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• additional olive oil for beetroot
  

Peel and wash the beetroot and cut into pieces, season with salt and pepper and coat add toss with olive oil. Bake in oven at 180 degrees. Will take approx 1hour but may vary depending on the beetroot and size of pieces. Meanwhile, wash salad leaves and chop walnuts. Mix the balsamic vinegar, honey and plenty of salt and pepper together in a bowl. Once the beetroot is ready fry the nuts in approx 4 tablespoons of oil (this is the oil for the dressing) - add the hot nuts to the dressing. Add the beetroot, nuts and dressing to the salad leaves, toss and serve.