Anzac Slice

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves around 10 people (depending on size of each slice)

1 cup of plain flour
2/3 cup of raw sugar
1 cup of rolled oats
1 cup of desiccated coconut

125g butter
1/4 cup of golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate
2 teaspoons of boiling water (right at the time boil it)

Heat oven to around 160 degrees Celsius with fan force on.

Line two baking trays with baking paper.

In a large bowl place the flour, sugar, oats and coconut.  Make a small well in the centre. Set aside.

In a saucepan melt the butter with the golden syrup. Turn heat down low.  In a glass measuring cup place the bicarbonate of soda, add the boiling water quickly and stir and then quickly add to the butter and syrup on the stove heat.  Mix quickly increasing heat to get a foamy mixture then turn heat off and add to the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until mixture is all mixed.

Pour mixture into a medium baker for the oven.  Bake for around 20 minutes and check regularly to see if it needs a little longer as heat varies in ovens.

The slice needs to be cooled down and cut when it begins to go cold.

Hint: 1 minute oats are quite suitable for this recipe as an alternative to packet oats.

Amaretti

Preparation Time: 10 minutes approx
Makes around 15-20 small ones

2 egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
drop of almond essence
1 cup almond meal
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons of plain flour
blanched almonds to top each

Rub butter on a flat oven tray or you can use grease proof paper.

Preheat the oven to around 150 degrees fan forced.

Place egg whites and the cream of tartar into a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer until soft peaks form.  Then add almond essence while beating and then the sugar.  Keep beating until its glossy and kind of thick.

Gently fold in the almond flour and the plain flour and stir until combined.  Spoon into a piping kit with a star nozzle.  Pipe the rounds to what size you like spacing them about 3cm apart.  Top each with one blanched almond.  Bake for around 20 minutes or until lightly golden in colour.  Transfer them when cooked to wire racks to cool then you can keep these in airtight containers for up to two weeks.

Melomakarona (Greek style biscuits)

1 1/2 cup of olive oil
1 cup of fine sugar
5 cups of self raising flour
2 teaspoon of baking soda
pinch of salt
zest of one orange( or mandarin)
1/2 cup of orange juice
30 mls of brandy
3/4 cup of walnuts ground
cinnamon for sprinkling

Syrup ingredients:
1 cup of fine sugar
1 cup of honey
1 1/2 cups of water
1 cinnamon stick
2 inch strip of lemon rind
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
3-4 whole cloves


Preheat oven to approx 170 degrees celsius

Combine the zest of orange with the sugar in a large bowl.  Using your clean hands rub the grains all up together so the oil of the citrus blends into the sugar.  The using electric mixer place the olive oil into the mix and blend together.  In another bowl prepare the sifted flour, baking soda and salt.

In a separate bowl mix together the orange juice and the brandy and then pour this mix into the wet mix.

Then slowly maybe using a cup move the flour cup by cup into the wet mix, blending until a firm dough forms but not too firm.  Not too wet when perfect stop mixing. You may need more oil or more flour so adjust accordingly. Taste batter to adjust if you like more sugar here.

Roll your cookies out onto an ungreased cookie tray (i used baking paper on mine).  Make oblong shapes like long eggs.  Bake in oven for approx 25 minutes on 170 degrees.  Prepare syrup while they are cooking.

To make your syrup place in a saucepan the honey, sugar, water, cloves, cinnamon and lemon rind.  Mixture will need to be brought to the boil and then simmer for approx 10 minutes.  Remove the clove, cinnamon and rind and then you can stir in the lemon juice. Simmer this for around 10 minutes.

Place walnuts on a flat plate.  When you take cookies out of oven while still warm place into the syrup mix and let soak on both sides then move to plate or platter and place walnuts on top. A little extra syrup will adhere them best.  Sprinkle a little dusted cinnamon on top if you like.

These are to be kept in airtight container but not in fridge. Keep in cupboard for a few days. Enjoy with tea/coffee.

Crostoli

Preparation Time: 60 - 90 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 - 20 minutes

Makes around 50 biscuits (depending on shape sizes)

You will need a pasta machine for this

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain flour
1 cup of self raising flour
3 eggs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon rind
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
2 tablespoons of brandy
2-3 spare tablespoons of water to balance if too dry
500ml olive oil for frying them in
Icing sugar to dust them after they are cooked


First place the flour into a large mixing bowl.  Add the sugar, oil, lemon rind and juice, vanilla, eggs and brandy and blend with fingers until it starts to form a nice dough.  Add the additional water if required to make a smooth dough ball.

Knead the dough gently on a floured board and when smooth divide this up into four equal pieces and wrap each in glad wrap and set aside.

Place your pasta machine on the bench and set roller on the thickest (widest) setting (8)  .  Unwrap one of your dough balls and place in hand to flatten slightly.  Dust rollers with a little flour.  Feed dough slowly through the machine approx 3 to 4 times , folding as you go to get a rectangle shape.  Do not stress if you cannot get an exact perfect shape they are individual and are all tasty whatever the shape.  Reduce setting if you like by one size and roll through machine.  Some people like to use eg. ravioli cutters to cut into strips.  I did not have one however so i used a normal knife to cut them.

Heat your oil as you go and in a fry pan that is quite deep add some oil to cover the top of around 3 at a  time (next to each other).  Cook each side for approx 2 minutes.  Try to not brown them too much.  Use tongs to remove them one at a time and set on wire rack to dry and shake icing sugar over each.  Repeat until all batches are done.

Place  into airtight containers after they have cooled down.

Anzac Cookies

Serves: 4-8
Makes approx 24 cookies

1 cup plain flour
2/3 cup of raw caster sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup golden syrup
1 cup rolled oats
125g melted butter
1/2 teaspoon of bicarb

Prepare a tray with baking paper.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius approx.

Sift flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl.  Add rolled oats and the coconut.

In a saucepan place the butter and the golden syrup and heat slowly.  When melted completely add bicarb soda.  Add this frothy mix to the dry mix in the mixing bowl. Mix in and form nice round drops and place each drop onto the baking paper spacing them approx 10 cm each. 

Cook for around 20 minutes on 160 and check they are brown otherwise cook a little longer until desired colour. Once cooked turn oven off and let them cool or place on wire rack to cool.  Can be kept for around 6 days in an airtight container.

Peppermint Macarons

Peppermint Macarons

Makes: 8

Preparation Time: 15 minutes and 1 hour standing time for aeration

Cooking Time: 15 minutes



Shells

60 grams of fine almond meal
1 cup of icing sugar
3 eggs whites at room temperature
1/4 cup of caster sugar
4 drops peppermint extract
Green food colouring (10 drops for pale green)

White Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream
100 g white chocolate finely chopped (good quality)
1 teaspoon of pure butter (lurpak)
1 bar of peppermint crisp



Line a baking tray with baking paper.  Draw some circles with a egg cup as per picture below.

 In a food processor add the almond meal and the icing sugar and mix until fine and aerated.  Place aside.

 In a stainless steel bowl place the egg whites and beat on high speed of an electric beater until foamy.  Then add slowly the caster sugar, peppermint extract and the green food colouring. Beat until stiff meringue.

Using a large spoon blend in the almond/icing sugar mixture and scoop it in an upwards motion until combined and smooth.   Then you will need to get a piping bag and fill with the batter.  Pipe the macarons onto the circled baking paper.  They will need to sit for an hour to aerate and form a crust so that they have a smooth top.  Mine are a little rough as my almond meal was a little coarse. 

Bake for approx 13 minutes on 150 celsius fan forced.  I open the door at six minutes to let a little air in to stop them from browning.  Allow them to cool before removing them from the paper.

Preparing the white chocolate ganache:

Place the cream in a saucepan and heat.  Add the white chocolate pieces and bring to the boil.  Make sure to keep whisking this mixture so it does not burn.  Once smooth add the butter. Then turn the heat off and place the ganache into a small bowl to cool down.  I then place this into fridge to cool completely.

Chop up the peppermint crisp on a wooden board with a very sharp knife.

When the ganache is cold add a little of the peppermint crisp and blend and then top a macaron with some and mould together with another.  Sprinkle a little peppermint crisp on the top and refrigerate quickly as they may start to melt. 

Best eaten within two days.

Mascarpone, Vanilla bean and Cream filled Cannoli

 

   Preparation Time: 15 minutes
   Serves approx 6

   Cannoli shells (can be purchased ones as i have done)
   150g of Mascarpone cheese
   200ml fresh cream whipping cream
   1/2 a vanilla bean cut down centre
   1/2 cup caster sugar
   dusting icing sugar

   Either require a hand piping tool kit or you can buy Multix piping bags (supermarket)
  

    To prepare these pre purchased shells combine the cream and the sugar with an electric beater until thick.  Then scrape the vanilla bean innards into the cream.  Add the mascarpone cheese and hand stir until blended through.  Always taste test your cream and add any extra sugar if required to your taste.

Add the cream into the piping bag and carefully fill each cannoli.  I used the plate to hold the cannoli down while piping or it rolls around. Be careful to fill each end.

Dust with icing sugar and serve with a nice pot of tea or coffee

 

Orange and Poppyseed Macarons

Orange and Poppyseed Macarons

Fabulous orange and Poppyseed Macarons are easy to make if you make sure to use a set of scales for the  measurements.  It needs to be weighed in a scale to be accurate.

120 g Almond Meal sifted through a sifter twice 

with 120g icing sugar 

3 eggs (700g size approx) and separate the yolks from whites in bowls (put the yolks in fridge for now)

1 pinch of orange powdered food colourant.  If you cannot find it drop some food colourant yellow and red into caster sugar & mix to make orange colour. Place on baking paper in oven for 30 minutes on a tray until dried through (90 degrees celcius).

Mix the egg whites and a pinch of your orange food powdered sugar with an electric beater and add approx 120g of caster sugar slowly mixing with a pan of hot water under it.  Mix until smooth and shiny.

Mix the finished shiny sugar mix into the dry almond meal sugar mix with a wooden spoon and gently lift upwards.  Be careful not to overwork the mixture.  Put mix into a piping bag and pipe into small rounds (3.5cm approx) on baking tray covered with baking paper.  Space them evenly (2cm approx) and let stand for 1 hour.  Rap pan against counter once to remove excess air if possible.

Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius.  Bake and cook for approx 12 minutes. Open oven at six minutes quickly then closing the door again. Let the  macarons cool before assembling them when done.  

For the cream filling:

10g cornstarch in a saucepan and 60g caster sugar.  then add 100ml of orange juice.  Add a beaten egg and mix well. Turn on stovetop and cook for approx 5 minutes on  medium heat wisking until it begins to thicken then stir in 1 tablespoon of poppyseeds.

Pour cream into a bowl and cool to room temperature before you assemble.  

My Macarons come out a little drier as my eggs were slightly lighter in weight.