Apple and Rosemary Jelly - Sweet or Savoury?

well, to answer the question - both!

I've created 2 versions of this recipe. The first version is with less apple juice and more rosemary - Once it has set, leave it out of the fridge for at least half an hour prior (nearly room temp) to serving with your roast lamb.

and

The second version is with more apple juice and less rosemary - perfect for a refreshing dessert! Serve it with some hazelnut shortbread perhaps...

ingredients for the first version

1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/2 cup apple juice, not a chilled variety, I used Dewlands
approx 10cm piece of rosemary stork, stripped of its leaves

1 tablespoon of powdered gelatine softened in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of cold water

How to make your Apple and Rosemary Jelly - First version

Place the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and bring it just to the boil. Take it off the heat and add the softened gelatine and stir to combine well, ensuring there are no lumps! Strain into 3/4 cup capacity ramekins. (I used little jars that previously held GÜ cheesecakes from Woolworths - I find they are the perfect size for jellies and look pretty too!)
For decoration you could add a sprig of rosemary into the jelly prior to popping in the fridge. Pop in the fridge until set.

ingredients for the second version

1 1/2 cups apple juice, not the chilled variety, I used dewlands
1/2 cup boiled water
approx 10cm sprig of rosemary
1 tablespoon of gelatine softened in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of cold water

How to make your Apple and Rosemary jelly

Boil the kettle and measure out a half cup of boiled water. Add the sprig of rosemary and steep for at least half an hour.

In a saucepan, add the apple juice and the steeped water (discard the rosemary) bring it just to the boil. Take off the heat and add the softened gelatine and stir to combine well, ensuring there are no lumps! Pour into 3/4 cup capacity ramekins. (I used little jars that previously held GÜ cheesecakes from Woolworths - I find they are the perfect size for jellies and look pretty too!)
For decoration you could add a sprig of rosemary into the jelly prior to popping in the fridge. Pop in the fridge until set.

Makes 6.

honeybuns...

Years ago while I was working full time at an Art Centre a friend suggested I should sell my cakes because they thought they were that good. (a very nice friend indeed!) It was a fairly involved process: working out which cakes I would make; photographing them; creating a catalogue, etc,etc. The easy part was the name! I was flicking through a magazine and read an article about a girl who while at Uni was making cakes part time and walking around to offices and selling her treats for morning tea. She was in England and she called herself, "Honeybuns". Well, I thought that was the cutest name ever and figured she wouldn't mind if I borrowed it seeing as she was half-way across the world! So I started selling my sweet treats at markets and even sold them to the students where I worked as, honeybuns. Funnily enough the boss never actually found out I was doing this. I figured it would most likely be frowned upon so I never said anything and as for the students well, they were getting their sweet fix, they weren't about to jeopardise that.....fun times!

But strangely enough this recipe actually emerged from SBS Tv and not from honeybuns. There's been a series about a guy in Tasmania who touches on all things food such as making his own cured meats and rearing his own chickens...looking at organic ways of living. In this particular episode he got hold of some organic Tasmanian honey and made some honey biscuits. Well, hubby and I thought they looked heavenly as hubby turned to me and said,"Why don't you make something like that?"....ahh men, they have a way with words!

I'm including a couple of versions of my recipe as I have been playing around with it a bit; trying out different honeys and flour,etc. I'm really happy with the result and I hope you like them too!

ingredients

2 cups self raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey of your choice ( I used Golden Nectar Organic Real Leatherwood Honey by R.Stephens 25 Pioneer Drive, Mole Creek, Tasmania)
130g unsalted butter, melted

how to make your honeybuns

Pre-heat oven to 200C fanforced and line 2 trays with baking paper.
sift the flour, bicarb and the brown sugar and mix together well.
add melted butter and add honey and mix with a spoon until mix comes together.
Roll into smallish balls (I get about 22 balls from this mix) and space them out well on your trays (I put 3 to a row)You can also squash them with a fork or leave them as is. Pop the trays in the oven and bake for 10 mins.
Take them out, cool them on the trays for about 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

OR

ingredients
1 cup Lighthouse Cake, biscuit and pastry with cream of tartar Self raising flour
30g caster sugar
75g unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup honey (I used Lavender honey by Bees in Bowties)

how to make your honeybuns

Pre-heat oven to 200C fanforced and line 1 tray with baking paper.
sift the flour and the caster sugar and mix together well.
add melted butter and honey and mix with a spoon until mix comes together.
Roll into smallish balls (I get about 9 balls from this mix) and space them out well on your tray. You can also squash them with a fork or leave them as is. Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 10 mins.
Take them out, cool them on the trays for about 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

A little note:The flavour of the honey really influences the flavour of this biscuit. You may like a more mild flavour or a really strong flavour....have a play around!

enjoy!

Orange Granita

Man, it has been hot! The kind of hot where you've had a cold shower and then dry yourself with a towel that feels like it's been sitting in a kiln....damn hot!
We have been enjoying ice cream every night for dessert just so we can cool down for a few minutes. 2 weeks later I've noticed that there's not a lot of healthy options out there. I know healthy and ice cream sound ridiculous together and I'm really not a fan of low-fat! So I was thinking about something refreshing and cold and full of flavour.........hello Granita!

Ingredients

5-6 oranges (enough juice to give you a little over a cup)
1 cup water
1/4 cup caster sugar

how to make your orange granita

Grab a small saucepan and pour in the water and sugar. Over a low heat stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour into a wide container with a lid and pop in the fridge.
Now you can juice your oranges. Pour the juice through a sieve so there is no pulp. When you have just over a cup pour it into the container with the sugar water. Give it a little stir and pop in the freezer. Check on it every hour or so and give it a rake with a fork. When it's reached the right consistency (think slushie!) pour it into little cups ( I used pretty little tea cups which looked soooo cute) and serve!

enjoy!

Leek and Sage Scones

It took me a while to get these little suckers right. At first they were too dry, then they were as damp as a wet sponge........finally, I got there!
I happened to flick through an old Welsh recipe book a wee while ago and saw a bread recipe with leek and sage. It sounded like an interesting combination so I thought I would try and make them into scones (hence the trial and error!) These scones are super easy, quick and taste delicious. Perfect for brunch or a picnic......just don't forget some yummy salty butter to serve!

ingredients

225g plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
salt and pepper
60g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
50g grated tasty cheese
1 egg
100ml milk

40g unsalted butter
1 leek (approx 100g worth of white part finely sliced)
salt
about 5 small sage leaves, (about the size of your little pinky or smaller)chopped finely

how to make your leek and sage scones

In a saucepan slowly melt the butter then add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly until lovely and silky and they smell sweet. Add the sage, stir until cooked through then set aside to cool. (for at least 30 mins)

Pre-heat oven to 220C

Put flour and baking powder in a bowl. Mix.
add butter until mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. stir in cheese and leek and sage mix. make a well and pour in milk and egg mix (making sure you reserve about a tablespoon for the tops)

Bring together into soft dough. Knead on a floured bench and roll out to a 2cm thickness. Use a scone cutter. Place scones on a tray lined with baking paper, close together without touching. Brush tops with leftover milk/egg mix. Bake for 12-14 mins.

enjoy!

Rustic Sour Cream Slice with Passion Fruit Drizzle

I love thinking about sweets. What will I make? What will I add to this and what will I mix with that? What will I serve it on? Who will I invite over to enjoy said sweets? Which tablecloth will I use?????? I love every little thought it takes to create them......and this one was no exception. Passion fruit is a favourite of mine but it wasn't always that way. As a kid I didn't like passion fruit one bit. I can't really remember why but it took a lot of pavlova to get over it. Finally, now, I can say I love it. It's so refreshing and versatile and nothing says Summer more than fresh passion fruit drizzled over something delicious....

ingredients

110g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 and a 1/2 cup self raising flour
2 fresh passion fruit or 1-2 tablespoons tinned passion fruit
1 cup icing sugar mixture

how to make your Rustic Sour Cream Slice with Passion fruit Drizzle

Pop the oven on to 180C. Line a slice tray with baking paper and set aside.
In a bowl add the softened butter and the sugar. beat with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat again until combined. Add the sour cream, zest and flour and mix well with a spoon. Then spoon into your slice tin. Level out. The mix is fairly wet but don't worry. Pop it in the oven and bake for 18 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

When it's ready take out of the oven and leave out to cool. Cut into slices and prepare icing just prior to eating. So you could make the slice earlier in the day (don't pop it in the fridge) just place a tea towel over it and keep in a coolish spot. Prior to serving, sift the icing sugar mixture into a bowl and add the passion fruit. Stir through. Cut into slices, place on your serving plate and drizzle a little of the 'drizzle' over each slice. Serve. The slice is best eaten on the day it is made. It will go hard if kept in the fridge so keep it out and enjoy it!

enjoy!

Australia Day Salad

Australia Day is less than a week away. Usually everyone gets out their blue, red and white - shirts, shorts, thongs, everything.........I thought I would focus on green and gold - the colours we Aussies normally wear to the Olympics. This salad would go beautifully with another Australian tradition - barbecued lamb......mmmmmmmmm. Have some friends over and celebrate!

ingredients

2 small zucchini, sliced thinly
3 golden squash, sliced thinly
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cob of corn, kernels cut off
3/4 cup cous cous
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1and a 1/2 tablespoons honey
a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
about 8 baby mint leaves
salt and pepper

250g haloumi

how to make your australia day salad

This salad will make a good side at a bbq or will serve 4-5 people for dinner with some lamb.
Boil the kettle. pop the cous cous in a saucepan, throw over the water and put the lid on. set aside for 5 mins.

In a bowl, put together the lemon juice, honey and mint leaves. set aside.

Grab a large frying pan and pop in some olive oil over a medium-high heat. Now throw in the zucchini, squash, peas and corn. Keep stirring, you want it all to cook through without burning.

Add some oil or a tablespoon of butter to the cous cous and over a low flame, stir it through until well combined.
Add the dressing to the vegetables, turn down the heat. Give it a good stir. Take off heat. Add the cous cous and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. stir to combine.

Slice the haloumi thinly and throw on a hot bbq or hot oiled frying pan, about 1 minute a side. Place the haloumi over the top of the salad.

Serve with some lemon wedges.

enjoy!

treasure chests

....or cupcakes with cinnamon apricots and sweet clotted cream....

Apricots this season have been incredible. I'm not usually such a fan but they have been consistently yum! so, so sweet! and here I am again popping them in a dessert. As you know I'm a HUGE fan of pretty cupcakes. I especially love butterfly cakes. They remind me of my childhood when I was allowed to pick my very own sweet treat for afternoon tea. Butterfly cakes were always top of my list! The last time I made them myself was for my husbands birthday in 2006. As co-incidence would have it, Caroline from Fox Drink Water and her family were about to pop over to help us celebrate. The salads were made, the bbq was ready and the butterfly cakes were about to be assembled and then my waters broke............4 hours later (and 16 days early) our first child was born. SO yes, I haven't made them since and then these little cakes kind of morphed into little chests of buried treasure. They are delicious though and if you are a big kid at heart, well, I'm sure they will even transport you back to your childhood, when you were allowed to pick your very own afternoon tea treat.

ingredients

1) 1 ½ cups plain flour
2) 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3) 110g softened unsalted butter
4) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5) ¼ cup milk
6) 2 eggs
7) just under 2/3 cup caster sugar

1 cup water
½ cup caster sugar
6 whole apricots,sliced in half
1 cinnamon quill

250g Clotted cream

how to make your Treasure Chests or cupcakes with cinnamon apricots and sweet clotted cream

Pop the oven on to 180C. Line a 12 cup capacity muffin tin with cases.

This part is best done about an hour before serving. Wash your apricots. Make sure they are ready to eat; not too ripe and not too unripe. Cut them in half, discard seed and set aside. Grab a wide based saucepan and pop in the water, sugar and cinnamon quill. Put over a medium heat and bring to a simmer, making sure all the sugar is dissolved. Once simmering, add the apricots and simmer for 3 minutes. Take out the apricots with a slotted spoon and pop on a plate in one layer. Set aside. Pop in the fridge when cooled down a little until needed. Strain the syrup and set aside at room temp.

Pop the first 7 ingredients into a bowl and mix with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes until mixture is smooth. Place large spoonfuls into cases and bake for 18 mins or until cakes are cooked through.

Place them on a cooling rack and assemble about 10 - 20 mins before serving.

TO ASSEMBLE:
Take out ingredients from the fridge. Grab your knife and at an angle cut the tops out of each cupcake. Using a teaspoon, scoop a little of the cupcake centre out and discard. Grab a bowl and add about 1/2 to 3/4 of the cream and add about 2 - 3 teaspoons of the syrup. Give it a really good mix together until it's well incorporated. Time to taste test! If you think it needs it add a little more syrup. Now, give each cupcake a good dollop inside (the buried treasure!), top with an apricot (cut side up) then replace the top of the cupcake over the apricot. Give them a good dusting with icing sugar. Serve.

VARIATIONS:
*Instead of clotted cream you could use marscapone.
*Instead of adding the syrup to the clotted cream or marscapone you could simply use a half teaspoon of rosewater or even a sweet dessert wine.
*Instead of apricot you could use pear
*If you're not a fan you could omit apricots all together and just fill with the clotted cream

enjoy!

Happy New Year! - cabbage, fennel and celery salad with apple juice dressing

Hey there everybody!! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, New Year, time off from work and time with your loved ones...
Life has been super busy (as always!) We have had lovely catch ups with friends and family and have had some amazing food. (My fave? - you can see it here).....then our dishwasher died. There's nothing like overflowing grimy dishes to take the shine off cooking! Hubby tried fixing it but alas a 15 year old dishwasher is a bit like a teenager.....it never does what you want it too! So off we went and bought a newbie. It was installed today and it is sooo shiny and new and CLEAN! I felt bad about putting my dirty dinner plates in there. Almost embarrassed............But I'm sure I'll get over it by ooooooooo tomorrow!

Enough about me, How are you?

ingredients

1 small baby fennel, finely sliced
Reserve the fronds from the fennel to use the greenery on top of the salad
2 sticks of celery, finely sliced on an angle
Reserve some of the leaves of the celery, finely chop about 1 tablespoon
about 100g of red cabbage, finely sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon of apple juice (the best you can afford - you can enjoy it with the dish too!)
a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

how to make your cabbage, fennel and celery salad with apple juice dressing

Make sure your celery, cabbage and apple juice are cold. Doesn't matter so much with the fennel.

Have everything sliced and ready to go. Now it just depends how you are going to serve it - in a large bowl for everyone to help themselves or individually.
Mix the vegetables together along with some salt and pepper. Just before serving drizzle over the apple juice and some extra virgin olive oil. Lightly mix together. DONE!!

enjoy!

berry jelly with passionfruit 2 ways

We were off to Roseville to catch up with some friends and finally see their new home. As usual, I was put in charge of dessert. I wanted to make something a little different this time. Cakes in Summer can be a kinda hard work...(I can't believe I just said that!) So I turned my thoughts to something fresh and frosty!

I think this might be the easiest dessert I've ever made. Strawberries; blueberries; jelly; frozen yoghurt and passionfruit pulp - yep, that's it! SO simple and yet SO delicious.

ingredients

The amount of the ingredients depends on the size of your dish and how many people you are making this for - the following amounts will serve 4 adults and 4 children

2 x packets of aeroplane jelly(I used strawberry but you could use raspberry or whatever flavour you prefer)
1 punnet of blueberries, washed
1 punnet of strawberries, washed, topped and halved
Passionfruit frozen yoghurt
passionfruit pulp (either fresh or tinned is fine too)
That's it!

how to make your Berry jelly with passionfruit 2 ways

Make the jelly (or 2 if you have a really large dish - make them separately and then pour into the dish)
Next, throw the fruit into the jelly making sure you see the lovely red side of the strawberries. Pop in the fridge. When it's set, it's ready to rock'n'roll.

Make sure everyone is seated and the plates and spoons are out on the table. Grab your icecream scoop and scoop out beautiful rounds of the frozen yoghurt, moving quickly. Then throw over the passionfruit pulp and wah-lah. Done!

I really wanted to try some crumbled up toasted marshmallows over the top. You know the ones that have the toasted coconut! I thought it could work but didn't get time to try it out. See what you think! Enjoy!

Baskets Filled With Summer...

I could feel a challenge coming. I'd ran out of time to go to the shops to grab some meat for dinner. I'd promised Hubby we'd have a BBQ. Didn't happen. Looking in the fridge and the cupboards I found: fancy pasta that was given to me for my birthday; a half block of tasty cheese; 2 cobs of corn; 1 zucchini; 1/2 cauliflower; some leftover ricotta and 3 slices of bread.... Can one make a meal out of this? Most definitely!


ingredients

2 cobs of corn, (260g of corn kernels)
1 zucchini, chopped into similar size as kernels (about 160g)
1/2 cauliflower
400g pasta (something like shells or baskets so you can stuff them)
50g bread crumbs
100g ricotta (I used fresh ricotta from the deli)
20g butter
1 tablespoon plain flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup grated cheese

how to make your baskets filled with Summer

Get a large pot of salted water on a high heat. Pre-heat oven to 200C. Make breadcrumbs and set aside.
Cut kernels off cob and finely chop zucchini. Pop into a microwave proof dish, add 1/2 cup of water and microwave for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. Chop cauliflower into florets and place in a microwave proof dish with 1/2 cup water and microwave for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
When water is boiling, throw in pasta and cook to manufacturers instructions.
Add 20g butter to a smallish pot and melt over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of plain flour. Cook stirring until mix thickens. Gradually add the milk until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir through cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Drain pasta. Mix ricotta through zucchini and corn kernels with salt to taste.
Stuff pasta with zucchini, corn, ricotta mix.Place in base of dish. Top with Cauliflower, cheese sauce and finish with bread crumbs. Pop in your oven until crumbs are lovely and brown and everything has heated through, about 12-15mins.

Serves 4. enjoy!