Nut Loaf

Wow, its been a little while since I've done a post. Time got away from me a little bit but I'm back into it again.

Last week I put together Grandma's nut loaf recipe. This was so simple. It didn't make a lot though so next time  I'd probably double the recipe so that it filled my loaf tin a bit better.

1 ¼ cups self raising flour

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon mixed spice 

45g butter

¼ cup castor sugar

½  cup chopped walnuts

½ cup raisins or sultanas

1 egg beaten

½ cup milk (approx.)

Grease loaf tin thoroughly. Sift flour, salt and spice together, into a mixing bowl. Rub in butter. Add sugar, nuts and fruit. Mix lightly. Stir in beaten egg and sufficient milk to make a dropping consistency. Bake in moderately hot oven 190°C for 50 to 60 mins or until cooked.

Serve sliced, with butter. 

Notes: I used cinnamon as I didn't have mixed spice and the loaf only took about 35 mins to cook rather than 60. 

Caramel Cookies

A couple days ago I got an email from my husband to say that he had heard that it was his colleague's birthday the following day and could I bake something. Of course, I agreed and he went on to ask her what she would like me to make. Well, it turns out, it wasn't her birthday after all but it has since been decided that we will have to celebrate her "birthday" every month so that I can send in a new recipe for them all to try. This month's "birthday" recipe was Caramel Cookies. A simple but fairly sweet biscuit.

These only have a few ingredients but they do take a little while to prepare as the caramel mixture needs to cool before the flour is mixed in. I had a little trouble getting the mixture to come together with the flour so I had to add a touch of milk. Another tip, when rolling these, damp hands really help to stop the mixture from sticking!

¼ lb butter

½ lb sugar

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 oz S.R. Flour

Put butter, sugar, golden syrup, milk, vanilla into saucepan and boil gently for 5 mins. Cool. Then add flour. Roll into balls and flatten with fork. Bake in moderate oven for 10-12 mins.

Conversion -       1/4 pound = approx 115grams 

                           1/2 pound = approx 230 grams

                           8 oz = approx 225 grams

I also decided to drizzle a little toffee over some of the biscuits. This addition gives a bit of textual interest but is definitely not a neccesity as the bikkies are nice enough without. 

To make the toffee I used a recipe from allrecipes.com.au ( http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/499/everton-toffee.aspx ) I simply halved the mixture and then drizzled it over the biscuits quickly before it cooled and set. 

Zucchini Slice

It's always good when you find a recipe that can serve a number of purposes. This is one of those recipes. It makes a nice dinner (we had it with pork chops and salad tonight) but it would also be great cold at a picnic or baked into individual moulds for a easy canape for a party. It's definitely going to be a regular for us, that's for sure.

315g zucchinis (approx. 1 large zucchini)

1 large onion

3 bacon rashes

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup S.R Flour

½ cup sunflower oil

5 eggs

Salt and pepper

Grate zucchini, finely chop onion and bacon. Combine with flour, beaten eggs, oil and cheese. Pour in greased dish. Bake 30-40 minutes in moderate oven to brown.

Note: In future, I will probably saute the onion before putting it in the mix as I like my onion really soft and just putting it in raw it still had a bit of bite. 

Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie is a dish that is often associated with special occasions, especially in the USA and is quite commonly served at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it hasn't got the same reputation here in Australia. Consequently it had been quite a few years since I had eaten pecan pie. I remember having it in a little country cafe when we went to visit my Grandparents once and thought that it was really tasty. I'd never contemplated making it before, but when I saw the recipe in Grandma's book I thought I might give it a go. Mother's day seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Grandma's recipe was just for the filling and so I did a quick google search for a shortcrust pastry recipe, however, the one I used wasn't perfect as it needed to be blind baked and then after it was then baked for an hour with the filling it became very crunchy. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't quite right. So I'm still on the hunt for the right pastry recipe and would love suggestions if anyone has them. As such, I'm only going to post the filling recipe today.

½ cup brown sugar

1 level tablespoon butter

1 cup corn syrup (substitute golden syrup)

3 eggs well beaten

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

1 unbaked pie shell

Mix well, adding pecans last. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake at 325°F (160°C) for approximately 1 hour or until set.

Serve with cream and chopped pecans

Coconut Slice

Had a big night of baking last night in preparation for Mother's Day today (Happy Mother's Day, Mum!). One of the recipes I decided to try was coconut slice. I think I was a little heavy handed with the condensed milk for the topping, however, as it is really sticky and slides off the slice a little, but even still, it tastes yummy.

Slice:

4 oz butter

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 cup S.R Flour

¾ cup coconut

Cream butter and sugar. Add syrup, then flour and coconut. Blend well. Spread into a 11x7 inch tray. Bake 15-20 minutes in moderate oven.

Topping:

½ cup condensed milk

2 oz butter

1 cup icing sugar

1 cup coconut

Melt butter and mix altogether. Spread over slice. 

1 oz = approximately 30grams

Date loaf

I love dried dates! Whether they are in baking, on my porridge or just eating them as they are for a snack. Luckily this recipe satisfies my date cravings. It takes a little longer than some recipes as you have to soak the dates but it's worth it, especially when you serve it warmed and with a scoop of icecream.

1 cup dates
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablspoons butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
200ml boiling water
1 egg
¾ cup plain flour
¾ cup S.R Flour

Put dates in bowl. Add sugar, butter and baking soda. Pour boiling water over and mix well together. Allow to stand until almost cold. Add beaten egg and add sifted dry ingredients gradually. Pour into a greased, floured loaf tin. Bake in moderate oven for 40-45 minutes

Asparagus and Corn Ramekins

I made the first savoury meal from Grandma's recipes tonight: Asparagus and Corn Ramekins.

Easy and tasty!

2 oz shortening (use butter as alternative)

2 tablespoons plain flour

1 ¼ cups carnation evaporated milk

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

One 10 ½ oz can asparagus cuts (approx. 300g)

One 8oz can cream style sweet corn (approx. 230g)

2 hardboiled eggs

Soft breadcrumbs

Grated cheese

Melt the shortening, add the flour and cook for a minute. Add the carnation milk and stir until smooth, then cook until thick. Season with salt and pepper. Add the asparagus, corn and sliced eggs.

Place in the ramekins and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese. Dot with butter and bake in a moderate oven 350°F until heated through and golden brown on top.

Serves 4-6