Almond biscuits

Ingredients
3 egg whites
125g caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
200-250g ground almonds (or almond flour for a finer texture)
1-2 drops almond essence, to taste (I use 1/2 tsp)
(Makes about 35)

Method
Preheat oven to 170-180C.
Whisk egg whites until soft peaks begin to form then beat in the sugar.
Fold in the ground almonds and essence.
Place spoonfuls, or pipe on to lined baking tray. Set aside for 30 mins.
Bake biscuits 15-20 mins until golden brown - I like them a bit gooey in the middle.
Cool on a rack then either serve or store in airtight container.

Chook's note: on my first attempt the oven was too hot so I have knocked it back a bit. Make sure your mixture is not to dry so don't add all the almond meal at once.
I decorated half with glace cherries and slivered almonds.  
 

Bara brith

Welsh 'speckled bread' enriched with fruit and spices

Ingredients
450g mixed dried fruit (if including dried figs cut them very small)
300ml tea
2 Tbsp marmalade
1 egg, beaten
6 Tbsp soft brown sugar
1 Tsp mixed spice
450g SR flour
Honey to glaze

Method
Soak fruit overnight in the tea – or if you don’t have time 1-2 hrs is fine. 
Preheat over 175-180C.
Mix in the marmalade, egg, sugar, spice and flour.
Spoon into a greased 900g loaf tin and bake 1 hr or until the centre is cooked through.
If the top is browning too much cover with a sheet of foil.
Once cooked leave the Bara Brith to stand for 5 mins before turning out onto a cooling tray. Then brush the top with honey.
Serve sliced with salted butter or add some tasty cheddar – it is also yummy toasted with butter and/or cheese. 

Chook’s note: The original recipe was made with yeast but it works perfectly well with SR flour. If using SR flour try adding ½ tsp of bicarb soda for extra umph! The top of the loaf will split when baking but don’t worry this allows the centre to cook more easily (the Irish used to cut a cross in the top of their soda bread to let the Devil out but in reality if helps with cooking the centre).  
You could throw in a few caraway seeds to the mix. Be creative. Maybe try making muffin-sized small ‘loaves’. It freezes very well. 

This is not unlike my date and walnut loaf (posted June 2017) and boiled fruit cake (Sept 2017) only a little denser.

Peak Hill Brandy Sauce

The last little slurp! looks like a trip to the 'bottlo'.

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cream
2 eggs
2 Tbsp brandy

Method
Cream butter and stir in sugar and brandy slowly.
Add well beat egg yolks and cream.
Cook in double saucepan until thick stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and add slightly beaten egg whites. It helps to use a whisk to blend them in, but only blend lightly.
(Makes 1 jar)

Chook's note: the name? it's a long story. If  the sauce is not thick enough you can add a little cornflour later. If the brandy separates out stir it back in. Add a touch more brandy before serving if you like. Add enough brandy and with the butter and sugar it is guaranteed to be delicious!

‘Twas the night before Christmas.....

'Twas the night before Christmas - almost! Eeek ... I don’t believe it. I’m sure you are all organised with pressies and the like, but if not DON’T PANIC there’s time to whip something up fairly quickly which will be loved by whoever receives it. Sorry I'm dragging the lead, the last couple of months I have been rather distracted, however here I am back.   Here are a few recipes/suggestions from my kitchen to yours either for the table, to use as gifts or both. And don't forget for something different to serve with the ham or turkey - Black Currant Gastrique (recipe posted December 2017).
Remember Christmas should be a time of joy and sharing. Feel blessed if you are so loved that you are crazy busy - the alternative is not a happy place to be.
Wrap up something useful or tasty – a small ham, smoked chicken, wine, spiced oil or even a nice copper pot or kitchen ‘torch’ (for crème brulee).
Make some tasty morsels, add crackling cellophane, a nice ribbon and voila!

• mini Christmas puds 
• dark and delicious panforte
• almond biscuits
• coffee meringue kisses 
• sesame peanut toffee
• candied grapefruit or orange peel (recipe to follow - )
• chutney or pickles – they don’t take as long to make as you think. With so much summer fruit in the shops try my peach and chili chutney or peach and plum BBQ sauce. Or some more exotic Indian pickles

[recipes below - use the search tool

Maybe next year make an early start (note to self!) and make your own gift boxes covered with stunning paper – if you’re like me you keep good boxes ‘in case’.  Make those pickles, chutneys and jams when there’s a glut of fruit.

Seasons greetings and bon appetite. And I wish you all joie de vivre and a tasty 2020!

Candied Ruby Grapefruit

Ingredients
1 large pink grapefruit
400g sugar or equivalent to weight of grapefruit

Method
Cut the grapefruit in half, cross wise, and remove juice.
Cut each half into 6 wedges - without cutting out any of the residual flesh. Place wedges into a heavy bottomed pot. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Remove from heat, drain and immediately and place wedges back in pan and cover again with cold water, then bring to the boil again. Remove from heat, then strain and weigh the fruit.
Place the fruit back into the same pot with the same weight of sugar as fruit but no added liquid. Using a simmer pad or very controlled low heat, stir until the sugar dissolves and allow to cook slowly for approximately an hour, stirring occasionally. Most of the dissolved sugar should have been incorporated into the grapefruit.
Remove from pan and place on a cake rack over a plate and allow to drain overnight or a few hours at the least.

Chooks note: Can be added to Christmas cake or as a topping. Dip some in dark chocolate ... Mmmmmmm. Substitute orange for grapefruit. I guarantee people will fight over it (thanks Kerry for the chocolate orange inspiration). If you decide on using orange peel, peel the orange avoiding any of the pith and then follow the above. 
If you can manage to spare any, wrap in cellophane or pop in a pretty jar as a gift. 

Peach & Plum BBQ sauce

There are so many varieties of BBQ sauce you can whip up, this is just one!  I’ll post other BBQ sauce recipes later. What you choose to make in the end really is a matter of what meat or vege you’re 'BBQ-ing' , personal taste and also what ingredients are available.  This one is perfect for this time of year with lots of stone fruit available - also try my Peach and Chili chutney (October 2017) it is yum. Incidentally a little trivia: did you know that the origin of the word ‘chutney’ is the Hindi word for 'licking' – chatna.  As in finger licking good perhaps! So ….

Ingredients
100g butter
2 lg brown onions, peeled and roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1kg yellow peaches, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
750g plums, peeled and seeded
500g tomatoes, peeled and seeded*
4 birds-eye chilies and seeds and stems removed
½ cup malt vinegar
½ cup white vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup dark rum (liking it already?)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
½ cup Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp salt.
Makes ~ 2L

Method
Heat the butter in a large saucepan and fry onions and garlic until soft (~5 mins). Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, for 30 mins until the fruit has softened.
Puree the sauce. Either bottle or if a thicker sauce is preferred return the puree to the saucepan and simmer for an additional 30 mins until desired thickness.
Pour into clean, sterilised jars or ^bottles, label and enjoy!

Chook’s note: *save the tomato seeds for casseroles and the like, the pulp freezes well.
Like all sauces, chutneys and jams, this would make a perfect gift - at any time of year.
^Some of my family save their flip-top ‘Grolsch style’ beer/cider bottles with ceramic stoppers for me – not a hint of course!! but the sauce looks good in these bottles. WARNING if you are using bottles don't make it too thick - sort of goes without saying but .....
If you are a little shy of chili cut the quantity right back, it won't spoil the taste.
I think fish sauce may be just a tiny bit like durian fruit for some people - the smell just about spoils it but the taste is exotic!

Coffee Meringue Kisses

This is an oldie but a delicious little treat )apologies for dodgy pic, it's a clone from my old recipe)

Ingredients
Meringues
¾ cup raw sugar
1 tsp instant coffee powder
2 Tbsp water
1 egg white
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp cornflour

Coffee Cream
60gm butter
2/3 cup icing sugar
1 tsp instant coffee powder
2 tsp hot water
2 tsp coffee liqueur

Method
Combine sugar coffee and water in a saucepan and stir constantly over a low heat until sugar is dissolved (~5 mins). Then increase heat, when it boils remove from heat immediately.
Combine egg white, vinegar and cornflour and beat until foamy. Keeping beat going of medium and pour hot coffee syrup in a constant stream on to the egg white. Then beat 10 mins or until thick.
Lightly grease 2 oven trays and dust with cornflour (or use baking paper dusted with cornflour). Either pipe or dollop small amounts on to trays to form 2.5cm blobs, space about 2.5 cm apart. (This quantity makes about 90 or you could do half small and half larger for mini pavs to eat later!).
Bake meringues in very slow oven around 100-115 C (depends on your oven) for 30 mins (1 hour for lg ones). They should feel dry and crisp to touch when cooked. Allow to cool on trays.
To make Coffee Cream, beat butter until creamy, add icing sugar and beat until combined.
Dissolve coffee in the hot water, add coffee liqueur and then add to creamed mixed and beat until smooth.
Join meringues with coffee cream.Makes about 45 joined kisses.

Chook’s note: keep meringues in airtight container. I’d join them closer to when you are going to eat them rather than store with filling and risk them going a bit squishy.

Sesame peanut toffee

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp water
½ cup *toasted sesame seeds
1.5 cups unsalted ^roasted peanuts (not redskins)

Method
Combine sugar, vinegar and water in saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, Bring to the boil, do not stir.
Boil mixture ~10 mins or until golden brown. To test, drop a little toffee into cold water. When it is ready it should form a hard ball when moulded in the water.
In the meantime, oil a 18x 28cm lamington tin. Sprinkle half the toasted sesame seeds and all the nut over the base of the tin. Then pour the hot toffee evenly over the top.
Smooth the top with an oiled spoon, Sprinkle over remaining sesame seeds. Cool slightly and cut into strips – before it is completely cold.

Chook’s note: *to toast sesame seeds either spread them on a shallow tray and bake in a moderate oven until golden ~5 mins or dry fry in a frying pan (my preferred method). Watch that they don’t over brown as they become bitter. Remove from pan as soon as they are done as they will continue to cook in the residual heat of the pan.
^If you can find roasted unsalted nuts buy raw ones and  dry-bake yourself.

Honeycomb

Remember those toffees we use to make as kids for the school fetes, etc? well this is super simple like those.

Ingredients
1.5 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup golden syrup
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp bicarb

Method
Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to 150 C. When the mixture forms lumps in cold water add the bicarb.
Pour into tray to set.
When set break into pieces - or you could score it before properly set for a less rustic look. Dip some in melted chocolate - yum!

Fruit Bread & Butter pudding with marmalade

This is a little bit of 'melt in your mouth' heaven - absolutely the most delicious comfort food.
Ingredients
100g butter, at room temperature
1 loaf sliced fruit bread
200g orange marmalade
3 Eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup thickened cream
zest of an orange
1/2 cup (110g) brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup flaked almonds

Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 30cm x 20cm (3L) baking dish with butter.
Spread both sides of the bread with butter. Spread one side with the marmalade. Arrange the bread, marmalade-side up, in the baking dish.
Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, orange zest, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well combined. Strain the egg custard mixture into a jug. Pour over the bread. Press the bread down to submerge in the custard. Set aside for 20 mins to soak.
Top the pudding with the almonds. Bake in the oven for 45 mins or until the custard is just set and the top is golden. Serve with ice-cream or cream or custard.

Chook's note: use either panettone or a good dense fruit loaf.

Sweet Potato soup - Asian style

Totally simple soup and Lindsay's favourite!

Ingredients
1Kg sweet potatoes
2 tsp oil
2 Tbsp shredded ginger
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 red chili, chopped
1 stalk lemon grass
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups coconut milk
½ Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp fish sauce
½-1 Tbsp lime juice

Method
Boil sweet potatoes until soft.
Heat oil in pan and gook ginger, cumin, chili and lemon grass for 3 mins
Combine sweet potato and spice mix and puree. Add stock and coconut milk to the mixture and heat until hot.
Stir through coriander and serve.

Dhal - Spiced Lentil soup

Thank you Simon Bryant this is delicious!

Ingredients
200g lentils or split peas (soak for a few hours)
2 garlic cloves
2.5cm piece ginger (sliced in chunks)
1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
a little red chili powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp grated ginger, 1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 Tbsp ghee & 1 Tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste
½ Tbsp Tamarind concentrate
3 Tbsp chopped coriander
2 tomatoes finely diced

Method
Boil the soaked lentils/dhal in a saucepan with cold water, whole garlic cloves and ginger chunks. Cook until soft. Drain, keep liquid but discard the ginger and garlic.
Heat a pan with ghee and oil. Add cumin and mustard seeds and gently heat till can smell the cumin. Fold in the onions, and fry until soft and lightly browned.
Add ginger and garlic paste and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and then chopped tomato and salt. Cook until oil separates.
Add boiled lentils/dhal to the tomato mix, add more liquid to create the soup consistency you like, and allow it to simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.
Season to taste.
Add lemon juice, tamarind paste, diced tomato, chopped chilli (optional) and coriander and serve with chapattis.

Chook's note: if you want a quicker soup use red lentils they don't requite soaking. I make this in the van with tweaks here and there depending on what I have in the spice pantry and fridge - I try to always have grated ginger, lemon and lime juice in the freezer but travel with semi-dried ginger and chili and preserved lemon as well. Tinned tomatoes work OK but fresh are best if you can get there - on the Tanami Track? not likely. Just be creative and adjust till you achieve the right flavour for you,