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.