pavlova, an australian favourite

Happy Australia Day!

Today is our national holiday, a time where most Australians throw a BBQ or catch up with friends and family in the summer warmth.

Since it’s Australia Day, the dessert that ends the festivities should be a pavlova, something named after a Russian ballerina but yet typically Australian.

Or is it?

While it’s true that Australia has very successfully exported pavlova around the world (and taken all the glory), what many of us don’t know is that culinary historians have proven the pavlova was actually invented in New Zealand!

The proof seems to be out there in the form of published recipes and articles, of which New Zealand has many earlier cases than Australia (NZ 1926 v AU 1929).

Knowing this I feel a little cheated, a slight loss of cultural identity, but imagine how the poor Kiwis feel about the fact that Aussies stole their tasty dessert and are unashamedly passing it off as our own!

It's not the first time we've done that, and no doubt it won't be the last.

Regardless of whoever invented it, these days both countries use it as a symbol of cultural identity and since it’s a pavlova there’s plenty to share with everyone.

On the topic of sharing, while I say this recipe serves 10 people (and it does), I have to confess me and three friends managed to polish off the entire thing in 30 minutes.

Prepare yourself for gluttony at its finest.

Pavlova

Anna’s very own recipe. Serves 10.

Ingredients:
5 eggwhites, at room temperature
330g (1½ cups) caster sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 vanilla bean, scraped seeds only (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
300ml thickened cream, whipped
2 passionfruit, pulped
2 bananas, sliced and doused in lemon juice to prevent discolouring
1 punnet strawberries, halved
½ punnet blueberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150’C.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on a high speed until fluffy, about a minute.

3. Reduce speed to slow then gradually add caster sugar until the mixture is thick and glossy with a hard peak.

4. Next beat in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla.

5. Line a baking tray with baking paper and pour the meringue on. Stack high to get a marshmallow interior and thin for a crusty pavlova. Create a concave/nest in the centre to catch all the cream and fruit.

6. Bake the pavlova for 50 minutes until quite firm, then turn the oven off but leave the pavlova in it to cool completely.

7. Spread the cream over the meringue then decorate with fruit. Serve excess fruit on side platter to be passed separately for those who want extra.

Note: The mixing bowl should be clean with no grease in it, the egg whites at room temperature and there should be absolutely no yolk in the white.

milo cupcakes w condensed milk icing

I love Raspberri Cupcakes. It’s a colourful, whimsical blog that reminds me of falling down the rabbit hole and ending up in Wonderland.

Steph, the author, is brilliant. Such a young woman so dedicated to experimenting with her favourite sweet flavours and achieving perfection. It’s beyond impressive.

I think most of her creations have made it onto my Pinterest account. And who can blame me with offerings like Pretzel and M&M Chocolate Cheesecake, Shamrock Macarons with Baileys Chocolate Ganache, Popcorn Fudge, Balsamic Toffee Strawberries and the spectacular Purple Ombre Sprinkles Cake.

One of the things I love about her blog is that she experiments with Australian candies and cookies, including my all time milk flavouring, Milo.

Milo is a malted chocolate powder and it is wonderful. Amazing. Life changing even.

This recipe of Steph’s was great. The maltiness came through in the cake and the frosting was decadently sweet and almost caramel from the addition of condensed milk. Heaven.

Milo Cupcakes w Condensed Milk Icing

Steph’s brilliant recipe. Makes 10-12 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

Cake
200g plain flour
200g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
100g Milo (add more to taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract
180g sour cream
170g unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs

Icing
150g slightly salted butter (or unsalted + a pinch of salt), softened
300g icing sugar, sifted
5 tbsp sweetened condensed milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180’C. Grease or fill cupcake tray with liners.

2. Sift flour, bicarb and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.

3. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl and then beat in eggs one at a time until combine.

4. Add sour cream, vanilla and milo and beat until just combined.

5. Add flour mixture and beat on low until just combined.

6. Fill cupcake liners until 3/4 full and bake for approx 15-20 mins or a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. For the best texture, the cakes should be dark golden brown on top and firm to the touch and after cooling for 1 minute out of the oven.

7. Cool on a wire rack.

8. To make the icing, remove butter from the fridge 30 mins ahead of time.

9. Beat butter until light and fluffy and then beat in icing sugar until combined.

10. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat until combined.

11. Pipe or spoon over the top of cupcakes when they are cooled and drizzle some extra condensed milk over the top. Finish with a sprinkle of Milo.

Note: Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.

passionfruit slice

This recipe made me swoon.

I had never made passionfruit slice before, but it’s an Aussie favourite. Rightly so, given all the backyard passionfruit vines. Passionfruit will grow out of control if you don’t keep a close eye on it, but I couldn’t care less given the amazing fruits it yields.

My favourite types of passionfruits are panamas. They are much bigger, yield more pulp which is a vibrant golden hue and ultra fragrant, and they also seem to contain less white fibres to battle with when extracting the pulp.

Purple passionfruits are prettier though, and still damn tasty. These are the ones I ate the most growing up, as two different homes I lived in had purple vines in the back yard. In fact at one house the vine was right next to the pool so all you had to do was hop out of the water, rip one off the vine, jam your stubby finger inside and suck out the pulp as you jumped back into the pool. Kids, eh.

These Aussie childhood memories are fitting for the recipe I made after receiving a basket of passionfruits from the Passionfruit Industry of Australia.

Passionfruit slice: a simple biscuit base smothered in a tangy, fudgy topping.

The base is pretty standard in every recipe you'll come across, but I decided to add a little vanilla to enhance the flavours. And for the topping, I doubled the usual passionfruit quantities to ensure you’re hit with the intense flavours you’d expect from any passionfruit dessert.

Jonas thinks it’s one of the best cakes he’s ever eaten. Even better than my Easter egg friands, which he loved.

SK from my office told me it was one of the best cakes she’d eaten in a very long time, and when my colleagues swooped back for seconds it confirmed the ooohhs and aaaaahs were not just politeness.

If Jonas has his way, I’ll be making this recipe again and again and again and again.

And again and again.

Passionfruit Slice

Anna’s version of an Aussie classic. Makes approx 30 squares.

Ingredients:
100g (½ cup) caster sugar
85g (1 cup) desiccated coconut
150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
125g melted butter
¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
395g can sweetened condensed milk
250g passionfruit pulp (about 12 passionfruit)*
62ml (¼ cup) fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180’C / 350’F (or 160’C / 320’F fan forced). Grease a slice tin and line with baking paper.

2. *First prepare the passionfruit by scooping out the pulp of all but one passionfruit. Blitz in a food processor or blender to release the pulp from seeds, then strain through a fine strainer to yield juice. Mix in the pulp and seeds of the last remaining passionfruit (now weigh it to see you’ve got around 200-250g).

3. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, coconut, vanilla bean paste and melted butter to form a dough.

4. Press mixture firmly into the prepared slice tin, to create a “cookie” base.

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden on edges. Allow to cool.

6. In another bowl, mix together the passionfruit pulp, vanilla essence, lemon juice and condensed milk, as well as the additional passionfruit pulp.

7. Pour over cooled base then bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until just firm.

8. Bring to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until completely set.

9. Cut into squares for serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

ono coconut cake w coconut frosting

This is a luscious, coconut-ty dessert. In fact, you can't get a whiter, more coconut-rich cake than this Hawaiian recipe.

The first time I saw this on the Saveur website I swooned, and when I made it for my work colleagues they swooned too (special shout out to Kylie, who ate the leftover icing with a spoon).

It's not very healthy, but the best things never are.

Ono Coconut Cake w Coconut Frosting

Recipe from Honolulu's Moiliili Community Center via Saveur Issue #56. Serves 12.

Ingredients:

Cake
3 cups plain flour
2 tablespoons plain flour, for dusting
1½ cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
400ml unsweetened coconut milk
8 egg whites
½ teaspoon salt

Frosting
100g butter
½ teaspoons salt
5 cups powdered sugar
165ml (11 tablespoons) coconut cream
15ml (1 tablespoon) coconut rum
5ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Method:
1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C.

2. Grease 2 round 9" cake pans with butter. Dust each pan with 1 tbsp. of the flour, tapping out excess; set aside.

3. Sift together the remaining 3 cups flour, sugar, and baking powder into a large bowl.

4. Add coconut milk, stirring until batter is smooth, then set aside.

5. Put egg whites and salt into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.

6. Fold whites into batter.

7. Divide batter between prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

8. Set aside on a rack to cool, then remove from pans.

9. For frosting, beat butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, salt, coconut cream, vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Add more coconut cream as needed for smoother frosting.

10. Cut cakes to ensure flat surfaces. Place first round on a cake plate, spread one-third of the frosting on top, and sprinkle with ¼ cup of the coconut. Set the remaining cake round on top, then ice cake with the remaining frosting. Sprinkle top and sides with remaining ¾ cup coconut.

oysters w lime caviar

I love Sydney rock oysters. They taste so much better than the huge Pacific oysters.

Don’t get me wrong, if you gave me a dozen Pacifics I’d be a happy gal, but the rock oysters are simply sublime.

So why not match the native Sydney rocks to another native ingredient? Finger limes!

The beautifully coloured caviar looks wonderful and the tangy flavour is a perfect acidic accompaniment to the creamy rock oysters.

If you want more info on finger limes, try these two cocktail recipes.

Thanks again to Fred and Janet Durham at the Australian Finger Lime Company who generously gave me these finger limes.

Oysters w Lime Caviar & Black Pepper

Ingredients:
12 Sydney rock oysters
Caviar of 2 finger limes
Black pepper, to taste
Squeeze of regular lime juice
Drop or two of oil (avocado, sesame, olive)

Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients except the oysters into a bowl and mix to combine.
2. Top your oyster and enjoy!

This ticks off a 2011 Food Challenge to use more native ingredients.

finger lime & elderflower gin fizz

Jonas is giving me a hard time about not blogging enough.

He’s right, but it’s hard at the moment because I’m really busy with TWO intensive writing projects and an exciting recipe project that all suck my time and energy like a black hole.

It will be worth it in the end, but for now my blogging might be a little infrequent and I hope you’ll bear with me. I will be back to full time in April.

But something I just can’t wait to talk to you about is the crazily massive box of finger limes I received from Fred and Janet Durham at the Australian Finger Lime Company.

I have written about finger limes before, but for the uninitiated these gorgeous little beauties are native to Australia and therefore a food source to the Australian Aboriginal people for thousands of years.

European settlers weren’t so bright, and cleared so much land for cattle grazing that they almost wiped out these amazing citrus fruits. Luckily some trees remained in National Parks and people like the Durhams have been able to resurrect the numbers to turn them into a viable commercial crop.

If you ever have a chance to taste a finger lime, do not hesitate. You will be amazed.

When you cut a finger lime, the tightly bound cells of citrus burst out like caviar. They come in very pretty colours like vivid pink, electric yellow and bright green. Perfect for delicious, decorative touches on both sweet and savoury dishes.

The generous box the Durhams gave to me was so big I had to freeze some for later, but that’s fine since the limes retain the perfect caviar interior even after freezing. It makes them perfect fruit to stock up on during their short season, then freeze and enjoy throughout the year.

I love finger limes mixed into gin drinks, but you could easily put them into custards and creams, use where you would have used lime or lemon juice or zest, make them into jam or curd like this company (they ship internationally).

This recipe is close to my heart because, like the Glögg Summer Punch I made at Christmas last year, it’s another marriage of Sweden and Australia, just like my husband and I.

It also ticks off a 2011 Food Challenge to use more native ingredients.

Finger Lime & Elderflower Gin Fizz

Anna's very own recipe. Makes 1.

Ingredients:
2 parts gin
1 part finger lime syrup (see below)
½ part elderflower syrup
1 tablespoon finger lime caviar
Soda water
Ice

Method:
1. Fill a shaker with ice, then add the gin, finger lime syrup, elderflower syrup and finger lime caviar. Shake it like a polaroid picture.
2. Pour into an ice filled tumbler, top with soda water.
3. Stir and serve.

Finger Lime Syrup

Anna's very own recipe. Makes approx. 350ml.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
¼ cup finger lime caviar (approx. 4 large limes)

Method:
1. Bring the sugar, lime caviar and water to the boil, then stir to dissolve all sugar.
2. Reduce to a simmer and bubble away for around 5-10 minutes until reduced to your preferred thickness.
3. Remove from heat, bring to room temperature and then chill.
Note: Use as a cordial with soda, in a cocktail or drizzled over yoghurt or ice cream.


This, with finger limes as the theme ingredient, is my contribution to Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen.

For other exciting finger lime recipes, check out these:

Finger Lime Caviar Butter
Finger Lime Martini
Finger Lime Vinaigrette
Lemon & Finger Lime Curd
Mango, Finger Lime & Coconut Cream
Malaysian Finger Lime & Chicken Curry
No-Cook Finger Lime Tart
Sardines w Tomato Purée & Finger Lime
Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese on Rye w Finger Limes
Tuna Tartare w Avocado & Finger Lime

orange cakes w figs, quince & rose

Happy Australia Day!

This is my 600th post since I started this blog in May 2006, so I’m celebrating with one of my favourite and most elegant recreations: replicas of Orange Cake w Persian Fig & Quince from Newtown’s Black Star Pastry.

Black Star Pastry is an amazing little café / patisserie with very pretty little cakes and cookies and great coffee. If you’re ever in Newtown you must make a pit stop to refuel on Lamb Shank & Red Wine Pies, Spinach & Mushroom Pithiviers, Earl Grey Macarons, Lemon Meringue w Basil Jelly or Strawberry, Watermelon & Rose Cake. Delish.

I made these gorgeous little cupcakes for Tia Bicky’s birthday after I promised her that if she stuck to her cholesterol reduction diet I’d make her this pretty cake as a reward.

It was amazingly easy to make and assemble, but was extraordinarily delicious.

I rate this as one of the best cupcakes I have ever made. I’m told Tia’s work colleagues loved them too.

Today marks the 223rd year since King George III sent Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet to set up a little penal colony on the ass-end of the earth.

Australia is a strange place. It’s big, it’s empty and it’s harsh. (sounds like a 4WD ad)

Aussies regularly call Australia the “lucky country” in reference to all things favourable about our island home. What many Aussies don’t realise was that this is part of a quote from the 1964 book "The Lucky Country" by Donald Horne, and that the author was being ironic and actually critical of Australia. Horne argued that while most industrialised nations created wealth by the intelligence of it’s population and the development of innovative technology, Australia just relied on its rich natural resources. The full quote is actually “Australia is a lucky country, run by second-rate people who share its luck”.

Yep. Quote reference fail, big time.

Over the last 20yrs, Australia has transformed from a backwater, with a serious lack of imagination beyond a narrow Anglo-Celtic heritage, to a vibrant and multifaceted hub that I’m proud to hail from.

In 2001 my home, Sydney, gives me a wonderful lifestyle in a multicultural, cosmopolitan city. But I can’t help wondering why, when my ancestors got their first look at this place, they didn’t turn around and high tail it back to where ever they came from.

We have three levels of government in Australia: local, state and federal. One thing I am particularly proud of at the moment is that every single person representing me in my political system, in all three levels of Government, is a woman. It’s pretty amazing and I'm proud to see it happen:

Local Government
Clover Moore, Mayor of the City of Sydney (first woman elected into this position)

State Government
Carmel Tebbutt, Member for Marrickville (and Deputy Premier)
Kristina Keneally, Premier of NSW (first woman to hold this position)
Marie Bashir, Governor of NSW (first woman to hold this position)

Federal Government
Tanya Plibersek, Member for Sydney
Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia (first woman to hold this position)
Quentin Bryce, Governor-General of Australia (first woman to hold this position)
Queen Elizabeth II

Yes, the Queen of Britain is also the Queen of Australia. But for how much longer...? I'm referencing republicanism here peoples, not regicide.

Alright, enough about Australia. Oprah has promoted Australia pretty heavily recently, so I can take a break.

What you’re really reading this blog for is the food!

Persian Orange Cakes w Figs, Quince & Rose

Anna’s recreation of the Black Star Pastry cake. Makes 12 cakes.

Ingredients:
Middle Eastern Orange Cake batter (from my recipe index)
50g quince paste, cut into small cubes
4-6 dried figs, quartered
12 pistachio nuts, blanched & quartered
1 tablespoon dried rose petals
185g butter, softened
2 ¼ cups icing sugar mixture
2 tablespoon natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest

Method:

1. Make orange cake as per this previously posted recipe, only use cupcake or friand tins.

2. When cakes have cooled, make the icing by beating the butter until pale. Gradually add icing sugar mixture yoghurt, lemon juice and zest. Beat until combined.

3. Assemble cakes by topping with lemon yoghurt frosting, then decorating with pieces of quince paste, figs, pistachios and rose petals.

Note: for dried rose petals and pistachios, I recommend Pariya products.

wild hibiscus flowers in syrup

Merry Christmas!

I’m trying hard not to be a little sad this Christmas, but there are four people snowed in on the other side of the world who were supposed to be here with us today.

Jonas’ elder brother (David), sister (Helena), brother-in-law (Christian) and niece (Chloe) were due to arrive on Wednesday morning and instead (because London and Frankfurt don’t know how to handle a little snow) they’ll miss this very special Christmas we had arranged for them.

On the up side, my lovely brother and his family drove down from the Gold Coast to join us and that’s one big positive.

Jonas and his crew will just have to wait a few more days for their own sweet reunion.

~ ~ ~

To celebrate Christmas, I’m sharing this very festive recipe that’s actually perfect for any special occasion.

Admittedly, fresh rosellas (wild hibiscus flowers) are hard to get your hands on but, if you can, the delicious syrups and jams they produce is worth the hard yards tracking them down.

These flowers and a splash of their syrup are perfect for adding to a glass of bubbly (I had them as an aperitif at my wedding), or equally wonderful with soda water, as a topping to vanilla yoghurt or perched on a cheesecake.

And for those who can’t get these pretty little flowers to poach them yourselves, there are some great websites that ship jars of the flowers in syrup.
• USA 
• Europe 
• Australia/NZ 

This recipe comes from a beautiful and truly interesting cookbook about native Australian ingredients called Wild Food. If you're curious about the amazing fruits, herbs and spices that Australia has given to the world, you might want to check it out.

Wild Rosella Flowers in Syrup

Recipe from Wild Food by Juleigh Robins. Makes 40.

Ingredients:
2 cups cold water
2 cups caster sugar
2 cups wild rosellas, chopped
40 wild rosella flowers, whole

Method:

1. Place the water, sugar and chopped wild rosella in a wide stainless-steel saucepan over medium heat.

2. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently until the volume of liquid has reduced by a third.

3. Remove from the heat and strain to remove the solids.

4. Return to the pan, add the flowers and bring to the boil.

5. When it starts to bubble, remove from the heat and pour into sterilised jars.

lemonade & wattleseed scones

I have wanted to cook with wattleseed for many years now, but this year I formalised it when I made it one of my 2009 Food Challenges.

Wattleseed is a native Australian product with a delicious coffee-chocolate-hazelnut flavour. Around the world there are so many species of Acacia but only about 120 species (all native to Australia) provide seeds which have delicious culinary value.

The Australian Aborigines have eaten wattleseed for around 6,000 years but it’s the recent interest in native produce that has seen wattleseed truly take off in Australia.

If you have a choice, it’s best to buy wattleseeds whole then dry roast and grind them yourself. This way the flavour remains strong.

Wattleseed can be added to coffee, shakes, whipped cream, ice cream, cookies, pancakes, chocolate sauce and muffins. It’s also useful in a savoury context, being added to beer, bread, sauces and marinades.

Lemonade & Wattleseed Scones

Recipe by Maggie Beer. Makes 8.

Ingredients:
1 cup lemonade
1 cup cream
3 cups of self-raising flour
3 teaspoons ground wattleseed
1 tablespoon sugar
Milk, for brushing

Method:

1. Preheat oven to very hot 220C.

2. Sift flour, sugar and wattleseed.

3. Add lemonade and cream.

4. Mix to form soft dough with pastry cutter or finger tips, then place mixture on floured surface. This is a soft wet mix.

5. Bring together to a 2cm thickness and cut with a floured cutter.

6. Place close together on tray, brush with milk and bake for 10 - 15 minutes.

These wonderful little scones are my contribution to the High Tea Treats themed Monthly Mingle, hosted by Aparna from My Diverse Kitchen.

References:
http://www.cherikoff.net/cherikoff/index.php?id=130
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wattleseed

persimmon chutney

This sweet and sour chutney is quite runny, but has a little texture from the firmer Fuyu persimmon flesh (see info on persimmon types here).

The flavour is certainly sweet with a tang and spicy kick, and it goes well with barbequed and grilled meats and fish.

Persimmon Chutney

Anna’s very own recipe. Makes 250ml.
Ingredients:
1 ripe Hachiya persimmon
1 ripe Fuyu persimmon
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
Pinch of ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Peel the Fuyu persimmon and cube flesh. Put aside in bowl.

2. Scoop the jelly-like flesh out of the Hachiya persimmon. Add to Fuyu.

3. Combine all other ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute.

4. Add persimmon pulp, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes until pulp is soft and spices have permeated the chutney.

5. Pour into a sterilised jar and allow to cool.

6. Can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 2 months.

lemon slice

Lemon Slice is one of Australia's traditional treats.

It's very sweet and very tangy and reminds me of Sunday afternoons climbing the Jacaranda tree in my yard as my sisters road their bikes up and down the street (I couldn't ride a bike, but I could climb highest in the tree!).

Lemon Slice

Recipe from taste.com.au Makes 12 pieces.

Ingredients:½ cup sweetened condensed milk
100g butter
200g plain biscuits
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 lemon, rind finely grated
Lemon icing
2 cups icing sugar mixture
40g butter, softened
1 lemon, juiced

Method:

1. Grease and line a 3cm-deep, 15.5cm x 25cm rectangular pan.

2. Place condensed milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes or until butter melts.

3. Place biscuits in a food processor and process to fine crumbs.

4. Combine crumbs, coconut and 2 teaspoons lemon rind in a bowl.

5. Add hot butter mixture. Stir until well combined.

6. Press biscuit mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 1½ hours or until firm.

7. To make lemon icing, place icing sugar mixture, butter and 2½ tablespoons of lemon juice in a bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.

8. Spread icing over slice. Refrigerate for a further 30 minutes or until icing has set.

9. Cut into pieces. Serve.

chocolate & pumpkin seed biscuits

These biscuits are what my North American friends would call cookies, so don't get them mixed up with scones, which Americans call biscuits.

Wow. Don't you think it's all very weird how one language can be so confusing?

Regardless of what you call these, you will definately think they're good. So on the chocolate theme: Happy Easter!

 
Chocolate & Pumpkin Seed Biscuits
Recipe by Stephanie Alexander. Makes 15.
Ingredients:
125g unsalted butter
25g castor sugar
60g soft brown sugar
100g self-raising flour
100g rolled oats
75g dark chocolate (preferably 70%), roughly chopped
50g pepitas (green pumpkin seed kernels)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, oats, chocolate and seeds.

3. Place spoonfuls on the baking tray and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Leave room for the biscuits to spread. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden-brown.

4. Cool completely on a rack. Store in an airtight container.

Anna's other chocolate recipes:Drinks
Boozy Hot Chocolate
Spicy Hot Chocolate
Custards & MousseChocolate Chestnut Cake
Chocolate Ricotta Mousse
Muhallabiah Mousse (Iranian white choc & almond pudding)
Strawberry, White Chocolate & Almond Cannoli
Cookies & Slices
Chocolate Coconut Slice
Double Chocolate Cookies
Triple-Choc Brownies
Ice Creams & Candies
Cassata Gelata
Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
Filo Baked Mars Bar
Cakes & Tarts
Apricot & Chocolate Tart
Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding
Chocolate Chestnut Cake
Fig, Hazelnut & Chocolate Fudge Cake
Fondant au Chocolat Framboise
Ginger Cake w Chocolate Sauce
Glacé Apricot, Chocolate & Poppy Seed Cupcakes
Ludo's Chocolate Truffle Tart
Ricotta, Strawberry & Choc-Chip Muffins
Schwarzwälderkirschtorte (black forest cake)

kiwifruit & lemongrass slushie

This recipe works best when you use over-ripe kiwi fruit, since the sweetness levels are high and the seeds have a delicious nuttiness. It’s a great way of using up excess fruit.

You can either use lemon juice or, for an adult version, lemon vodka. I prefer the vodka version to be honest.

Kiwifruit & Lemongrass Slushie

Anna’s very own recipe. Makes 2.

Ingredients:
2 kiwi fruit
90ml lemon vodka (or lemon juice)
90ml lemongrass syrup (see note)
1 cup crushed ice

Method:
1. Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
2. Taste for sweetness levels and serve immediately.

Note: use this syrup recipe and replace kaffir with 4 bruised lemongrass stalks

The Kiwifruit, Actinidia deliciosa, is actually a berry and the vines grow over trellises, just like grapes.

Although people associate kiwifruit with New Zealand, they originated in the Yangtze River valley of northern China and Zhejiang Province on the coast of eastern China. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, in 2005 the top ten global producers were (in order): Italy, New Zealand, Chile, France, Greece, Japan, Iran, United States, Canada and Cambodia.

Unlike many fruits which grew in popularity over millennia, the kiwifruit had a very quick rise to fame. Mary Isabel Fraser, a principal of a girl’s school, had been visiting mission schools in China and returned to New Zealand with kiwi seeds. The seeds were planted in 1906 and the first fruit appeared in 1910. By the 1950s New Zealand was ready to export and the name changed from Chinese gooseberry to kiwifruit as a marketing tactic.

In China the kiwi has many names such as macaque peach (獼猴桃: míhóu táo); macaque pear (猕猴梨 míhóu lí); vine pear (藤梨 téng lí); sunny peach (阳桃 yáng táo); wood berry (木子 mù zi); hairy bush fruit (毛木果 máo mù guǒ) and unusual fruit or wonder fruit (奇異果 qíyì guǒ).

A study conducted at Rutgers University “found that out of the 27 most commonly consumed fruits; kiwifruit is the most nutrient dense”. It is rich in folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese and chromium. Its high levels of dietary fibre cause it to have a mild laxative effect.

Like papayas and pineapples, raw kiwifruit have a “protein-dissolving enzyme actinidin” which acts as a meat tenderiser but can also cause allergic reactions such as “sweating, tingling, swelling of the lips, tongue and face; rash; vomiting and abdominal pain; and, in the most severe cases, breathing difficulties, wheezing and collapse, although the most common symptoms are unpleasant itching and soreness of the mouth”.

The presence of this enzyme means any dairy or gelatine based desserts containing kiwifruit need to be eaten soon after making or the enzyme will begin to break down the proteins.

The kiwi is my theme ingredient for my first Weekend Herb Blogging of 2009. Our host this week is Pam from The Backyard Pizzeria.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwifruit
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/kiwifruit.html
http://www.users.on.net/~arachne/kiwi.html
http://www.kiwifruit.org/KiwifruitEducation-i-20-20.html

Tags: morsels and musings food blog food and drink australia recipes weekend herb blogging whb kiwifruit slushie kiwi slushie cocktail slushie drink kiwi kiwifruit cocktail recipes slushie recipes drink recipes kiwi recipes kiwifruit recipes