Baked Whole Fish Kerala Style

INGREDIENTS

2.5kg whole fish

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small (80g) onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

3 tsp black mustard seeds

3 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 bunch (110g) fresh coriander

1 cup yoghurt

2 limes

1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

METHOD

Cut 4 deep slits in each side of fish.

Line large shallow ovenproof dish with 2 long sheets of foil, extending foil 10cm over all 4 sides.

Place fish on foil.

Heat oil in pan, cook onion, garlic and ginger, stirring until onion is browned lightly.

Add seeds and ground coriander, cook, stirring until fragrant.

Cut and discard roots from bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chop stems and leaves.

Blend or process chopped coriander with cooled onion mixture and yoghurt until pureed.

Pour yoghurt mixture over fish, turn fish to coat on both sides.

Cover fish completely with foil then refrigerate overnight.

Stand fish at room temperature 30 minutes before baking.

Bake, covered in foil, in moderately hot oven about 1 hour or until tender.

Serve with lime wedges and extra coriander.

SERVINGS

6 to 8

SOURCE

AWW Indian

Christmas Morning Muffins

INGREDIENTS
2 cups plain flour
2 cups mixed fruit
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs

METHOD
Sift all dry ingredients then add in mixed fruit and sugar.
Stir in eggs, oil and buttermilk, but be careful not to overmix.
Place in well greased muffin tray (12).
Bake for 20 minutes at 180C with fan forced over of 190C without fan.

SERVINGS
12

COMMENTS
Delicious with brandy custard as mini Christmas puddings, or warm with egg nog for Christmas supper, or straight from the oven Christmas morning.

SOURCE
Wheel & Barrow catalogue

Glazed Ham

INGREDIENTS
1 cup blood orange juice (or regular orange juice)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup honey
1 small leg of ham (about 7kg)
whole cloves to decorate

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180C.
Place juice, sugar, mustard and honey in a small saucepan over a medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glaze becomes syrupy.
Meanwhile, loosen one side of ham skin with a small, sharp knife, then ease your hand in between the skin and the fat and pull skin off.
Using the knife, make crisscross scores over the fat to create diamond shapes.
Insert a clove in the corners of each diamond.
Place ham in baking dish and pour glaze over.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden on top, basting ham with glaze from sides of dish every 10 minutes.
Remove ham from oven and allow to stand, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes before carving.

SERVINGS
6

COMMENTS
Everyone loved it!

SOURCE
Delicious mag

Granny's Shortbread

INGREDIENTS
½ pound butter
¼ pound ground rice (rice flour)
¼ pound castor sugar
¾ pound plain flour

METHOD
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Add sifted flours.
- Mix well in food processor.
- Turn onto a floured board and roll out to desired thickness.
- Cut and prick with a fork.
- Bake in a moderate oven until just cooked.

COMMENTS
The BEST shortbread!!!

SOURCE
Granny

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

INGREDIENTS
Cake
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/4 cup milk
185g butter
1 1/2 tbsp lemon rind
1 1/4 cups caster sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups SR flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup orange juice

Icing
500g cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp grated lemon rind
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD
Cake
Grease deep 22cm round cake pan, line with baking paper.
Combine seeds and milk in a bowl, stand 20 minutes.
Cream butter, rind and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs one at a time, beat until combined.
Stir in sifted flours, nuts, poppy seed mixture and juice.
Spread mixture into prepared pan.
Bake in moderate oven for 45 minutes.
When cool, split cake into 3 layers, sandwich layers with half the icing, then cover whole cake in remaining mixture

Icing
Beat softened cream cheese, cream and rind until smooth.
Add sifted icing sugar and juice, beat until smooth.

COMMENTS
Also makes delicious muffins!

SOURCE
AWW mag

Frangipani Pie

INGREDIENTS
450g can crushed pineapple
¼ cup cornflour
¼ cup water
2 eggs, separated
1½ cups milk
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup cornflour, mixed with
¼ cup water
1 cup coconut
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp sugar
Sweet short crust pastry shell

METHOD
Pineapple Layer
- Bring crushed pineapple to the boil.
- Blend cornflour and water together, mix in egg yolks and stir into pineapple, cooking until thick.
- Set aside.
Coconut Layer
- Heat milk, sugar, and salt in saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves.
- Add blended cornflour and stir until thick.
- Remove from heat and add coconut, butter and vanilla.
Meringue Layer
- Beat egg whites until stiff.
- Add 4 tablespoons of sugar, one at a time.
- Beat until stiff peaks form.

- Spoon half coconut mixture into shell
- Add pineapple mixture
- Add remaining coconut mixture.
- Pile meringue over coconut layer.
- Bake in a moderate oven for 15 minutes.

SERVINGS
12

COMMENTS
Decorate with fresh frangipani flowers

SOURCE
Granny

Sweet Short Crust Pastry

INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
1 cup self-raising flour
125g butter
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg yolk
¼ cup cold water or milk (approx)

METHOD
- Sift flours into a bowl.
- Rub butter through flour with fingertips, till mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add sugar and mix well.
- Mix into a dry dough with egg and milk beaten together.
- Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth.
- Roll out between two sheets of baking paper.
- Bake blind in moderate oven until lightly golden.

SERVINGS
1 pastry base

COMMENTS
Don't forget to use baking paper when baking blind!

SOURCE
Granny

Avocado and Pistachio Pate

INGREDIENTS
1½ cups mashed avocado (2 medium)
125g packaged cream cheese
2 green onions, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon chilli powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

METHOD
Blend or process avocado, cheese, onion, garlic, juice and chilli until smooth.
Line two 1-cup (250ml) moulds with plastic wrap.
Sprinkle nuts into base of each mould.
Pour in avocado mixture, cover.
Refrigerate about 3 hours or until set.
Turn out of moulds, sprinkle with parsley.
Serve with herb toasts.

SERVINGS
Makes 2 cups

COMMENTS
Best made on day of serving

SOURCE
AWW Bites

Herb Toasts

INGREDIENTS
2 large pitta
40g butter, melted
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme

METHOD
Preheat oven to moderate.
Split pitta in half, brush spilt side with butter.
Sprinkle with combined herbs.
Place pitta, split-side up, on oven trays.
Bake, uncovered, in moderate oven about 10 minutes or until browned lightly and crisp, cool.
Break each piece of pitta into six pieces.

SERVINGS
24 pitta toasts

COMMENTS
Serve with Avocado and Pistachio Pate

SOURCE
AWW Bites

Baked Feta

INGREDIENTS
250g piece feta
1/4 cup (60m1) olive oil
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
4 black olives (20g), seeded, sliced thinly

METHOD
Preheat oven to moderately hot.
Place feta on a 30cm piece of foil, drizzle with oil.
Sprinkle with remaining ingredients.
Gather foil around feta, fold over to seal.
Place on oven tray.
Bake in moderately hot oven about 20 minutes or until feta is soft.
Serve warm with crusty bread, if desired.

SERVINGS
6

SOURCE
AWW Bites

Carrot Cake

INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
¾ cup cooking oil
1 1/3 cup self raising flour
½ tsp salt
1 1/3 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup nuts
2 cups grated raw carrot
1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD
Grease an 8 inch square tin and heat oven to 150C.
Beat eggs and sugar till fluffy and add oil.
Stir in all dry ingredients.
Lastly, fold in carrots, nuts and vanilla essence.
Bake for about 1 hour, and ice with cream cheese icing when cool.

ICING
Beat together 4 oz softened cream cheese, ½ pound icing sugar, 3 tbsp butter and 1 tsp vanilla essence until cool and creamy.

Apple Crumble

INGREDIENTS
6 cooking apples
3 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup plain flour
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp coconut
1 tsp cinnamon

METHOD
Peel, core and slice apples.
Cook in saucepan with water and sugar.
Cover and simmer til tender.
Spoon into oven-proof dish.
Sift flour and cinnamon into a bowl.
Rub in butter til mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add sugar and coconut, mix thoroughly.
Sprinkle crumble over apple.
Bake in moderate oven till golden brown.
Serve hot or cold with custard, cream or ice cream.

COMMENTS

For a yummy colourful variation, reduce apple and stew with some rhubarb stalks (add more sugar as desired) or add some berries once apple is cooked.

Chicken Cacciatore

INGREDIENTS

8 chicken lovely legs

200g bacon or prosciutto

olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

400g button mushrooms (can use half brown mushrooms)

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup white wine

2 cans chopped tomatoes

1 can cannelini beans

2 handfuls of olives

continental parsley

METHOD

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil.

Add bacon and cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat.

Add chicken and cook until browned.

Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, stock and wine.

Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.

Add beans and olives.

Serve with fresh white bread and butter, boiled or mashed potatoes or pasta.

Sprinkle with lots of chopped continental parsley.

SERVINGS

8

SOURCE

Juliette

Mango Sorbet Champagne Cocktail

INGREDIENTS
1 tub Weiss mango sorbet
2 bottles champagne

METHOD
Leave sorbet out to soften for about 10 minutes.
Put half the tub of sorbet into a large jug.
Add 1/4 bottle of champagne.
Mash together until consistent.
Add remaining bottle of champagne and stir.
Serve immediately.
Repeat with remaining sorbet and bottle of champagne as required!

COMMENTS
Delicious, refreshing champagne cocktail, perfect for Christmas Day

SERVINGS
Depends how sloshed you want to get!

SOURCE
Tupperware!

Strawberry Champagne Cocktail

INGREDIENTS
2 punnets Strawberries, chopped
2/3 cup icing sugar
1/3 cup Cointreau
1 tbspn lemon juice
2 x 750mL bottles of Champagne

METHOD
Blend 1 punnet of stawberries with icing sugar, Cointreau and lemon juice.
Place into serving bowl.
Add champagne and reserved chopped strawberries just before serving.

SERVINGS
10

COMMENTS
Absolutely delicious!

SOURCE
Tupperware!

Baked Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS
250g biscuits, crushed
125g butter, melted
500g cream cheese, softened
¾ cup caster sugar
½ lemon, rind finely grated, juiced
4 eggs, separated
125mls thin cream

METHOD
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Grease 20cm springform pan with melted butter.
- Combine biscuits and butter, mix well and press into springform pan, refrigerate.
- Beat cream cheese on low til smooth and creamy. Do not over beat, as this will unnecessarily aerate the mixture.
- Add caster sugar, essence and lemon, beat further 3 minutes to ensure smooth consistency.
- Add egg yolks, one at a time, until well combined.
- Add cream.
- In separate bowl, stiffen egg whites with clean beaters.
- Fold egg whites into cream cheese mixture.
- Pour mixture into pan, bake for 1 hour, or until set. Check the cake after the fortieth minute, until cooked.
- Turn heat off, leave cake in oven with a wooden spoon placed inside the oven door to cool cake slowly.
- After one hour, remove cake and place on bench for a further hour.
- Once at room temperature, refrigerate overnight, or until chilled.

COMMENTS
Juliette's specialty!

Scrambled Egg Tartlets

INGREDIENTS
2 slices prosciutto, each sliced into 12 pieces
4 eggs
3/4 cup cream
30g butter
24 pre-baked tart shells

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Place the prosciutto on a baking tray lined with baking paper and grill or bake until crisp.
Remove and drain on paper towels.
Place the eggs and cream in a bowl and lightly whisk together.
Season well with salt and pepper.
Place half the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add half the egg mixture.
Slowly fold together.
When just set, remove from the heat.
Spoon the cooked mixture into half of the tart shells and top each tart with a piece of prosciutto.
Grease the pan with the remaining butter and repeat the process with the leftover egg mixture.
Serve immediately.

SERVINGS
24

SOURCE
Marie Claire Food and Drink

Chocolate Cornflake Biscuits

INGREDIENTS
200g butter
½ cup sugar
1¼ cups plain flour
¼ cup cocoa (Cadburys)
2 cups cornflakes

METHOD
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Sift flour and cocoa.
- Stir into creamed mixture.
- Fold in cornflakes.
- Spoon mounds of mixture onto a greased oven tray.
- Bake at 180C for 15 minutes, or until set.

SERVINGS
30

COMMENTS
Previously known by the Un-PC name Afghans

SOURCE
Edmonds

Beef Stroganoff

INGREDIENTS
500g rump steak
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
150g mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
cup plain yogurt OR traditionally
¼ cup white wine, ¾ cup sour cream 1 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD
Trim fat from meat.
Cut meat into thin strips against the grain.
Heat butter and oil in large frying pan, add onion, brown and set aside.
Add meat to pan quickly and brown on both sides.
Return onion to pan with mushrooms.
Add other ingredients.
Cook gently.
Serve with rice.

SOURCE
Dad

Pumpkin Risotto with Prosciutto and Rocket

INGREDIENTS
750g butternut pumpkin, diced
6 slices prosciutto (or pancetta)
1 large onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g arborio or carnoroli rice
½ cup dry white wine
6 cups chicken stock, simmering
sea salt and pepper
30g parmesan, grated
1 bunch rocket, torn
50g butter

METHOD
Pre-heat oven to 180°.
Place diced pumpkin on oven tray, spray or drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast until pumpkin is tender and slightly crunchy.
In a large saucepan, fry prosciutto off on a high heat, until very crispy.
Drain on absorbent paper.
Turn heat down and gently sauté onion and garlic with another tablespoon of the oil.
Add more oil and the rice, and cook for one to two minutes.
Add white wine, and smell the beginning of the risotto!
Now begin to ladle simmering stock into saucepan. This process will take at least twenty minutes, and the rice should be quite wet at all times. It is necessary to stir often.
When the rice is tender and the risotto is nice and gloopy, turn off heat, add parmesan, butter.
Leave for a few minutes, then stir through.
Season to taste.
Add the pumpkin and rocket and ladle the steaming rice into bowls or plates.
Sprinkle with crushed prosciutto, more parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

COMMENTS
Pure comfort food. While you do need the energy to stand at the stove for half an hour, stirring, it is worth the effort. The butter and parmesan transform the rice from slightly gluggy to shining and smooth, with a delicate taste. If using commercial stock, be careful with the salt content – dilute more than you would usually.

SOURCE
House and Garden 2002

Honey Mustard Chicken with Sweet Potato Mash

INGREDIENTS
8 chicken tenderloins
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp seeded mustard
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 large potatoes (600g)
1 sweet potato/kumara (250g)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
milk or buttermilk
butter

METHOD
Combine honey, mustard, vinegar and soy sauce in medium bowl (non-metal).
Add tenderloins (or strips of breast), cover and marinate for at least three hours.
Grill or barbecue chicken until cooked, reserving marinade.
In small saucepan, heat marinade and boil gently for at least two minutes.
Boil potatoes, drain and add milk and butter. Let the milk warm before mashing.
Mash potatoes, add garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange chicken on top of mash and drizzle sauce over.

COMMENTS
Steamed greens, such as snow peas, spinach, bok choy, are fabulous with this dish.
Using buttermilk and leaving out the butter in the mash means a very low fat meal.

SOURCE
AWW

Chocolate Fudge Square

INGREDIENTS
6 oz butter
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 cups plain flour
1 cup coconut
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt


METHOD
- Melt butter, sugar, cocoa and golden syrup in saucepan to nearly boiling point; cool
- Add flour, coconut, baking powder and salt
- Press into tin
- Bake @ 350F (180C) for 15-20 minutes
- Ice with chocolate icing and sprinkle with coconut


SOURCE
Granny's Tried and True!

Apple Golden Syrup Dumplings

INGREDIENTS
DUMPLINGS
2 granny smiths, peeled and quartered
1 cup SR flour
salt
2 tsp caster sugar
60g butter
2 tbsp water

SYRUP
30g butter, extra
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 ½ cups boiling water

METHOD
- In small bowl, combine flour, sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Grate butter into bowl, then combine with flour until coarse breadcrumb stage is reached.
- Add water and bring dumpling mixture together.
- Divide dough into eight equal parts, roll into a ball and then flatten with the heel of your palm.
- Place one quarter of an apple into middle of dough round and bring edges together.
- Mould dough so that all apple is completely covered.
- Repeat with remaining apple quarters and dough.
- Place dumplings in shallow oven dish.
- Combine hot water with extra butter, golden syrup and brown sugar, stir to dissolve.
- Gently pour golden syrup mixture over dumplings
- Place in moderate oven for approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Serve with cream, or Jules’ favourite, greek yoghurt.

SERVINGS
4

COMMENTS
These are so easy to make, do not need many ingredients from the pantry and are absolutely divine! Experiment with the cooking times and temperatures, as all ovens differ, and it is important to have the dumpling cooked and the apple soft on the inside. Aluminium foil can be placed over oven dish to aid the cooking of the apples.

SOURCE
Mum

Coq au Vin

INGREDIENTS
1.5kg chicken pieces
plain flour
40g butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 bacon rashers (215g), chopped finely
10 spring onions (250g), trimmed
200g swiss brown mushrooms, halved
2 tbsp brandy
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 sprig fresh parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp tomato paste

METHOD
Toss chicken in flour, shake away excess flour.
Heat butter in large saucepan, cook chicken until browned all over.
Drain on absorbent paper.
Drain all but 1 tablespoon of liquid from pan.
Cook garlic, bacon, onion and mushrooms, stirring until onion is browned lightly.
Return chicken to pan.
Add brandy, wine, stock, herbs, bay leaf and paste.
Simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.
Remove chicken from pan.
Simmer sauce until thickened slightly.
Discard bay leaf before serving.
Serve chicken with sauce.

SERVINGS
4

SOURCE
AWW Casseroles

Chocolate Brownie

INGREDIENTS
½ cup melted butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
½ cup self raising flour
¼ cup good quality cocoa
¼ cup chopped nuts (macadamias, almonds, hazelnuts etc, or ground almonds for texture)

METHOD
- Sift flour and cocoa into bowl, add nuts and sugar, mix well.
- Add melted butter and egg, stir until well combined.
- Press into round 20cm cake tin, bake at 180C for approx 25 minutes.

COMMENTS
Very more-ish!

SERVINGS
15

CATEGORY
Slices

Mediterranean Meatballs with Roast Potato Wedges

INGREDIENTS
750g lean minced beef
1 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence or mixed dried herbs
3 cloves garlic, crushed
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
200g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
200mL red wine
200mL meat or vegetable stock
6 tbsp tomato ketchup
1kg potatoes, cut into 6 wedges
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD
Combine mince, herbs and garlic, and season well.
Working with wet hands, form the mixture into walnut-sized balls.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan.
Brown the meatballs, in two batches if necessary.
Transfer to large saucepan, then cover and set aside.
Add the onions and mushrooms to the fat in the pan and stir-fry for about 10 mins.
Stir in the flour, wine, stock and ketchup.
Pour over the meatballs and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200'C.
Parboil the potato wedges for about 5 minutes then drain.
Transfer to roasting tin and toss with remaining olive oil to coat.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden, then sprinkle with salt.
Serve the meatballs and potato wedges drizzled with sauce.

SERVINGS
6

COMMENTS
Full of flavour

SOURCE
Tesco Recipe Mag

Cardamom Biscuits

INGREDIENTS
BISCUITS
1/2 cup slivered almonds
125g cubed butter at room temp
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essense
3/4 cup SR flour
2/3 cup plain flour
2 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp milk
icing sugar to dust

CARAMEL FILLING
125g butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup thin cream
1 Tblspn golden syrup

METHOD
BISCUITS
- Preheat oven to 160C
- Spray 2 trays
- Brown almonds
- Beat sugar, butter and essense till fluffy
- Mix in flour, cardamom with wooden spoon
- Add milk and almonds, knead into consistent dough
- Roll out and cut with biscuit shapes or glass
- Bake for 16 mins swapping trays halfway
- Make filling, sandwich together and enjoy!

CARAMEL FILLING
- Melt all ingredients together slowly, until boiling and slightly thickened, cool.

COMMENTS
Delicious!

SOURCE
AGT Mag

Ginger Stir-Fry

INGREDIENTS
grated ginger
crushed garlic
peanut or corn oil
chicken or pork thin strips
fish sauce
hoi sin sauce
oyster sauce
stir fry vegetables
cornflour

METHOD
Cook heaps of grated ginger and crushed garlic in peanut or corn oil in wok.
Add thin slices of meat of choice with a generous sprinkling of fish sauce and hoi sin sauce.
Cook quickly, spoon into heat resistant bowl and set aside.
Add more oil to wok and saute onion, capsicum, carrots, cauliflower, beans, peas etc.
Stir in some oyster sauce and then soft vegetables such as zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms.
Add water and place lid on wok.
After a few minutes return meat to wok and stir carefully.
Thicken with a spoon of cornflour mixed in a little water.
Serve when sauce thickens with rice or noodles.

SOURCE
Mum

Jytte's Pebernoedder

INGREDIENTS
250g flour
100g butter
175g sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp cream or milk
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger

METHOD
- Mix flour and spices.
- Add butter and mix to resemble fine breadcrumbs.
- Add rest of ingredients.
- Keep dough cold for ease of handling.
- Roll out to little balls the size of a ten cent coin and bake at 180C for approximately 10 minutes.
- The dough can be frozen before baking, and biscuits are best kept in an airtight container.

SOURCE
Jytte

Chocolate Volcanoes

INGREDIENTS
200g top quality dark chocolate (min 75% cocoa solids)
125 g butter
75 g flour, sifted
175g caster sugar
4 eggs
100g ground hazelnuts or almonds
crème fraiche or greek yoghurt to serve

METHOD
-Melt chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water, or on medium heat in microwave in one-minute bursts (remembering to stir continuously).
- Lightly beat eggs in small bowl.
- Combine flour, sugar and ground nuts in larger bowl.
- Add melted butter and chocolate to dry mix, stir well, cool.
- Add eggs to mixture.
- Grease four 200ml or six 150 ml ramekins with butter.
- Divide mixture evenly into ramekins.
- Bake at 180°, four for approximately 18 minutes, and six at approximately 12 minutes.
- Serve hot with crème fraiche or greek yoghurt.

COMMENTS
These are delightfully runny in the centre. You can either dig into your ramekin, or invert onto a plate, which will cause the pudding to explode lava-like. As the pudding is very rich, you can choose to make smaller or larger ones to your liking. Baking times are completely dependent on your oven, and puddings should look uncooked and jiggly in the centre.

SERVINGS
4 - 6

SOURCE
Jules, from House & Garden

Naan Bread

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup warm water
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp ghee, melted (alternatively, use olive oil)
2 tbsp yoghurt
2 tsp kalonji (black onion seeds)

METHOD
Whisk water, yeast and sugar in bowl until yeast is dissolved.
Cover and stand in warm place for 10 minutes.
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl, add yeast mixture, yoghurt and half the ghee.
Mix to a soft dough then knead, on floured surface, about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
Place dough in large greased bowl, cover and stand in warm place for about 1½ hours, or until dough has doubled in size.
Once proved, punch dough, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes.
Divide dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a 20cm round naan.
Cook each naan separately on an oven tray covered with foil, under the grill for approximately two minutes each.
Brush naan with remaining ghee and sprinkle with kalonji and cook a further 30 seconds.
Alternatively, cook each naan in a well greased (but not oily) fry pan until puffed and just brown.

SERVINGS
Makes 6

COMMENTS
Party favourite, although takes ages to prepare, especially if you fry it

SOURCE
AWW Indian

The Best Pizza Toppings

INGREDIENTS
Gourmet Vegetarian: Pesto, Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta
tub of Pesto
1/4 pumpkin, sliced thinly and roasted
spinach leaves
feta, crumbled
pine nuts
mozzarella, grated

Supreme: Salami, Olives, Mushrooms and Capsicum
tomato pasta sauce
salami, sliced
olives, pitted and halved
champignons or button mushrooms, halved
capsicum, sliced
mozzarella, grated

Satay Chicken
tomato paste
1 quantity of satay chicken
spanish onion, sliced thinly
mozzarella, grated
coriander

METHOD
Prepare pizza bases with fresh pizza dough, or slice turkish bread in half lengthways.
For each different topping:
Spread pizza base with sauce.
Add toppings.
Sprinkle with mozzarella.
Bake at 250C for 7 - 10 minutes until golden and crispy.

SERVINGS
10

SOURCE
Vikki

Basic Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS
800g strong white bread flour
200g fine ground semolina flour or strong white bread flour
1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
2x7g sachets dried yeast
1 tbs golden caster sugar
650mL lukewarm water

METHOD
Add the yeast and sugar to the tepid water.
Mix with a fork and leave for a few minutes.
Pile the flours and salt on to a clean surface and make an 18cm well in the centre.
Pour yeast mixture into well.
Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water- it will look like stodgy porridge.
Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour.
When the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with the fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your left hand to stretch the dough towards you and your right hand to push the dough away from you at the same time.
Repeat this for 10 minutes until you have a smooth springy soft dough.
Flour the top of the dough.
Cover with clingfilm and let rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature - this will make it easier to roll it thinly.
Divide the dough into as many balls as you want to make pizzas - small or large - 6 is a good quantity for this amount of dough.
Roll pizzas out 15 to 30 minutes before you start to cook them. If you want to work more in advance, keep the dough in clingfilm in the fridge.
Take a piece of the dough.
Dust your surface and the dough with a little flour, and roll it out into a rough circle about 0.5cm thick.
Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tinfoil, rub it with olive oil, dust it well with flour and place pizza base on top.
Continue doing the same with other pieces and then, if you dust them with a little flour, you can pile them up into a stack, cover them with clingfilm and put in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 250C.
Apply toppings.
Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.

SERVINGS
6 - 8 medium sized pizza bases

SOURCE
Jamie's Italy

Sticky Date Pudding

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups seeded dried dates
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 tsp baking soda
50g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs beaten lightly
1 cup SR flour

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
3/4 cup brown sugar
300ml cream
80g butter

METHOD
Pre-heat oven to moderate, grease 20cm round tin and line baking tray.
Combine dates and water ,stir in soda and stand for 5 mins.
Blend or process date mixture with butter and sugar until pureed.
Add eggs and flour, blend and pour into tin.
Bake uncovered in mod oven for 1 hr.
Stand 10 mins, turn and serve with butterscotch sauce.

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
Combine ingredients for sauce in med saucepan.
Stir over low heat until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened.

SERVINGS
8

Cucumber Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 small green cucmbers
2 red thai chillies, seeded, chopped finely
¼ cup peanut oil
1 ½ tbs lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crished
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tbs finely shredded mint leaves

METHOD
Using a vegetable peeler, peel cucumber into long thin ribbons.
Just before serving, gently toss cucumber with remaining ingredients in medium bowl.

SERVINGS
6

SOURCE
Women’s Weekly Cooking for Friends

Hot Cross Buns

INGREDIENTS
1¼ cups milk
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ Tbsp dried yeast (Jesus rises)
4 ¼ cups flour (Eucharist)
½ tsp salt (preserving)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice (annointing)
¼ tsp ground cloves (nails)
2 eggs (resurrection)
125g melted butter
1 ½ cups dried fruit (wine)
¼ cup chopped peel (bitterness)

CROSSES
½ cup flour
1 Tbsp melted butter
5 Tbsp water (water gushed out his side when pierced)

GLAZE
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp sugar

METHOD
Heat the milk to scalding point.
Remove from heat and stir in sugar.
Cool to lukewarm and sprinkle on the yeast.
Set in a warm place for 10 min or until frothy.
Sift together flour, salt and spices and place half in a large bowl.
Make a well in the centre.
Beat the eggs.
Add the yeast mixture, eggs and melted butter to the large bowl of flour.
Beat well with a wooden spoon.
Then stir in the mixed fruit and peel.
Gradually mix in the rest of the flour to form soft dough.
Turn onto a floured board and knead lightly.
Place in a greased bowl.
Turn over to grease the top of the dough.
Cover with a cloth and put in a warm place until double in bulk about an hour.
Turn onto a floured board and knead lightly.
Divide into 24 even-sized pieces.
Shape into balls and place slightly apart on a greased tray.
Cover and leave to rise again until double in size.
Meanwhile make the dough for the crosses.
Sift the flour and stir in the melted butter and enough of the water for the dough to be piped.
Using a fine nozzle pipe crosses on each risen bun.
Bake at 200 degrees C for 25 mins.

GLAZE
Mix milk and sugar together.
Brush over the buns.
Return to oven for another 5 mins.

SERVINGS
24