Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Sausage Stroganoff

Always looking for new and different ways to serve snags? Look no further. Works well with beef or pork sausages! 
8 beef or pork sausages, cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
2 rashers bacon, chopped finely
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped finely
500 grams mushrooms
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Pasta to serve

 
Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan. Add the sausages and cook until well browned (about 10 minutes). 

Remove the sausages and keep warm. Add the garlic, onion and bacon and mushrooms to the pan and cook until browned and soft. Add the tomato paste, paprika and beef stock. Simmer gently for a few minutes. 

Return the sausages to the pan and heat through. Turn off the heat and stir in the sour cream. Season to taste.
Serve over hot pasta noodles.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Anzac Cake

1/2 cup Golden Syrup
125 grams Butter
2 cups Self Raising Flour
1/2 cup Castor Sugar
1/2 cup Coconut (shredded or desiccated your choice)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Milk


You could add whatever icing you like, but believe me, this icing is delicious when eaten with this cake!!!

Icing
60 grams Butter
1 teaspoon Honey
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Icing Sugar
1 tablespoon Hot Water


Cake

Combine Butter and Golden Syrup in a saucepan, stir over heat until smooth.

Combine sifted flour, sugar and coconut in a large bowl.
 
Add syrup mixture and mix well.
 
Using an electric beater gradually beat in the combined eggs and milk.

Pour mixture into a prepared 20x30cm cake tin (I prefer to grease and line mine) and bake at 180 degrees celcius for approximately 30 minutes.

When done the cake will look a lovely golden colour.
 
Now this cake is perfectly yummy just like this, but for extra oomph add the icing. 


Icing

Combine the butter, honey and vanilla in a bowl.

Cream it together until the butter and honey are well mixed (the vanilla will still be visible).  Gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar and hot water until smooth.  I do this by hand but you could use the electric mixer if you want to speed things up.

When smooth, ice the cake and then top off with a little shredded coconut.

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 pinch baking powder

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

3/4 cup golden sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup jam (I used raspberry, but choose your favourite)

2/3 cup coarsely chopped salted dry-roasted peanuts

Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F.
 
Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with a little vegetable oil.
 
Pop your baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a bowl and put to one side.
 
Now, cream together your peanut butter, sugar, and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add your egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add your flour mixture and continue to beat until fully combined. You should be left with a slightly crumbly, pastry like dough.  Pop half of this into a bowl & place it in the freezer.
 
Squidge the rest of it into the bottom of your pan.
 
Smear a layer of jam over the top.

Leave it for about 5 mins & remove your dough from the freezer.
 
Crumble it over your jam layer and press down gently to level.
 
Sprinkle your chopped peanuts over the top.
 
Bake in the middle of your oven for 30 mins, until the top starts to brown.
 
When it's ready, remove it from the oven & leave to cool on the side. 

Don't try and tip it out of the pan, it will not end well!
 
Go & distract yourself for a couple of hours.

When it's cold, use a sharp knife to split it into manageable peanutty portions.

Apple Cake

6 green apples
2 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 cup sugar
250 gram butter
1 large egg
Custard powder
Cinnamon sugar


 
Preheat oven to 160C. Grease or line your tin with baking paper.
 
Cream butter and sugar together until smooth, then add egg and mix well.
 
Add sifted flour to creamed butter mix and combine.

Place 1/2 the batter in the greased tin, then sprinkle some custard powder over top.
 
Place your apples (sliced) over the custard powder.
 
Place the rest of the batter over top of the apple layer, and sprinkle the top with some cinnamon sugar.
 
Bake for 50 minutes at 160 C, or until golden brown.

Cereal Bars

3 cups of your favourite cereal
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
125g melted butter
3 tbs honey
1tbs golden syrup
choc chips (optional)

 
Preheat oven to 180C (170 fan forced), grease your slice pan. 

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
 
Melt butter, golden syrup and honey together and mix well, then add to dry ingredients.

Press mixture into pan, top with choc chips if you like and back for 20 minutes or till golden brown.

Once cool, cut into your preferred size!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Lemon Meringue Pie

  • 225g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour
  • 2 tbs icing sugar mixture
  • 125g butter, chilled, coarsely chopped
  • 2 1/2 tbs iced water
  • Lemon filling

  • 50g (1/3 cup) cornflour
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) water
  • 250ml (1 cup) fresh lemon juice
  • 430g (2 cups) caster sugar
  • 60g butter, coarsely chopped
  • 4 eggs, separated (plus an extra egg white for the meringue)

NOTE: I substituted the butter for Nuttelex to make this pie dairy free!



Sift the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the water and use a round-bladed knife to stir until a dough forms. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl. Turn onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper and roll out to a 5mm-thick disc. Use the pastry to line a 23cm (base measurement) pie dish. Trim excess pastry. Cover the pastry with baking paper. 

Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Fill the lined dish with pastry weights or rice. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and pastry weights or rice. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until crisp and golden. Set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, to make the lemon filling, combine the cornflour, water, lemon juice and half the sugar in a saucepan. Use a balloon whisk to stir over medium heat for 4 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. 

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for a further 1 minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter and egg yolks. Transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3 hours or until cooled completely.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Use an electric beater to beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoonful at a time until the mixture is thick and glossy.

Spread the filling over the base of the pastry case. Spoon over the meringue mixture and spread to the edge of the pastry. Use the back of a spoon to create peaks. Bake in oven for 5 minutes or until the meringue peaks are light golden. Set aside to cool completely. Serve.

Apple Pie

5oz Sugar
7oz Butter
9oz Flour
Apples (either fresh or canned)
Cinnamon Sugar

 
Mix the sugar, butter and flour with hands until it forms a dough.
 
Reserve some of the mixture for the top and press the rest of it into a square or round cake tin and up the sides (I normally line the bottom of the tin with baking paper).
 
Add apples, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and crumble over reserved mixture.
 
Bake in a moderate oven for about an hour.
 
Enjoy warm or cold with cream or ice cream… Yummo! :o)