Cassata |
Popular Italian Ice-cream Dessert |
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22 or 24cm Spring form
cake tin Aluminum foil Glad bake, baking paper 4 litre bucket of vanilla ice-cream 2 tablespoons Cocoa, preferably Dutch 250ml 45% fat Cream, eg Delicious Dollop 1 - 2 tablespoons Fruit Mince Fruit Mince ideally should be made well ahead to allow the flavours to mingle. Click here for Fruit Mince recipe. |
Line cake tin, first with foil then
baking paper. Press vanilla ice-cream around base and sides of lined cake tin, to required thickness. Put about 2/3 as much ice-cream as was used for lining in a mixing bowl. Add cocoa to ice-cream in the mixing bowl. You can cover the bowl with a cloth to stop cocoa spraying out, if required. Work quickly here as the mix will melt.
Smooth a layer of the chocolate
ice-cream inside the vanilla ice-cream, leaving a cup sized hollow to take
the cream and mince filling later.
Beat
the cream until it just holds its shape. Do not over whip otherwise it won't
bond with ice-cream. |
| Serve wedges of Cassata on flat plates. Ideal with Almond Bread. | |
Celebration Cake |
A Wilma adaptation and great family favourite for birthdays and parties. |
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Centre 20 cm square tin. 750 g Unibic Savoiardi (Sponge Finger Victoria) 2-3 cups (750 ml) strong black coffee. 3-6 tablespoons rum, brandy or your choice. Filling To assemble |
Place cornflour, custard and sugar in pan, gradually add milk, mix till lump free. Add vanilla and cream. Stir over low heat until custard boils and thickens. Add butter, simmer uncovered 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat, add beaten egg yolks, mix well. Place custard into bowl, cover with plastic wrap. allow to become quite cold. When cold beat well. (you can make custard in microwave - watching and beating frequently.) Line tin with overlapping layers of glad wrap. Pour 1 cup coffee and 1 or 2 tablespoons rum into pie dish or flan dish. Place 3 sponge fingers in coffee mix then immediately turn over and remove one by one, placing in cake tin. Continue till you have lined base with a single layer. Spread half the cold custard on this layer. Cover this custard with another layer of moisten sponge fingers. Melt the 90 g of chocolate in microwave or over hot water, then beat it into the remaining custard. Spread the chocolate custard on second layer of sponge, then cover the custard with a third layer of moistened sponge fingers. Cover tin with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. |
| Next day remove top plastic, invert cake onto serving platter or board, ease off the tin and remove plastic. Whip cream, cover top and sides of cake, pipe an edge if desired, cover sides with toasted almond flakes. Glaze washed strawberries with strawberry jam warmed with rum. Arrange decoratively. Pipe greeting message with melted chocolate. Enjoy. Serves about 20. | |
Chicken Cutlets |
Mustard Chicken Cutlets with Herbed Rice |
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8 chicken thigh cutlets 1/3 cup Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons thyme, chopped 1/3 cup flat-leafed parsley, chopped 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon honey Olive oil Salt and pepper 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, optional 1 1/2 cups long grain rice 2 1/4 cups chicken stock <= click for details Roasting tin and wire rack Large sauce pan |
Combine mustard, thyme, 2 tablespoons of
the parsley, cumin, honey and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl and season to
taste. Spread mustard mixture evenly over cutlets and place on a rack in a roasting tin. Roast in oven at 200C for 30 or until golden brown and cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large saucepan, add onion and garlic and cook over a low heat until onion is soft. Add rice to to saucepan and stir until coated with oil and slightly toasted. Stir in stock and remaining parsley, bring to the boil. Cover and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, stand covered for 5 minutes. Serve chicken with herbed rice. |
Chicken Stock |
Basis of many dishes |
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2 Chicken carcasses, chopped 500g Chicken wings 2 Chicken gizzards, if available 1 Onion, sliced 1 Carrot, sliced 1 piece Lemon zest 1 Bay leave 1 sprig Thyme Few Parsley stalks 6 Black Peppercorns Water to cover Stockpot
Optional |
Place chicken bones, wings and
gizzards in a stockpot, cover well with cold water. Bring to simmering point and skim well. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and adjust heat to maintain a very gentle simmer for 4 hours. Strain stock and allow to get cold. Remove any fat from the top. Reduce stock, if desired, to concentrate flavour. Refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze in ice cubes For deeper coloured stock, lightly oil bones and vegetables and bake at 180C for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Then proceed as above. |
Chocolate and Almond Torte |
From "Grey Masts" restaurant, Coonawarra. Served with brandied apples and blue cheese. |
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Brandied Apples
120 ml Brandy |
Combine all ingredients, except
apples, with 2 litres of water in a large saucepan and stir over medium heat
until sugar dissolves, then add apples and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 30 - 40 minutes or until the apples become tender. Remove apples from the poaching liquid and strain the liquid. Return strained liquid to same pan and simmer until reduced by half. Whole apples can be stored in syrup in fridge until ready to serve. Cut poached apples in half, then slice halves thinly ready to fan on plate. |
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Rich Chocolate and Almond Torte
240 g Blanched almonds, roasted and
coarsely chopped
Blue Cheese |
Grind almonds in a food processor
until finely ground. Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a bowl over over pan of simmering water until smooth and melted. Stir in cocoa and mix well. Beat sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until mixture holds a trail. Add rum chocolate mixture and fold through until just combined. Add rum and almond and gently fold through mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into a buttered, floured and base lined spring form pan and bake at 180C for 45 minutes or until the middle 5cm section of cake moves slightly when pan is shaken. Cool cake to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm. Remove cake from fridge 1 hour before serving, invert onto a plate and peel away baking paper. Just before serving dust with icing sugar cut into thin wedges. |
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To serve, place a fanned apple half
on plates and spoon over a little apple syrup. Beside it place a slice of torte and a thin slice of blue cheese. Serves 12. |
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Chocolate Cake |
Best Ever Chocolate Cake. |
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250 g pure chocolate, chopped 4 tablespoons double strength coffee 250 g butter 1 cup castor sugar 6 large eggs, separated 150 g ground almonds 1 cup plain flour 1 heaped tablespoon red currant jelly 23 cm spring form tin, 6 cm deep, greased and lined with baking paper
For icing |
Put the chopped chocolate into a small
saucepan, pour in coffee. Stir over a very low heat until chocolate melts to
a very smooth mixture. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat well. Add chocolate mixture and mix in thoroughly, then stir in ground almonds and flour. Whip egg whites until stiff, but do not over beat, then fold into mixture. Pour into the lined spring form tin and bake at 180C for 40 minutes, lower the heat to 160C continue for 20 to 30 minutes. Test with a fine skewer, when most of the cake is cooked and the centre is still a little runny, turn off the oven. Wedge the oven door open slightly and leave for an extra 10 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a cooler, remove paper and turn right side up. warm the red currant jelly and brush over the top of the cake. Allow to set. To make icing, melt chocolate in bowl over hot, not boiling water. do not allow steam into the chocolate. Add softened butter and stir to melt and mix evenly. Remove from heat and stir occasionally until it starts to thicken to a good spreading consistency. Frost top and sides of the cake with chocolate icing, using a spatula or metal icing comb. |
Chocolate Chip Cookies |
Old
Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies. From the Sunbeam food processor book. |
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125g butter or
margarine ½ cup brown sugar lightly packed ½ sup sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla 1 egg 1 ¾ cups SR flour ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup unsalted peanuts, or pecans ¾ cup chocolate chips Oven tray |
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Using the clear Processing Container fitted with Processing Blade. Process butter, sugars and vanilla on HIGH speed until well combined , approx 10 seconds. Scrape sides of container. Add egg and process for 5 seconds. Scrape the sides of the container. Add flour, salt and peanuts and process on MEDIUM speed until combined and the nuts are roughly chopped. Add chocolate chips and process on LOW speed until just combined. Shape teaspoonfuls of mixture into small balls, place on oven tray. Cook for approximately 15 minutes. |
Clootie Dumpling |
Traditional Scottish dumpling cooked in a pudding cloth |
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90 g flour 90 g bread crumbs 90 g chopped suet 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 60 g sultans 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or grate of nutmeg 60 g currants 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 60 g brown sugar 1 tablespoon syrup 3/4 cup sour milk or buttermilk
Pudding cloth |
This version supplied
by Kaye Love of Glasgow. Cloot is Scots for cloth. Hence clootie dumpling a
dumpling cooked in a cloth
Mix all
ingredients
together to make a stiff dough. |
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Directions in dialect. Rummle up the hale jing-bang in the boul, addin a wee tate mulk so's ye get a dough that's stiff an no runny. Tim some bilin watter oot the kettle inty the fit o' the basin an spread the cloot oan tap o' the watter. Cowp the hale o' yur dough oot the boul an oan tae the cloot in the basin. Draw the coarnurs o' the cloot the gither an tie wi the string. Don't tie the string too tight or the dumplin might burst efter swelling up an ye'll be in hanguva mess. Noo ye've a big bad o dough aboot the size o a fitba. Nixt ye pit a piate in the fit o the big poat. The gently ye lower the dumplin oan tae the plate. After that poor as much billin watter inty the poat as will cover yur dumplin. Efter a this cairry-oan ye'll mibbe waant a cuppa tea an a fag or even a wee lie-doon. Anyway, whitlvvur ye dae, don't let the dumplin simmer fur mair than three-an-a-hauf oors. Efter that time wheech it oot the poat an oan tae a plate. Peel aff the cloot an therr ye huv a dish fit tae set afore a dizzen Egon Thingmys. |
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Crème Caramel |
An elegant classic French desert, a Wilma adaptation from many different sources |
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1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons water 250 ml cream 1 cup milk 2 eggs plus 2 extra yolks |
Add sugar to water in a
saucepan. Stir to dissolve over a moderate heat, then boil until amber. Pour into 6 ramekins. Warm milk and cream until tiny bubbles form around the edge. About 2 to 3 1/2 minutes. Mix 2 whole eggs and 2 extra yolks with 1 tablespoon of sugar, just enough to combine. Add warm milk and cream mix to eggs. Strain into a jug and then pour over the caramel in the ramekins. |
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Cook in the microwave in
bursts. 2 minutes on Medium/High. Turn ramekins. Then 1 minute bursts on Medium/Low. Allow to stand for 1 minute between bursts. Usually takes 4 or 5 bursts. Remember they continue cooking during rest periods.- |
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Crepe Batter |
Batter for Savory Crepes and Crepes Suzette |
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1/2 litre liquid (3/4 milk
1/4 soda water) 2 eggs 2 egg yolks, extra 1/2 teaspoon salt - for savory crepes 1/2 teaspoon sugar - for desert crepes 250 g flour, sifted 4 tablespoons butter
Crepe pan |
Pour
the liquid, eggs and salt/sugar in to the blender. Add flour and butter. Mix
at high speed for 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Rub the pan with oil or clarified butter, place on a moderate to hot range until pan begins to smoke. Remove from heat. Ladle in enough batter to cover the pan. Tilt the pan in all directions to evenly distribute. Replace the pan on the heat and toss it to and fro to loosen the edges. When the under side is done turn over with two spatulas or toss it over with a flip. Repeat until batter is used up. |
| For the thicker style pancakes <= click here | |