Pancakes |
Traditionally served on Shove Tuesday, but yummy anytime |
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250 g plain flour 60 g butter Pinch of salt 1 1/2 cups milk 3 eggs
Lemon, cut in halves Frying pan, preferably one designed for pancakes or kept just for this For a lighter Crepe Batter <= click here |
Put flour into a basin and make a well. Warm butter, salt and milk until butter has melted. Break eggs into the well in the flour and work in some flour. Add warm milk mixture and whisk until quite smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours before cooking. Mixture will thicken and should now be like thin cream. If not adjust with more milk. Heat frying pan. Wipe pan with buttered paper for the first pancake. Lift pan from heat, ladle in batter and swill to spread to the edges of the pan. Set pan back on the heat for 1 minute, lift outer edges with a thin spatula and flip pancake with spatula, fingers or by tossing. Cook second side, slide out of pan. |
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Traditionally served with caster sugar
and a squeeze of lemon and rolled. Use other topping if you prefer. |
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Pasta Fine Herbs |
Simple Entree or Light Meal |
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Pasta, your choice Extra virgin olive oil, good quality Parsley, chopped Tarragon, cut Chives, snipped Chervil, pulled apart Sea salt Cracked pepper Optional |
Cook pasta until al dente, cooked but
still firm. Drain well. Toss in virgin olive oil. Add herbs, quantities to your taste Season with salt and pepper
Optional |
Peach Melba |
Poached Peaches with Raspberry Puree, Vanilla Ice Cream and Cream |
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Peaches 4 ripe cling peaches 4 tablespoons sugar 1 cup water 1/2 vanilla pod
Melba sauce Topping |
Peaches Heat water, sugar and vanilla pod gently in a pan to dissolve sugar, boil rapidly for 2 minutes before adding peaches. Peel and halve the peaches, remove stones and put in the syrup rounded side down. Poach for 10 minutes. Allow to cool in the syrup, then drain. Melba sauce Rub the the raspberries through a nylon strainer. Beat together with the icing sugar, a little at a time until the mixture thickens. Chill. To serve. Place a scoop of ice cream in 4 coupe glasses. Arrange two peach haves on each. Coat with a tablespoon of Melba sauce and decorate with a rosette of cream and almonds. |
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Pecan Tart |
Variation on the classic walnut tart from Donlevy's Melbourne |
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Quantities for two Tarts
- serves 24 Pastry 1 cup shelled pecans 315 g butter 3/4 cup caster sugar 4 cups flour 1-2 eggs, beaten
Filling
Decoration Two 30 cm shallow fluted flan tins |
Pastry Cases Grind the pecans for the pastry in a hand-held Mouli or similar. Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the ground pecans and flour. Beat the eggs and stir in with a knife to form a soft dough, do not use more egg than necessary. Gather the dough into a ball with your finger tips, wrap in plastic film and chill for 20 minutes. Roll out to line two greased flan tins and place in the fridge while making the filling. Filling Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in warmed honey and eggs alternately. Spread the filling evenly in the pastry cases and scatter the pecans over. Bake in a preheated oven 200C for 5 minutes, then turn oven down to 190C and continue baking for a further 30 minutes or the filling is set. Remove the tart from the oven and cool. To Decorate Melt the chocolate in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water off the heat. Spread the chocolate over the cool tarts, pattern with folk tines. Allow to set and serve at room temperature. |
Pikelets |
Yummy with cream and home made jam |
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2 cups self raising
flour Pinch of salt 1/2 teaspoon bi-carbonate of soda 3 tablespoons sugar 2 eggs (65 g) 350 ml milk soured with 2 teaspoons of vinegar 4 teaspoons melted butter Best enjoyed the same day |
Heat electric fry pan to 170C ( 340
F) Sift flour, salt and bi-carbonate in bowl Make a well in centre of flour Add sugar, eggs, milk and melted butter Mix to a smooth batter Make in batches of 4 each 2 tablespoons of the mixture Cook until bubbly on top and light brown underneath Turn with egg splice and cook other side Remove and place in a stack If mixture thickens add more milk |
Porridge |
A healthy solid start to the day |
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Quantities for 2 people 1 cup rolled oats - store brand is fine 1 cup cold water 1 1/2 cups boiling water Salt if you must, its fine without Solid based stainless steel saucepan |
Add rolled oats and 1 cup
cold water to pan Boil enough water for this and your hot drinks while the mix soaks Add 1 1/2 cups boiling water to pan Put on stove and bring to boil Stir and reduce to a simmer Cook for 3 minutes from time of coming to a boil |
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Does not need much stirring if you
use a solid based pan. Serve with your choice of toppings or none |
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Praline |
Chocolate Coated Coffee and Nut Praline |
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160g Blanched almonds 75g Hazelnuts, roasted and pealed 50g Pistachios, shelled, covered with boiling water, left to stand for 3 minutes, then peeled and roasted 30g Pinenuts, roasted 70g Pecans, roasted 330g Caster sugar 2 teaspoons instant espresso, dissolved in 1/3 cup of boiling water 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract 1/2 cup Light corn syrup or Glucose syrup 60g Butter, chopped 1/4 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda 100g Dark chocolate, melted Sugar Thermometer 25cm x 30cm oven tray |
Place nuts on an oven tray and warm
in the oven at 150C. Combine sugar, espresso mixture, vanilla and corn syrup in a heavy based saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, add butter and boil without stirring until mixture reaches 150C on a sugar thermometer. Add bicarbonate of soda and warm nuts. Remove from heat and pour immediately onto the greased and foil lined oven tray. Cool and then invert onto a work surface. Using a clean, dry pastry brush, brush melted chocolate over the base of the praline to cover. Stand at room temperature until chocolate has set. Break into 3-4 cm pieces. |
| Will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Makes about 28 pieces. | |
Punch |
Non-alcoholic fruit punch. Popular for summer parties. | ||
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Serves (Total quantity) |
25 serves ( 2.5 litres ) | 35 serves ( 3.6 litres ) | 50 serves ( 5 litres) |
| Mix up before:- | |||
| Weak tea, allowed to cool | 900 ml | 1250 ml | 1800 ml |
| Grapefruit juice | 200 ml | 300 ml | 400 ml |
| Pineapple juice | 200 ml | 300 ml | 400 ml |
| Orange juice | 100 ml | 150 ml | 200 ml |
| Sugar | 175 g (2/3 cup) | 250 g (1 cup) | 350 g (1 1/2 cups) |
| Add at last minute:- | |||
| Dry Ginger Ale | 750 ml (1 bottle) | 1125 ml (1 1/2 bottles) | 1500 ml (2 bottles) |
| Ice cubes | 175 ml | 225 ml | 350 ml |
| Suggested garnishes:- Thinly sliced orange, strawberries (can be frozen) and mint | |||