CHOCOLATE, COCONUT, OATMEAL NO-BAKE COOKIES

CHOCOLATE, COCONUT, OATMEAL NO-BAKE COOKIES

(Courtesy of Pam at "For The Love of Cooking")

What a week. Baby went with her school mates on her first school camping trip. It was 4 days and 3 nights which seemed very long to this overprotective American Mum who worries too much. She came home yesterday afternoon safe & sound, albeit quite knackered (exhausted to the point I thought she would fall asleep in the car). She wrote notes for herself to remember the highlights from each day and read them back to us in the car on the way home from the train station.

I took her day pack into the house before marching her upstairs for a much needed bath, and noticed it was unusually heavy for what should have been in it...well...when I emptied the bag, in addition to 3 full sandwiches, 2 apples, 1 and a half snack bars (presumably her lunches from the last 3 days), and a wet towel, I also pulled out several rocks, about 2 cups of beach sand (minimum) and a dead sea sponge! (Some of the loot is pictured below and even the cat was perplexed.)

Imagine reaching into a bag for a towel to launder, and touching THAT thing! Eeyuck! LOL



Now, back to the cookies...I was to send a batch of baked treats (no one necessarily knew these weren't technically "baked") along with the other families doing the same, for the kids and their teachers & other adults to enjoy as afternoon snacks and such. So, of course I had many recipes to choose from...too many, and I needed a quick decision so I asked a friend in Oregon to help me out. She directed me to her mate's site and this recipe, which was a great help and an easy and tasty recipe to try. As a matter of fact, I made two double batches...one for Baby to take to camp and another to share between home and work. So, thank you Pam & Cheryl, for your assistance.
In Pam's post, she mentions that the cookies were a bit moist and not to make them in humid weather, however...I have added a bit more sugar to make the chocolate syrup just a bit "stickier" to hold together and, I dried them "Pavlova style" in the oven afterwards and they were perfect!
Here we go...this is for my double batch, so halve everything if you only want about a dozen or so cookies.
INGREDIENTS:
½ Cup Milk
½ Cup Butter
2 Cups Sugar
6 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1½ Tsp Vanilla Essense or Extract
3 Cups Quick Oats (like for breakfast cereal)
1 ½ Cups Coconut (finer texture is better)

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the cocoa powder, sugar and milk then bring to a boil for 2 minutes.

Next, remove the mixture from the heat and add the vanilla, oats and coconut and mix until thoroughly combined.

Now, using gloves or two spoons, drop spoonfuls onto a non-stick mat or baking tray lined with paper and wait until dry.

If the cookies are still too moist or fragile to move & stack, heat an oven to about 210°F/100°C and turn it off once it’s warm, then put the cookies in for an hour or two to set.

Just like you would expect, they do taste a bit like a Mounds or Cherry Ripe candy bar (without the cherry).
Enjoy.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

This is a special request from a couple of work mates. You see, a few months ago I was “complaining” about having a plethora of lemons on an overflowing tree in my back garden, which promptly backfired when my colleague suggested (read: insisted) a lemon meringue pie to be the next treat I brought in for the group. A few days later, I was baking again, and decided to make said pie. I brought this pie in to work and proceeded to divide it into 6 or 8 pieces for morning tea, which disappeared just about as quickly as I could dish it up. Well, “Glassboy” was upset that one of the other managers got two pieces and ever since then, he has been...encouraging....me to make another pie (all for him – not to share).

Well, over the Christmas break I made some Lemon Honey and decided that after I went back to work it might be a good time to make this additional pie...or, even better...several smaller ones. Well, Glassboy did NOT specify what size I was supposed to make for him. Hehe, even after bringing in 6 or 8 individual pies, he managed to make off with more than one!

Anyway, after I brought the mini-pies in for folks, people began asking for the recipe and I have been a bit lax about posting recipes lately, so I figured now was a good time to share the recipe for my mates. (Linda – this is for you and my other “coffee group sisters” too!) :o)

If you are feeling adventurous, you can make a proper crust (below), but if you are short on time a frozen, pre rolled short pastry will work just as well.
CRUST:
1 Cup Oat Flour (1¼ Cups oatmeal processed to a fine powder)
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
½ Cup Butter
¼ Tsp Salt
¼ to ½ Cup Water

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl mix the flours and salt, then carefully cut in small pieces of the cold butter and combine well with a fork or pastry cutter until it’s about the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.

Very slowly, add just a little cold water at a time until dough forms a non-sticky ball and holds well together.

Now place the dough on a lightly floured surface, knead it only slightly and proceed to roll it out into a large circle, about 3-4 millimetres thick and large enough around to fill a standard sized pie dish.

FILLING:
4 Large Egg Yolks (save whites for meringue)
3 Large Whole Eggs
1 Cup Caster Sugar
¾ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1-1 ½ Tbsp Lemon Zest (takes 2-3 lemons depending on size)2 Tbsp Corn Flour (aka Corn Starch)
½ Cup Butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

DIRECTIONS:
First, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and blind bake the crust until it just begins to colour and set aside.

Next, heat some water in a double boiler (or in a saucepan with a well fitting glass bowl on top that isn’t too deep and the bottom of which won’t touch the water in the pan).

In the top of the double boiler, whisk the yolks and eggs for a minute and add the rest of the filling ingredients EXCEPT for the butter.

Now, cook this mixture over the simmering water stirring constantly over medium heat.

When the filling is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter until all is well combined. DO NOT LET THE MIXTURE BOIL!

Pour this filling into the crust and prepare the meringue in a large bowl.

MERINGUE:
4 Large Egg Whites
¼ Tsp Corn Flour
¼ Tsp Cream of Tartar (or substitute with ½ Tsp of white vinegar)
½ Cup Caster Sugar
1 ½ Tsp Vanilla Essence

DIRECTIONS:
First, beat the egg whites at medium speed until they are foamy.

Next, beat in the corn flour and cream of tartar/vinegar until soft peaks form.

Now, gradually add in the vanilla and the sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, being careful not to overbeat the meringue.

You can either spoon the meringue on top of the filling, smoothing with the back of the spoon or spatula before patting it slightly to create peaks or, alternatively you can pipe it on top of the filling with a cake decorating tip. Either way, make certain to get the meringue to the very edge of the crust to seal in the filling and minimise “weeping” later.

Now bake the pie until the meringue is golden. Peaks will get dark, but don’t remove the pie until it’s well coloured evenly, otherwise you get a “raw” meringue in the middle. (Bakes about 12-15 minutes)



After the pie is finished cooking, it's best to leave it a room temperature for at least a couple of hours. If you refrigerate it too soon, the meringue will weep and you will find a sticky dew all over the top of the pie when you retrieve it to serve. It is actually just fine to leave it at room temperature overnight, but I would refrigerate any leftovers (if any) after that.



Bon appetite!

LEMON CURD

LEMON CURD

(Makes about 4 cups)

I finally had a bit of spare time to make use of some of the hundreds of large lemons we have again this year, so...today it was Lemon Curd (thank you, Jo, for the free eggs...one jar is definitely for you!), American Lemonade, and candied lemon zest strips (for later use when I make White Chocolate Mousse topped with Lemon Curd and Candied Zest - from my Foodtown Magazine that arrived this week.)

Anyway, there are several versions of Lemon Curd or Lemon Honey, but they are all quite similar. Some use whole eggs and I opted for yolks only for a richer yellow colour. Some also use quite a bit more butter and I opted for a lower cholesterol version. My mate, Linda, also uses a similar microwave version, but I found that one to be a bit tricky as you must stop the microwave often to stir to make sure you don't end up with lemony scrambled eggs. Linda's is always perfect, however, mine was a bit grainy and not the smooth texture like Linda's was.

In any case, here is the version I think is most popular here, and I may opt to post a whole-egg version later as well, if it turns out well enough. One quick thing to note, is that if you are only using the yolks, the whites can be used to make Meringue Biscuits to eat with the cooled Lemon Curd which is a lovely sort of "Lemon Meringue Pie Deconstructed".

INGREDIENTS:

8 Egg Yolks
2 Cups Sugar
100 Gm Butter, cubed
2 Tbsp Lemon Zest
200 Ml Lemon Juice (about 6 good sized lemons)


DIRECTIONS:

In a medium saucepan, slowly begin heating the yolks and sugar and combine well.

Once the mixture is well incorporated, add the butter, zest and juice, stirring constantly.

Bring this mixture just to a boil and remove it from the heat, continuing to stir until the mixture begins to cool and thicken slightly.

Carefully pour the Lemon Curd into clean canning jars and tighten the lids just until snug befor leaving to cool.

Refrigerate the Lemon Curd and enjoy. This should last 3-4 weeks in the fridge...if there is any left by then!

Bon apetite!

VELVET CUPCAKES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!

Today was the last school day prior to baby's birthday, so I had to make the class some cupcakes. I don't like to do the same every year, so I decided to try a new recipe this time...with a twist. One of my Christmas presents this year, was a new cookbook from my lovely husband. He gave me the "Jamie's America" book by Jamie Oliver (one of my favourite Food Channel personalities). On page 38 is a recipe for very chocolaty Velvet Cupcakes, which looked great, but the problem is that my little girl prefers "vanilla" to chocolate. No problem!!!

I used the basic Velvet Cupcake recipe, but rather than adding cocoa, I just added a bit more flour to make up for it. Also, for flavour, I added a bit extra vanilla essence and a little almond essence and left out the food colouring.

This batter is a little different from my other cupcake recipes for a couple of reasons. One reason is that this recipe uses egg and buttermilk, and the other reason is that the batter is thick, but "fluffy". I have been thinking of how I might describe the texture of the batter, and the only thing that comes to mind is "fluffy" almost mousse-like, but in a thicker, slightly heavier way.

I don't want to plagiarize Mr. Oliver, but I will give you the gist of this recipe, as it is a common cake base recipe used in the States. The "velvet" result is similar to the texture of the good ole' American Hostess brand cakes...yumm!

Here we go:

INGREDIENTS:

50 Gm Butter, softened
150 Gm Caster Sugar (fine granules)
1 Large Egg
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract/Essence or Paste
1 Tsp Almond Essence
160 Gm High Grade Flour
125 Ml Buttermilk
½ Tsp Baking Soda
1 ½ Tsp White Vinegar


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F and line muffin tin with paper liners or silicone cups. (I sprayed demitasse cups with cooking spray and baked the cakes in those).

Cream the butter & sugar together with a mixer until fluffy.

Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond essence.

Carefully fold in half of the flour then mix in half of the buttermilk, then repeat with the other half of each. Once well combined, the mixture should be very smooth and fluffy.

In a small cup, mix the baking soda and vinegar and mix into the batter carefully until well combined.

Divide this batter evenly between cupcake liners (or demitasse cups) then bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

FROSTING: I made a simple mascarpone frosting using 4 tbsp soft butter, 8 oz mascarpone cheese, ~3 cups icing sugar and a squeeze of orange juice. Cream the butter & cheese until fluffy, then add the juice (or about a half teaspoon of vanilla essence) and mix in the sugar, one cup at-a-time until you get the desired consistency.

Enjoy!

EGGNOG KISSES

EGGNOG KISSES

Traditionally, I don’t do a lot of “holiday baking” like my grandma and her sisters usually did. I do, however, enjoy making a few more “unique” things to share with friends. Recently, a friend shared some homemade eggnog (lower-fat version) which was very nice and inspired my to ring my Dad and see if he still remembered the proportions for his full-fat version (which he did share with me, and I can post here later if time allows).

Not too long after that, I believe, I noted this recipe posted on a fellow food blogger’s site at Cooking Down Under. This is another American transplant foodie only she is living “across the ditch” in Aussie and I live here in lovely Aotearoa (literally translates to “Land of the long white cloud” – or more simply, New Zealand).

Anyway, I saw this recipe and just had to try it to see if these biscuits/cookies truly tasted like eggnog (and they really did have a mild noggy flavour). I will say though, that for more nogginess, I have doubled the vanilla and added nutmeg in the dough, then slightly increased the rum in the icing – Perfection!

Only a couple of shopping days left now and I think we are all set in my household. I hope you are all done with your Christmas shopping and looking forward to a great holiday and even better new year! Best wishes to you all.

Meri Kirihimete!
INGREDIENTS:

DOUGH

¾ Cup Butter
½ Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Egg
¼ Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Nutmeg
2 Cups Flour, sifted

FILLING¼ Cup Butter
¾ Cup Sifted Icing Sugar (powdered/confectioners sugar)
*1½ Tbsp Rum
*Ground nutmeg

* Amounts vary to individual tastes.

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, beat ¾ Cup butter (or margarine) until softened.

Add sugar and brown sugar and beat until creamy.

Now add egg, vanilla, salt, and beat well.

Slowly incorporate the flour and mix until well combined.

Wrap in cooking paper and/or cling film and chill for about 1 hour or until no longer soft.

Shape into 1 inch balls, then place them approximately 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet, or a baking sheet lined with baking paper or a silicone baking mat.

Press down centers with thumb (or, in my case I used the backside of a ½ Tsp measuring spoon.

Now, bake in a 180 C (350 F) oven for about 12 minutes, or until done.

Remove and cool completely before filling.

To make the filling, using a small bowl and fork, beat ¼ Cup butter until softened then slowly add powdered sugar and beat/whisk until fluffy.

Next, add the rum and mix well.

Spoon about ½ Tsp of filling into the centre of each cookie then sprinkle each with just a bit of nutmeg.

Chill the cookies until the filling is firm, then enjoy!

GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS TREE COOKIES

GINGERBREAD TREES

It's been a while since I last added any content to my little bubble of cyberspace here, but I have not forgotten my poor little collection of goodies here. Although the photos might leave something to be desired these days, I am still creating in the kitchen every chance I get.

This latest creation came as a fun little experiment. A mate of mine sells Avon, and in the Christmas catalogue, there were kitchen goodies. Normally, I don't buy much Avon...I have been using the same cosmetics and skin care line since I was...well, it's been 22 years and I still don't have wrinkles yet! Anyway, in this catalogue there were star shaped cookie cutters...okay, nothing so grand about that...but wait, there's more. The sizes ranged from very small to almost dinner plate sized and the photo in the book was quite impressive. You basically make 2 sets of each size gingerbread cookie and stack them into a tree shape. The icing helps to hold the stack together, and I bought little shiny sugar ball decorations to emulate Christmas bobbles.



If you really want to try this though, bake the cookies the day before, and ice them the next day. Allow them to begin to set before stacking and you should get good results.

So...here is a basic gingerbread recipe with a solid drying icing to decorate with.



INGREDIENTS:

425 Gm Plain Flour
2 ½ Tsp Baking Powder
2 Tbsp Ground Ginger
1 ½ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
½ Tsp Ground Nutmeg
¼ Tsp Salt
125 Gm Unsalted Butter
155 Gm Light Brown Sugar
1 ½ Tsp Vanilla Essence/Extract
1 Large Egg
125 Gm Dark Molasses


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 180° C / 350° F.

In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy.

Add vanilla and eggs and mix well until smooth.

Blend in the molasses and mix well.

Slowly add the flour and spice mixture about ½ to 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated.

Press the dough into a mound and wrap in plastic wrap to store it in the fridge for 2 hours.

Remove from the fridge and roll out flat (about 3-4 mm thick) and cut shapes to bake about 8-10 minutes.

Cool cookies on a rack and ice when cool.

SIMPLE ICING FOR GINGERBREAD:
Beat 3 Egg Whites with 1 Tsp of Cream of Tartar and 500 Gms (1 Lb) of Icing Sugar / Confectioners Sugar until very stiff. OPTIONAL - Powdered food colouring is best, but liquid can also work.

PISTACHIO COOKIES

Well, here's my second attempt at a mobile blog entry (myapologies for the lack of decent photography). ;o) I am planning another trip out to J&L's farm this weekend, so I wanted to bake some treats to bring along as I hate arriving anywhere empty-handed. I was just itching for an excuse to open up a new packet of pistachios so I looked all over for a decent looking recipe to try.

When I came upon this recipe, I just knew this was the one, as I had 2 boxes of my favourite American custard powder (Jello brand instant pudding - pistachio flavour) so I just had to try it out... I have never made cookies with any sort of custard powder before, but it sounded like it might be okay.

I do have to say though, that these are sort of a light & fluffy type cookie, not the typical crunchy, crumbly biscuit that so many Kiwis seem to prefer. Now, if you are keen to give this one a go, but cannot imagine where you'd begin to look for Jello pudding, you can talk to your local importers (like Davis Trading Company, for example), or purchase it through www.expatexpress.com. Either way, you should have access to the right stuff.

So...here we go!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup Butter (200 Gm)
1 Box Instant Pistachio Pudding Mix
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Pistachio Kernels

DIRECTIONS:
First, Preheat oven total 180 C/350 F.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter with the pudding mix.

Next, add in the egg and combine well.

Now, sift the flour & soda in and mix well.

Finally, add the chocolate chips and nuts and mix until well incorporated into the dough.

Roll into balls and flatten out onto a lined baking pan and bake at 180 C/350 F for about 10 minutes. Make sure to remove cookies before they begin to brown.

This will make about 2 dozen small Cookies...Mmm Enjoy!

TAMARILLO TART

Sorry I have been away for too long. Unlike some folks, I can't bring myself to blog at work whilst getting paid to do my job, so I just run out of time altogether. Here I thought I might try mobile blogging since it seems like I might be more apt to keep up this way. We shall see! :o)

In any case, tamarillos are a sort of tree tomato grown here in NZ and many other similar climates. They are similar in taste to a tomato...with a deep rich red colour and highly concentrated somewhat tart tomato flavour, which has most Kiwis using them more like a sour fruit and adding sugar, which is what I tried here.

This is a very simple recipe using only blanched, peeled, and sliced tamarillos and sugar on a round of puff pastry.

INGREDIENTS:

7 Lg Tamarillos, peeled & sliced
2 x 20 cm Rounds of Puff Pastry
1/2 Cup Sugar (more or less)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

You simply boil a pot of water, add the fruit and allow them to cook just long enough to loosen the skins for peeling.

Lay the rounds of pastry onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

Cover each pastry round with a single layer of tamarillo slices, then sprinkle generously with sugar and bake 15-20 minutes.

I must admit that I wasn't sure about this one, but it was not bad... I will even have another piece! Not sure I'd make it for guests though...unless they were particularly keen.

That's all for now. Happy cooking!

Feijoa Cakes

FEIJOA CAKES

Hello again - long time no write! Well, I have been super busy, and I do have a few goodies to post, so I am back at the keyboard again. Okay, first off, my North American family & friends are going to be looking at this sideways asking, "what in tarnation is a feijoa?"...my Kiwi mates will be asking, "what is tarnation?" Hehe - anyway, here is the low down on the feijoa. They are everywhere right now and yet the groceries want nearly ten bucks a kilo for them right now - luckily, we knew someone with a fertile tree willing to share their spoils (no, not their spoiled!). The feijoa is also known at a Pineapple Guava or a Guavasteen (soft inside like mangosteens) and originated in South America (Brazil, Columbia, Argentina, etc.). The fruit pulp is a little gritty (a bit like guavas or like some pears can be) and they are sweet and tangy with an almost floral aroma of ester (methyl benzoate). Very tropical tasting in my humble opinion. The skin isn't really edible...or if you do eat it I suspect it wouldn't be very pleasant. Normally, people here cut them in half and eat the flesh inside with a spoon. However, the feijoa is also popularly sold and consumed in smoothies, baked goods and in chutneys (chutneys are like heavily spiced sort of chunky fruit and onion salsas or jams). That's about it for the educational portion of this post. Now on to the really cool stuff - baking feijoa cakes. If you are able to buy guavas in your local markets, then there is a distinct possibility that you could also find feijoas there too. They are cultivated in California and Louisiana among other areas of North America and, of course, they are everywhere right now in Australia and New Zealand. Now...into the kitchen, yes?... INGREDIENTS: ½ Cup Milk 2 Eggs 1 ¼ Cups White Sugar 1 ½ Cups Feijoas, peeled & mashed 1 Tsp Vanilla Essence/Extract 75 Gms (~5 Tbsp) Butter, softened 2 Cups Flour 1 Tsp Baking Powder 1 Tsp Baking Soda ½ Tsp Salt ½ Tsp Cinnamon DIRECTIONS: In a large bowl, combine the Milk, Eggs, Sugar, Feijoas, Vanilla and butter, then blend together with an immersion/stick blender (alternatively, use a food processor) until you have a smooth mixture. Set aside the fruit mixture, and in a second bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Now fold the dry ingredients into the fruit mixture about a cup at a time until all of it is well incorporated. You will have a thick and smooth batter. Scoop/pour the batter into a lined muffin tin or a greased/paper-lined 20cm cake tin. For muffins/cupcakes bake at 180°C for about 17 minutes or for a full-sized cake about 40 minutes. These cakes need no toppings, as the feijoa essence is very delicate, but a light and creamy, slightly flavoured vanilla and lemon icing is nice. It’s also good with plain unflavoured yogurt or a cream cheese frosting. I made a basic butter cream frosting with a few drops of vanilla essence and a few drops of lemon essence and it was yummy, but the feijoa can get lost with too much...you can still taste feijoa, but it’s no longer the “star of the show”.

Choose your own preference and enjoy!

TAPIOCA PUDDING

Dad’s Double Batch

Well, it’s Queen’s Birthday weekend and it appears the only folks working today are in retail. That’s right...one more Kiwi holiday to add to the (seemingly never-ending) list. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have one more day with my family at home, and a short week at that, so I am not really complaining.

This recipe is a family favourite as far back as I can remember. My Dad always made double batches because it never lasted more than 24 hours (if even that long). Mom sometimes made peach cobbler to eat with it and we almost never waited until it was properly chilled before devouring it. I must admit though, I did have to ask Mom & Dad to send me some of the Minute Tapioca (made by Kraft), as the tapioca “down under” appears to be very large pearls akin to Sago (assuming there is truly a difference between sago and tapioca). The pearls here resemble the “bubbles” in Thai desserts and “bubble teas”.

In any case, this is a luxurious treat that certainly reminds me of home. I hope you enjoy it as well.

INGREDIENTS:

3 Eggs, separated
12 Tbsp Sugar (or half sugar, half Equal/Splenda)
6 Rounded Tbsp Minute Tapioca (small pearls)
4 Cups Milk
2 Tsp Vanilla


DIRECTIONS:

First, mix the tapioca, ½ of the sugar, milk, and egg yolks in a saucepan (do not use aluminum unless it is non-stick, make sure it is large enough as the mixture will increase in volume at the boil).

Next allow this mixture stand for 5-6 minutes and, whist waiting, beat the egg whites until stiff – slowly adding the remaining sugar.

Now place the tapioca mix over medium heat and stir constantly (trying to prevent sticking). Don't allow it to burn, but if it should burn a little be sure not to scrape it when you pour it out.

As it comes to a full boil it should start to thicken and rise. This thickening should take less than a minute after it boils.

Remove it from the heat and and pour just a little into the egg whites and stir in to temper them. Not too much or they will cook.

Whilst stirring, slowly fold the remaining mixture into the egg whites then, when fully incorporated, add the vanilla.

At this stage you can serve, cover and chill in individual servings if you have nice dishes to serve it in, otherwise, try to chill it in a large wide bowl for quicker temperature change.

I love this with peaches or strawberries, but just about any fruit with tapioca is a real treat!

Enjoy!

AMERICAN BROWNIES

One thing I have noticed here in New Zealand is that there is a huge cafe culture. Unfortunately though, in my opinion, there are too many cafes and not enough fresh and tasty menu items. Many of the almost innumerable number of cakes, slices, tarts, and biscuits are quite dry, floury, and under flavoured. The names sound great; poppy seed lemon cake, raspberry tartlets, and even brownies. How can you get brownies wrong??? Well, most of them do! As a matter of fact, I have yet to taste a decent brownie down under that didn’t come from my kitchen (or my neighbour's). How’s that for modesty, eh? Hehe...

Brownies are one of those really quick & easy treats, but yet somehow they either skimp on ingredients or try to “make it their own” and manage to truly kill the essence of what a brownie is supposed to be. Brownies should be almost crunchy on the outside, but very moist and nearly chewy inside. They can be made with or without nuts, chocolate chips, or marshmallows, but the key is that they CANNOT be dry and crumbly – dry and crumbly NOT a brownie make, folks! There are even caramel or peanut butter swirl brownies that are incredible and so easy to make really.

So, in the interest of offering a truly lovely chocolate treat that can be modified in any number of ways dependent on one’s tastes...I give you here, the authentic/unadulterated American Brownie!


INGREDIENTS:

*1 Tbsp Flour
*1 Tbsp Coca Powder
¼ Cup Butter
6 Tbsp Cocoa (unsweetened baking cocoa powder)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/3 Cup Flour
¼ Tsp Salt
**Roughly 1 Cup of nuts or other additives, optional
*Mix together to dust the baking dish
**Amounts vary to individual tastes.


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to about 160°C (325°F).

Spray cooking oil on a small shallow baking dish (approx 6 x 10 inch or so – small casserole dish) and dust the bottom and sides with a combination of a Tbsp each of flour and cocoa powder (mixed).

Melt the butter and combine it well with the remaining cocoa powder in a medium bowl.

Now, add the sugar, eggs, vanilla, remaining flour and the salt and combine together well. The batter will be quite thick – this is perfect!

This is the stage where you add in the nuts, chocolate chips, or whatever you want in your brownies. Traditionally Americans usually go for walnuts, peanuts, or more chocolate! Personally, I like mine plain or maybe with pistachios or peanuts.

Next, pour the batter into the baking dish (as evenly as possible – but don’t try to smooth it as the batter will spread and even out on it's own). The brownies should not be too deep as the middle will "puff up" and it will take longer to cook...about 1.5-2 cm is about how deep the batter should end up - we aren't making chocolate cake here.

Cook for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick/skewer comes out clean.

We like to serve them slightly warm with vanilla ice cream on top...or just eat them as they are.

Enjoy!

REESES PIECES COOKIES

One flavour from home that I sometimes miss down here in Kiwiland is the Reeses brand peanut butter flavoured treats. I have found though, that both the Reeses Pieces and the Peanut Butter Cups (chocolate covered peanut butter) are both available at Kmart and sometimes at Woolworths. Yes, I do check out the local Kmart once in a while...it is one of the few places I can find certain American items that I like.

The Kiwis and Aussies are always commenting on the American love affair with peanut butter and even my loving husband cannot bring himself to eat it with jam (jelly to my American mates). When they see TV programs talking about the "peanut butter and jelly sandwich" they literally cringe...I can actually understand that one now, because "jelly" here is "Jell-O" to us 'Yankee Doodles'. Yes, I am referring to the gelatanous quivery, wiggly, jiggly, semi-solid food stuff that I never could stand the texture of in my mouth. Luckily, our daughter doesn't care much for it either, so I am pardoned from having to make any of the horrible concoction myself!

This cookie/biscuit recipe is loosely based on the Mrs. Fields chocolate chip recipe (from the good ‘ole homeland) with a few little adjustments to suit the Kiwi kitchen. I assisted my daughter in making this batch, so I will give her the credit for this post. ;o)

Here we go...

INGREDIENTS:

2½ Cups Flour
½ Tsp Baking Soda
¼ Tsp Salt
1 Cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
½ Cup Molasses
1 Cup Butter, softened
2 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla Essence/Extract
2 Cups Reeses Pieces Candy

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 150° F/300° C.

First, combine the flour, soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Next, cream the sugars, molasses and butter together in a large bowl. Blend these together until it forms a thick and grainy paste.

Now, add the eggs and vanilla to the creamed sugar mixture. Blend well with an electric mixer until it starts to get fluffy.

Slowly add about a half cup to a cup at a time of the flour mixture into the wet mixture and thoroughly combine before adding the Reeses Pieces. Be careful not to overmix.

Once the cookie dough is ready, drop rounded spoonfuls onto a silicone baking mat or non-stick baking tray about 2 inches apart from each other and bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Once cooked, transfer them immediately to a cooling rack or other cool surface for a few minutes before tucking in.

Enjoy!

HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

Well, the old laptop is still hanging in there (as I am able to limp along and post today), but it’s certainly not going to last much longer – BUGGER! So…I broke down and built a custom Dell Laptop for myself. I guess you could say that I am trying to do my part in “boosting the economy”, right? Hehe

Anyway, the weather is finally beginning to show signs of the end of summer being near. We have had such glorious weather, for the most part, so I really can’t complain too much about the recent rain and cold snaps. Yesterday was warm again but today it’s “pissing down” as my hubby likes to say. (Gotta love those Kiwi & Aussie expressions, eh?).

In any case, I am still making and adoring the Melon Granita recipe I recently discovered in Foodtown Magazine, but I also made this ice cream and just procrastinated typing out the recipe because it was going to take some time – something I have been a bit short on of late. Nevertheless though, here it is and it is well worth a try…next time I may even try it with blueberries instead…since there seem to be plenty of those still around the place for a decent price.

Here you go…

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Milk
1½ Cups Cream
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence/Extract
5 Egg Yolks
130 Gm (4½ oz) Caster Sugar/Superfine Granule Sugar
500 Gm (1 Lb) Fresh Strawberries
60 Gm (2 oz) Caster Sugar, measured separately from the rest
1 Tsp Lemon Juice


DIRECTIONS:

Assuming you have frozen your ice cream tub overnight, the first step to making the ice cream is to make the crème anglaise or custard.

First mix your milk, cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat to nearly at a boil.

As this is heating slowly and you are occasionally stirring it to keep it from burning, quickly whisk the egg yolks & sugar together in a separate bowl (medium-sized) until they become creamy and a pale yellow colour.

Just before the milk mixture boils, remove it from the heat and slowly whisk it into the egg yolk and sugar bowl and stir until it is well combined.

Now, pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook it over a medium low heat until it thickens to coat the back of a spoon.

At this point, transfer the mixture into a shallow glass dish to cool and refrigerate for several hours until it is well chilled all the way through.

While the custard is cooling, remove all of the strawberry stems and leaves and puree them in a blender or food processor until very smooth.

Pour the puree into a small saucepan through a sieve to remove as many seeds as possible, then add the additional sugar.

Stir this over a low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved then add the lemon juice and mix well.

Increase the heat and boil the fruit for about 6 minutes or until it has reduced to about 1 cup, stirring occasionally.

Now chill this mixture for several hours as well.

Once the custard and jam are well chilled, combine them in a bowl and turn the ice cream maker on (prevents the paddle from freezing to the tub) before pouring the mix into the frozen tub in the machine.

Now you sit and wait for it to freeze and become thicker.

Once it has reached the desired consistency, transfer the ice cream into an airtight container and enjoy!!!

The ice cream will take a while to get to a “soft serve” consistency, but will freeze into “scoopable” tub after a few hours in the freezer.

Have fun!

MELON GRANITAS

(Diabetes Friendly and Gluten Free)

I finally received my first Foodtown magazine (yea!) and I found the perfect summer treat to start off in there. It has been very hot here lately...great for swimming and beach play, but not so great for culinary creativity. Anyway, when I saw this recipe I went out to buy my rock melon (aka cantaloupe) and honeydew immediately...I even bought a watermelon for good measure.

One thing to note too is that this particular publication actually provides the nutrition info (Joie, you might like this!). These granitas are just 584 Kilojoules (139 Calories) and 0.1 Gms of fat (remember this info will vary slightly according to the fruit you choose to use). The magazine claims these are diabetes friendly and gluten free as well, for anyone keeping tabs on that.

Now, Dad always chilled melons for us before we had the opportunity to taste them and I must say that they always tasted (and smelled) nicer when they were really, really cold as opposed to the lukewarm versions in restaurant fruit salads so, into the fridge mine all went.

What is a granita, you might ask? Well, imagine a snow cone or shaved ice treat made primarily out of fruit puree rather than plain unflavoured ice and syrup. That’s basically what we have here. Granitas have more flavour because the majority of the ice is actually frozen pulp rather than water.

With this particular recipe, the colder your ingredients are, the faster it will eventually freeze and therefore the sooner you may devour them...and you will! This is just a basic granita recipe but you can pretty much use any fruit you like…whatever happens to be in season…but melons are particularly refreshing, especially after a nice meal. Some people opt to pour liqueurs or spirits over them (pineapple flavoured rum, Malibu, or midori, for example) sort of margarita or daiquiri style, but we like them just like this!

Here you go…


INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups of Melon/Fruit Chunks
1½ Tbsp Lime or Lemon Juice
1½ Cups Water
½ Cup Sugar


DIRECTIONS:

Heat the sugar & water together in a saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved, then put it aside to cool.

Puree the fruit & juice together, then pour in the syrup and pulse the blender a few times to combine everything well.

Pour it into a shallow airtight container & freeze.

After a few hours, mix it all up with a metal fork and scrape any ice crystals off the sides and bottom to mix back into the middle. Repeat every couple of hours until it's well frozen.

Now, when ready to eat, scrape it into a pile of ice bits with a metal fork and scoop it into a glass or bowl and eat it! It's like a fruity snow cone or shaved ice, but way healthier!!!

YUMMO!

HONIED CARROT AND SPICE BISCUITS

The weather “down-under” has been marvellous, but unfortunately the heat isn’t great for creative cooking inspiration. It just makes me lazy and I end up throwing together sort of interesting salads or just grilling everything on the BBQ. It makes for tasty light meals, but nothing too blog worthy really I'm afraid. I am working on some melon granitas and homemade ice cream today, so hopefully – with any luck – they will turn out as good as they sound and I will have some lovely summer treats coming up very soon.

This weekend was wild! I went sailing on Wellington Harbour with some friends and it was fantastic! It was a 8.2 metre keel boat (supposedly won’t tip over) and it was like being on a carnival ride with the boat deck being practically vertical half of the time. Now I am tossing up whether or not to take lessons at the local sailing academy. They are reasonably priced and in talking to experienced sailors it sounds like winter sailing is the best. I guess I need to see if it’s something I will have enough time for…

Anyway, this sweet recipe was a last-minute project I fooled around with the other night whilst craving something sweet and tasty, but sans chocolate. We had a massive chocolate overdose over the Christmas break and, unlike my hubby, I am ‘over it’ for a while! I have this old cookbook with 100 quick & easy cookie recipes in it, but I have noticed that sometimes a step or two is left out or the measurements aren’t quite right, so I had made a few notes that this one was okay, but needed a bit of help.

I started with the basic cookie recipe, but added vanilla and changed a few measurements to get this, the perfect cookie (or mini muffin). These do not come out hard or chewy really. This recipe yields a much softer almost cake-like biscuit that is very tasty indeed. Imagine an entire dish of the best part of the muffins – just the tops!

I hope you enjoy them!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Sugar
300 Gms (½ Cup) Butter, softened
2 Eggs
¼ Cup Honey
2 Tsp Vanilla Essence (extract)
2½ Cups Flour
2½ Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Allspice mixed together)
¼ Tsp Salt
1 Med-Lg Carrot, shredded


DIRECTIONS:

First, preheat oven to 160 C (325 F).

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter together until pale yellow and fluffy.

Next, add eggs, honey and vanilla and beat well.

In a separate bowl, sift together all dry ingredients and then slowly incorporate them into the sugar/butter mixture.

Mix until all of the ingredients are well combined then add the carrot and mix well again.

Now, with 2 spoons, shape the dough into approx 2-3cm (1-inch) balls and place them about 4 cm apart onto a silicone baking mat, or cookie sheet lined with baking paper.

Bake about 15-20 minutes or until the edges go slightly brown. Be careful not to overcook or they will be dry and possibly burnt on the bottoms.

Remove immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Voila - Perfectly delicious cake-like cookies.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen lovely biscuits or miniature muffins. If you prefer mini muffins, cook them longer – about 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick/skewer comes out clean.

RICE BUBBLE AND DATE TREATS

(aka RICE BUBBLE & DATE SLICE)

I believe it was Christmas Eve and I was next door for morning tea when Linda offered me a goodie from a plate of sinful options. My first taste was of a rice bubble slice (rice crispie treat) that Keri had made. Now, I have always been fond of the many crispie treats made with this cereal…the standard made with butter and marshmallow crème, the peanut butter varieties (with and without chocolate chips) and of course the cocoa version…but this one was even better than all of those combined (yes, honestly) so I just had to add this to my personal cookbook/recipe collection. I will admit though, that if I had known prior to tasting it that dates were a primary ingredient, I may have opted to try something else instead, as I am not usually one to go for dried fruits. I was VERY impressed, as you can see.

After having Keri write the recipe down for me, I stashed it away in my special recipe collection for the right opportunity to make it. These are a perfect snack to go with a cold glass of milk or even coffee or tea. They are quite sweet, but also flavourful because of the fruit content…beautiful!!!

This weekend we are attending a barbecue with some friends and, of course, wanted to bring something. Well, The host and hostess seem to have all of the main stuff taken care of (bbq meats, salads, devilled eggs, and even a few dessert options already), so I thought this was a perfect opportunity to share samples of Keri’s recipe.

One observation to note, is that in the beginning you start out with a pale yellow mixture. By the time this mixture is cooked and ready to remove from the heat, the colour has changed to a caramel brown and will have become very thick and gooey.

The flavour is sort of a caramel/butter toffee type of thing and the dates really just fall apart, so there is no need to chop them up ahead of time unless you REALLY want to!

Here’s how to make THE BEST rice bubble/rice crispie treats around!!!


INGREDIENTS:

1½ Cups Sugar
200 Gms (7oz) Butter
2 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla
1 Pinch Salt
3 Cups Whole Pitted Dates
6 Cups Ricies (Rice Crispies/Rice Bubbles)


DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, whisk the sugar and eggs together then, continue stirring over medium heat.

Add the butter and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended and the butter is fully melted and incorporated into the sugar and egg mixture.

Next, add the vanilla and salt and, when those are well incorporated, add the dates. The dates will automatically break down in the cooking process so no chopping is really necessary unless you prefer to cut them up first.

Now bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly, until thick & brown. Watch it carefully to prevent sticking and/or burning.

Cool the mixture for 5-10 minutes then add rice bubbles and mix until the rie bubbles are all well coated and everything is well combined.

Now, carefully tip out the mixture into a rectangle baking dish or aluminium tin about 13 x 9 inches or 30 x 25 centimetres.

Once completely cooled, cut into squares and it’s ready to eat.

This is especially sweet too, so have a glass of milk at the ready! This is quite a tasty snack and it is inexpensive to make. The squares are great for sharing at a party or taking to a friend’s place in exchange for a cup of tea. This is especially good for a quick & easy option for a school bring-along dish as well.

Cheers again Keri…

PECAN COBBLER

Yesterday we bid a fond farewell to one of my hubby’s co-workers who is going home after a secondment here for a few brief years. My hubby thought it would be a nice idea to invite him over for a barbecue and to have a few laughs. Well, what began as a small intimate gathering of friends soon turned into a little larger gathering with a few more colleagues joining the guest list each day. It almost seemed like every evening hubby would say to me, “oh, is it okay if ‘blankety-blank’ comes too???, because he/she also wanted to see Simon off…” Soon I was wondering once again if we would have enough seating for all of these people.

As it turned out though, we ended up with the perfect group of people, not too many and just enough to eat most of the food. To my surprise, one of the veggie hors de'oeuvres actually disappeared first and I even went back and made more! Our guest of honour was “fashionably late” so he missed out on the crostinis I duplicated from my night as a caterer for another friend’s party, and I thought I had enough of those to last quite a while, but there was more food to come...

I had skewered some veggies as well as some lamb and some chicken that I had in separate marinades overnight (mmm, mmm, mmmm…that’s another post altogether!), and I made this fabulously amazing pecan cobbler to-die-for as a post-BBQ treat. I must give credit where it is due though, as this recipe was only slightly altered from another fellow food blogger’s site at 3 GIRLS, ME, AND A RECIPE a fellow Texan, as Texas was one of five states I grew up in. I nearly used kahlua in it as my Oregonian friend does with her pecan pie, but this was my first attempt at this recipe and I didn’t want to screw it up on my first go! I did double the vanilla extract/essence though and it was fabulous.

It is very difficult to get corn syrup here, but Davis Trading Co. in Petone does sell a similar product as “glucose – Corn Syrup”, although I had a couple of bottles of good old fashioned Karo left over from Thanksgiving...whew! I have also not been successful in locating any oat flour here, but I made my own with oats in a food processor and processed the heck out of them until they were a fairly finely ground flour/powder. In any case – here you go! Just look at that chewy, gooey goodness!!!

FILLING:

½ Cup Butter, melted
2½ Cups Light Corn Syrup
2½ Cups Sugar
1-2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract (I used 2 Tbsp)
5 Eggs, slightly beaten
3 Cups Pecans, coarsely chopped

CRUST:

1 Cup Oat Flour (1¼ Cups oatmeal processed to a fine powder)
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
½ Cup Butter
¼ Tsp Salt
¼ to ½ Cup Water


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 F.

Spray 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish with non stick spray.

In a large bowl, mix together, butter, syrup, sugar, vanilla and eggs until well combined.
(If you measure and pour the butter in first, the syrup comes out of the measuring jug much easier because the sides of the jug are pre-lubricated.)

Next, pour approximately 2-2½ Cups of this filling mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Now, add the pecans to remaining mixture and set aside.

In a separate bowl mix the flours and salt, then carefully cut in small pieces of the cold butter and combine well with a fork or pastry cutter until it’s about the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.

Very slowly, add just a little cold water a at a time until dough forms a non-sticky ball and holds well together.

Now place the dough on a lightly floured surface, knead it only slightly and proceed to roll it out into approximately a 13 x 9 inch rectangle.

Gently place this crust on top of the filling mixture in the pan, and then carefully pour the remaining filling (with pecans) on top of dough.

Bake this for about 50 minutes until centre starts to set, but take care to protect your oven from spillage by placing your dish on top of some foil or on a baking sheet, as the filling may just overflow a bit whilst cooking.

Cool a minimum of 20 minutes before serving.

I served this delightful cobbler with whipped cream, however I imagine while it’s warm it would also be brilliant with ice cream.

Au revoir Simon, vous serez manqué. Restez en contact et veuillez ayez un bon voyage.

WOULD YOU TURN DOWN

RHUBARB PIE?

My next-door neighbour phoned yesterday afternoon and said she had remembered that I had mentioned that I had never tasted rhubarb before. She also said she had just made a rhubarb pie from the gorgeous rhubarb growing in her garden and asked if I’d like to try some of her pie…DUH!!! (Of course I said YES!)

I love swapping recipes (and samples) with Linda and her family. They have produced some amazing (some simple and some more complicated) treats to share with us.

So, last night after our supper we tucked into a genuine home-grown/homemade rhubarb pie. I always thought that rhubarb pie had to be red or pink, but this one was a sort of celery-green.

My hubby savoured each bite and talked about how long it had been since he had tasted this delicious treat and how it brought back memories (what a nice compliment really). I watched him first to see what his reaction was before I took my first bite. I had been warned about the very tart flavour, so I was a little trepidatious…but after the first bite, I was certainly hooked. I had a small piece warmed up last night, but prefer it cold like I had it this afternoon. In both cases it was very nice.

It’s a bit like a lemony tart really. Not too sweet like too many lemony treats are, and with a little whipped cream or ice cream it is just a brilliant thing to behold. Now I can imagine rhubarb and strawberry together, among other things, and I am looking forward to experimenting on my own and, of course, swapping one more recipe with Linda (thank you again!).

I wanted to know a little more about this funny vegetable, so I looked up a bit of info on it. Did you know that the leaves are toxic, or that the plants are grown not only as a food, but also as a medicinal plant? Some might be pleased to discover it was used as a slimming agent, but (wait for it)...only because of it's strong laxative effect. I suspect this is one veg you wouldn't want to binge on anyway...

Once I have done a little experimenting on my own and come up with something really lovely, I will post a rhubarb recipe for you all. Until then, you can drool over this photo of Linda’s pie…mmmmm.

CREME DE MENTHE

DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
Makes about 30 truffles

I suppose I was feeling a bit adventurous this year, so I decided to try my hand at truffles. Not just any truffles, mind you, but my favourites with lots of peppermint! I used my own homemade creme de menthe (one for me, two for the pot) and a bit of extra peppermint extract to make them more aromatic and to allow the mint to penetrate the very rich dark chocolate.

They turned out wonderfully and they just melted in your mouth. I ended up giving most of them away as gifts (self-preservation) but did enjoy just a couple myself. They are really quite simple to make (although messy as all heck) so, perhaps I'll experiment with other flavours...I still have plenty homemade kahlua in the pantry alongside the creme de menthe, hmmmmm....

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Cream

½ Cup Creme De Menthe

(and/or optional peppermint extract - depending on how strong you like them)
250 Gm Dark Chocolate (at least 72% Cocoa), broken into small pieces.
¼ Cup Unsalted Butter
*Cocoa Powder for rolling truffles at the end

* Amount will vary with each batch.


DIRECTIONS:

First, break or cut the chocolate into small peices and put them into a medium heat resistant bowl and set aside.

Next, heat the cream and creme de menthe (and/or peppermint extract) and bring to a boil.

Remove the mixture from the heat and immediately pour the hot liquid over the chocolate and stir carefully until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture becomes a creamy and smooth ganache.

Now, add the butter and mix again until well combined before pouring the entire contents into a glass dish to cool in the refrigerator.

Refrigerate for 2 hours minimum – overnight preferred.

When the compound is hard but malleable, use a melon-baller or two teaspoons to form a small quinelle of ganache, roll them between (gloved) hands into a small ball, and then roll them in the cocoa powder.

The ganache will tend to melt as soon as you touch it, so don't roll them too long. Laytex gloves work well to assist in rolling truffles as they keep the mess localized and you don't need to keep rinsing hands in between balls. Adding some cocoa powder to your palms before rolling the quinelles into balls also helps, somewhat, to keep the chocolate from sticking to everything.

Set the truffles aside to chill in a sealed container when all of the truffles are done.

Sprinkle with cocoa powder and/or icing sugar (powdered/confectioners' sugar) then chill until 1 hour prior to serving.

To fully appreciate the flavour and consistency, they are best served at room temperature.

ENJOY!

EASY PEASY – BANOFFI PIE

This is one of those desserts that sets mouths to watering just at the mere mention of it’s name. For anyone yet unfamiliar, banoffi is condensed from banana-toffee and, banoffi pie is like a banana split without the ice cream…well, sort of anyway.

Well, I saw this can of Highlander Caramel in the shop a while back and thought, “ooh, I wonder if it’s like the caramel sauce back home?”…well, short answer, no, it’s not…but, on the can was a really easy recipe for banoffi pie, so I just had to see if it was any good. Well, it is very nice – not quite what I had remembered from the good ole’ US of A, but lovely nevertheless.

Now, because this is a genuine Kiwified recipe, my North American friends will need to substitute a couple of things. The base (or crust) is made from Vanilla Wine biscuits (use Nilla Wafers in America/Canada) and the caramel bit is the Highlander tinned stuff (this is where it gets interesting). I don’t know if there is really an American equivalent, but what you can do is boil a deep pot of water and drop in an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk (label off) and let it boil away steadily for 4 hours. Make sure there is at least 4 inches of water above the can whilst it boils and cover the pot to keep as much water from evaporating as possible. Check on it regularly to make sure the water level NEVER gets down to the top of the can – it can cause the can to explode – so keep adding hot water if needed. Once the time is up, carefully place the can/s on a wire rack to cool and it’s ready for use!

I think those are the only things needing substitution for this one, so here we go…


INGREDIENTS:

1 Pkt (250 Gm/8 Oz) Vanilla Wine Biscuits (Nilla Wafers), crumbled
100 Gm Softened Butter
1 Can Caramelized Sweetened Condensed Milk
2-3 Large Bananas
*Grated Dark Chocolate
*Whipped Cream

*Amounts vary to individual tastes.

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, blend the cookie crumbs and soft/melted butter until well combined.

Next, press the mixture into a pie dish or into individual mini pie dishes or ramekins then refrigerate at least an hour to firm up the crust.

Once the crust is ready, open a can of caramelized milk and mix well before pouring into crust/s. The caramel is to be about a centimetre or so thick.

Now, refrigerate again for at least 2 hours for the caramel to set.

When you are ready to serve the dessert, mash the bananas in a small bowl and spread over the top of the caramel, then sprinkle with chocolate.

Top it off with whipped cream (I cheated and used the spray cream in a can this time) then sprinkle again with chocolate.

Voila! A gorgeous little gem that goes great with coffee or tea! Enjoy!