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A slow-cooked stew can be even better in a pasty. It's easier to take to work for lunch in pasty form too. You could use ready-made puff pastry. I made some rough puff pastry. I made four pasties but they seemed a bit big for my taste and I think six or eight smaller ones would be better. 500g left over stew, chopped up small and with most of … [Read more...]
Having made lemon curd, I was looking for a way to use it in a dessert. Cafe Medici in Martinborough used to serve mini lemon curd tartlets that were worth the trip over the hill from Wellington in themselves. The addition of a meringue topping was satisfying because it increased their visual appeal, it used up the two orphaned egg whites from the … [Read more...]
I made a gluten and dairy-free carrot cake by substituting a gluten-free baking mix for the wheat flour in this recipe. I think you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. It's a rich, dense, moist cake with the fat coming from oil and coconut instead of butter. 230g plain flour or gluten-free baking mix (I used Healtheries) One teaspoon each … [Read more...]
Recipe reproduced from 'A Treasury of New Zealand Baking' with permission from Tina Duncan. I didn't use it to feed shearers or as a wedding cake but it was welcomed for morning tea by a visiting neighbour, served for dessert with boysenberry ice cream and kept hunger at bay for a squad of clay target shooters on a wet Saturday afternoon. Half the … [Read more...]
This delicious slice is a variation on rhubarb shortcake. Both are good for morning tea or as a dessert. You could substitute berries or other chopped fruit for the rhubarb if you prefer. It freezes well. Makes 25 pieces. 250g self raising flour One teaspoon ground cinnamon 175g butter at room temperature 100g caster sugar 75g ground … [Read more...]
If you've got a rather large beetroot this is a fine way to use it up, provided it's not woody and hasn't gone to seed. I think you can taste the beetroot if you know it's there but it gives the brownie a moist texture (that brownie should have) and a good rich, chocolate colour. Makes 25 squares. 500g beetroot, peeled and chopped into … [Read more...]
Too many zucchinis? Put one in a cake. If the zucchini is small it works better, as it will be less watery. Unfortunately this is not usually the stage they're at when you've got too many of them. This cake used only one zucchini weighing 180g before I took off its top and tail. The cake turned out moist and crumbly with a delicious meringue-like … [Read more...]
When I first came to Wellington I had a job interview sitting outside Astoria cafe. I chose to eat a sliver of panforte, dusted with icing sugar, something I'd never tried before. It was a poor choice as I nearly choked by inhaling the sugar and the remainder of it was blown down the front of my dark suit. I clearly dealt with these challenges with … [Read more...]
An quick, easy and attactive alternative to savoury scones, these would make a good 'pass-around' and freeze well. You could use olives, sundried tomatoes, corn, capsicum or capers for a change of filling. Makes sixteen. One cup (150g) plain flour One teaspoon baking powder One teaspoon English mustard powder (or you could blend a teaspoon of … [Read more...]
I'm still refining my mince pie recipe since making slow-cooked Christmas mincemeat and favouring mini pies over large. Silicon bakeware takes the stress out of removing them from the tin, washes in the dishwasher and doesn't need greasing - hooray. I used made this sweet, short pastry for one batch and it worked well. I like the fact each pie has … [Read more...]
