Almond and Cranberry biscuits (cookies)

This is almost my own recipe, it's adapted from a recipe for macadamia cookies from book called 500 Cookies by Philippa Vanstone. I keep meaning to try a variation with macadamia, orange and chocolate (or pecan and maple syrup!) but the almond and cranberry one is so good that there is just no motivation to try any others.I'm making these biscuits today to take to my inlaws for our Diwali celebration tomorrow. The biscuits come out chewy and nutty, not unlike some Indian sweets, so my father-in-law really appreciates them.

I do this recipe in two parts - I make the dough and roll it into biscuit sized balls first and put them in the fridge (or freezer!) and cook them later, usually when the oven is on for something else.

Ingredients

• 150g almonds (blanched, and they can be slivered or whatever, because they are going to be blitzed)
• 2-3 tablespoons milk
• 100g raw sugar
• 50g brown sugar (coz I like mine chewy rather than crunchy)
• 1 egg
• 75g dried cranberries
• 150g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp bicarb of soda
• 75g granulated sugar (for rolling the biscuits in)
• 1tsp vanilla essence (I sometimes use almond instead)

Method

Blitz the nuts and milk together till they form a type of paste. You can do this with the food processor attachment of the stick blender but if I'm doing double quantities (like today) I use the food processor itself.

Add the sugar, egg and essence and beat well (I just tip these ingredients into the food processor), then I add the cranberries and give a few pulses to cut them a bit and mix them through the dough.

Sifted flour and bicarb come next. Ideally you will transfer the mixture to a bowl and gently fold the sifted ingredients in but if you are lazy or short of time you can tip them down the funnel as well, just make sure to only pulse the machine until the ingredients are combined.

Roll the mixture into balls (mine are usually about the size of a superball, slightly smaller then a walnut) and give them a little roll in the granulated sugar.

When you are ready to cook them preheat the oven to around 175C and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Tim Martin’s Classic Roast Tomato Soup

I had this lying around, I thought I better put it up here. I used to make a lot of this soup at The Rattlesnake Grill.

1 large white onion

6 large cloves of garlic

2 ribs of celery (peeled)

2 rashers of bacon (optional… almost)

Olive oil

1.2-1.5kg Ripe Large Tomatoes*

¼ bunch each thyme and oregano

150 ml cream

Salt and pepper

Bay leaf/s

200 ml white wine

Method

1. Pre heat oven to hot, about 240-260C
   
2. Take the core out of the tomatoes, give them a toss in olive oil, sprinkle with a little S&P and put into an oven in the heaviest roasting pan you have. But do not pack them in really tightly so they have a little room to wiggle around.
   
3. After about 15 minutes they should have begun to brown on the tops, if not, leave them till they do. When they have got a little colour and the skin has split open in several places, remove from the oven.
   
4. While the tomatoes roast, finely slice the first four ingredients, and put into a large saucepan with a generous pour of olive oil and a pinch of S&P.
   
5. Once they are quite soft, and the bacon has rendered out, pour in the wine and bring to the boil. Add the roughly chopped herbs around this time.
   
6. Once the wine has come to the boil, add the roasted tomatoes and turn the heat right down. Add the bay leaf/s add let it tick over for at least 40 mins to 1 hr. Till the tomatoes are soft enough to mash with a spoon.
   
7. Add the cream and bring to the boil. Then remove from the stove. REMOVE THE BAY LEAF. Now while it is still hot enough to burn you, transfer it in batches to a blender and blend the Christ out of it, making sure to hold the lid of the blender on with a cloth so it doesn't spray out everywhere and burn your face off.
   
8. As one batch has blended, push it through a sieve using a ladle into a clean container/soup tureen. Taste soup for S&P, and add a tiny squeeze of lemon if it tastes a little 'flat'.
   
9. Serve with a couple of baby basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil on top.
   

* As tomatoes are really what this soup is about, how good it is will really depend on how good they are. At this time of year you should be able to still pick up some good, ripe late season ones. Feel free to let them sit on a bench or windowsill till they are fully ripe and have that beautiful 'tomato' smell. If you're feeling posh, wander down to Fratelli Fresh and get some Ox Hearts if they have them.

Apple Pie!

There's something very comfort-food about apple pie, and none more so than this one. I think it's the little bit of custard powder and cornflour in the crust which gives it that bakery texture.

Australian Woman’s Weekly Cookbook Apple Pie Recipe

PASTRY
1.5 cups plain flour
.75 cups SR flour
.33 cup cornflour
.33 cup Custard powder
1 tablespoon sugar
185g butter
1egg yolk
.33 cup water
1 egg


FILLING
7 large ‘Granny Smith’ apples (really sharp green apples)
.5 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
.5 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
I add a few cloves as well for a really exotic taste

2 tablespoons apricot jam

PASTRY: sift flour and custard powder into bowl and rub in butter and add sugar make well in centre and add egg yolk and enough water to mix to a firm dough and knead lightly cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (you can freeze it if you prefer, for pretty much as long as you need)roll out half pastry put in pie dish (28cm) and spread with apricot jam then fill with apple fillingroll out remaining pastry and brush edges with lightly beaten egg white and cover pie press edges together, trim, brush top with eggwhite and sprinkle with sugar and cut steam vents Bake in mod hot oven for 20 - 30 minutes.

FILLING filling peel quater and core apples cut up and put in a pan with water sugar cinnamon and zest cook for 5 mins or until just tender drain cool to room temp (take out the cloves and the peel before you fill the pie!).

Never Fail Chocolate Cake

Ok Keda, here it is!

I have been making this cake since I was about 6yrs old and as the name suggests, it never fails. It originally came from the 1980 St Gerards Primary school cookbook (the school next to my primary school) and was contributed by a Mrs Gwen Ilic, bless her. The page is covered in chocolate cake, which is further proof of what a favourite it is. It is incredibly easy and makes a beautifully moist rich chocolate cake without being too heavy or sickly, allowing you to go back for that second or third cupcake hehehe. The mix makes enough for two cakes to be sandwiched or a deep round or probably 18 cupcakes. Next tasting will be at the kids 3rd birthday party, unless Keda whips one up first ;) .

2 1/4 cups S.R Flour
1 tsp bi carb
2/3 cups cocoa
1 3/4 cups castor sugar
5oz butter (141g) that's how old the recipe is
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

Sift dry ingredients into mixer bowl. Add softened butter, water and vanilla. Beat on med for 3mins. Add eggs, increase speed for further 3 mins. Pour into well greased tin/s and bake in mod oven. Enjoy!