Mayonnaise is definitely not an ingredient that you associate with a chocolate cake. This recipe comes from an Australian Women’s Weekly sheet, so I’m assuming it was tested in their kitchen and works. It says it can be made a day ahead, so it must be quite moist, which is always a good thing in a chocolate cake. If the worst comes to the worst the fudge frosting will be delicious.
Although its way to early yet to think about Christmas cooking, these yummy almond crescents might be worth putting on your list for when that time comes. They look and taste good and are easy to make. Just what you need when you start all that Christmas cooking.
Unlike most pastries where you rub the butter into the flour, the pastry for this tart is made by beating the butter, sugar and water together then adding the flour – which is a little easier. Once the pastry has rested all you have to do is combine the filling ingredients and your tart is done. Except that is for arranging the strips in a lattice pattern over the top, perhaps the fiddliest bit, but well worth it for how terrific it looks when cooked.
Last week I made three different sweet treats – rum balls, chocolate fruit balls and white chocolate, lemon and almond balls – for our family Christmas get together. I’ve been making them for years and they’ve become somewhat of a family tradition. I’m thinking that maybe next year I’ll try these chocolate coconut drops as well and see what the family thinks of them.
These are a great little idea – basically no chopping. Except for the chicken mince and the shallot the ingredients are things you’ve probably got in the fridge or cupboard. It’s just a matter of combining, shaping and frying the chicken balls and mixing up the sauce – easy as. While this recipe is for nibble size balls, you could easily turn them into patties for an easy entree.
Scones are something I’ve never been all that good at making. I suspect it’s because I over work the dough, something that this recipe clearly says not to do. I do like the combination of sweet potato and spring onion though, so perhaps I’ll give them a try. I’m sure those with better technique will end up with a very tasty scone.
On a visit to a farm in Central Victoria that friends recently moved to they were telling us of all the lovely produce that they are growing – pears, quinces, zucchinis and garlic just to start with. When I got home I started going through Mum’s cuttings and books to dig out some recipes for them. Fresh pear recipes and quince ones have been hard to find and I didn’t even try for garlic as Mum was not a fan. Zucchini have been the easiest and this one was among them.
Here’s a way to update the old rice bubble chocolate crackles that appear at every kid’s birthday party. With school holidays not too far off maybe you can get the kids to make a few different batches, using a variety of their favourite chocolate bars.
In the depths of winter pears are always a go to fruit. This pear flan takes a little bit of work, but you can simplify it by using shop bought pastry and if you leave out the rum it’s a dessert the whole family can enjoy.
With cold winter nights fast approaching the idea of a hot baked pudding is quite appealing. This one uses canned raspberries, but I think it would work just as well with thawed frozen ones.
Beb's Recipe Drawer 