This recipe comes from an Australian Women’s Weekly ‘Pies without Pastry’ liftout dated August 1994. I love the first paragraph explaining what couscous is and where you can buy it. It was obviously a very new ingredient back then, quite a contrast to how easy it is to find in every supermarket now.
Claufouti – a baked French dessert of fruit, traditionally black cherries, arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter – that’s the official definition anyway. This recipe was published in the Woman’s Day sometime ago, but I only started making it more recently. It’s a terrific dinner party dessert, because you can prepare it beforehand and then put it in the oven while you’re eating the main course. I don’t bother with the cinnamon sticks, I just serve it with some cream and icecream and everyone seems to like it.
I’ve changed the name of this recipe as I don’t think Crumble Puffs is a very good description. They seem like a very light fruit mince tart to me – light and fluffy and fruity. Just right for this festive season.
This recipe could be renamed Sticky Fig Pudding as it’s just a take on a Sticky Date Pudding. It uses dried figs instead of dried dates and looks delicious.
I’ve always thought that a Tea Cake was a cake which can be made quickly just before visitors arrive and eaten fresh and warm with a cup of tea or coffee. Cakes made like this don’t keep well and are really best eaten the day their made.
TEA CAKE
Beat on high speed 3-4 minutes. Place mixture in large cake tin (200ml). Bake moderate oven 180o for about 30 minutes. Turn out while still hot and spread with butter. Mix together 2 teaspoons coconut, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon and spread on cake.
I have no idea how this got the name ‘Dutch’ tart, it’s one of the mysteries of Mum’s old recipes. It’s made in a swiss roll tin, a tray that has slightly raised edges (about 2 to 3cm deep) and has dimensions of roughly 23 x 33xm, so it’s hardly a tart, more of a slice really, but who can argue with their Mother….
DUTCH TART
Rub 60g butter into 1 cup plain flour. Mix to a stiff paste with milk. Roll out to fit swiss roll tin. Spread with raspberry jam. Top with cake mixture.
Cake mixture: 5 tablespoons butter, ½ cup sugar, 1 cup self raising flour, ½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon mixed spice, 1 tablespoon chopped dates, 1 tablespoon sultanas, 2 tablespoons walnuts. Cream butter & sugar. Add sifted flour and spices, mix in dried fruits and walnuts and milk. Spread on top of pastry. Bake moderate oven 180o for 30 mins. When cool spread over lemon icing.
Thel was one of Mum’s golfing friends and a very good cook, there’s a few of her recipes scattered throughout Mum’s collection. This banana pudding would have appealed to Mum as she and Dad both liked bananas, there were always some in the fruit bowl. This pudding would have been a good way to use up those that had ripened just a little too much.
SPICED BANANA PUDDING
Sift flour, baking powder and salt, add half the sugar. Fold in beaten egg mixed with milk and melted butter. Pour into greased slab tin, top with banana slices, brush with extra melted butter. Mix balance of sugar with orange rind and cinnamon, sprinkle over bananas. Bake in mod oven 30-35 mins. Serve hot or cold with cream or ice cream.
As you can see this recipe comes from a publication called WOMAN and is dated November 12, 1951. Must admit I’ve never heard of the magazine, but fruit crumbles have been around for a long, long time so it’s not surprising this recipe dates back that far. The difference with this recipe is that it uses bananas mixed in with the apples and I think that would taste great, especially with a little ice cream or cream on top.
I think this is one of the most versatile of the meatball recipes that Mum collected. You can make them as a savory to have with drinks or serve them as a main dish with either rice or pasta. The recipe even has instructions for freezing and reheating – what more you possibly want.
Beb's Recipe Drawer 