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By Susan, on May 12th, 2010  Rhubarb is a funny kind of vegetable, extremely sour yet mainly used in sweet dishes. Why does the tartness of Rhubarb work so well when paired with it’s sweet companions? Living in sunny Brisbane Rhubarb in the shops means ‘winter is here’ and what better way to enjoy this seasonal vegetable then a warm comforting crumble!


Rhubarb & Apple Crumble
An original creation by Myfoodobsession.com
Ingredients
- 900g (2lb) apples; peeled, cored and sliced into 1cm (1/2 inch) pieces
- 700g (1.5lb) Rhubarb, washed and sliced into 2cm (1inch) pieces
- 40g (1.5 oz) unsalted butter
- 185g (6.5 oz) caster sugar
- 1 cup of port
- 50ml (1.7 fl oz) water
For the crumble topping
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup hazelnut meal
- 125g plain sweet biscuits/cookies
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- 40g (1.5 oz) unsalted butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 180c (360f). In a large saucepan, melt butter of medium low heat, add sliced apple and rhubarb and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Add sugar, port and water and continue cooking until the apple and rhubarb are tender but still hold their shape.
- Remove fruit from saucepan with a slotted spoon, set aside. Bring the liquid to boil and reduce down to a thickened sauce, until you have about 1/3 of the liquid left. Mix with the the fruit and place in a baking dish.
- Make the crumble topping: Place the biscuits in a food processor and process, making sure to leave some small chunks of biscuits, place in a medium bowl with the remaining ingredients, mix to combine then sprinkle over the fruit mixture.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until warmed through and crumble topping browns slightly. Serve with ice-cream and/or warmed custard.

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By Susan, on May 10th, 2010  Sweet oozing milk caramel + baked cheesecake — a heavenly combination! I recently came across this post on Kitchen Koala’s blog on how to make your own Dulce De Leche (DDL) by slow cooking sweetened condensed milk (SCM) and have been itching to try it since, so when I found a recipe for ‘Dulce De Leche Baked Cheesecake’ I knew this was my chance!

I have read about the volatility of making DDL on the stove top by cooking cans of SCM for a few hours and was a little turned off by the chance of exploding cans and potential kitchen mess :S So the slow cooker method, although taking 3x longer seemed like a more controlled and safe environment. It worked perfectly for me and was so simple!

Slow Cooker Dulce De Leche:
Remove the labels from your store bought can(s) of Sweetened Condensed Milk, line the base of your slow cooker with al-foil, place the can on top and completely cover the can in water. Cook on ‘low’ in your slow cooker for 8 hours, then remove tin and leave to cool completely before opening and Voila! Milk caramel to fill all your tarts, cakes, buns, cookies….. the list goes on hmmm…. what about Caramel Choc Chip Scolls or Caramel Apple Scrolls both sprinkled with Cinnamon sugar! — my next scroll project?!?

Baked Dulce De Leche Cheesecake
Recipe from the April 2010 edition of Delicious
Ingredients
- 300g (10 oz) sweet, plain biscuits/cookies
- 90g (3 oz) unsalted butter, melted
- 750g (26.4 oz) cream cheese, chopped
- 2tbs cornflour/cornstarch
- 3 eggs
- 120g (4 oz) caster sugar
- 2tsp vanilla extract
- 2x 450g (15.8 oz) dulce de leche
- 600ml sour cream
Method
- Preheat oven to 160c (320f) and grease a 23cm spring form pan.
- Finely crush biscuits in a processor, then pour in melted butter and pulse to combine. Press mixture into the base of the pan.
- Place cream cheese in cleaned processor bowl with cornflour, eggs, 100g (3.5 oz) sugar and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth, then add 1 can of dulce de leche and process until smooth and combined.
- Pour mixture over biscuit base and bake for 45 minutes until set.
- Meanwhile, place sour cream in a bowl with remaining sugar and 1tsp vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Remove cheesecake from oven and top with sour cream mixture, then bake cake for a further 15 minutes until set. Leave in the switched-off oven with the door ajar until completely cooled, then chill overnight.
- When ready to serve, add 2-3 tbs of boiling water to the remaining can of dulce de leche until you have a smooth sauce consistency then drizzle over cheesecake.


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By Susan, on May 9th, 2010  I had a bit of a kitchen flop today it was while making a cake too — something which I usually do fairly well. I was trying out a recipe from the latest ‘Gourmet Traveller’ for a Walnut Espresso Cake. It’s a cake based on egg whites, so a little different to the usual batter but nothing too out of the ordinary. Silly me went by the ‘touch’ method for checking the doneness of the baked cake (as the recipe suggested) as opposed to the more common and reliable ‘skewer’ method (how I usually check). I thought the middle of the cake was pretty firm so whipped it out of the oven and chucked it on the cooling rack to cool completely before proceeding with the assembly.
My failed Walnut Espresso Cake
A few hours later I was ready to chop it in half for layering and icing — but upon slicing it I was mortified to discover the middle of my cake oozing out on my bench! Oh No! Weighing up the options quickly in my head, I decided zapping it in the microwave for a couple of minutes the best idea —- not so!
I zapped it, quickly iced it, then was off cake in hand to a family function. Dinner was soon done and the cakes were on the table. When I saw my bro-in-law struggling to slice my microwave zapped cake I was a little concerned….. but still hopeful (wishful thinking! LOL) I took a piece myself and battled with my ‘hard as a rock’ cake, with at one point a bit of my cake flying of my plate as I tried to cut it with the side of my spoon :S
I think it would have been a nice cake had it of turned out properly. The espresso icing, frangelico butter cream center and the candied walnuts were all divine. I may have to give the cake another go sometime down the track.
Ahh well… these things happen
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By Susan, on May 8th, 2010  My husband grew up with this recipe, a real family favorite. It is probably the tastiest rissole type thing I have had and it is so simple it just doesn’t seem right. My mother-in-law went hunting for this recipe years ago after trying something similar in a restaurant. Serve this dish with rice (in my case brown rice), Kim Chi (pickled cabbage) and pickled ginger.

Egg Roll Pork
My Mother-In-Laws recipe
Ingredients
- 500g minced pork
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- 6 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 3 spring onions
- 2 cloves of chopped or crushed garlic
- 4 tablespoons of peanut oil plus additional oil for shallow frying
- 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 3 eggs – beaten
Method
1. Combine the pork mince with pepper, soy sauce, chopped onion, garlic, peanut oil and sesame seed.
2. Roll into 2 inch balls and flatten slightly.
3. Roll in flour and then in beaten eggs.
4. Shallow fry in hot peanut oil for 15 minutes or until well browned.
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By Susan, on May 7th, 2010  If you are looking for Boozy Brownies look no further, alcohol soaked prunes are added to these brownies and need to be soaked for 3 days before cooking These would be great at Christmas time! Forget the Christmas pudding – drunken, chocolaty brownies are here! Beware, these are VERY rich so 1 batch of brownies goes a long way

Boozy Brownies
Recipe from Bourke Street Bakery cookbook ‘The Ultimate Baking Bible’
Ingredients
- 300g (10 1/2 oz) pitted prunes, halved
- 200ml (7fl oz) brandy, cognac or hot black tea
- 55g (2oz) plain/all-purpose flour
- 40g (1 1/2 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4tsp salt
- 2tsp baking powder
- 300g (10 1/2 oz) good quality dark chocolate (55% cocoa)
- 80g (2 3/4 oz) unsalted butter
- 300g (10 1/2 oz) caster/superfine sugar
- 4 eggs
- 100g (3 1/2 oz) sour cream
- 145g (5 1/2 oz) dark chocolate chips
Method
- Place prunes in a bowl and pour over the brandy, cognac or tea. Cover and set aside to soak for 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 170c (325f). Grease a 20 x 30 x 4 cm (8 x 12 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch) rectangular cake tin and line the base and side with baking paper.
- Sift flour, cocoa, salt baking powder into a bowl.
- Put the chocolate, butter and sugar into a stainless steel bowl and sit over a saucepan of simmering water – making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir for 10 minutes or until the chocolate has melted. Allow to cool, then transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitter with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer).
- Mix on medium speed and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the flour mixture, mix to combine, then add the sour cream, chocolate chips and prunes with the remaining soaking liquid and mix until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour, or until just set. Place your hand on top of the brownie in the centre and wobble to feel if it is set.
- Allow to cool completely before turning out of the tin. Use a hot knife to cut into squares.
These brownies can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored for up to 4 days at room temperature.


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By Susan, on May 6th, 2010  Mmm…. these were so good! My favorite of the two were the Raspberry and Custard, the tart raspberries went so well with the sweetness of the custard and the dough. I would like to try fresh Blueberries in replace of the blueberry jam next time as well as have a go at a apple and custard scroll.


Raspberry Custard Scrolls & Blueberry Jam Custard Scrolls
Makes 6 x Raspberry Custard Scrolls and 6 x Blueberry Jam custard Scrolls
Original creation by myfoodobsession.com
Ingredients:
Sweet Dough:
- 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1/3 cup margarine, melted
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
Custard Filling:
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup thickened cream
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup corn flour (cornstarch)
Fruit Fillings:
- 200g (7oz) fresh or frozen raspberries
- 3-4tbs blueberry jam
Icing:
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1-2tbs of water
Method
- Place ingredients for the dough in the pan of a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
- After the dough cycle has completed and the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 190C (375F) degrees and line a large rectangular baking tray with baking paper.
- For the custard filling: Combine the milk, cream & vanilla extract in a medium saucepan. Using a sharp knife, split vanilla bean in half length ways and scrape the seeds out. Add bean and seeds to milk mixture. Place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until hot (do not allow to boil).
- Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk egg yolks, cornflour and sugar in a heatproof bowl until well combined. Remove vanilla bean from the milk mixture. Pour hot milk mixture over egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
- Return mixture to saucepan over medium – low heat. Cook, stirring constantly until custard thickens up, the custard mixture should be quite thick. Cool.
- Roll rested dough into a 50×40cm (16×21 inch) rectangle and evenly spread over the cooled custard filling.
- Sprinkle the raspberries over one half of the custard and dough and the blueberry jam over the other half.
- Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls.
- Place rolls on the baking pan and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, or until the scrolls have cooked all the way through about 18 – 22 minutes.
- Remove the rolls from the oven and place on a cooling rack, cool completely.
- Make the Icing: In a medium bowl, stir together the icing sugar and water. Drizzle over the cooled scrolls.


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By Susan, on May 3rd, 2010  Little balls of Nougat – what a treat! A slight twist on a traditional favourite, these make a great party snack, gift or Christmas treat.


Coconut Nougat Balls
Recipe adapted from Time Life series Candy
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites from large eggs
- 175ml (6 fl oz) honey
- 220g (7.8oz) sugar
- 45g (1.6oz) white corn syrup or glucose syrup
- 100ml (3.4 fl oz) water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 300g (10.6 oz) almonds, raw unsalted
- 125g (4.4oz) pistachio nuts, shelled raw unsalted
- 40g (1.4oz) almond butter (same as peanut butter but made from almonds)
- 2 cups of desiccated coconut plus extra to roll balls
Method
- Toast almonds and pistachios in microwave, zapping for 20 seconds at a time until fragrant and until nuts darken slightly. Stir together with almond butter and vanilla extract and set aside.
- Begin boiling sugar, water and glucose. Meanwhile heat honey in microwave until warmed through. Start the egg whites beating. When the sugar solution reaches 138c (280f) stir in honey and bring to 143c (290f). Pour honey and sugar solution down the side of the mixing bowl into the egg whites while beating on high speed.
- Continue to beat until mixture is quite thick. Stir in nuts and coconut – mixture should be really thick and hard to stir.
- Taking 1 – 2tbs of mixture at a time, shape into small balls and roll in extra coconut.

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By Susan, on May 1st, 2010  This slice was my Mum’s request. It is a very common slice in Australia with almost every bakery offering it for sale. It was the first slice I fell in love with and wanted to bake. This version has a couple of variations from the traditional ‘Raspberry Coconut Slice’ you find around the place; firstly, I have used freshly grated coconut instead of the desiccated kind making it deliciously moist; and secondly, I have incorporated real raspberries, the tang of the fresh fruit is the perfect partner to the sweet raspberry jam and makes it very difficult to stop at just one piece!

Fresh Coconut & Raspberry Slice
Recipe adapted from Women’s Weekly ‘Macaroons, Cookies and Slices’ cook book
Ingredients
For the base:
- 90g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup self-raising flour
- 2/3 cup plain flour
- 1tbs custard powder
- 2/3 cup raspberry jam
- 150g frozen of fresh raspberries
For the Coconut topping:
- Flesh of 1 fresh coconut, grated finely (can replace with 2 cups of desiccated coconut)
- 1.4 cup caster sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten lightly
Method
- Preheat oven to 180c (350f). Grease 20cm x 30cm (8inch x 12inch) rectangular pan, line base and long sides with baking paper, extending paper 5cm (2inches) over sides.
- Beat butter, sugar, egg in a small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Transfer to a medium bowl, stir in sifted flours and custard powder.
- Spread dough into pan; spread with jam and evenly sprinkle over raspberries.
- Make coconut topping; mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl; sprinkle over jam and raspberries.
- Bake slice for about 50 minutes (if using desiccated coconut, bake for 40 minutes), cool in pan.


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