spelt and oat digestives

i haven't bought a dried biscuit in years..they're so many reasons why..food miles, excess packaging, trans fats, high salt content, unsustainable oil (palm oil) and ingredients that require mata hari code breaking skills for recognition purposes..and they're relatively expensive..see i've been known to gobble up a packet of vita wheats generously adorned with butter and vegemite in no time..when i'm peckish one or two little crackers just don't cut the mustard..it's a slice of home made and whole meal bread that does the trick for me..but..there are the occasional moments when a savoury biscuit is just the thing..for instance before a meal with some really good cheese and a little glass of red wine..nothing finer in my mind..

i came across this recipe yesterday and i made it pronto..it came well recommended so i had great faith in it..i think it's just about perfect for what i want and i can't tell you how pleased i am to now have a go to recipe for life's biscuits and cheese moments..

spelt and oat digestives

recipe from here

makes 7 dozen thin digestives

ingredients

1 3/4 cup oats

1 3/4 cups whole meal spelt flour

1/3 cup muscovardo sugar well pressed down

155 gms butter cut into small cubes

1/2 teaspoon (tsp) baking soda 

2 tsp salt (i used murray river salt)

milk

method

~ place the oats and flour in the bowl of a food processor and process until the oats are fine

~ add sugar, soda and salt and process until the sugar is well distributed

~ add butter and process until the mixture looks like bread crumbs

~ add a few tablespoons of milk at a time while pulsing the mixture and until it forms a ball

~ remove from the bowl and knead briefly to form a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for an hour or so

~ lightly dust the work surface with spelt flour, roll the dough thinly, and cut into desired shape

~ cook for 12-14 minutes at 180 deg c

notes: i've included the recipe because the original butter measurement was given in cups and spoons..what's with that? imagine trying to cram butter into a cup especially when it's cold..which it needs to be for these..it also needed more milk..and i've changed the method too to represent my experience of the recipe..it's a great dough to work with because it re rolls well..it doesn't suffer from lots of handling..and it doesn't spread at all when cooked so lots can be baked at once which was good for me because i rolled mine quite thin

what's cooking?

barley malt syrup biscuits
these not too sweet but crunchy biscuits were made for an afternoon tea last week
i found the recipe on the label of the tin of syrup 

roquefort, prosciutto and quince paste pizza
the base is made with a mix of  00 flour, bread making flour and boiled potato
i cooked the base for 5 minutes at 275 deg c added the topping and cooked it for another 4 minutes
the cheese was too strong (i was warned that it would be but i didn't listen)
next time i will use gorgonzola 

chocolate custard
served in brown enamel mugs
made with my gran hazel's custard recipe with the addition of 1 tablespoon of cocoa

organic amaranth, sour cream and lyle's golden syrup bread
the amaranth gives the bread an interesting crunch
i'm going to plant some of the seeds because i've been on the lookout for amaranth seeds for ages
the greeks use amaranth leaves to make 'horta' and it's my favourite cooked leafy green 

i'm flying to sydney on monday and then my brother adam and i are spending about a week driving up the new south wales and queensland coast

my brother tim is going to fly in to join us somewhere along the way

my other brother david would have come too but he is overseas at the moment

it will be a very special trip

a cup of hot chocolate and a biscuit

it's no great surprise to those who know me that i love tea a lot.. i usually start the day with a pot of tea but i also love my daily latte..although having said that i only really enjoy coffee in the social setting of a cafe especially with company or at least with a crossword to stimulate my ageing neurones..then there are times, especially in winter after a long day working in the garden, when i crave a hot chocolate..and there've been times when i've been out and i'm maxed out on caffeine that i've fancied a hot chocolate..but every hot chocolate i've had has been a big disappointment..

now travelling is good..i won't argue with that..but it has its downside when the best hot chocolate i've ever had was as a 21 year old in the south of france and in northern italy..i've tried many different ways of making it myself with cocoa and/or chocolate, i've sampled hot chocolate from specialist chocolate shops that purport to have the best and i've also purchased containers of expensive italian hot chocolate powder..the main problem for me with bought hot chocolate is that it's always too sweet and because the base is pre made even at the specialist chocolate shops there is no option for adjusting it..another problem is that the hot chocolate i've made and most that i've bought is that it's too 'thin'..the hot chocolate i had in the south of france and in italy had some body to it..in other words it was hot chocolate with substance..

well there's a happy end to my hot chocolate story because i have found that i can make a decent hot chocolate at home by adding cornflour which thickens it beautifully and makes it much more substantial and satisfying..to celebrate my discovery i made some biscuits today to have with my hot chocolate this afternoon..

'tea with hazel' hot chocolate

ingredients (for each person)

1 cup organic full cream unhomogenised milk
1/2-1 tablespoon (tbs) vanilla castor sugar (adjust according to taste)
1 tbs cornflour
1 heaped tbs dutch cocoa

method

~put milk in a saucepan with the sugar and heat until nearly boiling
~mix cornflour and cocoa with enough cold water or milk to make a smooth paste
~add a little hot milk to the paste and mix
~while stirring add the paste to the hot milk and cook until just boiling

to serve

~i like to serve mine in a large breakfast cup as they do in france
~other additions:

• a biscuit (as i did this time)
• marshmallows
• stir in a couple of pieces of milk or dark chocolate
• a dollop of cream

meltaways

adapted from landeesee landeedo

ingredients (biscuit)

225 gms butter

3/4 cup pure icing sugar

1 cup plain flour

3/4 cup corn flour

ingredients (icing)

125 gms cream cheese 

1 cup pure icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
a few drops of cochineal

method

~cream butter and icing sugar
~add sifted flours and mix until just incorporated
~remove from bowl and shape into a 1.5 inch diameter sausage
~wrap in kitchen wrap and refrigerate until firm
~cut into 1/2 inch rounds and place well apart on a greased or lined trays
~cook at 180 deg c for 15 minutes
~let cool a little on tray and then remove to a cooling rack
~mix the icing ingredients until smooth
~ice biscuits when they are cool

notes:
~i don't think i'd make these biscuits again because:

• the cornflour in them had a furry mouth feel i didn't like
• the icing was ok but i think i'd prefer buttercream icing or a simple lemon icing 

so tell me..do you like hot chocolate and if you do how do you like it made?

currant slice and 'in it goes bread'

i played in the kitchen today and made this currant slice which is a recipe from one of my recent old recipe book op shop purchases..the book is a hard copy of '100 delicious biscuits and slices' published by the australian women's weekly in 1972 bought for $1..

currant slice

lately i've been making at least one yeasted loaf a week of what i call my 'in it goes bread'..what i mean by that is that if i have a bit of leftover whipped cream, a bit of milk sitting in a jug, the end of a carton/bottle of milk, whey from yoghurt straining, the end of a batch of yoghurt, a little previously melted butter, the last scraps of a pat of butter, some close to use by date semolina, discarded sourdough starter and so on, well, in it goes..i've cut down on the amount of yeast i use to 1/2 a sachet and i don't measure the liquid any more..i just add enough cold liquid to form a wettish dough and i find that by the time i've rested and kneaded it a few times it's very manageable..i've also been practising my slashing technique and i'm much happier with the way i am getting an 'ear' on one side of the loaf (as described here)

the 'ear' refused to show up in my whole loaf shots

the 'ear' shows up a bit better here

currant slice recipe

ingredients

base

1 cup plain flour

pinch salt

125 gms butter

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar* lightly packed

topping

1 cup currants

1/2 cup sultanas

1 tablespoon (tbs) cornflour

1/2 teaspoon (tsp) cinnamon

1 cup water

1 tsp grated lemon rind

1 tbs lemon juice

glace icing

3/4 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp butter

1 tbs milk

pink food colouring

method

base

~sift flour and salt and rub in butter and add oats and butter

~press mixture into 18 cm x 28 cm greased lamington tin

~spread over cooled topping

~bake 180 deg c for 35 minutes

~ cool and drizzle** with pink icing

~cut into bars

topping

place fruit, cornflour, cinnamon and water in a saucepan

~cook over medium heat stirring until the mixture boils and thickens

~add lemon rind and juice

~cool

glace icing

~sift icing and add butter and milk***

~colour pale pink with a few drops of food colouring

~stand bowl of icing over hot water and stir until pouring consistency

note:

* i used moscovado sugar

** i put the icing into a small sandwich bag, cut the corner off, and piped the icing onto the slice

*** i decided to adhere to the recipe the first time i made it but next time i would add a little lemon juice

wishing you all a happy week..x

kourabiethes..greek shortbread

kourabiethes are a favourite greek biscuit in my family so i thought i'd make a batch to have at easter along with tsoureki and hot cross buns..there are lots of recipes available for these greek biscuits with minor variations here and there mainly in flavouring and shaping..i've never seen another recipe though like the one i have where the butter is clarified which i think adds another delicious dimension..because the flavour of kourabiethes improves with age i was able to make them today which is great because it's one thing sorted..there's one problem though with making them early and that's their deliciousness which has already tempted me to eat two with a cup of tea this afternoon..

kourabiethes

adapted from a recipe given to me by a friend many years ago

ingredients

250 gms unsalted butter 

1/3 cup of icing sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tbs brandy

3/4 to 1 cup almonds finely chopped

1 cup plain flour

1 cup self raising flour

2 cups sifted icing sugar extra

method

~heat oven to 180 deg c 

~place almonds on a baking tray and lightly brown in the oven

~place the butter in a saucepan and heat until bubbles subside and the sediment is golden taking care that  it does not burn

~pour the butter into a mixing bowl leaving the sediment in the saucepan

~once the butter has cooled add the 1/3 cup of icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy

~add egg yolk and brandy and beat well

~remove the bowl from the mixer and add almonds

~stir in sifted flours taking care to only add enough to make a soft dough

~shape walnut sized pieces of dough into round, oval, pear or crescent shapes and place on two baking paper lined trays

~place trays in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm the dough

~cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until firm and lightly browned

~leave to cool for 10 to 15 minutes 

~place a layer of the extra icing sugar in a large dish and add the kourabiethes in one layer and dust with remaining icing sugar   

~serve dusted with extra icing sugar

 variations

~1 teaspoon of vanilla may be added
~cloves may be pressed into each biscuit prior to baking
~1/2 tsp of mastiha ground with 1 tsp of the sugar..omit brandy and cloves
~biscuits may be cooled and sprinkled with a little rosewater prior to dusting with icing sugar
~walnuts may be used instead of almonds

happy april..x

ginger and pickles oat biscuits

this is an easy recipe which comes from a children's cook book called 'peter rabbit's cookery book'* that i bought for my children and from which they cooked when they were very young.. i have continued to make these biscuits over the years because they are crispy and flavoursome and because the recipe can be readily adapted and because the ingredients are staple pantry items..it's also a great standby recipe because it only takes a few minutes to get a batch in the oven..the downside is they are not weight watchers approved!

ginger and pickles biscuits
makes approx 12

125 gms self raising flour
75 gms porridge oats
75 gms sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100 gms butter or margarine**
1 tbs golden syrup

mix dry ingredients. melt butter or margarine and golden syrup and pour over dry ingredients. roll into ping-pong sized balls and place on greased baking sheet allowing for the biscuit to spread. bake at 180 deg c for 20 mins or until golden. leave to firm a little before lifting to cool on a wire tray.

to this recipe today i added some currants, sultanas and a finely cut piece of candied orange and i put roughly cut pieces of almond on top.

other ingredients i've used in the past are spices, cranberries, dried fig, dried dates, cocoa, chocolate, various other nuts in the actual mixture and i've substituted some of the oats with coconut.



note: *peter rabbit's cookery book. compiled by anne emerson. frederick warne, london, england, 1980
         ** the original recipe stated half margarine and half lard..i use butter

it was a sweet weekend..

because my eldest daughter came over on saturday and we had afternoon tea and and then we spent about 4 hours doing patchwork..my daughter is making a large paper pieced hexagon patchwork quilt using woollen fabric that my mother had..some of which are pieces left over from clothing she made for herself so it is going to be very special to my daughter because of the provenance of the fabric..

for afternoon tea we had macaroons because i had two egg whites left over from a custard i made a few days ago and because i am trying to make an effort to reduce the fat in our diets..macaroons are easy to make but they seem to have lost favour unlike macarons which are very popular.. i find macaroons quite sweet so in order to tone down the sugar blast i added very finely grated orange rind and i put a small piece of my candied orange on top..and just for fun i added some pink food colouring..

because they were a bit of an experiment i wasn't sure how they would taste but they were surprisingly good especially with 'vanilla and earl' tea..next time though i will tweak the recipe a bit and add extra coconut to offset the effect of the addition of the colouring in loosening the mixture..

i hope you had a sweet weekend too..jane