Coffee, Chocolate and Pecan Cake

50g pecans
220g butter, softened
220g caster sugar
200g self raising flour, sifted
75g dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved
   in 2 tablespoons boiling water
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Mascarpone filling:

300g mascarpone
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
3 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
12 whole pecans

Preheat oven to 160 C fan-forced.
Grease two 20 cm sandwich tins and line bases
with baking paper.
Place pecans in food processor and pulse until
coarsely ground.
Add all remaining ingredients and pulse until
just combined - just enough to make it smooth.
Divide the batter between the tins, smooth the
top and bake for 30 mins until risen and golden,
and a skewer placed in centre of cake comes out
clean.
Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 10
minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool
completely.
Meanwhile, make the mascarpone filling.  When
the cakes are cold, spread half the filling over
one, sandwich them together, then spread the
rest of the mascarpone over the top using a spatula.
Decorate with whole pecans.

Orange Cake with Toffee Syrup

1 orange, peeled, chopped, seeds removed
200g butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups self raising flour, sifted

SYRUP
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup marmalade

Preheat oven to 180 C (160 C fan forced).  Grease a 9 cm (deep), 20 cm (base) cake pan.

Process orange until pureed.  Add butter, sugar, orange rind and eggs.  Process until combined.  Add flour.  Pulse until just combined.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Cover loosely with foil during cooking if over browning.  Cool in pan.

Make the syrup.  Combine sugar and 1/2 cup cold water in a saucepan.  Stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved.  Increase heat to high, bring to the boil.  Simmer, without stirring, for 20 to 25 minutes until light golden.  Remove from heat.  Add orange juice. Stir to combine.  Return to heat.  Add marmalade.  Stir until smooth.  Transfer to a heatproof jug. Set aside to cool.

Turn cake out onto a plate.  Prick cake all over with a skewer.  Pour the syrup over the cake.

Lime Syrup Cake

Lemons can be substituted for limes.

125g butter, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 1/4 cups caster sugar

Lime syrup
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup white sugar


Preheat oven to 180 degrees (fan forced).  Lightly grease and line a 23 cm springform cake pan.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Transfer to a bowl.  Add eggs and milk.  Stir until combined.

Combine flour, sugar and coconut in a bowl.  Add milk mixture.  Stir to combine.  Spread mixture into pan.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Make lime syrup.  Combine lime juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to the boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until syrupy. 

Make holes over surface of cake by inserting skewer to help the syrup sink into the cake rather than running down the sides.  Pour hot lime syrup over hot cake.  Allow cake to cool in pan before releasing side of pan.  Cut into slices and serve. 

Caramel Sauce

125g butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup reduced cream

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan.
Add sugar and stir over low heat until dissolved.
Increase heat and boil for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and when bubbles subside, carefully
stir in cream.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Lemon Chutney

8 large lemons, sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 cup malt vinegar
500g (1 lb) sugar
125g (4 oz) raisins
salt to taste
30g (1 oz) mustard seed
2 cm (half an inch) fresh ginger, very finely chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix the onions and lemons with the salt.  Leave to stand for 24 hours.

Next day, add the rest of the ingredients and cook until the skins are soft and the mixture
is a chutney-like consistency.

Pour into sterilised jars and seal.

Steamed Jam Pudding

 

Grease a one litre bowl with butter or canola spray. Pour jam into base of prepared bowl.

Using an electric mixer or food processor, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until just combined. Sift flour and baking powder over mixture. Add milk. Stir until well combined. Spoon mixture over jam in prepared bowl. Cover bowl with foil and secure with string.

Place pudding in a large saucepan. Carefully pour boiling water into pan until halfway up side of steamer. Cover pan. Place over medium heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes, topping up with boiling water when necessary. Remove pan from heat. Carefully lift steamer from water. Stand for 5 minutes. Remove lid. Turn pudding onto a plate. 

Lime Marmalade

 
1 kg limes
2 litres (8 cups) water
1.7 kg caster sugar

Halve and juice the limes, reserving lime halves. Place the juice in a glass jar. Cover with plastic wrap or lid and store in the fridge. Trim the narrow end from each reserved lime half. Place in a large bowl. Cover with warm water. Soak for 6 hours or overnight to soften. Drain.

Cut each lime half into quarters and thinly slice into 2mm-thick strips. Place the lime strips, lime juice and cold water in a heavy-based saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until rind is tender.

Add the sugar and cook, stirring, for five minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high. Boil, stirring often, using a metal spoon to remove any scum that rises to the surface, for 45-55 minutes or until marmalade jells when tested. Spoon into sterilised jars. Store in a cool, dry place or the fridge once opened.

Testing for setting point

 Chill a saucer in the freezer for 5 minutes. Spoon some marmalade onto the saucer and allow it to cool back in the freezer for 2 minutes. Push it with your finger and it should wrinkle. If it doesn't, continue cooking, testing every 5 minutes.

 Sterilising jars in a microwave oven 
Wash and rinse the jars thoroughly.  Leave them wet, with a tiny amount of water in each one.  Heat them on high in the microwave oven for four minutes.  They should be completely dry.

Green vegetable curry

 1 tablespoon green curry paste
400ml can coconut milk
1 cup chicken or beef stock
2 stems lemongrass, bruised
5 kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
3 zucchini, sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced
1 cup snow peas, sliced
2 tablespoons coriander leaves, to garnish

Heat a frying pan over medium heat.  Add curry paste. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add coconut milk and stock.  Cook, stirring, until mixture comes to the boil.

Reduce heat to medium low.  Add lemongrass, lime leaves, sugar and ginger.  Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Add zucchini and capsicum to frying pan.  Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender.  Add snow peas.  Cook for 2 minutes or until bright green.

Garnish with coriander.  Serve with rice.

Green Curry Paste

8 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 long fresh green chillies, sliced
3 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 shallots, peeled, halved, thinly sliced
1 bunch fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Place the kaffir lime leaves, garlic, chilli, ginger, lemon grass, shallot and coriander into a food processor and process.

Add water and oil and process until a coarse paste forms.  Transfer to an airtight container.  It will last in fridge up to 1 week.

Beef Rendang

In the picture above, the beef (covered in spice paste) has been added to the wok along with the coconut, coconut milk, lemon grass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves. This is before the slow cooking and "tempering" process.

This is a very beautiful beef recipe from the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

1 kg (2 lbs) beef topside
4 tablespoons grated fresh coconut or steamed dessicated coconut, roasted in a dry pan until golden brown, then ground finely
3 cups coconut milk (2 cups thick mixed with 1 cup thin)
2 stalks lemon grass, cut into several pieces and bruised
3 cm piece galangal, bruised (optional)
2 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
salt to taste

Paste spices
1 tsp coriander seed, roasted in dry pan and ground finely
2-3 tsp of chilli flakes (more if you like it very hot)
3 cm piece green ginger, finely chopped
3 cm piece fresh turmeric, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
10 shallots, sliced

Grind all the paste ingredients together, adding a little water if the mixture is dry.  Cut the meat into 5 cm cubes, mix with spice paste and leave aside.

Combine the spiced beef and the coconut with the coconut milk in a wok.  Add lemon grass, galangal if using it,lime leaves and salt.  Bring to the boil, stirring all the time.  Cook without a lid until the gravy is almost dry.

Turn the heat down low and cook until the oil comes out of what is left of the gravy.  Stirring constantly, let the meat and its spices fry in the oil until the dish is really dry and the meat has turned dark brown but is not burnt.  This last "tempering" process is the crucial one for beef rendang - the whole dish depends on the care with which this is done.

This recipe has been adapted from the recipe for Beef Rendang in South East Asian Food by Rosemary Brissenden.