Orange and Cardamom Cookies.

Okay! Who has been keeping this versatile and tasty spice from me? CARDAMOM. I can see it featuring a lot in my cooking in the future.Very easy to make, store and eat (Love 'em)

Ingredients...
250 gms Butter (softened)
100 gms Raw Castor Sugar
1 Egg Yolk. (medium sized)
A little Salt.
Zest of 1 Orange.
1 teasp. Orange extract.
1 1/2 tablesp. Cardamom (freshly ground)
250 gms Plain Flour (sifted)

Method...
Preheat oven to 180c. Line a cookie/biscuit slide or tray.
Cream together butter and sugar until pale in colour. Add the egg yolk, salt, orange extract, zest from orange and the cardamom, then mix again until well combined. Finally add the flour. This is left until last so as not to overwork the flour.
Making sure your hands are really clean, here comes the fun bit.
Make little balls of the mixture (about golf ball size) and place on prepared tray. Now just gently press down on each ball. I used a meat tenderizer so I could have a pattern. But please remember, these do spread a little, so not to close to each other.I also sprinkled a little raw sugar on the top before putting in to the oven.
Place in the oven for around 16 minutes until golden. Cool on rack and then try stopping at just eating one!

Madeleines (3 sorts)

I have been wanting to make these for such a long time, and finally last week I managed to buy the proper baking tray. Then it was a hunt through Google to find that perfect recipe, and I found it finally on http://www.taste.com.au Thank you Dixie Elliott.

Ingredients...

3 Eggs
1/2 cup Caster Sugar
1 Lemon, rind only, finely grated
1 large Lime, rind only, finely grated
3/4 cup plain Flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
60g unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
Icing Sugar, to dust

Method...

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 12-hole Madeleine baking pan. Place eggs, sugar, lemon rind and lime rind into bowl. Using an electric hand beater, beat mixture until thick, pale and doubled in volume. Gently fold in flour, baking powder and butter using a metal spoon.

Place tablespoons of mixture into prepared Madeleine moulds. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden and cakes spring back when pressed in the centre. Cool slightly before removing from moulds. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar. This is for the Citrus Madeleines.

For the chocolate Madeleines, I left out the lemon and lime rind. I replaced 1 tablespoon of flour with Cocoa powder and added some grated cooking chocolate. Then when cooled I dipped the Madeleines in melted chocolate.

And for the Cinnamon Madeleines, again I left out the citrus and added 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon and when cooled I dusted with Cinnamon sugar.

Chocolate Madeleines dipped in
Chocolate.













Cinnamon Madeleines.













Citrus Madeleines.

Jessie Tweddles Fruit Loaf.

Who is Jessie Tweddle?

Jessie Tweddle was a friend of the mother of Rhyleysgranny. Rhyleysgranny writes the excellent blog at http://teandwheatenbread.blogspot.com
This is a very old recipe and has been used many thousands of times, all with great success.
Both ladies have since pasted over and it is up to Rhyleysgranny to keep this recipe going.

Here is the original recipe.

4 oz marg/butter.
4oz brown sugar.
8 oz mixed fruit.
1 Teacup cold tea.
1 level teasp Bicarbonate of soda.
8 oz SR Flour.
1 teasp mixed spice.
1 egg.

Simmer marg/butter, sugar,fruit,
tea, soda bic. for 20 mins.
Allow to cool, add egg flour and spice.
Bake in a loaf tin at 350.F/180.C/Gas 4
until skewer comes out clean.

Cherries and nuts can be added if desired.







Now, I had no mixed spice, so used ginger and cinnamon.

Also, we are not that keen on mixed dried fruit, so pineapple and sultanas were used.
And before putting into the oven, I sprinkled raw sugar over the top of the uncooked cake.
This loaf/cake is just fabulous, not too sweet, moist, and ideal with a cuppa in the afternoons. In future, I shall be making two at a time. One for now and one for the freezer.
A BIG Thank You to Jessie Tweddle and Rhyleysgranny, who hopefully soon will do a write up on her blog, all about this dear lady.

Thank you RECIPE MUNCHER.

Spicy Orange Slice.

This is just perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon, when you have to think of making dinner. Munch on this spicy, fruity cake and sip on your tea, and think of far away places. Then, when it's finished, you might be inspired to do some thing special. ( I shall be making a vegetable curry. The veggies are good for you and my day dreaming took me to the spice markets in India)

Enough of that, on with this slice.

You will need....

1/2 cup softened BUTTER.

3/4 cup RAW SUGAR.

2 EGGS.

Grated peel of 1 ORANGE.

1 tablesp. ORANGE Juice.

1 1/2 cup of PLAIN FLOUR.

1 1/2 teasp. BAKING POWDER.

1 teasp MIXED SPICE.

1 teasp GROUND CLOVES.

3/4 cup SULTANAS.

3/4 cup chopped WALNUTS.

Method.

Cream butter until smooth and gradually add the sugar until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and orange rind and juice. Sift in the dry ingredients and blend in to the mixture. Fold in the sultanas and walnuts.

Spread in to a greased tray (about 29cm x 19cm) And sprinkle some more raw sugar over the top before baking in the oven (180c) for approximately 30 minutes. Cool slightly after removing from the oven, and cut in to fingers or squares.

You could, if you wanted to, put some orange icing on this slice, just remember not to put the raw sugar on top before baking.

Do hope you enjoy.

Curried potatoes with minted peas

Another simple dish to make. I have loads of potatoes at the moment and am a little fed up with the standard way of serving them. You know, mashed, roasted and chips. Although we do love our potatoes any way they are cooked, so had a bit of a play today in the kitchen. There is quite a wind blowing here and when hubby came home, he said he could smell what I was cooking out on the road.


You will need....


4 large Potatoes. (cut smallish)
1 Onion. (diced)
A handful of peas. (I used minted frozen)
Olive oil.
Large knob of butter.
Curry powder.
Turmeric.

Parsley.




Peel and cook the potatoes in water until almost done, but still firm.

Then drain them and just leave for a while.

In a fry pan, put the olive oil and butter, add the curry powder and turmeric, and cook off a little, add the diced onion and cook these until soft. Now add the potatoes, toss and turn until all is coated with the curried oil and onions. Last add the peas and a tablespoon of chopped parsley.




This can be eaten cold or hot, I served it with curried sausages for dinner tonight.

Harissa Chicken Pieces.

Well, I know I have spoken about this before, but I can't not mention it again as I am so wrapped in this spice. (Oh that is such good English, LOL)
This time I used chicken breast cut into odd shapes and washed it in egg, then dunked it into a mix of flour and Harissa spice.(About half and half) Cooked it in Rice Bran Oil and Butter for just a couple of minutes each side. Drained it on kitchen paper towel.
I served it with a dipping sauce of sour cream and Harissa spice. And on the side was a potato salad, pasta salad, and (the first of the season) cherry tomatoes and chopped spring onion. Also celery and carrot roses.
Everyone enjoyed it. Including the men who are painting our pool at the moment, they could smell it and wanted to know what I was cooking. So of course they had a few pieces, which left plenty for the family. My son said, he wasn't going back to K.F.C.. So I'll take that as a compliment.

Middle Eastern (Harissa) Chicken Tenderloins

I am sure all you good cooks out there already

know about HARISSA. A middle eastern spice.

It's new to me and I adore the flavour it gives

to almost everything I use it on and in.

I have been using McCormicks as it is already

made up. The contents read.....

Cumin.

Garlic.

Salt.

Onion.

Turmeric.

Paprika.

Coriander.

Red Pepper.

Parsley.

Pepper.

Cinnamon.

Nutmeg.

A few days ago, I made Chicken tenders.

First I gave an egg wash to all the tenders,

and then I coated them in flour and Harissa

mixed together.

Then I fried them in a mix of good olive oil

and butter. A couple of minutes each side and

drained them on paper towel.

I had made a simple salad of lettuce leaves

shredded, onions, corn and capsicum.

Which I dressed with shop bought mayo,

a little white vinegar and 2 teaspoons of

the Harissa spices. (All shook up)

The meal was delightful, a sweet yet savoury

salad, the warmth of the tenderloins and the

garlic/cheese bread married very well together.

Finished off with a good dollop of sour cream

and chives.

Might have to give making my own Harissa a

go in the future.