Chocolate and pistachio biscotti

Ingredients:

125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 Tbsp orange zest, finely grated
2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
125g pistachio kernels
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
6 slices glace orange, chopped
2 Tbsp orange juice

Method:

Line 2 oven trays with baking paper. Preheat oven to moderate 180 degrees C. Beat the butter, sugar and rind with electric mixer until light and creamy. Add eggs gradually beating between additions until the mixture is smooth.

Sift the flour, cocoa, soda and baking powder, add to butter mixture with pistachios, chocolate and glace orange and stir until just combined.

Divide mixture in half. Spread each half onto a prepared tray and shape into a log, about 25cm long and 10-12cm wide. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the mixture sounds hollow when tapped, and is cooked through when tested with a skewer. Remove from the oven and cook on a wire rack.

Reduce oven to 160 degrees C. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut each log into 1cm thick slices. Place biscotti, cut side up, on oven trays and bake for about 10 minutes. Turn slices over and cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until dried out. Cool before storing in an airtight container.

Dukkah spice mix and how to cook Dukkah-topped Turkish bread

Ingredients:

100g roasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted
2 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp ground cardamom
2 tsp sea salt flakes
2 tsp peppercorns

Method:

Preheat the oven to moderate (180 degrees C). Finely chop hazelnuts, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom, salt and pepper in a food processor.

To use

Ingredients:

2 loaves of Turkish bread (long rectangular loaves)
1/4 cup olive oil

Method:

Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.  Cut Turkish bread into long thin finger shapes.  Brush well with olive oil and sprinkle with dukkah.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bread is crisp and dukkah is golden brown.  Serve with either Eggplant and Garlic dip or White Bean dip.

White Bean Dip

 Ingredients:

2 x 400g cannellini beans, drained
1 orange, juiced
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
olive oil, a little extra

Method:

Place the cannellini beans into the bowl of a food processor. Add the orange juice, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Process for 30 seconds or until pureed. Place mixture into a serving bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil just before serving. Serve with Dukkah-topped Turkish bread.

Eggplant and Garlic dip

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp tahini
salt and pepper
olive oil, for drizzling
pinch of paprika

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Put whole eggplant and garlic (wrap in alfoil) on a baking tray and roast in oven for 12-15 minutes or until the skin is blackened and blistered.

Allow eggplant to cool, then gently peel the skin away from the flesh with a small sharp knife. 

Put flesh of eggplant with the garlic into a food processor for 1-2 minutes or until pulpy. Add lemon juice, tahini, salt and pepper.  Process until the mixture is thick and creamy.  Taste and adjust flavour if required.

Place in a serving dish drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

PossumK8te's Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 and 1/2 cups unsalted peanuts, roasted
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 eschallots, finely chopped
2 red chillies, seeds removed and roughly chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp of palm or brown sugar
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbsp peanut butter

Method:

Heat oil in medium heavy-based pan, add peanuts, garlic and eschallots and cook over a low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until garlic and eschallots are golden brown.  Work peanut mixture and chillies in food processor until finely chopped. Return the peanut mixture to the pan, add the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, coconut milk, water and lime juice, stir to combine.  Simmer uncovered, stirring for 8-10 minutes. Stir in the peanut butter.   

Gran's Apple Pie

Ingredients:

180g butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk (reserve egg white for glaze)
1 and 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
1 and 1/4 cups SR flour, sifted
6 Granny Smith apples
1 lemon, juiced and zest
butter for greasing
6 whole cloves or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 Tbsp plain flour
Extra Tbsp caster sugar

Method:

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence with an electric beater until smooth and creamy and increased in volume. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until well combined.

Transfer to a large bowl. Add the sifted flours and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Place onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 even pieces. Knead each gently until mixture comes together. Wrap in baking paper and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Peel apples, cut into quarters and remove the seeds. Cut each quarter into thin slices.  Place in bowl, cover with cold water and lemon juice. Refrigerate until required.

Preheat oven to moderately hot (about 200 degrees C). Brush a 20cm x 4.5cm deep loose-bottom fluted tin or round cake tin with melted butter.

Roll out one piece of pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper to fit the base and sides of the tin. Carefully ease the pastry into the tin.  Drain apples and dry well in a clean tea towel.  Place apples in a large bowl, add the grated rind, cloves or cinnamon, caster sugar and plain flour.  Mix with your hand to combine.  Pile the apples onto the pastry base.  Apples will sit about 5cm above the rim of the pastry.

Take the remaining pastry and roll out large enough to cover the apples completely. Place pastry on top and gently press the edges together. Using a sharp knife trim away the excess edges of the pastry.  Place the reserved egg white in a small bowl and beat with a fork until foamy.  Brush the top with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.  Cut a cross in the top of the pastry.

Bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees C then reduce to 180 degrees C for 25-30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and stand on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.

Serve a slice of pie with a scoop of ice cream.

NOTE: To remove pie from the tin, stand the tin on an upturned bowl and tap the edge of the tin. The tin should fall away.  

Chocolate Cherry Friands

Ingredients:
Butter, for greasing
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup Dutch cocoa
1 and 1/4 cups icing sugar
1 cup hazelnuts, ground (100g)
3 eggwhites
1 tsp vanilla essence
180b butter, melted
525g pitted black cherries canned in syrup, drained

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Brush 10 friand moulds with melted butter and place on a baking tray. Sift flour, cocoa and icing sugar into a large bowl. Stir in hazelnuts.

Put egg whites into a medium bowl and whisk with a fork until frothy, then fold through dry ingredients.  Stir through vanilla and melted butter until just combined.

Spoon batter into combined moulds into prepared moulds. Press 2 cherries into each friand, covering with batter.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until friands pop up in the middle and spring back when lightly pressed with finger. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve with remaining pitted cherries.

Triple Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients: 

1.5 cups SR flour 

1 cup brown sugar, dark, firmly packed 

250g dark chocolate, chopped 

125g butter 

1/4 cup cocoa 

300ml sour cream 

2 eggs 

2 tsp vanilla essence 

12 caramel filled chocolate Easter eggs 

1/4 cup drinking chocolate, sifted

Method: 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line 12 x 1/3 cup-hole muffin pan with paper cases. Sift flour into a large bowl, stir in sugar. Melt chocolate and butter in a heavy-based pan. Stir in cocoa and cool for 5 minutes. Whisk sour cream, vanilla and eggs in a jug. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate and sour cream mixtures until just combined. Spoon batter into pan so each hole is 1/2 full. Press a chocolate egg into the centre of each. Spoon the remaining mixture to 2/3 fill each hole. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with drinking chocolate just before serving.