Coffee, Walnut and Cinnamon Creams

With the first day of December tomorrow, I've been feeling a little festive. Not so much that I might get carried away and go shopping; just enough to make some spicy, indulgent little cookies for tomorrow's work meeting.
This recipe is based on a coffee biscuit my mother often makes. I've just added some Christmas spice in the form of a little cinnamon. Nothing like a little treat to sweeten up a Monday morning.

Coffee, Walnut and Cinnamon Creams

140g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons very strong espresso
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 extra beaten egg for glazing

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, at room temperature, and beat until well combined. 

Next add the coffee and vanilla essence. 

Fold in the sifted flour, cinnamon and baking powder. 

Wrap the mixture in plastic baking film and chill for about 20 minutes. 

Once chilled, preheat the oven to 180deg. C.

Take from the fridge and place between two sheets of plastic wrap. 

Roll out until the mixture is about half a centimetre thick. 

Remove the top layer of plastic wrap, then using a cookie cutter, stamp out a row of biscuits. 

Transfer them to a lined tray by removing the surrounding mixture, then lifting the bottom layer of plastic and peeling off the biscuit shapes before placing them onto the waiting tray. 

Gather up all the scraps and re-roll and repeat the biscuit cutting until all the mixture is used. 

Using a pastry brush, glaze the top of the uncooked biscuits with the extra beaten egg.














Sprinkle on the chopped walnuts and bake for 10 minutes. 











While the biscuits are baking prepare the filling: 

Beat together 120g butter, 1 cup icing sugar, 3 tablespoons very strong espresso, and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence until light and fluffy. 

Set aside until the biscuits are completely cooled. 

Place a teaspoon of filling onto half the biscuits and sandwich them together into pairs. 

The recipe makes about 24 depending on the size of the cutter. 

Time to start humming those Christmas Carols....

Raspberry, Walnut and Brown Sugar Shortcake

Despite the somewhat inclement weather, I have still managed to get out to the raspberry patch to pick us a bowlful. This is such a great time of year to be up at the farm. All the summer fruits are at their best, with raspberries, gooseberry, strawberries, black and red currents all hanging from the bushes. As children we did the rounds of eating the full selection available. But of all the fruits, raspberries still remains my favourite. 

Here is today's raspberry recipe offering. The recipe itself doesn't use a great deal of raspberries, so is perfect if you don't have your own ready (ie free) supply. This recipe will work equally well with any soft fruit. Just substitute what you have handy to create your own variation.

Raspberry, Walnut and Brown Sugar Shortcake 

120g butter
120g brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup walnuts
3 teaspoons sugar 
1 1/2 to 2 cups raspberries - you could easily use frozen if fresh is not available

First make the pastry: Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat again until well combined. 

Sift the flour and baking powder together and chop the walnuts. 

Fold the flour and baking powder into the butter mixture, followed by the walnuts. 


Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and chill for about half an hour.

To make the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 180deg. C

Divide the pastry into two halves. Roll out the first half between either plastic wrap or baking paper. Transfer the pastry to a lined baking tray; do this by either removing the top layer of plastic wrap and flipping it onto the lined tray, or by simply using the baking paper it was rolled out on.

Evenly scatter the raspberries onto the rolled out pastry. 

Sprinkle the fruit with the white sugar. 

Now roll out the second piece of pastry. 

Be sure to flour the wrap first as you want the pastry to be easily removed. 

Cut the pastry into fat strips. 

Place these one at a time onto the shortcake in a lattice pattern. 

Don't worry if the top is a little bumpy. It is a rustic style bake.

Finish off by folding the very edges of the pie inward to form a little lip. 

Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the shortcake is golden brown and the base is cooked. 

Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with whipped cream. 

This shortcake was very well received by the family. It is a cheerful summer dessert that's not too sweet for even the non pudding eater. If you don't have walnuts, then hazel, brazil or even unsalted peanuts could be substituted. The recipe will work just as well without the nuts. Just add a teaspoon of cinnamon instead to add a little variation to the mix.

Hope you're all having a great holiday!  

The best Shortbread recipe in town...

At school we have a great tradition amongst the staff of taking turns to provide morning tea to mark our colleagues significant events. About six of us at a time bring a plate to share. Everyone takes great pride and care in making a delicious home made treat. This week my name came up and, having sat on the couch for at least half an hour contemplating the possibilities, I decided on making some shortbread. This recipe is a family favourite; the first time I made it with the fruit and nut toppings, my darling partner was slightly aghast that I was messing with perfection. However sampling the product changed his mind.

Fruit and Nut Shortbread

255g butter
115g icing sugar
115g flour
115g custard powder
115g cornflour
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped preserved ginger
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons chopped cranberries
2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Preheat the oven to 150deg. C and line a large baking sheet

Cream the butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy.

Sift the flour, custard powder, cornflour and salt.

Fold the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar and turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap.



Use the plastic food wrap to form the shortbread dough into a large rectangular tube shape.

Place into the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes. 



Using a sharp thin bladed knife cut the tube of dough into 5mm slices. 

Arrange the slices into the baking tray allowing enough room for them to spread.

Into one third press the ginger and walnut, in the other third the cranberries and almonds, and leave the last third plain.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The shortbread should not colour, but will be lovely, crispy and short once cooled. 

Feel free to mess with whatever topping you fancy! Happy baking xx

Treats from Nana's Garden

Nana has a great garden. And we are very lucky to be able to take advantage of all the autumn harvest produce. Yesterday we rustled up a quick lunch using tomatoes  and basil from the glass house, herbs and potatoes from the garden and walnuts from the tree. I made vinaigrette verde and basil and walnut pesto to dress up our simple autumnal meal. 

Vinaigrette Verde

The quantity ratios and ingredients for this recipe vary according to what is available and what lands in the jar while I am making it. The simple rule of thumb is 1 part acid to 3 parts oil. All the other ingredients are variable. Put all the ingredients into a large jar wide enough to accommodate the stick blender.

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 cup olive oil, or a combination of olive and any other mild flavoured oil

a generous handful of fresh herbs from the garden: I used parsley, chives and thyme

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

2 cloves of garlic

Put all the ingredients in a wide jar with a lid and blend with the stick blender.
Check for seasoning and adjust as required.
Any left over vinaigrette can be stored in the fridge and will keep for a few days.

Arrange washed and sliced tomatoes in a shallow dish and spoon over a generous amount of the vinaigrette. It makes a great salad to serve with bread and cold meats.









Basil and Walnut Pesto

Again quantities for this recipe are approximate and can be altered to suit your personal taste and the quantity of basil available. I didn't put Parmesan into this batch as Nana didn't happen to have any.

1 couple of handfuls of fresh basil with the hard stalks cut off

any off cuts of parsley stalks you happen to have

1/2 cup shelled walnuts

approximately 1/2 cup olive oil - or any other oil you happen to have

1 teaspoon salt

Blitse the whole lot in the food processor until blended, but not too finely.

Stored covered in the fridge it will happily keep for a few days.

This pesto is tasty served with new potatoes and butter, and as a topping for bread. 

With lunch all done, its time for Little Miss 4 to head out to the chicken house for egg collection duty. She just loves spending time at the farm with Nana and Poppa.

Foragers Fruit Pie with Sweet Walnut Pastry

Most people associate a holiday with not having to do terribly much in the kitchen. But I aways find that one of the greatest joys of the holiday season is having the time to enjoy doing some cooking without all the usual working week pressures. Today's offering came about after a few afternoon hours spent foraging in my mother's garden. I found some of the best of summer's bounty: raspberries, black currants, gooseberries and red currants all fell into my bowl. I've made this particular pie before and it adapts to whatever fruit is available at the time of year.

Foragers Fruit Pie with Sweet Walnut Pastry

Pastry:
4 oz butter

4 oz caster sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in the egg. Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder, along with the chopped walnuts. Wrap in food wrap and chill in the fridge while preparing the filling.

Fruit Filling:

5 cups of prepared fruit: I used a mix of raspberries, red and black currents and gooseberries.

3 heaped tablespoons cornflour

4 heaped tablespoons caster sugar

Prepare the fruit by stripping the red and black currents from their stalks. Don't worry about the little tuft on the bottoms of the blackcurrants; they wont be noticed once its cooked. Cut the gooseberries in half.

Reserve some raspberries to sprinkle onto the top of the pie as the ones that are incorporated into the fruit mix will break up. Gently fold the sugar and cornflour into the fruit.

Construction:
On a large chopping board, roll the pastry into a large circle between two sheets of plastic food wrap. It's a very delicate pastry and will break up easily.

The trick is to peel the top sheet of wrap away and place the upside down baking tray over the top - flip the whole lot, board and all, over and remove the second sheet of plastic wrap so the pastry is sitting on the baking sheet. Pile the fruit mixture onto the pastry, leaving a gap around the outside. Sprinkle the extra raspberries on top. Gently flip the extra pastry from around the outside over the edges of the pie.

If any leaks develop, putty them shut with a little extra pastry. Bake at 180 deg. C. until the filling had thickened and the pastry is golden brown. With quite a wet filling its important to ensure the pie is baked enough for the bottom to be sufficiently cooked.

Leave it to sit and cool before attempting to cut. It's best served either warm or at room temperature. Because its so large and delicate, its best served as is on the baking tray. You can make two smaller pies instead of one enormous one.

Sprinkle with icing sugar, pour some cream into a jug and call the family. Nothing could be better on a bright sunny summer's evening.  

Delicious Afghan Biscuits

There is no more of a treat than a good old fashioned Afghan to nibble on with your afternoon cup of tea. With a busy week ahead, projects to mark and Faculty Meeting to arrange, I need a mass stash of nibbles to call on.

This recipe is from the old Edmond's Cookbook. In the new edition, some of the recipes have been changed in the name of reduced fat and sugar, so an old version is definitely worth hanging on to if you value the 'old fashioned' taste. I have converted the recipe to metric measurements. The following recipe can be successfully doubled:

Afghans

175g butter
75g caster sugar
150g flour
2 heaped tablespoons cocoa
50g cornflakes

Preheat the oven to 175deg. C
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
Fold in the sifted flour and cocoa.
Stir in the cornflakes - I crush them first.
Either roll into small balls or pipe onto a lined oven tray.
Flatten a little and bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool completely before topping with chocolate icing and a walnut.

I am always too impatient and time poor to roll the biscuits into balls, so always resort to piping the biscuits onto the trays.
Just make sure you crush the cornflakes or they get stuck in the end of the piping bag.

 Once you have piped them out, press each biscuit down a little. Use wet hands or the mixture will stick.

For the icing combine:
50g soft butter
approximately 1 cup icing sugar
1 heaped tablespoon cocoa
enough water to combine to a spreadable mix

Spread on each biscuit and top with a walnut.

 And now my friends, the day is done; time for a cup of tea, a sweet treat and a lie down.