Cashew ginger fingers

Hello everyone, last Sunday we celebrated Mum's seventieth birthday over lunch at Aqua Dining at North Sydney. I hadn't been near the pool for over twenty years and I have to say the addition of this glamorous restaurant is a master stroke (no pun intended). It was a gorgeous sunny day and our table looked out over the pool and the harbour. The service was flawless and the food heavenly. I had the Hiramasa Kingfish and it was one of the most beautifully cooked pieces of fish I have ever eaten. The restaurant also did a cake for us and it was luscious, all full of strawberries and mascarpone. All in all, an outstanding restaurant experience.

This week's recipe is a quick and easy slice from my Women's Weekly Biscuits and Slices book. I wouldn't say that this is one of their better books but from time to time I'll make something from it that is good, and this is one of those.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Cashew Ginger Fingers

What you need:

• 125g butter
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Topping

• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 60g butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 cup unsalted, roasted cashew nuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped glace ginger

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Line a 20cm x 30cm lamington tin with baking paper.
3. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Stir the sifted flour and ground ginger into the butter mix.
5. Spread this mix evenly over the base of the prepared tin.
6. Bake the mix in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in the pan.
7. To make the topping, combine the icing sugar, butter and golden syrup in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the butter is melted.
8. Stir in the nuts and ginger.
9. Spread the hot topping evenly over the cold base.
10. Cool before slicing into fingers.

Cherry slice

Hello everyone, being such a warm day today I decided to pop over to Glace, an icecream shop in Leichhardt. I can buy their products locally, but thought it would be good to go to the actual shop and view all the possibilities. It certainly is an icecream lover's delight - you can buy single or double scoops to eat on the spot (yes, I indulged, a scoop of Belgian chocolate), tubs in all sorts of luscious flavours and a range of other interesting icecream treats, like the snowball, which is a ball of coconut flavoured icecream enrobed in a coat of chocolate and sprinkled with coconut!

This week's recipe is a sweet treat which caught my eye every time I saw it in my scrapbook of cut out recipes. It's exactly like cherry ripe and so easy to make - a nice treat. Do be very careful with the food colouring - I was a little careless and my cherry slice was very brightly coloured!

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Cherry slice

What you need:

• 600g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
• 500g desiccated coconut (buy a good quality one, not the no name version, as you want a nice, moist coconut)
• 100g copha, melted
• 395g can condensed milk
• 150g glace cherries, very finely chopped
• A few drops of pink food colouring

What you do:

1. Prepare a 30cm x 20cm cake tin by lining with foil.
2. Melt half the chocolate and spread evenly over the foil lined tin.
3. Rest, covered, in the fridge, until set.
4. Place coconut, melted copha, condensed milk and cherries in a large bowl and stir together to mix. There will be a moment when you think there is far too much coconut and it will never combine, but it does.
5. Very carefully add a few drops of food colouring and stir through (do it drop by drop).
6. Spoon the coconut mixture over the chocolate base and use the back of a spoon to press evenly.
7. Refrigerate until set.
8. Melt the remaining chocolate and spread evenly over the coconut mix.
9. Return to the fridge until set.
10. Cut into bars with a warm knife. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Coconut apricot slice

Hello everyone, I've mentioned before the great sandwiches I have had from Via Abercrombie in the city. Yesterday I ordered sandwiches from them for a lunch I was having in the office. They were great - they are absolutely huge and a little difficult to eat politely as the fillings are so generous and made on very large slices of bread, but they are yummy and very good value, especially for the city. It's always so good to find a reliable caterer for office things - it's just one less thing to think about next time.

This week's recipe is one of those recipes that on first look I didn't think I'd like, as I don't approve of mixing chocolate with fruit (except for chocolate with coconut). So I can't think what actually made me try this one as it uses dried apricots, but it works! I really liked it. If you bought some coconut to make last week's coconut chicken strips then you can use it up with this slice. I can't even remember from where I found the recipe. Anyway, no matter - it's a good one to take to holiday season parties and barbies.

Have a lovely week! Love from Jane xxx

Coconut apricot slice

Makes 16

What you need:
· 125g unsalted butter
· 50ml thick cream
· 200g white chocolate, broken into pieces
· 1 ½ cups chopped dried apricots
· 250g shortbread biscuits, crushed
· 1 cup desiccated coconut

Icing

· 25g unsalted butter, melted
· 2 teaspoons lemon juice
· 2 1/3 cups (350g) icing sugar, sifted

What you do:
1. Line a 3cm deep, 18 x 25cm baking pan with baking paper.
2. Place the butter and cream in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to the boil and then remove from the heat.
3. Add the chocolate and stir until melted, then cool slightly.
4. Stir the apricots, biscuit crumbs and coconut into the chocolate mix.
5. Press the mixture into the baking pan and chill in the fridge for one hour.
6. To make the icing, combine the butter, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of warm water in a large bowl.
7. Stir in the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
8. Spread the icing over the slice and chill again until set.
9. Slice in the pan and serve.

Oat and chocolate slice

Hello everyone, I'd love to say that my failure to post any recipes for the last couple of weeks was because I was out watching endless sessions of Julie and Julia, but it was actually because my computer was away being fixed. Again. Hopefully for the last time. At the same time my washing machine died. Happily I now have a new washing machine, but I think it's very sneaky that while there is a lot of talk about how good front loaders are for the environment, NO-ONE mentions that they take smaller loads and each cycle takes nearly two hours!! That's a well kept secret. I guess one advantage on a warm day is that as I take out each load the last lot is dry and ready to come in again!

This week's recipe is a very easy slice that I found in my Panasonic cookbook that came with my microwave when I bought it about 15 years ago. I have adapted it from the original muesli recipe as I always have buckets of oats in the pantry, and I finish it in the oven as I don't really believe you can substitute the microwave for the baking step. You can add different things that you have to hand to the slice as well, such as nuts and as I have done, chocolate chips.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Oat and chocolate slice

What you need:

• 125g butter
• 1 cup brown sugar (you could halve this quantity if it frightens you)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 cups oatmeal (or natural muesli if you have it)
• 1 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup sultanas
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

What you do:

1. Combine the butter, sugar and honey in a microwave proof dish and cook on high for a minute, stir, then cook for another minute on high.
2. Add the oats/muesli, coconut, sultanas and chocolate chips and mix well.
3. Press firmly into a baking tray.
4. Bake at 200C for about 10 minutes, or until golden.
5. Allow to cool then slice into squares.

Rum raisin caramel bars

Hello everyone, do you ever cook something that you have highly anticipated, only to find that the finished product (and not because of your skills), comes up short? I had this experience this week. I have had a recipe for a chocolate macadamia cheesecake for twenty years, which I have always wanted to make, but could never find the right opportunity. Well, finally, this week I got around to it and was quite sure it was going to be the most delicious thing I had ever done. Sadly, not. It was quite nice and I was assured by those who ate it that it was "up there" with my other efforts, but I felt somewhat let down by it. I think for me it wasn't quite creamy enough - the recipe writer did emphasise that it was created in a search for something lighter than the usual cheesecake. Oh well....cross that one off the list.

This week's recipe is a winner - it is chocolate so you can't go wrong. Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Rum Raisin Caramel Bars

Bars can be made up to four days ahead.

What you need:

Base
· 125g butter
· ½ cup castor sugar
· 1 cup plain flour (you can substitute rice flour)
· 2 tablespoons cocoa
Rum and raisin filling
· 400g can sweetened condensed milk
· 30g unsalted butter
· 1 tablespoon dark rum (actually any colour will do)
· ½ cup chopped raisins (can use sultanas)
· ¼ cup coconut
Topping
· 125g chocolate, melted
· 30g butter, melted

What you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Grease the base and sides of a 19cm x 29cm lamington pan, cover the base with baking paper and grease the paper.
3. To make the filling, combine the condensed milk and butter in a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil while stirring constantly and vigorously over heat for about 10 minutes or until golden brown, then remove from the heat.
4. Stir in the rum, raisins and coconut and leave to cool to lukewarm.
5. For the base, combine the butter and the sugar in a small bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
6. Stir in the sifted flour and cocoa.
7. Press the mix evenly over the base of the lamington tin.
8. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until firm.
9. Cool the base for 10 minutes, then spread with filling and cool to room temperature.
10. To make the topping, combine the melted chocolate and butter in a small bowl and stir until the mixture is smooth and spreadable.
11. Spread the topping on the slice and store in the fridge until set, before cutting into bars or slices.

Pecan slice

Hello everyone, there's nothing I like better than a good old-fashioned slice, and as I had about five different varieties of nuts in my fridge last weekend I thought it was a good excuse to bake something for afternoon tea in the office. I made this yummy pecan slice, but did half and half pecans and almonds as that is what I had. The almonds were particularly fantastic - I had bought them fresh from Oriental and Continental Foods in Artarmon. This place is well worth exploring when you have the time. I went in there one day for some preserved lemons and came out twenty minutes later with a box full of stuff, and only paid $20.00! There really is no comparison between fresh nuts and packet nuts, so it's well worth making the trip. They don't supply bags though so do make sure you take your own and expect to buy more than is written on your shopping list!

Anyway, the slice went down well with my office friends. I hope you like it too.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

Pecan slice

What you need:

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 150g butter, softened

Topping

• 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup (from a health food store; use light if that is all you can find)
• 2 tablespoons thickened cream
• 1/3 cup soft brown sugar
• 75g butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups pecans
• Dark chocolate shavings to decorate (optional)

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Line a shallow baking tin (18 x 27 cm) with baking paper.
3. Combine the flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor. Using the pulse action, process for one minute until the mixture comes together and forms a ball.
4. Press the pastry into the tin (you will really have to push and poke it out to the sides and corners but don't worry, there is enough).
5. Bake the pastry for 15 minutes, until just golden. Cool completely in the tin.
6. To make the topping, combine the syrup, cream, sugar, butter and eggs in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
7. Add the pecans and stir to combine.
8. Pour the topping onto the cooled pastry and bake for another 25 minutes, until set. Cool completely in the tin.
9. Lift the slice out of the tin and cut into squares using a sharp knife.
10. Decorate with the chocolate shavings if desired.

Another hedgehog slice and Roasted vegetable couscous with lemon hummus

Hello everyone,

Sometimes I am reminded that not everyone is as into food and eating as I am. I heard two comments this week that really stopped me in my tracks. One was from a guy who said "I'm not really a cafe kind of person. I don't go to cafes." Does he exist on take away coffee?

The other one was from a woman in her mid fifties who had me over for lunch. She commented "I've never had anyone over for lunch before. I wasn't really sure what to do." I assured her that putting food on plates and taking the plates to the table pretty much covered it.

This week's recipe is a fabulous roasted vegetable dish. Great way to make sure you are eating lots of vegetables, and non-vegetarians could serve it with meat or fish (it's fabulous on its own though, I can eat this in buckets). Of course, use the vegetables you like, you don't have to stick to what is specified in the recipe.

By special request I am also including a recipe for a hedgehog slice that I made earlier this year for our community dinners in Narraweena. I realised that I already had one hedgehog recipe on my files,so I have called this one "another hedgehog slice". You can rename it however you wish!
Have a good week - hopefully we will see the sun soon.

Love from Jane xx

Another hedgehog slice

(From the Epicure Chocolate book, published by The Age – if you like chocolate you should have this book in your collection, it is excellent).

What you need:
· 2 x 250g packet of plain sweet biscuits
· 1 cup walnuts
· 300g butter
· ¾ cup Dutch cocoa (much better than normal cocoa powder – you can find it in delis and speciality food stores. The “Dutch” refers to the way the cocoa is processed, not country of origin)
· 1 ¼ cups castor sugar
· 3 eggs
· Icing
· 250g good chocolate
· 2 tablespoons of a light tasting oil (not extra virgin)

What you do:
1. Put biscuits and nuts in a food processor and whiz until roughly chopped.
2. Melt the butter, then add the sugar and cocoa and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from the heat and when cooled a little (so it’s warm, not hot), beat the eggs into the mix with a whisk or a Bamix type implement until thick and glossy.
4. Mix in the nut mixture and press into a lamington tin (about 19cm x 30cm). Cover and refrigerate.
5. Make the icing by melting the chocolate and oil in a saucepan on a very low heat and then pour on top of the cooled hedgehog. Tap the tray on your kitchen bench to get all the air bubbles out. Refrigerate again until set and then cut into fingers or squares.

Roasted vegetable couscous with lemon hummus

Serves two

What you need:
· 1 red and 1 yellow capsicum, seeded and cut into squares
· 1 large zucchini, sliced
· 1 small eggplant, sliced
· 1 large red onion, sliced
· ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
· Handful of fresh basil leaves
· 120g hummus
· ¼ cup Greek yoghurt
· Juice of 1 lemon
· 200g couscous

What you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C. Place a large roasting pan in it as it gets close to temperature to warm up.
2. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle over half the oil, tossing to coat them evenly, then tip the lot into your heated roasting pan. Season generously with salt and pepper and roast for about half an hour, until the vegetables are completely tender and lightly caramelised.
3. From time to time toss the vegetables around to ensure they cook evenly.
4. About five minutes before the vegetables are ready, scatter the chopped basil over them, tossing to combine, then return the pan to the oven to finish cooking.
5. While the vegetables are cooking, place the hummus in a bowl and stir in the yoghurt and half the lemon juice. Season to taste and chill until needed.
6. Place the couscous in a large bowl and drizzle over the remaining oil and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Pour over one cup of boiling water, stir well, cover and leave for five minutes. When ready, fluff up the couscous with a fork.
7. Serve the roasted vegetables on top of the couscous with the hummus and yoghurt drizzled over the top.