Spiced Rhubarb and Plum Compote

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Everyone knows that rhubarb and strawberries are bffs, they belong together like peanut butter and chocolate, like ben and jerry, like mustard and eggs..(no? is that just me?)

But once in a while rhubarb is allowed to have a spicy love affair with other fruits, precisely when you currently don’t have strawberries on your hand and a pint of strawberries costs exactly a million euros right now (don’t you wish strawberry season would last all year long? Imagine!!!). And who knew that rhubarb and plum could taste so beautiful together! Both fruits are naturally rather on the sour side but the stewing process surprisingly brings so much sweetness out of them, almost no sugar needs to be added. A subtle hint of vanilla and a less subtle kick of ginger give this compote character. I recommend trying it on a stack of warm pancakes, stirred into a bowl of porridge, layered in a yoghurt parfait or (my preferred way) by the spoonful on its own.

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Spiced Rhubarb and Plum Compote

(makes enough to fill 1 medium sized jar)

  • 2 1/2 stalks of rhubarb (or 1 1/2 cups of chopped rhubarb)
  • 3 plums
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tbsp honey (add more honey or alternatively sugar if you find the compote too sour)
  • 1 tsp grated ginger (you could substitute ground ginger)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chop the rhubarb and plums into rough 2cm sized pieces and put them together with the water into a saucepan. Add the honey, ginger and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and the continue to cook the compote on medium heat for 12-15 minutes or until the fruit has turned “mushy” and the compote has a vibrant red colour.

Fill the hot compote into a glass jar that’s been sterilised with boiling water. It will keep well in the fridge for several days.

Swiss Roll

Some people are social butterflies. Some people like to stay more in the background of things and may be a little awkward around people. And that’s totally okay! Because instead of awkward smalltalk (ughh) you can wow everyone simply by bringing a swiss roll to a party. A swiss roll has the power to turn strangers into friends, for real.

The swiss roll is like a distant cousin of the sponge layer cake but more low maintenance and fancier looking than her dull relative so everyone will think she spent hours in the bathroom but really she is just a naturally pretty and classy lady. Makes sense? I guess what I’m trying to say with clumsy words is that rolling the swiss roll is easy peasy and really nothing to be intimidated by. Also, it tastes wonderfully luxurious, and it is so versatile. I used coconut and raspberry flavours in this recipe, whereas the original recipe calls for lemon. Other fruits like strawberries or blueberries would be lovely too! But you could just as well fill your roll with plain auld nutella and I would high five you for this decision.

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Swiss Roll with Raspberry Jam and Coconut Cream

(adapted from Le Delicieux)

  • 4 medium sized eggs
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp buttermilk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • A pinch of salt
  • Icing sugar

- Preheat your oven to 180C.

- Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to beat the eggs for a couple of minutes until they have significantly increased the volume and lightened the colour. (You are looking for soft peaks which are very very hard to achieve by just whisking the eggs by hand, but it is possible). Slowly add the sugar, oil and buttermilk one after the other while still slowly whisking the eggs.

-Sift together the dry ingredients and carefully fold them into the egg mixture. Try to keep the batter airy and light, a rubber spatula is handy for this. Don’t overmix the batter.

-Pour the batter in a rectangular shape onto a baking tray that’s been lined with baking paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cake looks golden and is springy to the touch.

-To roll the cake sprinkle icing sugar onto a clean tea towel and rub it into the towel. It will prevent the cake from sticking to it. (If you are stuck another clean piece of baking paper will do as well). When the cake is baked, take it out of the oven and flip it onto the prepared towel. Remove the baking paper. (If you are having difficulties, sprinkle very cold water onto the back of the paper, it will be easier to peel off). Now roll the cake with the tea towel and let it cool completely.

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The filling:

  • Seedless raspberry jam (Or push regular jam through a sieve)
  • Coconut milk that’s been in the fridge  (You can substitute regular cream)
  • Icing sugar

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When the cake has cooled carefully unroll it. Evenly spread the jam over the whole cake.

If you are using coconut milk, open the can and you will see that the solid cream component and the watery component have split. Spoon out the solid cream part, discard of the rest. Whisk the coconut cream with 1 tbsp of icing sugar until it stiffens and resembles whipped cream. Adjust the sweetness by adding more sugar if needed.

If you are using regular cream, add 1 tbsp icing sugar to it and whip it until it forms stiff peaks. Adjust the sweetness by adding more sugar if needed.

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Spoon the cream over the jam and spread it evenly. Now carefully roll the cake with the filling. Trim the ends and decorate with desiccated coconut before you serve it.

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Almond and Pear Quickbread

I hate wasting food. Hate hate hate it! And sometimes this is a bit of a problem (omg there are so many cookies left…who’s gonna eat all these cookies?…Someone’s gotta eat them…can’t throw them out…okay i’ll do it!!!) but other times this leads to baking experiments with an unexpectedly delightful outcome, such as this almond and pear quickbread.
I had pears sitting in my fruitbowl that were on the verge of turning into brown mush and there was no way I would chop them into my granola. Pair them off with flaked almonds and aromatic spices and bim bam bosh we’ve got ourselves something that looks like bread (and could be filed under the ‘healthy’ category) but actually tastes like cake. Wonderful!

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I made use of my pears by turning them into a spiced pear sauce by boiling the peeled and chopped pears in simmering water with a stick of cinnamon and three cloves for a couple of minutes until the pears are very soft and nearly fall apart. Then I blended the pieces of pears and gradually added some of the water they simmered in until its got the desired consistency. Not too runny, not too thick. Just like applesauce, and indeed if you don’t have pears on your hand homemade or store-bought applesauce would do just fine as well, I believe.

This recipe makes either one normal sized loaf or one small loaf and a few muffins. The muffins would require sightly less baking time and they are great for freezing and grabbing as an on-the-go breakfast.

(Note in the photo below the slice looks very moist, but only because impatient me couldn’t wait for the bread to cool completely before I sliced into it…what else is new?)

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Almond and Pear Quickbread

  • 3/4 cup flaked almonds
  • 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 3/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 medium sized eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup pear sauce

Preheat your oven to 190 C. Put the flaked almonds on a baking paper lined tray and ‘roast’ them in the oven for a few minutes until hey turn slightly brown. Put them aside and let them cool.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, spices, and sugar and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well, then add the vanilla and the pear sauce. Finally stir in the flaked almonds.

Bake in a well greased or paper lined loaf pan for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

The Anzac Biscuit

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Depending on where you come from a biscuit is a scone, or a cookie is a biscuit. The  biscuit we’re dealing with here is of the cookie variety. Anzac biscuits were made by the wives of soldiers in war and sent to their husbands overseas because these biscuits would not spoil easily. That’s so lovely isn’t it?

While it is totally acceptable to eat Anzacs on any given day, preferably for breakfast with a cup of tea if you’re like me, they are most commonly made for Anzac Day (makes sense..duhh). Wikipedia tells us that “Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, originally commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I.” We’re learning stuffs here!!!

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Not only does the Anzac biscuit have a long history, it also tastes pretty damn good. The ingredients? Super simple. I bet you 17 donuts that you already have all the ingredients in your pantry. They might not win a cookie beauty contest, let’s say every biscuit is very unique looking, but I promise their golden colour, their crunchiness and their coconutty sweetness will win you over.

Anzac biscuits

makes 20-25 depending on size

(from the Edmunds Cookery Book)

  • 1/2 cup standard plain flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup coconut
  • 3/4 cup rolled oats
  • 50g (unsalted) butter
  • 1 tbsp golden syrup (I have experimented with honey and maple syrup, both work well too)
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp boiling water

- Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix together the flour, sugar, coconut and rolled oats. Melt butter and golden syrup. Dissolve baking soda in the boiling water and add to butter and golden syrup. Stir butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Place level tablespoons of mixture onto greased trays. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden.

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After the Lamingtons these are the second Aussie treat I have given a try and they turned out wonderfully! Biscuits are so forgiving, as you can see from the uneven goldenness on my Anzacs you don’t have to have the best oven for this kind of baking. They keep really well for several days (maybe even weeks?? I don’t know…they never survive this long in my presence) and are best enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee.

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