Chocolate Eggplant Brownies, a Father's Day surprise package

Eggplant in Brownies, what next? When I saw this Brownie recipe including eggplant, and I had a large glossy black eggplant languishing in my fruit bowl which needed to be used,  my interest was piqued. This is the result. I seem to be including fruit and vegetables into the cakes, and desserts I make more and more these days, reducing calories, adding fibre, trying to stay healthy,  which also means I can still feel as if I'm indulging on a regular basis  without feeling guilty. Do you know what I mean? There is a plethora of Brownies recipes in circulation now, some including cooked beetroot, pears, or whatever your little heart desires really. I wanted to make Mr. HRK something nice for a Father's Day treat, as our children aren't in town, and Father's Day is a good excuse to make something special.

Moroccan Orange Blossom, Cardamon and Yoghurt Bundt Cake

 This is a special occasion Bundt cake combining aromatic cardamon and cinnamon, with orange blossom water and yoghurt, and some pomegranate seeds for glamour.It might sound fancy, but it's a cinch to make as no electric mixer is required for this recipe just a whisk, a mixing spoon, a large bowl and a Bundt cake tin. 

A Simple Curry in a Hurry: Chicken Tikka Masala with Minty Yoghurt Raita

Just when we think Winter has gone for another year, another cold snap surprises us, and believe me, in the Tropics a minimum of 4 degrees has us snuggling, reaching for comfort food, and dreaming of a curry. Curries though can be high calorie, and at my stage of life I need to watch the calories in between celebrations.  This curry is a low calorie one, taken and adapted from Dr. Michael Mosley's suite of low calorie recipes, apparently this one only serves up 427 calories, not too bad eh? If you are not watching your calorie intake though, just add lots of different condiments and plenty of rice, because my friends  this curry isn't lacking in flavour or appeal in anyway. We are growing fresh ginger, chillies, mint and silverbeet, perfect for this meal,  so I have harvested these fresh from my garden for this recipe. And if you make your own yoghurt, use it in this dish and the raita, it will be perfect.

Orange Yoghurt Cake, Simply Sweet

Do you feel like whipping up a delicious cake for afternoon tea today, after all it is Sunday. I always feel that if there is any day you can justify indulging in morning or afternoon tea with cake, it's today. This is a traditional kind of cake, but with the addition of yoghurt and beaten egg whites, and topped off with delicious orange flavoured icing and grated orange zest. With all of the citrus around, and oranges in my fruit bowl, my choice of cake had to be orange. The yoghurt and egg whites give this cake a very light but firm texture and it will keep fresh in your cake tin for a few days, if you can hide it that is. In my house, cake never lasts long, but it's really nice to know it is there to offer our friends who might just call in for a cuppa.




I know I just said that Sunday is a perfect day for cake for afternoon tea, however I made this cake for last Tuesday afternoon when our weekly Mahjong "tournament" was being held at my place. We take turns in each others homes. So Chris, Marj, Jill, and Lou all arrived for Mahjong, we played a couple of games and then Mr. HRK my resident barista did his thing and made us all perfect flat white espresso coffees, with a little coffee art added as well, which went beautifully with the orange cake. Nobody wants tea when he makes coffee. Neil roasts the imported coffee beans himself at least once every week, and then using our Rancilio coffee machine, he  makes a very nice coffee. However he does say that it is really the Italian Coffee Grinder that makes the difference. I am very lucky, as each morning I am treated to a great coffee here at home. We rarely go out just for coffee here in Mackay, unless I occasionally meet a friend for a catchup. It certainly saves a lot of money and honestly I think that there are a lot of coffee shops around now serving very average coffee. Do you go out for coffee much my friends, or do you prefer to have it at home as well?




Orange Cake recipe

Ingredients:

125 g butter
1 good tablespoon grated orange rind
1 cup castor sugar
3 eggs, separated
2 cups self raising flour
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup plain yoghurt

ORANGE ICING

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
30g softened butter
2 tablespoons orange juice, or a little more if needed

 Let's cook:

Grease a 14cm x 21cm loaf pan, line the base and the sides with baking paper. Grease the paper well.

Cream the butter, the orange rind and the sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. ( I have a small portable mixer just for this kind of job. My kitchen aid bowl is too large to mix this quantity. )

Beat in the egg yolks one at a time.

Meanwhile mix together the orange juice and the yoghurt in a separate small bowl.

Transfer the butter, sugar and egg mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in by hand half the sifted flour and half the orange juice and yoghurt which you have mixed together. Stir in the remaining flour and yoghurt mixture.

Beat the egg whites in a clean and dry small bowl until soft peaks form. This won't take long at all at a high speed. Fold lightly into the cake mixture in two lots.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin.

Bake in a slow oven (150 deg. C.) or (300 deg F.) for 75 minutes, and test it with a skewer to see if it is cooked.

Stand for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool. Spread the cold cake with icing.




Orange icing:

Combine the sifted icing sugar and butter in a medium sized bowl. Stir in enough juice to mix the icing to a spreadable consistency. If it is too moist, add a little more icing sugar until it is a spreadable consistency. Remember the cake must be cold before you spread the icing onto it or it will all slide off.





Have a great Sunday wherever you are.

Best wishes,

Pauline

xxx

Roasted Cauliflower, Lentil and Pomegranate Salad

The humble but oh so versatile Cauliflower is in abundance at the moment and very reasonably priced,  and should be the star of the show in this salad. However, the pink pomegranate jewels are definitely trying to steal the limelight, but it's not a competition really. I was so taken with the perfect looking and reasonably priced caulis at the markets that two found their way into my basket, and that is how this recipe evolved. I roast cauliflower all of the time now with just a little olive oil, it is a very easy way of cooking that accentuates all of the wonderful flavours, and that forms the basis of this salad.

Rustic Blueberry and Coconut Scone - International Scone Week 2019 - #ISW2019

I have just been reminded about International Scone Week from Tandy, who writes the wonderful Lavender and Lime blog.  ( Anyone can become part of #ISW, just go to Tandy's blog for information.) So my creative juices started flowing and I remembered this fruity scone recipe I had been wanting to try. Sometimes a wholesome, fruity and delicious scone is just what is required to have with a cuppa, a comforting reminder of a bygone era, except that blueberries weren't as readily available back then as they are now. Most people I know have a favourite scone recipe which they can create at a moment's notice when time is at a premium. Mine is my reliable Damper Scone recipe, very Aussie.

Rhubarb Fool with Crunchy Granola topping

This is an Australian version of Rhubarb Fool, and might I say a healthier recipe for this traditional British dessert. It also works well for breakfast, if you like yoghurt and fruit style breakfasts, even though rhubarb is technically a vegetable often served as a dessert. It is a simple dish to bring to the table, combining honey with the bright, tart flavour of rhubarb, and layering the rhubarb compote with yoghurt, or even thickened cream if you wish. The nutty granola topping exceeded  my expectations and has the wow factor, and is also great to snack on. Rhubarb is in season at the moment, so it is an economical buy and easily found at the supermarkets or Farmers Markets. It doesn't grow well where I live because of the mild Winters and humidity once Spring arrives, so I try to track down a supplier which sources well from down south.  However in cooler Australian climates and the Northern Hemisphere where you are spoilt for choice, good quality rhubarb will cook up beautifully. This is a cinch to make and a dream to eat.

When I saw the very talented Paul West, demonstrate this dish on the ABC lifestyle program Gardening Australia, I was fascinated as we have spent quite a lot of time in England over the years, but I have never been offered Rhubarb Fool to eat although I had heard of it. The Fool originated in England in the 15th or 16th century, so it's a classic. By now there are many interpretations out there of how it can be served. I like to eat elements of a dish separately, and then if I want to mix them together I can. Many of the recipes combine the rhubarb and cream or yoghurt together in the serving dish and that could be easier I suppose, but I like to be able to identify the individual flavours. How about you my friends, do you prefer to have them mixed together or served separately, and have you ever eaten Rhubarb Fool before? Is it too much of a pun to say that any fool can make this dish?

This recipe can also easily suit gluten free diets.

Let's cook:

Ingredients:

Serves 4

6 rhubarb stems or a small bunch, leaves removed and base trimmed, chopped into 5 cm lengths
1/4 cup lemon juice (Half a medium sized lemon, half an orange will also work)
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons local Australian honey ( or your local overseas honey)
2 tablespoons Natural yoghurt or thickened cream (A ratio of 3:1 - yoghurt and thickened cream is delicious and still on the healthy side.)
1 tablespoon finely chopped Stem Ginger in Syrup (If you are passionate about ginger like I am, you can also add some interest and heat by adding some finely chopped and drained stem ginger in syrup to the rhubarb or through the yoghurt, about 1 tablespoon, more if you like it hot)  I love to make my own Stem Ginger in Syrup and here is the link to my recipe. LINK

Method:

Place the chopped rhubarb pieces into a cold fry pan, and arrange in one layer
Add the water and lemon juice to the rhubarb
Drizzle the honey over the rhubarb
Heat the fry pan to a medium heat, and cook the mixture for about 5 minutes, or until the rhubarb is softened but still holding it's shape
Remove the rhubarb from the heat and allow to cool




Crunchy Granola recipe:

1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons local Australian honey ( or your local overseas honey)
1/4 cup flaked or slivered almonds
2 tablespoons pepitas or linseed
3/4 cup Macadamia nuts, roughly chopped (a must)

Method:

Place your pan on a low heat and add the coconut oil and the honey.
Add the flaked or slivered almonds, the pepitas, and the macadamias. Cook over a steady heat for 5 minutes to toast the nuts.

Allow to cool.

So delicious

To serve, place two tablespoons of yoghurt into a small glass or bowl, and top with one generous tablespoon of rhubarb and a little extra syrup. Finish with one tablespoon of granola. I made this for the two of us and there were plenty of leftovers for the next two nights.

Presentation:

• Doll it up at the end with a couple of mint leaves, or something pretty and edible. If you decide to go without the granola, traditionally it can also be served with a shortbread biscuit, just for something sweet and crunchy.

Best wishes, 

Pauline