Fruit cake

Last night I was baking again for my special guy and decided to make a fruit cake to include in his parcel along with the gingerbread (see recipe above).  Instead of using the regular fruit I decided to go for things that are a bit different like turkish apricots, cranberries and figs.

The cake will last for 3 months……mainly due to the high alcohol content

700g (3 cups) sultanas
150g (1 cup) dried turkish apricots, roughly chopped
150g (1 cup) dried cranberries
150g (1 cup) dried figs, roughly chopped
150g (1 cup) pitted dates, finely chopped
185ml (3/4 cup) brandy or sherry
250g butter, at room temperature
200g (1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
4 eggs
300g (2 cups) plain flour
2 tsp mixed spice
Blanched almonds, to decorate
Red glace cherries, halved, to decorate
2 tbs brandy/sherry, extra

1. Combine in a large bowl and pour over brandy or sherry. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside, stirring occasionally, for 2 days to macerate.
2. Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C if fan forced). Line a round 22cm (base measurement) cake pan with baking paper.
3. Use an electric beater to beat butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well between each addition until just combined.
4. Add butter mixture to fruit mixture and stir to combine. Add flour and mixed spice and stir until well combined.
5. Spoon into prepared pan and smooth the surface. Lightly tap pan on benchtop to release any air bubbles. Arrange almonds and cherries on top of the cake.
6. Cover with foil, and bake for 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.   Remove foil for last 30 minutes to allow the cake to brown on top.  For my oven this was the 2 1/2 hour mark.
7. Drizzle hot cake with extra brandy. Set aside to cool before turning out.

Rice cooker oven roasted cherry tomato and basil risotto

Anyone who reads my blog knows of my love for risotto.  Tonight I made oven roasted cherry tomato and basil risotto.  It’s amazing what great flavours you can get from a few ingredients.  As always, I made my risotto in the rice cooker.  I can’t believe the number of people who are amazed you can do this.  It’s just so quick and easy.

1 rice cooker cup of arborio rice
1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
2 punnets of cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup of fresh basil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of butter
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 whole cloves of garlic peeled
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmasen

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees. Place the cherry tomatoes in a roasting pan and add a little olive oil (enough to coat), season with salt and cracked pepper and place the peeled garlic cloves in the dish. Cook for 20 minutes until soft. Be careful not to blacken them. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Turn on the rice cooker to cook mode (if you have a quick cook mode I suggest using this to fry the onions) and add the oil and butter and heat until the butter melts before adding the onion and garlic. Cook until onion becomes transparent. Add the arborio rice and cook for a couple of minutes until it becomes semi translucent. Add the stock and turn your rice cooker down to cook mode if you had it on quick cook earlier. Cook until liquid is almost absorbed. Add the roasted tomatoes and stir through, making sure you break the tomatoes in the process to release their juices. Then stir through the parmasen cheese and basil. Season to taste.

Spiced honey biscuits

More baking for my baby.  Today I made Spiced Honey biscuits to include in his care parcel, which I will be sending tomorrow.   This recipe is great and so easy to make, especially as it uses the food processor, which I must admit I use for almost all my baking now as it’s just so quick and easy.  These biscuits are quite strong on the ginger front, so if you are not a huge fan of ginger (like me) you can try halving the amount or you could omit it all together.

2 cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon mixed spice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 cup caster sugar
125g butter, chilled, cubed
1/2 cup honey
1 cup demerara sugar

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.  My oven is fan forced so I suggest 170°C if yours is too so you don’t burn the biscuits.
2. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and ginger into a food processor. Process for 30 seconds or until well combined. Add caster sugar. Pulse for 20 seconds. Add butter. Process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Heat honey in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm and runny (or microwave for 1 minute). With food processor running, pour warm honey down feed tube and process until a soft dough forms. Transfer to a bowl.
4. Place demerara sugar into a bowl. Roll dough into walnut-sized balls. Roll balls in sugar to coat. Place onto prepared trays (do not flatten), allowing room for spreading.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until biscuits are golden and tops are cracked. Stand on trays for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

White chocolate and macadamia biscuits

My weekly care parcels of baking that I send overseas to my boyfriend has had me scouring for new recipes, and as soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had to make these.  My boyfriend refers to these as ‘crack cookies’ as they are so addictive, and he’s right.  I guarantee you will find it difficult to stop at one.

Ingredients

250g butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups Plain Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
180g white chocolate, roughly chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 3 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugars and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Sift flour and baking powder over butter mixture. Add nuts and chocolate. Stir with a large metal spoon until well combined.
4. Drop heaped tablespoonfuls of mixture onto baking trays. Bake, 1 tray at a time, for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden and firm to the touch (not crisp). Repeat with remaining trays. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Why Tea is healthier than water

I came across this article on the BBC News website and thought it was interesting enough to share with others.  I am a big tea drinker, and it’s great to know that my drink of choice is providing me with a number of health benefits.  My tea of choice is green or white tea (such as Matcha or Buddha Tears) during the day and Oriental Tea House’s Relaxing Tea at night to help me sleep.

Tea healthier drink than water
Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers.

The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates.

Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found.

Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health.

Healthy cuppa
These polyphenol antioxidants are found in many foods and plants, including tea leaves, and have been shown to help prevent cell damage.

Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at published studies on the health effects of tea consumption.

They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack.

Some studies suggested tea consumption protected against cancer, although this effect was less clear-cut.

Other health benefits seen included protection against tooth plaque and potentially tooth decay, plus bone strengthening.

Dr Ruxton said: “Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it’s got two things going for it.”

Rehydrating
She said it was an urban myth that tea is dehydrating.

“Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid.

“Also, a cup of tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth,” she added.

There was no evidence that tea consumption was harmful to health. However, research suggests that tea can impair the body’s ability to absorb iron from food, meaning people at risk of anaemia should avoid drinking tea around mealtimes.

Dr Ruxton’s team found average tea consumption was just under three cups per day.

She said the increasing popularity of soft drinks meant many people were not drinking as much tea as before.

“Tea drinking is most common in older people, the 40 plus age range. In older people, tea sometimes made up about 70% of fluid intake so it is a really important contributor,” she said.

Claire Williamson of the British Nutrition Foundation said: “Studies in the laboratory have shown potential health benefits.

“The evidence in humans is not as strong and more studies need to be done. But there are definite potential health benefits from the polyphenols in terms of reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancers.

“In terms of fluid intake, we recommend 1.5-2 litres per day and that can include tea. Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink.”

The Tea Council provided funding for the work. Dr Ruxton stressed that the work was independent.