ANZAC biscuits...an appropriate baking experience.

Tomorrow is ANZAC day in Australia and New Zealand, so a more appropriate biscuit couldn't have been made. Having not grown up on these biscuits, they were a welcome and tasty discovery - along with Afghan biscuits, but that's a whole other set of ingredients ;)

I actually made the first batch of ANZAC biscuits a couple of weeks ago, I think I may have mentioned that over Easter. They didn't last longer than a day, BUT they were a deviation on the recipe. In my excitement I had forgotten a key ingredient - dessicated coconut - so I quickly sourced a recipe without coconut and kinda blended them. Home-baking at it's finest. The results were different. They tasted like a home-baked biscuit, and were actually quite nice and thin and chewy they way I like them, but they were something I had to get used to. This was the excuse I used to try at least 8 of them from the batch. In retrospect to these, I'd use a little more flour, and a little less butter as they spread quite a lot.

Here's the recipe I adapted:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
125g of butter
2 tbs golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160degC. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the oats and brown sugar.

2. Put the butter, golden syrup and tbs of water in a small saucepan (in the 2nd recipe I did this in the microwave). Stir over a medium heat until melted. Stir in the bicarb.

3. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.

4. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on the trays, about 5cm apart.

5. Press with a fork to flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. These were better cooked a little longer.

6. Set aside on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack so it cools completely.

So, yesterday. Yesterday was a grotty, wet day and it felt like baking was needed. There is something very homely about the rain pouring outside, biscuit mixture being mixed and the smell that wafts through the house as those babies cook to golden perfection in the oven. In fact, even as I'm sitting here reliving it in my mind for you, I wish I was at home in my kitchen whipping up biscuits and slow-cooked casserole, because the temperatures have plummeted and the heavens continue to open. Hopefully tomorrow will be much of the same and I can enjoy it cooking something delicious!

I had restocked the baking shelf after using up all the flour in last week's banana bread, and yes I had purchased the dessicated coconut to give the ANZAC biccies another go. The recipe that I'd originally got was off www.taste.com.au and had exceptional reviews, so I wanted to give it a try.

This is the original recipe, unmodified and it was a success! I think I'd use a little more butter the next time I make it because the mixture was a little dry, but not unworkable.

Ingredients:

1 cup (150g) plain flour
1 cup (90g) rolled oats
1 cup (85g) desiccated coconut
3/4 cup (155g) brown sugar
125g butter
2 TBS golden syrup
1 tsp bicarb of soda

(use either cup measures or weights with dry ingredients)

Method:
(as above)

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Sifter flour into large bowl. Stir in the oats, coconut and brown sugar.
2. Put the butter, golden syrup and 2 TBS water into a microwave proof bowl. Heat till melted (about 1min on a 1100W microwave). Stir till combined and melted. Stir in bicarb.
3. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and combine.
4. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on tray about 5cm apart and press with a fork to flatten slightly.
5. Cook for 10 mins or until golden brown (in my oven that was bang on 11mins :))
6. Set aside on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack so it cools completely.

Enjoy!! This one is definitely going into the recipe journal. And with thousands of little scraps of paper being jammed into the recipe journal, maybe writing them out will be a fun job to do on ANZAC Day.

After putting these into the oven yesterday, and making a cup of Chai and Vanilla tea, I decided that we've done enough baking for a little while and it's time to get the chef to pull something out of the hat. Any suggestions let me know, but I think some savoury culinary beauties must be on the cards for the upcoming posts, don't you?

There is nothing that can quite compare to the smell of fresh biscuits baking, but slow-cooked lamb shanks or a beautiful, made-from-scratch tagine maybe able to put in some competition!

I'll keep you posted!

xoxo

The Quiche Pastry debate...Part 2

I've actually been knocked down this week with a stomach bug. It took everything out of me, and by Monday I still wasn't eating much. But, chef extraordinaire was out at a meeting and some dinner needed to be made. I had to attempt to eat it, considering I hadn't had anything solid since a sandwich at lunch time - it's done wonders for my diet (there is a hint of sarcasm there as I'd rather not have had the bug!) Cue some comfort food and the perfect opportunity to road-test the next pastry recipe.

As I've said time and again, the love of a quiche has got to be in it's ease. The filling and pastry had to be easy again this time because I wasn't feeling up to the challenge.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup oil
2 TBSP milk
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups of flour
pinch of salt

Beat it all together. Sift your flour, add the pinch of salt, pop the oil and milk in a well in the flour and beat with electric beaters and it makes an easy, crumbly base.

This time I chopped up heaps of broccoli and a little ham (leave out for the veggies and this is an easy meal for many!) I had in the fridge. I'd also bought a little bag of pinenuts and slivered almonds and threw that across the broccoli. Egg mix and in the oven. Now I overcooked this one a little. That could explain why the base was extra crumbly and a little drier than I liked. Marty also reckons that because I used oil instead of butter that would also add to the dryness. Next time, I'll pay more attention to the quiche in the oven and less attention to the TV and we'll see if it helps.

So, how did this rate:

Ease - 9/10
Flavour - 6/10
Overall - 7/10

A definite second choice. I did love the filling though and it's leftovers for dinner tonight, so maybe when my appetite has returned I'll enjoy it even more.

Let me know your ratings and which was better. Part 3 will be along in the next few weeks, don't want to be over-quiched!

xoxo

The Quiche pastry debate...Part 1

There's nothing quite like a good quiche in the realm of comfort food is there? It's excellent and generally easy for dinner, lunch or for a group. You can make it for dinner and have it for leftovers - if it makes it that long, and the reverse is true, I often use up bits and pieces in the fridge to make up an eclectic type of quiche. There are definitely some ingredients I prefer over others, but generally I don't think you need to over think a quiche filling. What IS key to me is the right base.

There is a base I have or at least I remember growing up on. I think I've phoned my mom dozens of times to get the recipe because I keep writing it on a scrap of paper and throwing it away. I have an online food blog and a hard copy recipe journal, you'd think I'd store it somewhere. Anyway, on the last phone call she gave me 3 different recipes and I have stored these this time. But I couldn't remember which one it was I wanted. I think it is this one I'm going to tell you about today, and this is the one I made on the Roasted Figs evening.

Here's the recipe:
1 cup flour
115g butter
2 tsp sugar (omit for savoury dish)

You can melt the butter in the dish you're going to use, and add the flour to create the crumbly pastry. Add a pinch of salt. I actually like to add a little paprika to the mix too. Just for something different.
I tend to make the pastry in a separate bowl, but it's not necessary at all. The filling for this quiche was a classic favourite for me. Asparagus, bacon and onion.The bacon was cooked to crispy and the onions almost caramelised. I used 5 eggs in the filling, but I have used 6 eggs in the past - with milk - for a deep, dense quiche. I don't mind using that many eggs because for 2 of us a quiche often does 2 dinners and a lunch.

How did it rate?

Ease - 10/10
Flavour - 7/10
Overall - 8/10

I'd definitely use this again.

Part 2 coming soon!

xoxo