Tabbouleh

This is filed under "Lebonese salad", and came from the 1970's. Once you have made one batch you will never buy tabbouleh again!

Lemon Delicious

I don't even have the method on the recipie card for this!  That is because I have made it so often that I could do it in my sleep.  My family loves this recipie, especially in winter when a warm pudding is needed.  

I think what they like is the crunchy top, the soft cake and then the lemony sauce underneath.  I always serve it hot with ice cream.

Whillie's Nice Biscuit Almond Dessert Cake

My friend, Whilomena White, makes this dessert often.  I finally got the recipie from her many years ago.  The secret is in the almond esscence, make sure you use a good one and taste as you go.  It's the perfect marriage of bitter almond and sweet, and perfect for a crowd.  The biscuits soften and turn into a cake.

You can  substitute Amaretto for the rum, but you need to  make this the day before and finish off on the day you want to use it.

I suspect it originally came from an Arnotts Nice Biscuit packet.

 

Original Creme Caramel

I dont know where this recipie originally came from, but it was back in the 70's, and I have used it ever since.  You can up the cream content if you like by substituting it for some of the milk.  This makes 4 small souffle - dish ramekins, or one large one.  

It is the perfect dinner party dish because it looks and tastes wonderful, and you make it the day before.  Making a really large one is a spectacular dessert for a crowd, simply double the recipie. 

Use a vanilla pod if you have one - it tastes much nicer, but if not use vanilla Extract never  Essence.
Another point to remember is not to over-heat the milk and cream, bring it just to the point where bubbles start to form at the sides of the pan.
Straining is important - otherwise you will not have a smooth custard.
Don't over whisk either - the aim is not to put air bubbles into the custard.

 

A note about the caramel - how dark (and bitter) you make it is up to you, personally I love it very dark, but most people make it similar to the one pictured.  The wonderful thing about this dessert is that it is a combination of the sweet, bitter caramel and smooth rich custard.

One step impossible pie

This is a quick and easy standby, when you have an unexpected visitor and nothing for dessert you can put this together from the fridge and pantry.  Cooks  in a jiffy and tastes good.  All the ingredients are blended, placed in a pie dish and baked.  Once done you will have a lovely pie with a crust at the bottom, custard in the centre and coconut on top.  Magic.

Sylvia Heard's famous choko pickles.

Seriously, mum was famous for these pickles.  When I was young we had a choko vine, so we used those, and I vividly remember helping dad by picking them up off the ground and putting the chokos into buckets.  As mum got older she moved and simply bought her chokos.   Dad used to help mum make many bottles of these pickles, and later in life he helped by chopping the vegetables in a blender for mum to then cook.

Mums maiden name was Heard, her married name Clark, but I decided to call them after her maiden name.  She used to give them to everyone we knew in the neighborhood, and be asked if she had any extra often.    Be warned they are addictive.

There is only 15 minutes of cooking time but the pickles are made over two days.  On the first day its cutting and soaking.  The next day is cooking, making the pickle mixture, combine and cook.  Then bottle.

The   measurements are exactly as she gave them to me.

Mum and dad, taken around 1950

Ron and Sylvia Clark.

Jenny's Passionfruit Cake

My friend Jenny makes this often when passionfruits are ripe on her vine.  It is a perfect cake for "bring a plate" if you have passion-fruit available.  It is best made in a ring tin - I don't know why, it just is!

Passhionfruit Cake 

 

Rating : Easy

 

 

In a mixer, mix :
125 g softened butter
2/3 cup castor sugar
2 (55g) eggs
2 cups self raising flour
Pulp of 3 passionfruit  (if there are lots of seeds I like to take some out)
a little milk to make a dropping consistency.

Place in a greased ring tin and bake at 180C until cooked.

Top with passionfruit icing, made with icing sugar mix, a tbls butter and the pulp (minus most of the seeds) of 2 passionfruit.

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