The easiest choc tart ever!

 This is called a "hot chocolate tart" and I saw it on Adam Liaw's TV show and is an Elizabeth Hewson recipe..  It's so easy you could make it on holidays, you don't even have to melt the butter for the crust.

Special Occassion (like Xmas and Easter) Biscuits.

 This recipe is for biscuits that hold their shape and icing that sets hard!   Note: using PURE icing sugar not icing sugar mixture for this.

Sugar Biscuit Dough

Preheat over to 180C

Beat 125g soft butter and 110g caster sugar and 1 egg until JUST COMBINED (do not overbeat).

Add 225g Plain Flour and 1tsp vanilla bean paste.  

Beat until it just comes together, then kneed until smooth.

Cover with clingwrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out about 3mm thick and cut out shapes.

Bake in preheated oven, rotating positions of baking sheets halfway through, until cookies are light golden brown around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. 

Let cool on sheets 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Royal Icing

Whisk 1 egg white and 1teaspoon of lemon juce in electric mixer.

Slowly add 240g pure icing sugar, increase speed to high for 5-7 minutes until it is a thick paste.  Cover with clingwrap until it is being used.

Add colour as required and decorate biscuits as simply or complicated as you like.

Strawberry sponge roll - for 12

 I made this cake for a xmas gathering, and it was perfect, special but light.  You could serve it with a strawberry sauce to make it even more special.  the recipie originally came from one of Adam Liaw' weekend newspaper page, but I accidently made it a bit differently, and I ran out of plain flour, so I had to improvise.  Anyway my was is so easy anyone can do it.  So, apologies to Adam.

The cake serves 12 - 14, and if you do not have a large tin, just make 2 and squish them together.  The larger the strawberries are, the more impressive it is, but you could easily use raspberries or blackberries.  You do need a mixer for this, it is not a cake that can be whipped up by hand.  You do need to use the thickened cream that has gelatin in it to ensure the whole thing stays together, and you do need to roll it in cling film and chill it for at least 2 hours.  I made it the day before, which turned out perfectly.

You can decorate the cake with sliced strawberries or chocolate shards to make it even more special.

Chicken, Orange and Fennel.

When a husband says "We should have this again" you know its a winner!  This will become a family favourite, and so easy.  Thanks to the wonderful Nigella for the original.

French Madeleines

Someone coming over for afternoon tea?  This is a great recipe to have up your sleeve.  Make the batter up to 2 days before and bake for just 12 mins and they are ready and delicious!

Malaysian Chicken

This is really a recipe for Ayam Bakar Bekakak Chicken from Good Chef Bad Chef, but I use it as my go to Malaysian paste for chicken.

Gin and tonic in a cake.

Wow, I took a look on the net and there are lots of gin and tonic cake recipes.  This one is from the Home Beautiful of  May 2020 and makes 6-8 perfect cup cakes from just one egg!