CUPPA ANYONE ? FRESH MINT TISANE

I have an acceptable selection of tea bags in the pantry , but not all contain tea .
There is only one plant whose leaves can be steeped in  boiling water to make real tea and that is Camellia sinensis .
Real tea comes in three types ,( depending on how the leaves are processed )
1. Unfermented ...Green
2. Semi fermented ....( Oolong )
3. Fermented .....(Black , which includes Assam , Ceylon , Darjeeling , Earl grey , English Breakfast , Keemun, and Souchong )
 Other tea bags for example , chamomile do not contain tea , but are known as herbal tea .
Herbal teas  contain a variety of leaves , herbs , flowers and flavourings that can be steeped in boiling water to make an infusion that is properly called a tisane ....

FRESH MINT TISANE
Wash a handful of freshly picked mint
Place in a warm glass teapot with an infuser
Add enough boiling water to more than cover the leaves .
Allow 5 minutes to steep
Pour into tea cups and sweeten to taste ( optional )
Inhale deeply before sipping ....ahhh !

 

MOCHA SOY PUDDING

This is a an easy fix, almost instant , no cook pudding that uses soy in the form of tofu with a double hit of caffeine using chocolate and coffee...
Place in the bowl of your processor 448gm of drained , firm tofu , 1/4 cup of soy milk or full cream milk, 2 tbs of coffee and chickory essence , 1 tsp of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt .
Blend for 30 seconds .
Now melt 168 gm of dark chocolate chips and add to the processor with the motor running .
Blend until smooth and creamy  , this can take a little time .
Chill for 1 hour or until ready to serve .
Serves 4

HELPFUL TIP
Silken tofu can be substituted for firm tofu .

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY CAROL CRADDOCK

You requested 2 cakes , a Dutch butter cake and a goodness cake .
Party theme .....Hippy dance party .
Happy birthday Carol , dance your night away.......

 

CHINESE NEW YEAR ...THE YEAR OF THE DOG

So there were simple seafood dumplings with chilli  and zucchini noodles for tea .

HAPPY NEW YEAR .....

 The year of the dog .........obedience , loyality and patience ...all the gifts of a dog .

PUMPKIN PIE

You will need 1 x butternut pumpkin weighing approximately 750gm , which needs to be peeled and then grated on the coarse blade of the grater to make 4 cups .
Place the grated pumpkin in a bowl along with 1 large onion peeled and grated .
1 dsp minced garlic
1 tsp of ground allspice
1dsp of ground cumin
1 and 1/2tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper .
Mix thoroughly , cover with cling wrap and allow to stand for 2 and 1/2 hours  ( stirring occasionally).
Next add 3 lightly beaten eggs to the pumpkin mix along with 2 cups of grated tasty cheese ( cover and set aside )
Preheat oven to 160 deg C
To make the pie pastry ,mix together 2 cups of plain flour  with 1 cup of whole meal plain flour and 1/4tsp of salt .
Now pour in 3/4 cup of rice bran oil and use your fingertips to mix through .
Add 1/2 cup of cold water and 1 dsp of  lemon juice , mix to a soft dough .
Knead a few times on a lightly floured bench , divide into 2 and shape each piece into a ball.
Roll out one piece of pastry and line a greased and breadcrumb sprinkled shallow 25 x 30 cm baking dish .
Moisten the edges of the pastry and spread pumpkin filling over
Roll out the other piece of pastry to make a lid and press firmly into place .
Trim excess pastry and dock the top of pie with a fork to allow steam to escape during cooking .
Brush pastry with milk .
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the pastry is browned .
Allow ocool for 10minutes before cutting into squares .
Can  be served hot or cold .

SAVOURY CHEESECAKE

BASE

Crush 125gm of plain savoury crackers in the processor and  add 125gm of softened marg /butter .
Mix well .
Press this mixture over the base and sides of a greased 23cm springform pan , that has been sprinkled with polenta or fine breadcrumbs .
Chill in refrigerator while you make the filling .

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C

FILLING

Beat 500gm of ricotta cheese using an electric mixer for  30 seconds .
Lightly beat 3 eggs together in a small bowl and gradually add the eggs to the ricotta cheese , beating well after each addition .
Stir in 1 can of evaporated milk  ( 375 gm )
1 tbs of lemon juice
1 dsp of minced garlic
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp - 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/2sp of ground nutmeg .
Now fold in 125gm of finely  chopped ham off the bone , bacon pieces or shaved ham .
4 spring onions finely sliced .
Spoon into biscuit crumb pastry .
Bake in a well preheated oven for 50 minutes .
Then turn off the heat and leave the savoury cheesecake in the oven without opening the oven door  for 30 minutes .
Remove from oven , cool  on wire rack in the pan and then place in refrigerator till completely set and carefully remove from pan .
Serve with a salad or pasta .
Great for lunches ..

CHOCOLATE APPLE PIE

 

PASTRY

Mix 1 cup of plain flour with 2 tbs of icing sugar .

Rub 100gm of margarine /butter in the flour .

Add 1 egg yolk and work together into a dough .

Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate .

 

Preheat your oven to 160 deg C

 

FILLING

Peel and core 6 apples and slice very thinly .

Using your electric beater beat together 75gm  marg/butter with 1/2 cup of castor sugar until smooth .

Add 1/2 cup of almond meal .

Lightly beat together 2 egg yolks and add these slowly to the mix.

In a small bowl , mix 1 tbs of plain flour and the grated peel of 1 orange together and add to the batter .

Now remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out to cover the base and sides of a 23cm springform pan , that has been sprayed with cooking oil and sprinkled with polenta or fine  breadcrumbs .

Melt 125gm of dark chocolate ( I used Lindt Excellence Dark Chilli .) and allow to cool slightly,

Stir the melted and cooled chocolate into the batter .
In a separate bowl beat the 2 egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold them gently into the batter .
Spread a little of the batter over the bottom of the pie crust
Layer 1/2 the sliced apples ( overlapping ) over the batter .
Spread 1/2 of the remaining batter over the apples and the rest of the apple slices on top .
Finish off with the remaining chocolate batter .
Bake in the middle of the oven for 60 minutes .