DUMPLING SOUP

Tonight I have prepared a dumpling tea( dinner.), I am old school ). I make my own dumplings ....but you can make this dish your own with store bought savoury dumplings.. I do not pass judgement as long as you are preparing , enjoying and sharing the meal. So let us presume you have your dumplings and they are in your freezer, ( so are mine ). I strarted the soup this morning with 1 litre of water in a pot , 1 packet of chicken noodle soup sprinkled over and added 1/2 of cabbage trimmed of thick veins and thinly sliced and trimmed baby carrots This was cooked over a medium heat and simmered until the cabbage was softened . Then I added 1/3 cup of soy sauce , 1/4 cup of golden syrup, 1/4 cup of lemon juice and a glug of hoisin sauce. A dsp of minced garlic was added along with tsp of minced ginger and stirred through. While the mixture was simmering I added a tbs of fennel seeds and 2 rounds of pappardelle pasta I turned the heat off and let the mixture rest . This whole process was over a period of the day . I added the prepared dumplings 30 minutes before serving and bought the mixture to a slow simmer and then served into bowls ... Delicious .

MELTING MOMENTS

Ingredients ......250gm of butter/ marg, 55gm of icing sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 200gm of s.r. flour, 70gm of custard powder. Ingredients for the filling .....60gm of butter/ marg, 60gm of icing sugar, 2 tbs of passionfruit pulp. Let's begin... preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line two baking trays with baking paper. In your electric mixer bowl, beat the sugar, butter and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients in 2 batches. Roll even tsp of the mixture into balls and place onto the prepared trays. Use a floured fork to press down lightly onto the balls. Refrigerate the ball lined trays for 15 minutes. Then place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the biscuits are firm. Allow to cool completely. While the bicuits are cooling ... let's prepare the filling. Simply beat together all the filling ingredients until well combined. When the biscuits are cold , spread one half of the biscuits with the filling and sandwich together with another biscuit. Repeat until all biscuits are joined . Finally sprinkle with icing sugar. So many memories, but this recipe never ages.

GLUTEN FREE DATE SCONES

Ingredients......320gm of gluten free flour, 3 tsp of baking powder, 1/4 tsp of salt, 120gm of margarine, 2 tbs of raw sugar, finely grated/ chopped zest of 1 orange, 1 vanilla bean scraped, 175ml of soy milk, 120gm of chopped dates (optional), extra soy milk for glazing. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. In a medium bowl , use your electric beater to cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Turn off the beater and use a a rounded table knife and add the orange zest , the vanilla seeds. Now add the combined flour and baking powder and milk alternatively, using the knife to cut through the ingredients and a dough is formed . Mix through the dates if using. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured bench and using your hands gently pull the dough into 1" thickness. Cut the scones into rounds, making sure not to twist the cutter. Place the scones on the prepared tray, brush with the extra milk to glaze. Bake for 7 minutes, then turn the scones over and bake for a further 7 minutes or until golden. Turn onto a wire rack to cool. Serve with your favourite jam.

THYME AND CHEDDAR BISCUITS

Ingredients.....250gm of softened butter/ marg, 250gm of grated parmesan cheese, 250gm of grated tasty cheese, 3 eggs( lightly beaten), 1 egg (lightly beaten) in a separate bowl. 315gm of plain flour, 1 dsp of cayenne pepper, dried thyme for sprinkling. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Place the butter/marg and cheeses into the bowl of your electric mixer and mix until well combined. Add the 3 lightly beaten eggs along with the combined flour and cayenne pepper and mix until a smooth dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of baking paper with another sheet on top. Now carefully roll out the dough 3/4" thick, use a biscuit cutter ( your choice of size) to cut out your biscuit. Place the shaped dough on baking trays and brush with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with thyme. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden . Remove from oven to cool and sprinkle with sea salt.

WALNUT BABUSHKA CAKE

Ingredients.......80gm butter/marg (softened), 180gm of castor sugar, 3 eggs(lightly beaten), 1 tbs vanilla extract, 65 ml of canola oil, 100gm of chopped walnuts, 250gm of s.r. flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, 2 tbs of honey, 65ml of sour cream, 1/2tsp of ground cloves. Ingredients for the syrup.....1 tbs of honey, juice of 1 lemon. Ingredients for icing / topping ......200gm of cream cheese, 180gm of icing sugar, juice of 1 lemon. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a 20cm round pan with baking paper. Beat together the butter/ marg and sugar until pale and fluffy. In a small bowl mix together the lightly beaten eggs, vanilla extract, oil and spice, then stir in the honey and sour cream, now incorporate this mixture into the butter and sugar mix. Add the mixed flour and baking powder whisking until smooth. Fold through the walnuts and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Now bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 160 deg C for a further 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the centre. Remove from the oven. To make the syrup ....mix together 1 tbs of honey with the juice of 1 lemon and pour the mixture over the top of the cake and leave it to cool in the tin. When completely cooled remove from pan. Meanwhile, beat together the cream cheese, lemon juice and icing sugar to prepare the topping. You have two options, you can spread the icing over the cooled cake or serve the icing spooned over slices when served. However you choose to serve ....the cake is delicious.

TERIYAKI FISH FILLETS

Ingredients.........4 x boneless white fish fillets 180-200gm each, 1 tbs of lemon juice, 1 bunch of bok choy( trimmed and separated). Teriyaki marinade .......1/2 cup of soy sauce, 2 tbs of soft brown sugar, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 2 tbs of white wine vinegar, 1 tsp of minced ginger, 2tbs of tomato sauce. Teriyaki sauce.....1/3 rd cup of your marinade, 80ml of water, 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes, 2 spring onions ( sliced). Heat your oven to 180 deg C. First make your marinade. Brush each fillet the marinade and place on a foil lined oven tray and drizzle each fillet with 1 tsp of lemon juice. Cover the fillets with aluminium foil and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Steam the bok choy until the leaves are bright green. Now make the teriyaki sauce,combine all the ingredients and any excess juice from the cooked fillets in a small saucepan , bring to a simmer and cook on low for 3 minutes. Divide the cooked bok choy between the serving plates , place the cooked fish fillets over top. Divide and pour the sauce over the fish fillet topped bok choy.

MUSELI AND BANANA MUFFINS

Ingredients.....300gm of s.r flour, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of ground mixed spice, 2 cups of museli( not toasted), 100gm of soft brown sugar, 2 ripe bananas (mashed), 125gm of butter/ marg ( softened), 2 eggs (lightly beaten), 2 tbs of honey, 175ml of milk. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Lightly grease 12x 1/2 cup muffin pans. Combine the flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, museli and sugar in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl mix together the the mashed bananas, softened butter/ marg, lightly beaten eggs, honey and milk. Stir ( do not beat) the banana mixture into the dry mixture until just combined.. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave the muffins to cool before turning out onto a wire rack, to cool completely.