Browsing Archive: November, 2010

Frances makes Ginny's pumpkin pie and adds kumara

Posted by Bake Club on Tuesday, November 30, 2010, In : desserts

Hard not to be impressed by the deep, malty colours of Ginny's pumpkin pie (see below). So when I just happened to have some leftover roast pumpkin and orange kumara I decided to make a gluten-free version.
I followed Ginny's recipe and used cream instead of evaporated milk. I also made g-f pastry for the first time with butter and a g-f flour mix. I blind baked the pastry shell for about 15 mins. It turned out a bit too buttery and crumbles easily but still nice. I think the kumara and pumpki...
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Coconut macaroons by Ginny

Posted by Bake Club on Tuesday, November 30, 2010, In : small cakes

The ever resourceful Ginny made these with the leftover egg whites from her pumpkin pie (see below).
She says: 'Easiest thing ever, and oh so delicious. Sometimes I put melted chocolate (dark), this time I couldn't be bothered. Either is good.'

2 cups coconut
2 egg whites
1/3 cup caster sugar

heat oven to 180C
mix ingredients together
put into 2-3 tsp-sized mounds on a sheet of paper
bake for 10-12 minutes (til they're a bit golden)
remove from oven.
cool.
eat.

recipe from Donna Hay Modern Classics 2

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Three tiers of lemon and strawberry cupcakes by Mama Chan

Posted by Bake Club on Monday, November 29, 2010, In : small cakes

This recipe used lemon curd to make butterfly cupcakes but Mama Chan just used strawberries in season and whipped cream.

125g soft butter, chopped
1 tsp grated lemon rind
¾ c caster sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ c self-raising flour
½ c milk

Line 24 patty pan trays with paper patty cases. Mama Chan got some real cute ones with animals from the $3 Japan shop in Queen St.
Combine butter, rind, sugar, eggs, flour and milk and beat with electric mixer.
Divide mixture among the patty...

Baked apples deluxe by Frances

Posted by Bake Club on Wednesday, November 24, 2010, In : desserts

Don’t get me wrong – I’ve got nothing against Annabel Langbein’s recipes as featured on her TV programme The Free Range Cook. I just wish this obviously bright and successful woman could add a few more adjectives to her vocabulary! Her superfluous gushing of ‘so good’, ‘so delicious’, ‘so easy’ and ‘so yum’ send me into a groaning fit. On the other side of the culinary coin, Nigella finds ways to promote food porn unlike any other TV chef: everythin...

Ginny's pumpin' pumpkin pie

Posted by Bake Club on Tuesday, November 23, 2010, In : desserts

This looks like a beauty, Ginny - dark, smooth and most certainly tasty.

Ingredients

2 cups of pumpkin pulp purée from a sugar pumpkin* or from canned pumpkin purée
1 1/2 cup heavy cream or 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs plus the yolk of a third egg
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon of lemon zes...

Mama Chan's curry puffs

Posted by Bake Club on Tuesday, November 23, 2010, In : savoury

Filling:
1 potato, grated
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, finely diced
2 spring onions, chopped
10 water chestnuts, chopped
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
pinch of sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp dry sherry
1 tsp curry paste or laksa paste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs curry powder

Pastry:
2 c flour
450g cold butter, grated
½ c milk to bind

OR use bought puff pastry, it’s still good

Mix together flour, butter and milk, knead to a dough. Divi...

Frances satisfies craving for gingernuts

Posted by Bake Club on Friday, November 19, 2010, In : cookies

Contentment is: blogging on Bake Club while dunking homemade gingernuts into a big mug of peppermint tea. Don’t they look cute in my kilt-shaped biscuit tin?! I feel like a decidedly flat-chested Asian version of Nigella Dawson tapping away at my laptop, extolling the virtues of homebaking with a smug look on my face.

But there is a genuine reason for my domestic bliss – our oven has finally been fixed, six months after moving into our house! I have been surviving with ...

Banana bran muffins with blueberries by Ginny

Posted by Bake Club on Friday, November 19, 2010, In : small cakes

I had some bananas that needed to be cooked with. These sounded healthy and they were surprisingly moreish and delicious. I could have eaten about 6 in one go.

1.5 cups bran
0.75 cup boiling water
0.25 cup brown sugar
0.75 cup plain yogurt
1 egg, beaten
0.25 cup oil
2 bananas, mashed
1.25 cups flour
1.5 tsp baking soda
(approx 1 c frozen blueberries)

makes 12 'standard' muffins... grease a muffin tin
oven to 190C
mix bran with boiling water and leave to cool.
add yogurt, egg, oil and banana to br...
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Ginny makes perfect Portuguese tarts

Posted by Bake Club on Friday, November 19, 2010, In : small cakes

Ginny admits: "I just used a bought puff pastry which is cheating, but hey, who as the time... it was still nice. and I only made half the filling. left over as custard it was really good! nice and lemony..."

filling:
2 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cornflour
4 egg yolks
1/2c caster sugar
2 strips of lemon rind (thick)

whisk 1/4 c milk, flours and egg yolks until smooth
combine sugar, lemon rind and 1/4 c of water in a pan and sir over low heat til sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil....
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Focaccia by Birg

Posted by Bake Club on Friday, November 19, 2010, In : bread

Another treat Birg brought into the office to share.

2 tsp dry yeast (specifically for handmade breads, not bread machines)

1 tsp sugar

and dissolve in 1/3 cup of lukewarm water for 15 minutes til frothy

mix in 2 cups of white bread flour, i also use 2 tblsp of a gluten mix from healtheries (not sure what its called)

and 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup cold water to get a doughy consistency (just add a little of each as you go, you may need more).

then knead for 5 minutes til soft and smooth and put ba...

Gorgeous gourgère by Mama Chan

Posted by Bake Club on Friday, November 19, 2010, In : big cakes

Like a giant cream puff donut, this ring measured more than 30 cm in diameter - bigger than an LP!

1 c water
75 g butter
150 g flour
1 dessertspoon sugar
4 eggs

Bring butter and water to the boil, add flour and beat until the mixture leaves the sides of the saucepan. Remove from heat, add sugar, then beat in eggs one at a time. Make into a wreath shaped on a greased tray. Bake at 200 C for 30 mins.
Slit ring in half while hot. When cool, fill with whipped cream with a bit of rum and freshly sliced f...
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Ginny's olive bread

Posted by Bake Club on Tuesday, November 9, 2010, In : bread

Ginny writes: "This is from 'My Bread' - by Jim Lahey, founder of Sullivan St Bakery in Manhattan, which makes the most incredible olive bread. Bakery is a bit of a mission, but worth a trip if you're in NYC. Go hungry.
He claims a revolutionary method. There's no kneading, and it rises for about 18 hours. It's very simple, but there are lots of steps.
Here's one I made. This loaf was nice and moist, not quite as delightful as his."

3 cups (4...

Mama Chan's carrot cake

Posted by Bake Club on Tuesday, November 9, 2010, In : big cakes

Carrot cake ain't carrot cake without cream cheese icing!

2 eggs
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 oil
1 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/2 c grated carrots

For icing, mix together:
100g cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 c icing sugar
enough lemon juice to taste

Beat eggs and sugar until creamy. Add oil, then fold in dry ingredients. Pour into greased ring tin or loaf tin. Bake at 150C for 3/4 hour.
Wait till cool to sp...
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Frances takes the easy road and makes gluten-free cookies from a packet

Posted by Bake Club on Tuesday, November 9, 2010, In : cookies

These cookies using Sway's GF cookie mix are quick to make - just add some oil and an egg to the premixed organic ingredients and Robert is your father's brother. The packet made 17 little chocolate chip cookies. I tried it out because it was on special for $6.50. Not a cheap afternoon tea, considering you can get a packet of GF gingernuts for under 5 bucks, but you get a kick out of shaping the mixture and baking it yourself.