Oat Slice

This slice has become my go to afternoon snack. Over the Easter break we disappeared into the Australian outback to Carnarvon Gorge for a wonderful week of trekking and camping.  The smell of the trees and the fresh air and the colours in the gorge right on sunrise and sunset….the words to describe the kind of "beautiful" that exists in Australia….I seriously can't even deal. I get the most intense feeling of calm when I'm surrounded by all that nothing. Maybe one day I can just give it all up and escape to the bush……with my baking pans, mixer and carefully labelled ingredient containers….

Back to reality, this slice was the essential reenergising snack over my 30km walk through bush, rocks and dirt. I've made it an essential part of my afternoon, probably not so much for the reenergising factor but for the memories.

Oat Slice
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup brown sugar (or less depending on how sweet your fillings are)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda

Combine the oats, flour, coconut and sugar in a large bowl.

In a microwave safe bowl add the oil, water and golden syrup. Microwave on high for about 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and mix/whisk in baking soda. The mixture will fizz up.

Pour syrup mixture into dry ingredients and mix through any fillings. Spread into an baking tray and bake until golden brown on top.


Fillings
1/4 cup each of sultanas, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
6 dried figs diced & 1/8 cup sliced pecans
6 dates diced, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 cup sliced walnuts
1/8 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/8 cup sliced peanuts

Banana Oat Slice

I'm so in love with oats and bananas. This is delicious and freezes well for a midweek breakfast treat.

So lets talk about sugar. Are you aware of the extremist anti-sugar regime? Do you have an opinion about sugar? Apparently everything is loaded with it and it will kill us all. Then theres all this nonsense about not eating fruit. I just don't have enough facts and there are actually too many opinions on the internet and in overpriced books for me to formulate a well educated and unbiased opinion about sugar.

I would like to say that this slice has zero added sugar, as the only sweetness comes from those deliciously stinky smooshy overripe bananas that are sitting in your fruit bowl. I sure don't mind sweetening up my mornings with some oaty banana love and blueberries….and pure maple syrup….just a tiny bit won't hurt right?

Banana Oat Slice
makes 4 slices in a 1.5L baking tray 
150g-200g mashed over-ripe banana (I found this was about 2 small/medium)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Whisk the egg, milk, vanilla and then mix through the mashed banana. Add the oats, baking powder and baking soda and mix through. Let the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes then pour into an oven proof dish and bake at 180 for about 30 minutes.

Choc Drops

I think I wanted Jam Drops but this seemed much more Friday. After another long week, I'm almost hoping I can't go to work on Monday due to death by chocolate. As always there are more important things in life than wearing a two piece….like chocolate smothered in chocolate.

Choc Drops
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup plain flour
3 tablespoons caster sugar
100g butter
1 egg
Nutella or Nutino

Sift the cocoa powder and flour into a bowl, add sugar and mix to combine.

Chop the butter into small cubes and microwave on a low heat until melted, tip into the dry mixture and crack the egg over the top. Whisk the mixture until combined.

Roll small balls of the mixture in your hands then flatten and press your thumb into the centre to make an indent. Fill the indent with Nutella and bake in a 180 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Mashed Pea Fritters

A great money saver for us has been incorporating a vegetarian meal into our weekly meal plans. I'm always on the look out for vegetarian dinners that aren't totally pasta based but are also filling. These fritters tick all those boxes and are amazing served with salsa and sour cream.

Mashed Pea Fritters
2 cups frozen peas
2 eggs
100g crumbled feta
1 cup self-raising flour (or just less than a cup of wholewheat flour)
1/2 cup milk

Cook the peas in boiling water until bright green (3 to 5 minutes) then drain and cool.

Whisk the eggs then mix in the flour, milk and feta. Using a potato masher or hand held mixer, mash the peas until they form a chunky paste then add to the egg and flour mixture. This will form quite a thick batter, be mindful not to mix it too much or you will lose the texture of the peas and end up with green mush.

Spoon portions of the mixture into a medium heat frying pan (lightly sprayed with oil). Cook on both sides until golden brown and cooked through. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Upside Down Berry Crumble

It's the start of the new school year so, obviously, I am spending copious amounts of time preparing, planing, printing, laminating, goal setting, timetable making and searching for a new job.

Every year around this time I decide I need to renew my seek.com account and peruse endless university courses thinking, "What do I really want to be when I grow up?" Inevitably I decide I like my current job enough before I find my new one. In between this realisation, however, sweet food is my one true constant and comfort….that's bad huh.  Oh well, it's Sunday night and my sanity and happiness is found smothered in berries and cream. 

 Upside Down Berry Crumble - for two

100g mixed rasperries and blackberries (I used frozen)

1/2 teaspoon white sugar 

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup plain flour (if using wholewheat flour use just less than 1/4 cup as it tends to be drier)

25g butter, melted

a couple of chopped walnuts

Whipped, thickened cream for topping

Mix the berries and the white sugar until combined then pack the berries into ramekins.

For the crumble, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour and walnuts. Then add the butter bit by bit mixing after each addition to ensure the crumble does not become to wet. Pack the crumble on top of the berries and compact with a spoon (not super tight, but just so it forms a "topping" more than just a loose crumble)

Bake for 15minutes until crumble is browned, Allow to cool slightly then turn the ramekin upside down, tap the base and remove to reveal a perfectly formed berry crumble tower (or more likely, a partially collapsed berry crumble tower). Top with whipped cream. 

Be happy, things will surely get better. 

Lime Curd

It's that time of year again when the limes are ready to be picked and the little tree chopped back for the cooler months. Previously I have made things like Lime Chiffon Pie and Lime Meringue Pie and it was awesome but this year was time for something new. Enter Lime Curd. Where you been all my life?

Seriously.

How did I miss this?  It's straight forward to make, easy to store and you can put it on…..everything? It is full of tart sweet goodness.

Lime Curd
1/2 cup lime juice
125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
lime zest

Combine lime juice, butter and sugar in a bowl over gently simmering boiling water. Mix until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.

Whisk the eggs until frothy then slowly pour into the sugar and lime mixture.

Stir the mixture continuous and watch that it doesn't get too hot (or it will curdle). Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the mixture is thick.

Remove from the heat, stir through the lime zest and pour into a jar.

 Also Lime Curd Cheesecake will be happening soon.

Nostalgic Vanilla Slice

Vanilla Slice was my dad's favourite bakery treat. When I was in primary school, on Wednesday afternoon dad would come to pick me up and we would go to the bakery and get sausages rolls and vanilla slices and then go to the park.

Dad would always bring along my dog, Scampy, who was allowed to eat the pastry crumbs. The park had two big ponds that my dad said were craters made by meteorites….though on reflection I'm sure they were made by the City Council.

We would eat, then walk around the ponds and look at the ducks and water fowl and turtles. There were even eels in the pond. The ponds had a bridge between them and a gazebo nearby. Around the edge were huge bullrushes and in the centre of the pond there was a little island where ducks would lay their eggs. Scampy sometimes became over excited and chased the ducks. One day she even fell into the water. Wednesdays were always the best afternoons.

Lately I've been craving vanilla slice. I didn't realise how nostalgic this sweet bakery-style treat was until I had my first bite for dessert tonight.


Vanilla Slice with Passionfruit Icing
2 sheets puff pastry
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence (* or 1 vanilla bean)
1 cup corn flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 cups thickened cream
3 egg yolks
35grams butter, cubed

Slightly thaw the puff pastry sheets, line a baking tray with one piece of baking paper, place one puff pastry sheet on the paper. Place another piece of baking paper on top of the puff pastry sheet. Top the second piece of baking paper with the other slice of puff pastry. Top this puff pastry sheet with another sheet of baking paper (yep, that's 3 sheets of baking paper, 2 sheets of puff pastry!) Then on top of it all place another baking tray to weigh it all down. Put this layered ensemble into a 180 degree oven and allow to cook until the pastry is just puffed and lightly brown.

Combine 1/2 cup of milk and the vanilla essence (*if you have vanilla bean, at this point, in place of the essence, pour the milk into a small saucepan cut the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the milk then add the vanilla pod. Cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes, then discard the pod).

In a large saucepan combine the other 1/2 cup of milk, sugar and flour. Whisk until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla to the flour mixture and cook on medium heat on the stove.

Stir constantly and allow to simmer. The mixture will become very thick (it's kind of like scrambled eggs/béchamel). Remove from the heat when thickened. Mix in the egg yolks and butter.

While the mixture cools, assemble one of the cooked puff pastry sheets on the base of a deep dish (about the same size as the puff pastry sheet but cut to size if necessary). Top the puff pastry sheet with the egg mixture. Place the other puff pastry sheet on top and refrigerate.

Passionfruit Icing
2 tablespoons passionfruit pulp
1 cup icing sugar

Slowly add the passionfruit pulp to the icing sugar, stir after each addition until icing is spreadable and at desired consistency. Pour and spread icing over the top layer of puff pastry and refrigerate. If icing is too thick, add a little water or melted butter.