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ESSIE'S RECIPES
Desserts

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"Comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love."

The Song of Solomon 2:4

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Even Nanette's fabulous Pavlova couldn't get Ninian's attention. He only had eyes for Mary!
( From South To Forget )

Nanette's Show-Off Pavlova

Recipe # 1 The American version

Ingredients:
6 egg whites
9 Tbsp. boiling water
3 cups sugar
3 tsp. white vinegar (not cider)
3 tsp. cornstarch
whipping cream
kiwi fruit, blueberries, etc.

Procedure:
Put egg whites, sugar, vinegar, cornstarch and water in large bowl (water last).
Mix with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
Take out large pizza pan; cut two pieces of brown paper just larger than pan.
Dampen one piece of paper; shake off excess water. Place wet paper on pizza pan, placing dry paper directly over it. Pour meringue mixture onto pan. Smooth to within 2 inches of edge.
Bake at 350 (center rack) about 1 hour until evenly done. Remove from oven. Carefully peel off paper. Cool.
Put whipped cream and any fruit on it.

Recipe courtesy of Kathy. Thank you, Kathy!

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Recipe # 2 The Australian version

"Pavlova is actually an Aus recipe, created in the early 1900's when Anna Pavlova, the Russian ballerina, danced here and so inspired the people with the lightness of her dancing that a dessert was created in her honour."

Ingredients:
3 egg whites ( eggs a few days old are best )
a pinch of salt
1 cup of castor sugar ( powdered sugar )( very finely ground sugar )
1 Tbsp. of cornflour ( cornstarch )
1 Tsp. of lemon juice
whipping cream
fruit for topping ( sliced fresh fruit or well-drained canned fruit or whole berries )

Procedure:
Whip up the egg whites with the salt till they form soft peaks.
Gradually add 3/4 cup of the sugar, 1 tbsp. at a time,
while beating, until all is dissolved, before adding the next spoonful(test by rubbing a little between your fingers).
Lightly fold in the rest of the sugar mixed together with the cornflour and lemon juice.
Form the pav by spooning it into a circle(about 2 in. high) on a tray thickly sprinkled with sifted cornflour where the pav is to go.
Place in a low position in the oven.
Bake at 250 degrees for gas for 1 hour or 300 degrees for electric until dry to the touch.
Turn off the oven and leave the pav in with the door ajar until it has completely cooled. This dries it out and makes it crisp on the outside while the inside is soft and marshmallowy.
If you cannot spend the time on cooling it like that, then allow a little longer baking time, remove from oven, cool completely on a tray.
Loosen with a spatula or knife blade kept flat on the tray. Do not try to lever it up or it will break.
Just before serving, spread a generous layer of the whipped cream over the top and decorate with the fruit.
This is a classic pavlova recipe and is usually served sliced in big wedges.
As this is a festive dessert it is lovely to try exotic fruit combinations e.g.
- Spread passionfruit pulp over it and make a pattern on that with banana slices ( dipped in lemon juice to prevent the fruit turning brown ) interspersed with small slices of mango.
- Kiwi fruit sliced crosswise and small whole strawberries.

Recipe courtesy of Joyce. Thank you, Joyce!

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Marty had to improvise a meal on her first day on the job at Joy and Lennie's farm. But her special baked apples were delicious!
( from Bachelors Galore )

MARTY'S SPECIAL BAKED APPLES

"All millionaires love a baked apple."

Ronald Firbank, novelist ( 1886 - 1926 )

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dates; chopped
1/2 cup walnuts; chopped ( increase dates if you don't want nuts )
1/2 cup light brown sugar; packed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon and nutmeg
2 tbs. butter ( or margarine ); softened
4 Granny Smith apples ( or any good cooking apple that will hold it's shape )

Procedure:
In a small bowl combine well the dates, the walnuts, the brown sugar, spices, and the butter. Core the apples, making each opening large enough to hold 1/4 of the date mixture, peel the top third of each apple, and fill the cavities with the date mixture.
Arrange in a deep 2 1/2 quart baking dish so that they do not touch one another.
Bake at 400 degrees F. till soft, about 20 minutes.
Serve with cream.

The suggestion for this recipe came from Michael. Thank you, Michael!

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This cookie was popularized by WW1 care packages to soldiers of the Australian New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), since they could be made without eggs, and they kept well on the overseas voyage to Europe. The dough is very crumbly, but a small ice-cream scoop will enable you to form the biscuits quickly and in a uniform size and shape.

ANZAC BISCUITS

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup coconut ( desiccated )
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter ( or margarine )
2 tablespoons golden syrup
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup boiling water


Procedure:
Mix oats, flour, sugar and coconut.
Melt syrup and butter together in a saucepan.
Mix soda with boiling water and add to syrup/butter mixture. ( Be careful, if the butter is hot, it will bubble up considerably. )
Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Using a 1 1/2 inch ice-cream scoop, drop onto greased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
( Be sure to pack the scoop tightly so that the mixture doesn't crumble. )
Flatten cookies slightly with the palm of your hand.
Bake about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F., until golden brown and firm, but not hard.
Cool completely before storing.

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