opal light & easy boiled fruit cake
500g mixed fruit
¾ cup soft brown sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
½ cup water
125g butter or marg
½ cup sherry
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbls marmalade
1 cup SR flour
1 cup plain flour
½ tsp bicarb soda

TOPPING (optional)
1/3 cup toasted muesli
Chopped walnuts & cherries to decorate

Preheat oven to 150C.

1.    Place mixed fruit, sugar, spice, water and butter in large saucepan & bring to boil. Simmer gently for 3 min, then remove & allow to cool.
2.    Add the sherry, eggs & marmalade. Fold in the sifted flours & soda, mixing well.
3.    Place mixture in greased, lined 20 cm round cake tin.
4.    Bake in a slow oven for 1 – 1 ¼ hrs or till cooked when tested (cover loosely with sheet of foil or brown paper if top of cake is over browning during cooking).
5.    If putting a topping on top, sprinkle over the muesli fruit combo to decorate before baking.

(with coffee – Bridges August week 2011)

OPAL CHAR SUI PORK

1 Pork fillet

MARINADE
5 Tablespoons light soya sauce
3 Tablespoons dark soya sauce
5 Tablespoons runny honey
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon five spice powder
½ glass Chinese rice wine (or sherry)
3 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce
1 thumb-size piece of crushed ginger
4 fat cloves crushed garlic

GLAZE
2 Tablespoons runny honey
1 Tablespoon dark soya sauce
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and warm in a saucepan till sugar dissolved. Pour over the pork and leave for at least 8 hours in fridge.

To cook the Char Sui, heat oven to 210 C and place meat, basted with some of marinade, on a rack over a roasting pan with a couple of centimetres of water in it. Roast for 20 min, then baste again on both sides, turn meat over and reduce heat to 180 C. Roast for another 10 min, then baste and turn again, and roast for a final 10 min.

Transfer meat to a plate, empty pan of water and line with foil. Place meat and rack in pan, brush liberally with glaze and put under grill for about 5 min, till glaze is glossy and starting to catch at edge. Turn meat, glaze again, grill till also glossy and starting to caramelise.

Plate up in slices on bed of rice and chinese vegs.

(OPAL CLUB DINNER 2008)

OPAL ALMOND ORANGE POPPY SEED CAKE
2 large oranges
Water to cover
6 eggs
¾ cup caster sugar
200g (2cups) almond meal
1 tsp baking powder
3 tblsp plain flour (optional)
2 tblsp poppy seeds

Grease 23cm springform pan

Boil oranges in saucepan ½ – 1 hour till soft

Cut in half, remove pips & blend to smooth pulp

Beat eggs for 5 min till thick & creamy. Beat in sugar gradually

Fold in remaining ingredients

Bake 50 min in 200C oven

(CLUB WEEKEND DINNER 2009)

NICKYS OAT and RAISIN COOKIES
125g marg
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup SR flour
1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup raisins
raw sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 180C. Place marg, caster sugar, cinnamon, egg, milk and both flours into a food processor and process till soft and mixed. Put in bowl and stir thru oats and raisins. Place tablespoons on tray with baking paper. Sprinkle with raw sugar and bake 12 – 15 min or till golden brown. Cool. I get about 20.

NICKY’S BEETROOT RELISH
750 g fresh beetroot peeled and coarsely grated (I use grater attachment on food processor for less mess and stained hands)
1 onion chopped
400 g apple – peeled cored and chopped
410 ml white wine vinegar 1/2 cup (95 g) lightly packed brown sugar
2 Tbls lemon juice

Place all ingredients and 2 TEAS. salt in large pan and stir over low heat without boiling till sugar dissolved. Bring to boil, stir till beetroot and onion are tender and relish reduced and thickened.

Spoon immediately into clean, warm jars and seal.  TIP UPSIDE DOWN TILL COOLED which seals them!! Leave one month before opening.

BON APPETIT

NICKY’S OSSO BUCCO
1 large brown onion chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 medium carrots chopped
1.2 kg osso bucco
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
400g canned diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 garlic cloves crushed
3 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1. Place onion, celery, and carrot into bowl of 4.5 L slow cooker

2. Place 1/2 cup flour in plastic bag with Osso Bucco  and coat well, shaking off excess. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Cook meat in batches for 2-3 min till browned. Transfer to cooker.

3. Add wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves and thyme to pan and stir thru till hot and stir into cooker. Cover with lid.

4. Turn cooker to low. Cook for 5 – 6 hours or till meat starts to fall from the bone. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Any leftovers freeze really well. I get rid of the knuckles in the middle when cooked – takes up too much space!!

MAXS POTATO AND LEEK SOUP

Ingredients
2 large potatoes
4 bacon rashers
2 tablespoons oil (or butter)
1 small leek sliced
1 clove garlic crushed
2 ½ cups chicken stock (625mL)
1/3 cup cream
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon French mustard

Chop potatoes into I cm cubes.

Cut bacon into thin strips.

Heat ½ oil in pan and cook bacon until crisp – remove and drain.

Add rest of oil, add leek and garlic and cook until soft.

Add stock and ½ of cubed potatoes. Cook covered until tender. Blend until smooth; add rest of cubed potatoes and half bacon. Cook uncovered until potato is tender.

Stir in cream, milk, chives and mustard. Stir until heated through.

Serve sprinkled with remaining bacon.

GINGERBREAD XMAS TREES

Ingredients

60g (2oz) butter

2/3 cup golden syrup

1 ¾ cups plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon mixed spice

¼  teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon milk

2 tablespoons plain flour, extra

Icing

Egg white

1 ½ cups icing sugar

lemon juice

Procedure

Melt butter over low heat in a medium-sized saucepan, add golden syrup, bring to the boil, remove from heat; stand 10 minutes.

Add sifted dry ingredients and milk, stir with a wooden spoon until smooth, cover, stand at room temperature for 2 hours; mixture will become thicker during this time.

Turn mixture onto surface dusted with the extra flour, knead lightly, working in only enough of this flour until mixture loses its stickiness.

Roll out to a thickness of about 1 cm, cut shapes, form a uniform ball with the scraps, then roll again, cut more shapes. Repeat until all the dough has been used.

Place shapes on a lightly greased baking tray, leaving enough space between each shape for spreading.

Bake in a moderate oven for 8 – 10 minutes. Allow to cool on trays, then lift on to a wire rack to completely cool.

Sift icing sugar into a bowl, add egg-white, mix to a smooth paste by adding lemon juice to give a consistency for piping. Place into a piping bag and decorate the shapes. If adding other decorations, place onto piped icing immediately if they are to stick. Allow to dry at room temperature until the icing has set hard.

EFFIE’S TIRAMISU

2 egg yolks

50 gm sugar

200 gm Mascarpone

grated rind of half lemon   

grated rind of half orange

2 egg whites, beaten stiffly

150 gm finger biscuits

approx. 150 mL sweetened strong coffee

1-2 tablespoons coffee liquor or Cognac (or Rum)

chocolate powder, to sprinkle on top of dessert

Beat egg yolks and sugar till light and creamy.

Add Mascarpone, lemon and orange rind and beat until all is mixed well together.

Carefully fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Line the base of a gratin form, approx. 12 x 24 cm, with finger biscuits and pour half the coffee liquor, or Cognac flavoured coffee, carefully over the biscuits, and then spread with half the Mascarpone mixture. Cover the Mascarpone cream mixture with the second half of the biscuits and pour the rest of the coffee mixture carefully onto the biscuits.

Spread over the remainder of the Mascarpone mixture.

Should be left in fridge for at least 1 hour, and before serving sprinkle with chocolate powder. 

EFFIE’S CHOCOLATE ROULADE

6 eggs, separated into 2 bowls

6 oz (170 g) castor sugar (I use 5 oz –5 ½ oz;140-155g)

6 oz (170 g) chocolate, dark semi-sweet (Club)

3 ½ tablespoons water

Filling: 1 x 300 ml bottle of thickened cream

Oven pre-heat to 375^oF (190^oC) gas, 400^oF (205^oC) electric

Melt chocolate in a bowl with water. Stir until smooth. Beat egg whites till glossy and firm (I prefer the egg whites soft peak). Beat yolks with castor sugar till at ribbon stage, add melted chocolate and mix well with metal spoon. Add beaten whites and fold into yolk mixture. Pour mixture into Swiss roll tin, which has been lined with 2 thicknesses of greaseproof paper and brush with melted butter (I use” Gladbake” and skip the butter).

Place in the centre of the oven for approx 25-35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Turn out onto greaseproof paper scattered with icing sugar and trim all crusts off. Spread with whipped cream. Roll gently with the aide of the paper or tea towel. Sieve icing sugar over the top (don’t worry about the cracks, all roulades crack!)

Best made 8 hours before filling and rolling (this is not necessary as I have made it at the last minute and it is still OK) Can be made 2-3 days in advance.

Creamed roulade freezes well.