ALMOND FILLING

Ingredients:

500g almond meal
500g sugar
pkt vanilla sugar
3 eggs (if too dry add 1 more)
cap of almond essence (to taste)
1 bottle of 'Oetker' bitter Almond flavour
fresh lemon rind or cap of lemon juice

Mix together.


(Use Dutch Apple Cake Recipe to line patty cakes and put a spoonful of almond filling in. Cover and cook in a mod oven for 20 mins)

YOGHURT BERRY ICE POPS

INGREDIENTS:

400gr mixed fresh or frozen berries
200gr no-fat, no added sugar honey yoghurt
50gr white chocolate, roughly chopped (opt)

METHOD:

1. Put the berries, yoghurt and chocolate into a bowl and mix, crushing the berries slightly to release some of the colour into the yoghurt.
2. Divide the mixture into 8 x 1/2 cup ice block moulds.
3. Add the sticks and freeze until firm.
4. Rub a warm cloth over the outside of the mould and pull on stick to remove.

APPLE & SOUR CREAM SLICE

INGREDIENTS:

1 vanilla cake mix (home brand)
1 cup coconut
4 tbls melted butter

TOPPING:

450gr tin pie apples - sweeten to taste
300gr sour cream

METHOD:

Base:

Pour melted butter over cake mix and coconut and mix well.
Press into lamington tray.
Bake in preheated over 180C (375F) for 10 mins.

Topping:

Mix pie apples, sugar and sour cream together and pour on top of biscuit base.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake a further 20 minutes.

APPLE CRUMBLE CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

100gr unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teas vanilla
1 1/4 cup SR flour
1/3 cup milk
425gr can pie apple
2 tbs brown sugar
40gr unsalted butter
1/2 cup oats

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 180C.
Grease oven tray.
Beat sugar and butter till creamy.
Add egg, then vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Fold in flour and milk, until almost smooth.
Spoon mixture into tin and smooth surface.
Top with apple.
Melt butter and mix with brown sugar and oats.
Spoon over the top of the apple.
Bake for 45mins or until skewer comes out clean.
Serve with cream.

BANANA CARAMEL PIE

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST
1 1/4 cup Plain flour
2 tbs icing sugar
3/4 cup walnuts, ground
80gr butter, chopped
1/4 cup iced water

FILLING:
400gr condensed milk
30gr butter
1 tbs golden syrup
2 med bananas, sliced
1 cup cream, whipped
1/2 cup pure thick cream
2 med bananas, sliced extra
50gr dark chocolate, melted

METHOD:

CRUST
Sift flour and icing sugar into a large bowl.
Add walnuts and butter.
Rub butter into flour until fine and crumbly.
Add almost all the water, mix with a bread knife till a firm dough, add more water if needed.
Turn onto lightly floured surface, press together until smooth.
Roll out and ease into 23cm flan tin.
Cover with cling wrap and put in the fridge for 20 mins.

Preheat oven to 180C.
Cover pastry lined tin with a sheet of greaseproof paper and fill with dried beans or rice on top of paper.
Bake 15 mins, discard beans/rice and paper.
Return pastry to the over for 20 mins until lightly golden.
Set aside to cool completely.

FILLING:
Place condensed milk, butter and syrup in a small, heavy based pan.
Stir constantly over medium heat for 5 mins until it boils, thickens and turns a light caramel colour. Cool slightly.
Arrange sliced banana over pastry, pour caramel over. Smooth with the back of a spoon.
Refrigerate for 30mins.
Using a metal spoon, gently fold creams together.
Drop dollops over caramel, arrange slices of bananas on top.
Drizzle with melted chocolate.
May be refrigerated up to 1 hour before serving.
Brush lemon juice on bananas to prevent browning.

QUICK AND EASY PECAN PIE

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup pecans
25 Jatz biscuits
3 egg whites
1 cup caster sugar
Cream and extra pecans to decorate

METHOD:

Crush pecans and Jatz biscuits together.
Whip together egg whites and sugar to form firm peaks.
Then fold together all the ingredients.
Pour mix into a greased pie plate.
Bake 180C for 20mins exactly.
Decorate with cream and pecans.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS:

750gr white cooking chocolate
700gr cream (NOT whipped cream)
100ml water
Berries (optional)

METHOD:

Melt chocolate in a doublepan or a large bowl above a pot of simmering water.
When melted, add water and stir.
In a different bowl, whip cream to medium thickness.
When done and chocolate is cool, add a little bit of cream (3 spoons) and mix GENTLY until combined, then add the rest of the cream and berries, stirring GENTLY.

CHOCOLATE CRACKLE SLICE

INGREDIENTS:

3 Mars bars
3 cups Rice Bubbles
125gr butter

METHOD:

Melt Mars bars and butter together in a double saucepan.
Add Rice Bubbles and mix well.
Spread into a well greased 28 x 18cm tray or Swiss Roll tin.
Ice with chocolate icing or melted chocolate.
Sprinkle with coconut.
Cut into fingers.

COCONUT CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS:

CRUMB CRUST

200gr wheatmeal biscuits
1/2 cup toasted coconut
2 teas sugar
1 teas ground cinnamon
125 gr melted butter

FILLING

500gr cream cheese
2 3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 teas vanilla essence
1 teas ground cinnamon
extra 1/2 cup whipped cream

METHOD:

There is preparation time and overnight refrigeration to be noted.

To Make Crumb Crust
Crumb biscuits in food processer for 15 seconds or until finely crushed.
Add coconut, sugar, cinnamon and butter.
Process a further 15 seconds or until combined.
Press biscuit mix firmly into base and sides of 26cm spring form tin.
Use the base of a glass to smooth surface.
Put in fridge to chill while preparing the filling.

To Make Filling
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and creamy.
Gradually add condensed milk, lemon juice and essence.
Beat on medium speed for 5 mins or until smooth and increased in volume.
Pour mixture into prepared tin, smooth surface.
Sprinkle with extra cinnamon.
Leave in fridge overnight.
Decorate with piped whipped cream and seasonal fruits.

You may add a small amount of dissolved gelatine if you are nervous about the firmness of the cheesecake.

(Optional: you can use 450gr packet of chocolate biscuits and mix with the melted butter in place of the above crust)

CREPES

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups plain flour
2 tbls sugar
pinch salt
3 eggs beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
2 teas melted butter
1 teas vanilla or 1 tbls brandy

METHOD:

Sift flour, sugar and salt in bowl.
Combine eggs and milk then stir into dry ingredients till mix is a smooth batter.
Let it sit for 2 hours.

Use crepe cooker or pour onto a lightly greased hot frypan and swirl around to make a large thin crepe. Cook quickly and flip if necessary. Fill with fresh or cooked fruit, roll up or stack and dust with icing sugar, or pour over some custard, add some cream. Dress them up as you wish.
If you would rather a savoury crepe, leave out the sugar, vanilla or brandy. You can add a herb/spice to flavour them if you wish.

QUICK WHIP DESSERT

INGREDIENTS:

1 tin evaporated milk chilled
3 full teas gelatine
3/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1 large lemon

METHOD:

Dissolve gelatine in 1/2 cup boiling water.
Add lemon juice.
Beat milk then add sugar, then gelatine mixture.
Pour into serving bowl and refrigerate.

CREAMY PINEAPPLE

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup cream
1 cup pineapple pieces
1 cup pineapple juice
1 pkt vanilla instant pudding

METHOD:

Put the cream into a mixing bowl and stir in the pineapple juice.
Sprinkle in the pudding mix and beat until it is thick.
Gently fold in the pineapple pieces.
Chill in fridge until set.

BLACK FOREST CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS:

125gr butter
3/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 cup water
3 teas gelatine
300ml thickened cream
25gr pkt cream cheese
1 tbs lemon juice
425gr can pitted black cherries
250gr plain crushed chocolate biscuits

METHOD:

Combine crumbs and butter in a bowl.
Mix together and press over base and sides of a 20cm greased springform tin.
Refrigerate for 30mins.
Sprinkle gelatine over water in cup and stand in small pan of simmering water.
Stir until dissolved and then let it cool.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and juice in a small bowl with electric beaters until smmoth and creamy.
Transfer to large bowl.
Whip cream until soft peaks form and then fold into cheese mixture.
Fold in gelatine mixture.
Drain cherries and reserve 3/4 cup of syrup for topping.
Spoon one third of cheese mixture into crumb crust, top with half the cherries then continue layering, ending with cheese mixture.
Refrigerate several hours or until firm.

TOPPING:

1 tbls cornflour
1 tbls castor sugar
1 tbls dark rum (if desired)

Blend cornflour and sugar with reserved syrup in pan.
Stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens.
Stir in rum and cool for 10 mins before using.
Refrigerate until set.
Decorate with extra whipped cream and extra cherries or grated chocolate if desired.

IMPOSSIBLE PIE (SWEET)

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs
1/2 cup Plain Flour
1 cup sugar
2 teas vanilla
1/2 cup butter
2 cups milk
1 cup dessicated coconut

METHOD:

Blend all ingredients.
Pour mix into a 26cn greased pie plate.
Bake in a moderate oven (180 - 200C) for 1 hour or until centre is firm.
The flour settles to form a crust and the coconut forms a topping and in the middle is an egg custard filling.

CARAMEL TART

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST:

6 oz crushed sweet biscuits
4 oz melted butter

Mix together and press into greased pie plate and chill.

FILLING:

1/3 cup custard powder
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teas vanilla
2 oz butter

Mix the filling ingredients together in a saucepan.
Heat on stove and stir all the time until the mixture thickens.
Once thickened, pour into chilled pie plate and chill in the fridge.

Perfect with cream or ice cream.

DUTCH APPLE PIE

Preheat oven to 180C (350F)

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 cups Self Raising Flour
1 cup Plain Flour
1 cup Sugar
250gr (8oz) chilled butter
2 Eggs

Filling:

1 can Pie Apple
3 Granny Smith Apples
1 cup mixed fruit
1 teas vanilla sugar or essence
1 tabs sugar
1 teas cinnamon
1 can crushed pineapple (425gr)

Method:

Mix dough ingredients with chopped butter until it forms a ball. I put it all in my Kenwood Chef/Thermomix and let it knead until it all forms a ball around the beaters.

It will be a bit sticky and this is preferred.

I divide the dough into half. Each half I then cut into 2/3 and 1/3. This might sound confusing. What I mean is that the mixture makes two pies. So for each half, you need to put 1/3 aside to use as the topping for the pie. Have some flour on hand to dust hands and fingers if the dough is sticky. (You can also make some extra dough if you want to the pie to be a bit higher)

Grease each pie plate well and using your fingers, press the (2/3) dough into the bottom and sides of the plate. You can roll out the dough but you will need to do this between two sheets of cling wrap as the dough is too sticky for a rolling pin and by adding more flour changes the flavour of the dough.

Filling:

Put all filling ingredients into a bowl and lightly mix.

Put evenly into the two pie crusts.

(If you do not like pineapple, leave out and instead buy the bigger (825gr) can of pie apple and use that instead to make up the missing bulk of the pineapple. Also we tend to use either currants or sultanas instead of the mixed fruit as my kids are not keen on the mixed peel. This recipe came from the Dutch side of the family)


For the topping, you can either break pieces off the (1/3) dough off and roll between your hands and place in criss-cross fashion over the top of your pie. I just tend to break off small pieces, roll it into a ball and then press it out thin with my fingers into small circles and place around the top of the pie, a bit like a patchwork to enclose the whole top of the pie. Therefore if the pie is a little juicy, it does not spill out when you turn the pie out. (You can serve the pie in the pan. Also, use a springform pan helps with removing the pie)

You can brush milk over the top of the pies if you wish. I just sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.

Place in the oven for 30mins or until nicely golden.

Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or custard.

This is a family favourite!!!!