Recipes

Pre-heat oven to 180^oC. Use a damp cloth to wipe clean the outer skin of each mushroom.
Remove stem and place on greased baking tray. Fill each mushroom with 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of prepared pesto, and top with cube of fetta cheese. Bake in pre-heated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until fetta begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven, cover with aluminium foil for 2 minutes. Mushrooms will sweat and become soft. Remove foil. Sprinkle chopped basil to garnish. Serve warm.

Makes 15

Pre-heat oven to 180^oC. Grease two baking trays. Soak wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes.

In a small mixing bowl, combine coriander, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, chilli and sesame oil.
Add snapper pieces to bowl of marinade, toss gently to coat. Thread snapper pieces onto skewers. Place skewers on baking trays, bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Serve on top of cooked jasmine rice.

Serves 4

Pre-heat oven to 180^oC. Grease a 15cm x 15cm square baking dish.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 5cm cubes. Seed the red capsicums and cut into quarters. Place sweet potato and red capsicum pieces in a baking dish, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Remove from oven, wrap in foil and allow to cool.

Peel skins from cooled roasted red capsicum, and cut into 5cm x 3cm pieces. Slice sweet potato into 5mm thick slices.

Line the base of prepared baking dish with one layer of sweet potato pieces. Top with a layer of roasted capsicum. Carefully place 2-3 layers of baby spinach leaves on top of capsicum. Repeat until all vegetables used, and top layer is roasted red capsicum.

Beat eggs lightly in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Pour beaten eggs over the layered vegetables. Twist and turn the baking dish to ensure the egg mixture is evenly distributed and fills gaps between all vegetables.

Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes or until firm when touched in the middle.

Serve with salad as starter or light lunch.

Serves 6-8

Grease six 1/2 cup (125ml) dariole moulds.

In a medium mixing bowl, use electric beaters to beat egg yolks and sugar until mixture is thick and pale, approximately 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

Heat maple syrup and milk over low heat in a medium saucepan. Whisk egg mixture into warm milk. Stir over very low heat with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens (enough to coat the back of the spoon). Do not boil. Remove from heat.

In a small heat-proof bowl, combine boiling water and gelatine. Set bowl over larger bowl of boiling water, stirring constantly until all gelatine has dissolved and then whisk into milk mixture in saucepan. When fully blended, pour mixture into a medium bowl to cool. Fill a large bowl with ice cubes. Place the bowl of milk mixture on top of the ice-filled bowl. Whisk every few minutes for approximately 10 minutes. Mixture will thicken as it cools.

Beat cream with electric beaters until thick. When maple syrup custard mixture has cooled, fold in whipped cream with a large metal spoon, ensuring evenly combined. Pour slowly into greased moulds. Place filled moulds on baking tray, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-5 hours.

To serve, dip each mould into bowl of hot water for a few seconds, then turn out onto serving plates. Decorate with pecan brittle prior to serving.

Pecan Brittle Place butterscotch confectionery and pecan nuts into a small food processor. Process to form small crushed pieces (do not over do this as it will form crumbs).

Serves 6

Measure the golden syrup into microwave safe jug, eg Pyrex.
Microwave about 90 secs on high.
Mix with a whisk to combine - set aside to cool a little.
Sift together Flour, ginger and bicarb into large bowl - with a big whisk, stir in sugar.
Make a well in the centre.
Now golden syrup mixture should have cooled enough - whisk in the egg till combined.
Pour syrup mix into the flour and stir to combine to a sticky dough.
If dough is too sticky - should be soft and smooth - add some of the reserved half cup till seems right.
Preheat oven to 160C (if fan forced) or 180C.

Roll out dough onto baking paper directly, as thick as you like. (recipe ample for one house if rolled about 5mm thick).
Cut out house pieces.
Remove excess dough, place on baking/cookie sheet.
For 'stained glass' windows, crush clear hard lollies and fill in the centre, piling up in the middle and fill into any corners. (Allens fruit drops are good, or lifesavers).
Place in oven, cook about 15-20 mins till edges are browned (dont cook too "soft" if making a house) Cool on racks.

Royal Icing for Joining Up
Mix together egg white, lemon juice, adding the pure icing sugar until the mixture forms a peak - just a little firmer than a soft peak.
If you want to have a go at 'piping' it go ahead and play, but it is easier to just slap it along the edges with a normal table knife - for the lollies, a dab on the back, then stick on.

125 gram butter (works much better with butter than margarine)
½ cup caster sugar
½ cup self-raising gluten free flour
1 small egg
½ cup ground almonds
blanched almonds and/or glace cherries to garnish

Melt butter, heat gently until a golden brown colour.
Add sugar and stir till melted and creamy.
Cool slightly, then beat in egg.
Stir in flour and ground almonds, mixing well.
Roll into small balls, 1-1.5 cm in diameter.
Place on greased baking trays, 10 cm apart.
Place half and almond or half a glace cherry on top of each ball and press down slightly.
Bake at 180C for 20-25 minutes.
Cool slightly on tray before lifting onto wire racks to cool.
Store in airtight container

Makes about 25-30 biscuits

Source: old family recipe, modified to be gluten free

Beat egg whites in small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
Beat in the egg yolks with mixer operating and gradually beat in sugar until dissolved. (about 4 mins)
Stir in coconut and chocolate.
Roll 2 teaspoonfuls of mix into balls and place about 3cm apart on a non-stick, paper lined oven tray.
Cook in a moderate slow oven 160c for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Stand biscuits for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Melt butter/margarine.
Stir in sugar till dissolved.
Stir in coconut and flour until mixture forms small clumps of crumble mix. (You may need to use slightly more or less flour to achieve the crumble texture as different gluten free flours absorb different amounts of moisture).
If using fresh apples, peel and core apples and slice into thin slices.
Place apples (fresh or tinned) in a 2 litre capacity ovenproof dish.
Sprinkle with cinnamon
Spread crumble mixture over apples.
Bake in oven at 180C for 25-30 minutes or until crumble topping is golden brown.
Serve with ice-cream, yoghurt or cream.

Variations:

Any other fresh or tinned fruit can be used in place of apples. For tinned pie fruit, always check ingredients as some mixtures may be thickened
Rice flakes or ground hazelnuts can be used in crumble topping in place of coconut

Grease a 14cm x 21cm loaf pan; line base and sides with baking paper.
Combine the bananas, sugar, sifted flour and baking powder in a large bowl; make a well in the centre.
Add combined eggs, milk and oil; mix well.
Add chocolate; stir ingredients until combined.
Pour mixture into prepared pan; arrange the banana slices and walnuts over top.
Cook in a moderate oven, 180C, for about 1 hour, or until cooked when tested.
Stand the bread in pan for 5 minutes; turn out onto a wire rack.
Serve the bread sliced, either warm or cold and spread with butter.