Crispy-skin Chicken

Serves 4

2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 x 700g spatchcocks, rinsed & dried
1 lemon, halved
2 L water
1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder, extra
1 1/2 tablespoons salt, extra
3 tablespoons honey
3 cups water, extra
oil for deep frying
lemon wedges, to serve

Combine the Chinese five-spice, salt & cinnamon & rub inside the cavities of the spatchcocks. Place a lemon half inside each cavity & tie the legs together with kitchen string. Place the spatchcocks in a large deep heatproof bowl.
Bring the water & half the extra Chinese five-spice & half the extra salt to the boil. Pour over the spatchcocks & allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Drain, then use tongs to place the spatchcocks on a baking rack in a baking dish.
Heat the honey & extra water, stirring, in a saucepan over medium heat until honey dissolves, then pour over the spatchcocks.
Place the spatchcocks in the fridge for 3 hours or until the skins are dry.
Remove the lemons from the cavities & cut the spatchcocks in half.
Fill a large deep saucepan or wok two-thirds full with oil & heat over medium heat. Carefully deep-fry the spatchcocks one half at a time for 8-10 minutes or until the skin is crispy & golden brown.
Serve with remaining combined Chinese five-spice & salt, lemon wedges, rice & jasmine tea (or a nice semillon).

Lemon Cake with Passionfruit Syrup

Serves 8-10

125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Passionfruit syrup
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup water
2/3 passionfruit pulp

Preheat oven to 180ºC.
Place the butter & caster sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer & beat until light & creamy.
Mix through the sour cream, lemon juice & rind, flour & baking powder.
Spoon the mixture into a 23cm round cake tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
To make the syrup, place the sugar, water & fruit in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, then increase the heat & boil the syrup for 4-5 minutes or until it thickens slightly.
Leave the cake in the tin for 5 minutes then place on a rack over a plate.
Pour half the hot syrup over the top. Allow to stand for 5 minutes then serve with the remaining syrup & thick cream or ice cream.

This one from the lovely Lisa:

Citrus Pork

Serves 4

4 lean pork chops/medallions
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 teaspoon each dried mint, rosemary & tarragon
cracked black pepper
2 mandarins

Heat the oil & brown the pork quickly on both sides. Remove them from the pan & rest them on paper, drain any fat from the pan.
Add the apple juice, herbs & pepper, and heat until boiling.
Add the chops, reduce the heat, cover & simmer for 15 minutes.
While you're waiting for that, peel, de-pith & segment the mandarins. Add them to the meat & simmer for a
further 5 minutes.
Remove the chops & fruit from the pan with a slotted spoon & put them on a warm serving dish
Boil the liquid until it thickens, & then pour it over the chops.
Serve it with stir-fried veggies and noodles. Mmmm...

I served this last night to my girlfriends:

Mustard Pork with Mushrooms & White Wine

Serves 4

4 pork fillets (each ~15cm long)
mustard of your choice (I use a combination of Dijon & wholegrain)
oil for frying (~2 tablespoons)
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup white wine
handful field mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons cornflour
cold water

Coat fillets generously with mustard.
In a medium-large frypan, heat oil over high heat. Fry fillets till well-browned (to seal completely).
Add stock & wine, then simmer (medium-low heat) for 30-45 minutes or until cooked through, but still tender. Add mushrooms in last 5 minutes of cooking.
Remove meat (but not mushrooms) from sauce, slice into 2cm thick pieces & set aside, keeping warm.
In a cup, mix cornflour with a little cold water to form a smooth paste. Add to sauce, stirring on medium heat till bubbling. Stop stirring & leave to thicken & reduce (5-10 minutes).
Add meat to sauce & serve immediately over rice or mash potato, with salad if desired.

Some peary goodness:

Veal with Pears & Verjuice

Serves 4

40g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 thick veal steaks
3 small pears (eg corella)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup verjuice (available from specialty stores)
1 tablespoon lemon thyme leaves
sea salt & cracked pepper

Heat a large frypan over high heat.
Add the butter & oil &, when bubbling, cook the veal for 3-5 minutes each side or until browned. Remove meat & keep warm.
Slice each pear into 6, discarding the cores.
Cook in the frying pan for 3 minutes or until just tender. Remove pears & keep warm.
Add the stock & verjuice to the pan & simmer, scraping the brown pieces from the base of the pan.
Add the lemon thyme, salt & pepper & cook for 5 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Serve the veal immediately with the pears & verjuice sauce.

Vanilla Risotto with Caramelised Pears

Serves 4-6

3 1/2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, split & seeds scraped
40g butter
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup (white) sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
40g butter, extra
1/4 cup water
4 small pears (eg corella), halved

Place the milk, vanilla bean & seeds in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes or until hot but not boiling.
Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over medium heat & add the rice.
Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the rice is translucent.
Add the hot milk mixture to the rice, 1 cup at a time, stirring in between additions until each cup of liquid is absorbed & the rice is al dente. Stir through the white sugar.
While the risotto is cooking, cook the pears. Place the brown sugar, extra butter & water in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the pear halves & cook, cut side down, for 8 minutes or until golden brown.
Turn the pears & cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
To serve, spoon the risotto into bowls & top with the pears & some syrup.

Anzac Biscuits

Another Aussie treat, this time from my Grandma Poss Cookbook (signed by Julie Vivas!). The first time I made this, I accidentally put in 2 tbsn golden syrup instead of 1 (as the original recipe asks) and it was great, so now I always use double the syrup. This recipe is also good for slices.

Makes 36

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
125g butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

Set the oven to 160ºC. Line 3 cookie/oven trays with non-stick baking paper.
Mix the rolled oats, flour, sugar & coconut in a medium-size bowl.
Melt the butter & golden syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Turn off heat once mixture is bubbling.
Put boiling water in a cup & add the bicarb soda. Quickly stir into the saucepan.
While it is still bubbling, pour mixture into the bowl & stir till well mixed.
Drop teaspoons of biscuit mixture on the trays, leaving about 4cm between each one, as they will spread.
Bake biscuits for 10-15 minutes or until golden (make sure they don't burn!).
Leave on trays to cool.

Macadamia Golden Syrup Dumplings

A very Australian combination!

Serves 4

1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
40g butter, chilled & chopped
100g macadamia nuts, roasted & roughly chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk

Syrup:
1 cup demerara sugar
40g butter
3 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups water

Sift the flour & cinnamon into a bowl.
Add the butter & rub in with your fingertips till the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.Stir in the nuts.
Add the combined egg & milk & mix to form a soft dough.
To make syrup, put ingredients in a saucepan & stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.
Drop large spoonfuls of the dough into the simmering liquid & cook, covered, for 10 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of a dumpling.
Serve with thick cream (or ice cream). Yummmmm!

Solid Chocolate Eggs

For Easter...

Makes 4

4 eggs
450g chocolate (dark, milk or white)

Decorations:
crystallised violets
crystallised rose petals
ribbon
coloured foil

With a needle, pierce a tiny hole in each end of one of the eggs & blow out the contents, gently.
Enlarge the hole in one end to take a small piping nozzle & wash out the shell with cold water. Leave to dry while you blow the rest of the eggs (a heater might help with the drying).
When they are dry, put a piece of sticky tape ove the smaller hole in each egg so that it cannot leak.
Break the chocolate into a bowl & melt it over a pan of hot water (or use a double-boiler), stirring well.
When it reaches pouring consistency, spoon into a nylon piping bag fitted with a small nozzle & pipe into the egg shells through the larger hole. Swirl it round from time to time to remove any air bubbles. Leave the eggs overnight to set.
Carefully crack the eggs & peel off the shells.
Decorate the solid chocolate eggs with crystallised flowers & narrow ribbons, or whatever decorations you like, sticking them on with melted chocolate.
Alternatively, wrap each egg tightly in coloured foil.
Give them to your friends & family or eat them yourself!

Warm Sugared Donuts

Makes 34

4 teaspoons dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup caster sugar
4 1/4 cups plain flour
70g butter, melted
3 eggs
vegetable oil for deep frying
1 cup caster sugar, extra
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine the yeast, water, milk & sugar in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes (the mixture should start to foam).
Add the flour, butter & eggs, & mix with a butter knife (ie one without a sharp edge) until a sticky dough forms.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface then place in an oiled bowl & cover with a tea towel. Stand in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Knead for 5 minutes or until the dough feels smooth & elastic when pressed.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1cm thick.
Cut out "O" shapes with a 7cm cutter, then cut a smaller 2.25cm "O" shape out of the larger "O" shapes.
Place the dough shapes on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper, cover with a clean towel & set aside in a warm place for 30-35 minutes or until the dough rises again.
Heat the oil for deep-frying in a saucepan (around 160ºC - test by dropping a cube of white bread into the oil which should turn golden brown within 30 seconds).
Cook donuts a few at a time for 1 minute each side or until golden.
Drain on paper towel briefly, then toss in combined extra sugar & cinnamon.

Tomato, Olive, Basil & Parsley Spaghetti

Serves 4

2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
680ml tomato puree
1/3 cup white wine
1 teaspoon sugar
8 anchovies, chopped (optional)
400g spaghetti
1/3 cup chopped basil leaves
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup sliced black olives
cracked black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Heat a deep frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, chilli flakes, tomato puree, wine, sugar and anchovies, if using, and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti & drain.
To serve, stir the basil, parsley, olives and pepper through the sauce, toss with the pasta and top with the parmesan.

Fruit & Nut Cupcakes

I tried these out on Friday & they worked beautifully.

Same recipe as for Cherry Ripe Muffins with the following changes:

Exclude:
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup red maraschino cherries

Include:
3/4 cup sultanas
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup chopped cashews

You can also replace the dark chocolate bits with milk chocolate, if you want.