#11 Cherry Ripe Slice

Here's another afternoon tea slice, only this one can be whipped up in an instant and is probably ready to eat in an hour!!! I like this slice, because if I leave off the chocolate, I can eat it.

Cherry Ripe Slice

• 80g Copha
• 1 tin condensed milk
• 250g desiccated coconut
• 200g glace cherries, quartered
• 250 or 400g chocolate*: dark or milk

Line a slice tin with baking paper. Melt the Copha gently in a pan over a low heat. Meanwhile combine all the other ingredients and then mix the Copha in extremely well. Press into the slice tin, even out the top and then cover with 250g of melted chocolate.

*You can melt 200g of the chocolate, spread it over the base of the lined tin and pop it into the fridge for 15 minutes. Then press the slice mixture on top, and top with the remaining 200g of chocolate. This gives you a more authentic Cherry Ripe 'look'.

Refrigerate for at least an hour, then cut into fingers or little squares!! It is delicious. Some people add red food colouring, but I think the pale pink imbued by the cherries is just right.

#10 Lemon Ricotta Slice

As requested, here is an afternoon tea slice, a lemony one. I plan to do a few slices over the next weeks. I am all about afternoon tea slices at the moment!! I found this recipe in an old Family Circle mini cook book from 2001. It is quite easy to make, just one bowl to mix first the base and then the topping. Or you can use a food processor.

Lemon Ricotta Slice

Base

• 220g plain flour
• 1 tspn baking powder
• 180g melted butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 egg
  

Topping

• 110g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 350g ricotta cheese
• 200ml cream
• zest of a lemon
• 185ml lemon juice
• icing sugar for dusting

For the base: Grease and line a 20 x 30cm slice tin and preheat the oven to 180*C. Make sure the baking paper is very generous at the sides, it's really important as the topping is runny and it also helps lift the cold slice from the tin. Place all the base ingredients into a bowl and mix till they form a ball of dough. You can use a food processor. Press into the tin and smooth out. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 150*C.

For the topping: Mix or process all the ingredients and pour over the base. Cook for a further 25-30 minutes. It should still have a slight wobble in the centre. Cool in the tin then refrigerate for at least two hours. Cut into pieces and dust with icing sugar to serve.

#9 Ciao Italia Salad

There was going to be something different, but that will be next week. I accidentally went to sleep all afternoon, so it was assembling, not cooking that was the result*. I remember reading this in a magazine whilst in the supermarket queue. It was one of those non-recipe recipes. I named it thusly because it reminds me of the Italian flag!!! it also seems like a nice transitional season salad, though I must not get into the 'when does Autumn start' debate here.....

Ciao Italia Salad

• 200g washed baby spinach leaves
• 1 tin of chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 jar of fire roasted capsicum(red pepper) in oil
• 200g feta cheese
• Italian dressing in a bottle
  

Distribute the spinach leaves over a serving plate. Sprinkle over the chick peas and then drape the capsicum about. Then crumble over the feta and drizzle with dressing.

I have to confess I ate this by wrapping some chick peas, capsicum and feta in some spinach leaves, like little Italian sushi!!!

*I was determined not to miss a Monday Munch. Next week I'm making 'retro' afternoon tea slice!!!

#8 Veal Saltimbocca

Veal was on special, and the sage next door was abundant, so I thought I would try my hand at some Veal Saltimbocca: veal 'jump-in-the-mouth!!! Veal production is Australia is governed by strict rules, and all animals must be looked after very well.

Veal Saltimbocca serves 4

• 4 pieces of veal, about 150g each. So 600g ish or you may like more
  
• 8 thin slices prosciutto
• fresh sage leaves (8!!)
• 4 tbspn olive oil
• 4 tbspn butter
• 1/2 lemon
• about 1 cup white wine or chicken stock
• salt and pepper

I put each veal slice between some cling-wrap and lightly 'bashed' it with a meat mallet thingy, just to make it a little thinner. Season well with salt and pepper. Lay 2 pieces of the prosciutto on the veal, and 2 sage leaves and fold in half, enclosing the prosciutto.

Heat half the oil and butter in a pan over a medium heat. Place the veal in and cook for 3 - 4 minutes on one side then turn over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining oil and butter as needed. Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm. It may still be a tad pink inside, but it will continue to cook as it rests.

Add the wine or stock to the pan and scrape all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the juice of the half lemon and cook over a low heat till slightly reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally.

To serve, place one of the veal parcels on a plate and drizzle over the sauce. I was too impatient to wait for the sauce to reduce. I had some snappy broccolini and mashed potato. The veal is quite salty, so no more salt in the potatoes is necessary.

#7 Lemon Coconut Slice

MrsDrWho had some lemon slice at brunch on Saturday, though she felt it wasn't lemony enough. I think I have spoiled her for other lemon things as I add A Lot of lemon because her dad likes it!!

So here's the Coconut Lemon Slice from my childhood. My nan and mum made this a lot, along with a chocolate version and a ginger slice too. Strangely neither Nestles nor Arnotts had a recipe for this that I could find.

Things I learned: always put the slice in the fridge otherwise it stays kind of bendy, and baking paper is your friend.

Coconut Lemon Slice

• 3/4 cup condensed milk
• 1/3 cup butter
• zest of 2 lemons
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 packet of Milk Coffee biscuits made into crumbs (250g)

Topping

• 2 cups pure icing sugar, sifted
• 50 ml lemon juice
  
• extra coconut

Line a small slice tray with baking paper. Heat the condensed milk and butter in a pan or microwave until the butter is melted. Mix in the lemon zest and juice. Combine the biscuit crumbs and coconut in a bowl and make a well. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir well.

Press into the lined tray and you can use a small straight glass as a rolling pin to even out the top.

Meanwhile put the icing sugar and lemon juice for the topping into a pan or microwave and heat a little, till it's just warm. Mix and then spread over the slice and sprinkle with extra coconut.

Refrigerate and then cut into smaller pieces. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for optimum enjoyment.

#6 Nigella's Giant Choc Chip Biscuits

I was watching Nigella Express a few weeks ago and she made giant choc-chip biscuits. Excellent, MrsDrWho is in dire need of Christmas cooking, because she was in Singapore instead of here during the Festive season.

I asked MrsDrWho to rate them and she gave them 20 out of 10. She also said that she found herself eating one for breakfast and thought to herself that it wasn't exactly a balanced meal, so she picked up another with her other hand, and then she felt completely balanced!!!

Although these are giant, you could make them smaller and thus have 24. Not sure about the length of cooking time though.

Nigella's Giant Choc-Chip Biscuits - makes 12

• 125g good dark chocolate
• 125g softened butter
• 75g light brown sugar
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 tspn vanilla extract
• 1 cold egg (!!)
• 150g plain flour
• 30g cocoa
• 1 tspn bicarb soda
• 375g (ish) of choc chips, dark or milk as you choose

Preheat oven to 170*C (160FF) and line two trays with silicon paper.

Melt the 125g dark chocolate either over a double boiler or in the microwave like I do!!

Cream the butter and sugars till very light and fluffy, add the melted chocolate, the egg and vanilla and beat till well combined.

Sift the dry ingredients together and then mix in and finally stir in the choc-chips.

Nigella used an ice cream scoop to form the biscuits. I used a 1/4 cup measure almost full. Dip either in hot water before you scoop up the biscuit mixture each time. Arrange 6 biscuits on each tray. Cook for 15-18 minutes. Chocolate biscuits burn easily, so it's best to check early. I rotate the trays and swap shelves too.

Leave on the tray for about 5 minutes and then place on a rack to cool completely.

Then eat as part of a balanced diet, ie one in each hand!!!.

#5 Potato Latkes

You may know, or not, that my Margaret Pomeranz Guilty Pleasure at the moment is Martha. We're two years behind, so it's December 2007 right now.

Last week she cooked Latkes. I should pay more attention to things because though I knew they were some kind of Jewish food, I didn't really know what they were: potato cakes. There is a whole story about why they are eaten at Hanukkah, and I didn't believe that served this way they would be so wonderful. They are. The combination of the crispy potato, the smooth sour cream, the slightly sharp but sweet apple and the smoked salmon is perfection.

She used caviar, but I used local smoked salmon. She also added beer, which I did not, I think you would need 3 tbspn added in with the egg and you would need a little more plain flour.

Potato Latkes - makes about 12 small

• 3 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and grated, in a bowl of iced water
• 1 egg
• 1-2 tbspn plain flour
• 1 onion very finely diced
  
• salt, 1/2-1 tspn and pepper
• 2 Red Delicious apples
• 1-2 tbspn water
• 1 tspn lemon juice
• oil for frying
• To serve- sour cream and smoked salmon if so desired.

Drain the grated apples through a strainer lined with muslin or kitchen cloth, and then stand over a bowl till very well drained.
While they are draining make the apple sauce. Cut the flesh of the apple into strips, leaving the skin on, and put into a small saucepan with the water and lemon juice and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring with a fork now and then, until the apple is very soft. Remove the skin and mash or blend. I mashed with a fork, and despite Martha's assurances, my apples were not very pink, but pinkish.
When you tip the water out of the bowl the potatoes are draining into there will be white starch in the bottom, and this should be mixed back in with the potatoes. Add the onion, egg and enough flour to make it a middling moist mixture. Salt well and add pepper.
Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. I had about 2cm of oil. Place small amounts, about 2 tbspns, in the oil and cook till quite golden brown, then flip and cook till golden the bottom side. Push them down a little with a fork to make them thinner. They should be crispy on the outside and soft and cooked through in the centre. Drain and then 'plate up'!!!

Spread on a little sour cream, then the apple sauce and finally I rolled a little smoked salmon. I topped it all with a tiny lemon wedge. The taste is beyond expectations. I ate these really fast and I would have eaten more, except I have promised them to MrsDrWho. Lucky her!!!