Pear and Oat Slice

1 1/4 cups cooked strained pear (or apple)
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup sultanas
125g butter
1 egg
1 1/2 cups wholemeal plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Add hot pear to oats and raisins, mix and let stand for 20 minutes

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and beat well.

Sift flour, soda, salt and spices. Add to creamed butter and sugar, then mix in pear mixture.

Placed in greased and lined lamington tray. Bake in a slow oven (150 - 160 C) for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Ice with lemon icing and sprinkle with cinnamon. When cold cut into squares.

Lemon Icing

Sift 1 cup of icing sugar into a small saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons each of lemon juice or lemon essence and boiling water. Stir over low heat until just warm. Use as required.

Roated Eggplant Dip

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 garlic cloves, skin on
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 green onions, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place eggplant and garlic on tray. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes or until eggplant is soft. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
2. Cut eggplant in half lengthways. Using a metal spoon, scoop out flesh onto a chopping board. Roughly chop. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Squeeze flesh from garlic into a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, tahini, 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper. Mash with a fork until well combined. Stir into eggplant with three-quarters of the green onion. Transfer to an airtight container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Spoon dip into a bowl. Drizzle with remaining oil. Sprinkle with remaining green onion.

Hmmm..... I've tried this a few times and roasting the garlic does not work that well for me, I'm left with dried out garlic that does not really squeeze out. Today I tried dropping the unpeeled garlic in boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes in its skin, then the pulp squeezed out nicely and I was able to chop and make it into a paste with my knife. Seemed to work better!

Birthday Cupcakes

Classic Cupcakes

Makes 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 125g butter, melted, cooled
• 2 x 59g eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
• Sprinkles and lollies, to decorate

• Icing

• 1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar
• Pink food colouring, optional
• 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 12 x 1/3-cup capacity muffin pan. Alternatively, line holes with paper cases. Combine flour and caster sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre.
2. Add milk, butter, eggs and vanilla to flour mixture. Using a large metal spoon, stir gently to combine.
3. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
4. Make icing: Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add food colouring and water. Stir until smooth and well combined. Spoon icing over cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles and lollies.

Photography by Steve Brown

Double chocolate cupcakes

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Makes 12

Ingredients

• 1 quantity classic cupcake recipe (see related recipe)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
• 3/4 cup dark or milk choc bits
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, extra, to serve
• 1/2 cup cream
• 200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Method

1. Follow step 1 of classic cupcake recipe, reducing self-raising flour to 1 1/2 cups. Stir in cocoa powder and choc bits.
2. Follow step 2 of classic cupcake recipe.
3. Bake cupcakes following step 3 of classic cupcake recipe.
4. Make icing: Place cream and chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon until smooth. Remove from heat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until a spreadable consistency. Spread over cupcakes. Sprinkle with cocoa.

Notes & tips

Shortcut: Place cream and chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat, uncovered, stirring every 30 seconds with a metal spoon, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on MEDIUM (50%) power, or until melted and smooth

4/11/09 Note: Made a double mix and got 116 mini cupcakes! Baked them at 190C fan forced and they were perfectly cooked after 12 minutes.

Father's Day Pancakes

1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
3/4 cup natural yoghurt
1/3 cup milk
60g butter melted
1 punnet blueberries

Method

Sift flour, salt and bicarb together. Mix in sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Combine egg, yoghurt and milk, add to flour, combine well. Melt butter in a frying pan, pour into pancake mix and stir in. Place 1/3 cup mixture in the pan to form a thick pancake. Sprinkle top with blueberries. Flip and cook the other side.

For our occasion I doubled the mixture and used a whole 600 ml tub of yoghurt. Serve with plenty of maple syrup.