Sweet Surrender

Sun Herald

Sunday June 25, 2006

By Karen Martini

Homemade sweets are perfect for afternoon tea. So whip up these easy treats for visitors or for a quiet moment of your own.

1. Lemon and poppyseed loafSimilar to a Madeira cake, this loaf has such a buttery, moist texture it can be served without the icing. 250g unsalted butter, softened

220g caster sugar

3 lemons, zested and juiced

3 tbsp poppy seeds

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 large eggs

210g self-raising flour, sifted

100g plain flour, sifted

Icing

200g icing sugar, sifted

1 1/2-2 lemons, zested and juiced

extra poppy seeds, to sprinkle

Serves 8

Preheat oven to 150C fan-forced (or 170C conventional). Beat butter and sugar

in an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest, poppy seeds and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in combined flours and lemon juice until smooth.

Spoon mixture into a greased 23 x 13-centimetre loaf pan lined with baking paper and bake for 60-70 minutes or until cooked when tested with a cake skewer. Rest in tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a cake rack to cool.

For icing, stir icing sugar, lemon zest and enough juice in a medium bowl until icing mixture has desired consistency. Spread or pour over cake. Sprinkle over extra poppy seeds.

2. Baklava fingers

I've been addicted to these Middle Eastern pastries since I was very young. They will improve with time as they soak up all the sticky syrup. 1 1/2 cups walnuts

1/2 cup almonds

50g brown sugar

50g caster sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp allspice

8 large dried Turkish figs, chopped

1 packet filo pastry

200g melted butter

1 egg, whisked

Syrup

200ml water

250g sugar

3 tbsp honey

3 cinnamon sticks

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 orange, zested and juiced

MAKES 36-48 PIECES

Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced (or 200C conventional). For the syrup, place

all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir for 10 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove and strain, then allow to cool to room temperature.

Place nuts on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 6-8 minutes

or until golden. Reduce oven temperature to 160C (180C conventional). Place nuts, sugars and spices in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and add figs.

Place 1 sheet filo pastry on a workbench and brush with melted butter. Repeat with 2 more layers, brushing each with butter. Cut pastry in half and brush long edges with egg. Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons nut mixture over each pastry segment, leaving a border around the edge. Roll up tightly, folding in edges to

make a log. Brush the edge of pastry with egg to seal. Place on baking trays

lined with baking paper and brush tops with butter. Repeat with remaining nut mixture and pastry to make about 12 logs. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until

golden and cooked.

Allow to cool, then cut logs on an angle into 3-4 pieces and place on a platter. Drizzle with syrup and rest for 2-3 hours before serving. Baklava will keep in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

3. Coconuy macaroons

Using shredded coconut, instead of desiccated, will result in a moist, chewy texture. 2 large eggwhites

? tsp cream of tartar

90g caster sugar

40g ground almonds

pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla essence

240g shredded coconut

4-5 tbsp raspberry jam

3 tbsp icing sugar

Makes about 25

Preheat oven to 150C fan-forced (or 170C conventional). Beat eggwhites with an electric mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar and gradually add sugar, beating continuously, until mixture is thick and glossy. Fold in almond meal, salt and vanilla, then fold in coconut.

Spoon walnut-sized dollops of mixture onto baking trays lined with baking paper and bake for 10-12 minutes or until pale golden and cooked. Remove from oven. When cool, sandwich together with raspberry jam and dust with icing sugar.

Food for thought

The lemon and poppyseed loaf recipe (see previous page) can be altered, depending on what you have on hand. The recipe works equally well with oranges. Or you could omit the poppy seeds and add about 1/2 cup raisins or currants to the cake mixture instead.

With a glass of...

1 EARL GREY TEA

Lemon and poppyseed loaf

2 TURKISH COFFEE

Baklava fingers3MILK

Coconut macaroons

3. MILK

Coconut macaroons

© 2006 Sun Herald

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