Today, I have a very nice cake from Belinda Jeffery’s cookbook, Desserts. As I have mentioned (a few times) before, I do like Belinda Jeffery’s books. I actually make recipes from them which is more than I can say for a lot of my books. I also like syrup cakes because I have a tendency to over cook my cakes. As a result, they tend to be on the dry side. The syrup hides this fact. If you have a similar tendency, syrup cakes could be for you, too.
I got a text from my mate Deb, the virtual cook, last week. It read:
I have a really nice dessert recipe for you. I will email it sometime this week. I didn’t make it but had the pleasure of eating it.
Later in the week, the pre-empted email arrived. I read the first line (Whenever I bake this cake I think of my mum, Cooee, …) and was immediately interested. There is only one cookbook writer with a mum called “Cooee” – Belinda Jeffery, of course. 🙂 I went to my cookbooks and searched for the recipe. “Strange,” I thought. “I don’t have it!!!!” I found a very similar recipe in Mix & Bake called Apple & Pecan Crumble Cake but it wasn’t exactly the same. Continue reading
As promised, Belinda Jeffery’s ginger, honey and almond lace biscuits…
Belinda suggested that these biscuits would go perfectly with the honey pots de crème that were featured in my previous post so I thought I would give them a try.
I served the biscuits with the honey pots and they did, in fact, go very well but I have since been eating them with a cup of coffee and they are perfect that way, too.
I got the best compliment the other day. We invited two sets of neighbours over to dinner. It was a hot day so the dinner was simple. We had an assortment of nibbles and dips to start, including sun dried tomato tapenade and feta and walnut dip. For mains, we had veal, chicken and apricot terrine with a simple cucumber salad and some roasted baby potatoes. For dessert, we had these lovely little custards, accompanied by ginger, honey and almond lace biscuits.
Belinda Jeffery’s Fluffy (in my dreams) Buttermilk Scones
Celia, from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial has rallied us all. Being the second week in August, it is International Scone Week! That means, it’s time to get baking.
Scones are deceptively easy to make but bloody hard to perfect. Mine are always on the rustic side. But no matter how they look, hot scones (even rustic-looking ones) always taste bloody good. Continue reading
We had friends over at Easter, including the darling, Colette. Colette is a vegetarian and not a great fan of cooking so, over the years, whenever I came across a great, simple, vegetarian dish, I would give her the recipe. Belinda Jeffery’s Zucchini, Feta and Dill Pie, is one such recipe. Colette even got Mix and Bake for a birthday present one year. It is not a vegetarian book but Belinda’s books do include a significant number of vegetarian recipes. Continue reading
As you all know, I am a bit of a Belinda Jeffery fan. I find I actually use her cookbooks as compared to reading them. Don’t get me wrong. I love to read cookbooks but how much better is it when you make something from one book time and time again?
Silverbeet, silverbeet, silverbeet … Rainbow chard, rainbow chard, rainbow chard …
It is raining silverbeet and rainbow chard in this household. I have so much of it and I only planted one little itsy, bitsy container of it. Continue reading
Have I mentioned that I am a big Belinda Jeffery fan? I think I might have:)
I particularly like her tarts but she also has some jolly good general recipes scattered throughout her four books and this is one of them. It is very easy to make and really, really nice. Maus, aka the fussy one, said the other night, “I like this”. Those who know Maus, know that is very high praise. Continue reading
Passion Fruit Garden 