Melting Moments as seen on MasterChef Australia

Biscuits
180g Butter
60g Icing Sugar
60g Custard Powder
1 tspn Baking Powder
180g Plain Flour
Vanilla Buttercream
100g Butter
2 tspn Vanilla Bean Paste*
1 cup Icing Sugar

Preheat oven 180 and line two oven trays with baking paper

For Biscuits
Cream butter for two minutes in an electric mixer
Add icing sugar and custard powder, mixing until combined
Add sifted baking powder and flour and mix until it forms a dough
Roll into 40g balls and place on lined oven trays
Press each ball with a fork to leave an indent
Bake for 16-18 minutes or until light golden
Remove from oven and allow to stand on trays for 5mins to cool then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

For Buttercream
Whisk butter and vanilla until smooth
Add icing sugar and beat until the mixture forms a paste (the consistency of thick icing)
Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle

To assemble pipe buttercream in a circle onto the base of half of the biscuits
If you wish spoon a dollop of jam to the top half of the biscuits
Gently press each half of the biscuit together
Dust with icing sugar to serve

*I used 1 vanilla bean pod (scraping the beans out of the pod)

Recipe from MasterChef Australia 2012

Cake Of The Month - May, Mothers Day Flowers Cake (cake decorating)

MAY - HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 cup Flour
2 cups Sugar
3/4 cup Cocoa
1 1/2 tspn Baking Soda
1 tspn salt
2 Eggs
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Oil
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 cup Boiling Water


Pre heat oven 175
Line baking tin
Combine Flour, Sugar, Cocoa, Baking Soda and Salt in a large bowl
Mix well
Add Eggs, Milk, Oil and Vanilla Essence
Beat for 2 min on med speed
Stir in Boiling Water
Pour into your lined baking tin
Bake for 35-50 mins

Ice with runny chocolate icing just still warm so it drips over the side.
Recipe from Fresh via Renz :D

Vegetable Soup - Under 100 Calories Per 2 Cup Serve (or Under 50 Calories Per 1 Cup Serve)

1 tea spn Butter (31 calories)
1/2 Tble spn Oil (80 calories)
240g Onion Diced (57 calories)
1.2 cups Carrot Diced (66 calories)
1 cup Celery Sliced (14 calories)
400g Potatoes Peeled and Diced (315 calories)
1.6 cups Zucchini Diced (32 calories)
3 cups Cauliflower Chopped (75 calories)
450g Pumpkin Peeled and Diced (117 calories)
4 cups Cabbage Shredded (85 calories)
1/2 cup Green Beans (20 calories)
11 tea spn Powdered Chicken Stock (154 calories)
1 Beef Oxo Cube (13 calories)
6 tea spn Currie Powder
11 Cups of Water

Melt Butter and Oil in a large soup saucepan
Add each ingredient in order as written above, stirring for a few minutes before adding the next ingredient.
Dissolve Chicken Stock Powder, Oxo Cube and Currie Powder in two cups of the water and then add along with the rest of the water to the vegetables.
Simmer until all vegetables are tender then serve.


Makes approximately 22 x 1 cup size serves.

Each 1 cup serve equals approximately 48 calories or 200 KJ

This soup lasts a few days in the refridgerator or freezes well in serve size portions, I use snap lock bags.

I used My Fitness Pal's    Recipe Calculator to work out the calories for this meal

Minestrone Soup

2 Onions

3 Carrots

3 Sticks Celery

250g Potatoes

2 Zucchini

90g Green Beans

250g Cabbage

1/2 cup Oil*

40g Butter*

5 cups Water

1 Chicken Stock Cube

3 Beef Stock Cubes

2x 400g cans Whole Tomatoes

1 can Cannellini Beans

Salt and Pepper

Peel and finely chop onions, carrots, celery, peel and dice potatoes, dice zucchini, top and tail beans and chop into small pieces and shred cabbage.

Heat oil and butter in large pan ( *I only used 1 tbl spn of each )

Cook onions over medium heat until pale golden brown.

Add carrots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Repeat this procedure with the potatoes, then the celery, zucchini, beans and cabbage.

Stir in water, crumbled stock cubes and undrained, mashed tomatoes.

Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until soup is thick.

During the last 15mins of cooking stir in the drained and rinsed cannellini beans.

Season with salt and pepper.

If desired grated parmesan cheese can be stirred into the soup before serving.

120 calories per 1 cup serve
I used My Fitness Pal's    Recipe Calculator to work out the calories for this meal

Recipe from my very old version of The Australian Womens Weekly Italian Cooking Class Cookbook

Chocolate & Marshmallow WHOOPIES

125g butter, at room temperature

• 160g (1 cup, lightly packed) brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 50g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 300g (2 cups) plain flour
• 330ml (1 1/3 cups) buttermilk

MARSHMALLOW FILLING

• 3 egg whites
• 270g (1 1/4 cups) caster sugar
• 2 tbs glucose syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 190°C.
• Line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper
• Use an electric beater to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl until pale and creamy
• Beat in the egg
• Stir in the cocoa and bicarbonate of soda to combine
• Use a metal spoon to fold in flour and buttermilk, in alternating batches, until just smooth
• The mixture should be a little stiff
• Use a 3cm-diameter ice-cream scoop* to place rounds of the mixture onto prepared trays, leaving 5cm for spreading. Use your finger to smooth mixture around the edges
• Bake, swapping the trays halfway through cooking, for 10 minutes** or until firm.
• Cool slightly then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat, in 2 more batches, with remaining mixture

• To make the filling
• Whisk the egg whites, sugar, glucose, vanilla and salt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water for 10 minutes or until a ribbon trail forms when whisk is lifted
• Transfer the marshmallow mixture to a clean bowl
• Use an electric beater to beat for 5-8 minutes or until the mixture has cooled, is thick and holds it shape
• Place whoopies, base-side up, on a clean work surface
• Spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm fluted nozzle
• Pipe filling onto half the whoopies, leaving a 2mm edge
• Place the remaining whoopies on top and press lightly to sandwich together
• Place the whoopies in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them

* I piped the whoopie mixture onto the trays.

** I baked for 6 minutes because I think mine were a little smaller

Recipe from Taste.com.au

Pad Thai Noodles - Annabel Langbein

1 Packet Pad Thai Noodles 200g

6 Tbl spn Fish Sauce

1/2 cup Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce

4 t spn Peanut Butter

20g Garlic Paste

1/2 tspn Chilli Paste

Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast

4 eggs, Lightly Beaten

2 Sping Onions Finely Sliced

Bean Sprouts

.............................................1 Tbl spn Coriander

................................................1/2 cup Peanuts, Crushed

To Serve

Lemon or Lime Juice

Combine fish sauce, chilli sauce and peanut butter. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or frypan and stir-fry garlic, chillies, chicken over high heat 2-4 minutes until cooked.

Add beaten eggs and stir-fry until scrambled and just set.

Cook Noodles as directed on package

Drain and add to pan.

Lower the heat.

Add sauce mixture and toss for 1-2 minutes over medium heat to fully coat.

Mix in most of the spring onions, bean sprouts, coriander and peanuts (reserve some of these for garnish).

Toss over heat for a minute to combine.

Serve in bowls topped with reserved garnishes.

Squeeze over lemon/lime juice.

Serve small bowls of chopped peanuts and/or chilli sauce for people to help themselves.

Serves 4

Original Recipe From Annabel Langbein

I've made a few changes for the ease of cooking, to suit the tastes of my family and the feeding of 4