Courgette Quiche

This recipe is very versatile. Patricia was Natalie’s fairy godmother and this is very much like her: useful, and helps you be very organised. Great for pot-lucks or picnics because unlike a wobbly creamy quiche, it travels well. This recipe has now popped up in many places under labels like ‘Self-crusting Quiche’

Ingredients
 Mixture 1.
About one cup of grated or finely chopped zucchini or carrot, or a mixture of those or indeed any other suitable vegetables.
One cup grated cheese
One onion – grated or finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped bacon, ham or salami
Salt and pepper to taste.

Mixture 2
Half cup oil
Five eggs

Mixture 3
One cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Method.

1. Mix vegetables, cheese, onion and meat together.
2. Beat 5 eggs into 1/2 cup oil.
3. Add to the above mixture.(This can sog in the fridge for a day or two if required.)
4. Add The flour mixture to above just before putting into a greased quiche dish then into the oven 180ºC for 25 - 40 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Serve warm or cold. Nice with a relish or chutney, tomatoes and green salad.

Gwen's Fruit Sponge

I don't know why, but this recipe always comes out so much more delicious than other fruit sponges.
Gwen usually serves it with plenty of whipped cream.

Gwen's Fruit Sponge

Ingredients
Fruit2 oz butter1/2 cup sugar1 egg1/2 cup self raising flour

Instructions
1. Cook the fruit, then while you make the batter, put the fruit in a casserole dish then into oven turned onto 180 degrees.
2. Soften butter and then cream the butter and sugar together until very pale and fluffy.  3. Add egg and beat again.4. Cover the fruit with batter and bake for 40 min, or when ready, golden and done.
5. Take out of oven and sieve icing sugar on the top.

Brownies

When Biddy and Granny Phyl came over I was inspired by the High Tea that Havi and Thomas shouted me at the Sebal Trinity for my Birthday.
So I decided to make a high tea for the ladies.
I was going to make everything by hand, and did very well with the tiny club sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, and mini cheesecakes, but just before the end I ran out of time and made the brownies from a packet mix.
Biddy and Phyl were most gracious guests and praised everything, but Biddy was particularly taken with the chocolate brownies and - yes you guessed - was really keen to have the recipe! So I had to 'fess up.  And it's not as if we are short  of really good brownie recipes either!  Ben's and Will's are especially good.
So, here they all are, and you can choose which one(s) you want to make.

The brownies Biddy tasted were 

Edmonds Chocolate Fudge Brownies from
the packet mix.

But here is a very good recipe from two of Nat and James's friends that I
have tasted and reckon to be the 2 best brownies in the world.

Andrea's Brownies

300g golden caster sugar
250g butter, softened
250g chocolate 70% cocoa
3 large eggs + 1 extra yolk
60g flour
60g dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Ben's Mum's Brownie recipe:

melt 100g butter
beat in 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs and 1 t vanilla
Fold in 1 tsp baking powder, 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup choc chips (and some
chopped nuts if u like)
DON'T over mix
Microwave 4 - 7 mins - it's best to undercook it rather than overcook it.


And the last one - I think it's Will's: (This one has walnuts)

Walnut Brownies

125g butter
120g dark chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
100g plain flour, sifted
125g walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a 20 cm square cake pan. Melt butter and
chocolate chips in a saucepan over a low heat stirring to prevent chocolate
sticking. When smooth remove from heat and leave to cool. Beat eggs and
caster sugar until thick and creamy. Stir in chocolate mixture, flour and
walnuts. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, cool and cut into
squares.

MiNDFOOD Mango Pudding

I don't have many desserts here from non-family-or-friend sources. But each summer the mangoes are so cheap in the supermarket, it is nice to enjoy them occasionally as a more elaborate dessert than just cut up and fresh. This is really a kind of pannacotta.
Cutting a mango:  I always think of Hercule Poirot when I remove the mango 'cheeks'. At the end of 'The Theft of The Royal Ruby' he shows us how to neatly make mango flesh available to eat, despite its usual tenacious adherence to the stone. 

1) Cut the skin all around the mango's circumference with the tip of a knife.
2) With a spoon, curved side to the stone, rub across the stone to release the top half of the skin and flesh, pulling it away from the stone. Repeat on other side.
3) Slice the inner cheek fruit three times horizontally and vertically, so that when you bend the skin back, the fruit stands out as cubes which can easily be cut off the skin

MiNDfood says this is 'a fresh and delicious pudding, with the delicate flavours of mango and coconut. Easy to make, prepare this dessert the day before for stress-free dining.'

Mango Pudding

Ingredients:
2 large mangoes
300ml pure cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup caster sugar
3 tsp gelatine
2 tsp coconut essence

Instructions.

1. Remove skin from 1 mango*. Cut flesh from stone and roughly chop. 

2. Place chopped mango into a small food processor and process until smooth. You will need 1 1/4 cups of puree. 

3. Place cream, milk and sugar into a small saucepan and place over a medium-low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved and mixture just comes to a simmer. Remove from heat.
4. Whisk gelatine and 1/4 cup cold water in a microwave-safe jug, then stand for 5 minutes allowing gelatine to soften. Microwave on high/100 per cent for 30 seconds or until gelatine is dissolved and clear. Stand for 5 minutes.
5. Stir gelatine mixture 
into cream mixture. 

6. Add 
mango puree with coconut essence, stirring until well combined. 

7. Grease 6 x 1/2-cup capacity moulds and pour mango cream mixture into them. Place moulds onto a tray, cover and refrigerate for at least 
4 hours or overnight, if 
time permits, to set.
8. Remove cheeks from remaining mango. Using a large metal spoon, scoop out flesh and dice. 9. Unmould puddings onto serving plates, spoon diced mango onto puddings and serve. 

Serves 6

Will's Nutty Apple Strudel

Will has been in our family for a long time!  I was honoured to be able to mother him when he had a nasty fall off his bike.  He is a very good cook, and a very kind and diligent fellow all round.

Apple strudel

Ingredients
1 block pastry
 ½ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 apples
Walnuts or almonds if desired
milk

Instructions
1. Roll out 1 block pastry in a square, Butter pastry but leave 10cm around the edge
2. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar over buttered pastry
3. Slice apples and place on sprinkled area
4. Then roll up wet ends of pastry with milk, hold and not open
5. Tuck in ends and brush with milk
6. If you use apricots replace milk with apricot juice
7. Cut slices in top for air holes
8. Bake at 180-200
9. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.

Tom and Havi's Pumpkin Salad

This is the lovely more-ish salad that Havi and Tom made for us one Christmas at Ohaupo.

Ingredients
1.75kg butternut pumpkin, deseeded, cut into 2cm-thick pieces and steamed
olive oil cooking spray
1/2 cup pine nuts
200g baby spinach

For the honey and balsamic dressing:
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method
1. Preheat oven to 250°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Place pumpkin in a single layer on trays. Spray with oil and turn to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast pumpkin, turning once, for 20 minutes or until golden and tender. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, heat a small, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add pine nuts. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until golden.
3. Make honey and balsamic dressing: Combine honey, vinegar and oil in a screwtop jar. Secure lid and shake to combine. Remove lid. Microwave on HIGH (100%) for 10 seconds or until honey is melted. Replace lid. Shake until well combined.
4. Place spinach and pumpkin in a large bowl. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Drizzle with dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Andy's Lemon Muffins

I met Andy when I was doing my Art Diploma at the local Polytechnic. One day he turned up for class with a huge batch of these wonderful tangy muffins, and I just had to have the recipe. The topping, poured over the instant they come out of the oven, goes all crispy and contrasts beautifully with the hot, soft insides.

Andy's Lemon Muffins

2 cups self-raising flour
3/4 cup sugar
75 gm butter
1 cup milk
1 egg
grated rind of 1 lemon

Topping
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
(I usually double this)

Instructions.

1. Mix flour and sugar in bowl
2. Melt butter and add milk, egg and rind and beat well
3. Add liquids to dry ingredients.
4. Mix until only just mixed.
5. Cook in a preheated oven 200ºC for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
6. Spoon 3 tsp of the topping over each muffin as soon as the tray is removed from the oven.