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.

Auntie Jean’s Loaf.

This really should be called ‘Pam Blake’s Auntie Jean’s Loaf’. I never met Auntie Jean because she was long gone when I came to Okoroire, but Pam was married to Gordon, one of the Blake twins and lived just up the road. She had a lovely garden, and I can remember her once driving us to Garden Circle in a new car. She took a corner a little fast at one point and apologised, saying in her soft voice ‘Oh dear, this new car is rather impatient’.

We all made Auntie Jean’s a lot. It is very easy to make, really moist and delicious sliced with a little butter, keeps well in the fridge wrapped up, and freezes well too. You can even slice it frozen. It’s a great standby for unexpected guests or when you have to take a ‘plate’ to a function. I sometimes make a special version at Christmas with glacé cherries and macadamia nuts. You can even heat it up and serve it as a dessert with cream or custard or ice-cream. People often ask me what spices are in it and they are surprised when they hear there are none. You’ll have to fiddle a bit to get a ‘large cup’. I expect Auntie Jean had a particular cup in mind. The blue one perhaps. Try a cup and a 1/4.

Ingredients:

o 500 gm dates, sultanas and nuts.

o 3 cups of water

o 4 large cups flour

o 4 level tsp baking soda

o 500 gm brown sugar

Method:

1. Boil fruit and nuts in water for 5 - 10 minutes.

1. Add sugar and stir a few times while cooling.
2. Butter two large or three small loaf tins and put the oven onto 350ºF or 150ºC.
3. When cool add flour and soda. It will start frothing immediately.
4. Pour into tins and bake about one hour. This time will depend on the size of tin of course. Test with a skewer in the middle. If the skewer comes out clean, it is done. Try not to overcook these.
5. Remove from tins and cool on a wire rack.
6. Store in fridge or freezer.
7. Slice and butter to serve.

Karyn’s Moist Chocolate Cake

This cake is very versatile, and is very quick and easy to make. It's a bit like a 'little black dress' (a little brown dress?) that can be formal or casual, depending on what is put with it. Cut in half and cream and apricot jam added in and on, is just one accessory...

Ingredients:

o 2 1/2 cups flour

o 1 1/2 cups sugar

o 1 tsp salt

o 2 tsp baking soda

o 1/2 cup cocoa powder mixed with 3/4 cup boiling water and 3/4 cup cold water.

o 2 tsp vanilla essence

o 2 Tbsp cider vinegar or lemon juice

o 3/4 cup oil

o 2 eggs

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda.
2. Mix together the cocoa and water with the other liquid ingredients and the eggs.
3. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.
4. Pour the batter into one large greased meat dish or two 20 cm round baking tins.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 170ºC for 35 - 40 minutes. Test around this time by inserting a skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean, cake is done.
6. Let sit in tin for 5 minutes then run a knife around and remove from tins and cool on a wire rack.
7. When cool, dust with icing sugar or ice with chocolate icing.

Chocolate icing: 1 cup icing sugar, 1 Tbsp cocoa, 2 tsp butter. Add 1 Tbsp boiling water and mix until smooth.

8. Store cake in an airtight container. Makes 32 pieces.