Fabulous Feijoas: Really Easy Icecream

Feijoas are just so yummy & one of the very best things about autumn in New Zealand.

I love the fragrance of a basket full of these delicious wonders!

 they need nothing more than to be eaten with a spoon...well lots of them at once  actually : )

however...they also make the most heavenly icecream!!!

Scoop out a whole pile of fruit..discarding any that are a funny colour inside

2 or 3 cups full should do it

pop them in the food processor or use a stick whizz thingy & process them until you have a lovely smoothish pulp

  Add a tin of sweetened condensed milk

and fold in to this mixture 500ml of whipped cream

cover with glad wrap & freeze for 3 or 4 hours

yummmy!!!

If by any chance there's any left over for another day you'll probably need to sit the bowl out of the freezer for a few minutes to let it soften up a a bit.

This is a good basic recipe for using to make all kinds of fruit icecreams. I often use really thick Greek yoghurt & honey instead of the condensed milk & cream..not quite as creamy but still delicious! 

 

Hot Cross Buns

This is the recipe that I have used for 25 years.

The pictures are from the first time that Matthew & Fynn made hot cross buns together this Easter.

2 tbsps surebake yeast 

(has added extras that give a consistent result, regular yeast is fine too & fresh yeast is best of all if you can cajole a friendly baker into selling you some!)

2 cups of flour, 1/2 c brown or raw sugar, 50g diced butter

Add: 1c milk then 1 c of boiling water..stir & stand for a few minutes while you get the other ingredients ready

Stir in 1 1/2 tsp good salt, 1egg, 1 c mixed fruit, 1 tbsp cinnamon & 1 tbsp mixed spice

( 1 tsp vanilla opt)

add enough flour from 3 cups to make a soft workable dough

turn out on to a workable surface & knead for 10 minutes until smooth & satiny

adding a little more flour as needed to prevent the dough sticking to everything!

Wonderful! now cover the dough with a warm damp tea towel or glad wrap & leave in a warm place until doubled in size

... turn out on a floured surface & knead again. Cut dough in to 4 pieces & then divide each piece again in to about 7 or 8 & form in to balls. Arrange like this above or in a greased roasting dish..close enough together that when they rise they are touching each other.

Leave in a warm place again (covered) until double once more.

While the buns are proving make the crosses by rubbing 60 gms of cold butter in to 1 c flour then add water to form a stiff dough. Roll very thinly. Then cut into strips. 

Dip strips into beaten egg & lay gently on the buns once they have risen. 

Bake at 225 o C for 15-20 mins

Glaze immediately with syrup made by boiling 2 tbsps golden syrup with 1 tbsp of water for a minute. (Glaze optional) 

Share them with friends & neighbours  : )

It's all there..the spices, the crosses, the rising , the sharing...love

Amazing figs

Figs are so fascinating & really easy to grow

This is a delicious thing to do with a few figs:

Add some orange juice & some honey or raw sugar (rapadura is nice) & either a cinnamon stick or vanilla pod

simmer gently with the lid on for around an hour

then about another 1/2 an hour with the lid off until the liquor has reduced & gone all thick & syrupy

absolutely divine with thick Greek yoghurt & raspberries (hide in the fridge)

Katie's Celebration Cake

A moist yummy cake. Good for Easter, Christmas & birthdays.

  First crack some walnuts. Soak lots of dried fruit in a tin of crushed pineapple

Large mixed raisins are good, dried apricots, figs, sultanas etc.

  Add 1 c of brown sugar..sit over night or an hour.

Add 1 tsp cinnamon & 1 tsp ginger, some orange zest & a tsp of pure vanilla essense

Add 125g melted butter then

add 2 eggs

Sift 1 1/2..2 c of flour & add 1 tsp of baking soda mixed in a little milk

mix altogether

Bake for around an hour in a deep round tin at 150 degrees