Seed Crackers

 These seedy crackers are so easy to make, stay crunchy for ages & are super munchy & satisfying.
They are a Ruth Pretty recipe, but in my usual manner (which is probably quite rude of me!) I have made some slight adjustments & an alternative version.
Firstly turn on the oven to 180 degrees C
Then put theses ingredients in to a bowl together:
1/2 c sunflower seeds,
1/4 c linseeds brown or golden
1/4 c sesame seeds white or black
2 tbsps chia seeds white or black
1 tsp sea salt & a good few grinds of black pepper.
Add 1 c of white rice flour, 1/2 c water & 1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
The last addition is either a tsp of garlic powder (which I didn't add) or my preference, a tsp of finely chopped rosemary & a tsp of black cumin seeds.
Mix altogether. I like to use my hands to knead it all so it holds together.
Then press it out on to a baking paper lined oven tray as thin as possible/reasonable.
You can either mark the dough into rectangles or just break it all up once cooked.
Bake for around 15- 20 minutes but keep an eye on things towards the end so that they don't over cook, but do go nice & golden.
Once cool, store in an airtight container.

 The second version is lighter & crisper & has no flour in the mix. So instead of adding the cup of white rice flour add 1/2 cup of psyllium husks (organic shop) & 1/2 cup of ground almonds.
Once mixed just let the dough sit for 10 minutes so that the psyllium can do it's work & soak up the liquid & hold everything together- then press out on to the baking paper lined tray.

 The original version is at the front of the photo.

The third rendition 8th January 2023

You can make them as simple or as interesting as you like. I added: white & black sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, some dried onion weed, tiny Rosy garlic bulbs, coriander & black cumin from the garden, flax seeds, linseed, nettle seeds, yellow dock seeds, plantain seeds, sea salt & ground black pepper, water, olive oil, psyllium husks, buckwheat semolina & a little tapioca flour.

NZ flax seed- Harakeke, Phormium Tenax- ready at this time of the year.

Katie X

Elephant Milk!

Last Christmas, there was an unexpected stall at our Farmers' market run by some parents from Napier Central School. They were selling a book called Neighbourhood Eats. It was so beautifully presented & entirely made by the parents & PTA as a fundraiser. It's a gorgeous book, so we bought a copy. We love to support local endeavours. So.. this Christmas we decided to make the Elephant Milk, from the desserts section.

The recipe was provided by Cameron Huckle- a family favourite from Granny in Zimbabwe.

 Elephant milk has in fact been known to me for quite some time. Only, 40 years ago we called it Lemon Crunch Pie. You can find that recipe just here. One of the easiest dessert recipes ever & almost certainly universally loved. The only difference between Lemon Crunch Pie & Elephant milk is two egg whites & a tweek on the method- so just go with whatever works best for you.

Simply pour a can of sweetened condensed milk in to a bowl, add 300mls of cream, half a cup of lemon juice (preferably a Lisbon type- better flavour & setting effect) & the finely grated zest of the lemon. You can skip the zest if you prefer.

Beat altogether until thick, like whipped cream.

Beat the two egg whites to soft peaks & then fold those through the lemony mixture.

 Now pour in to bowls, tea cups or a large bowl  if you prefer & pop in to the fridge to set, or freeze for a couple of hours or overnight to make ice-cream, or pour over a biscuit base & there you have Lemon Crunch Pie- the easiest cheesecake you will ever make. The mixture can also be layered with crushed biscuits, nuts & custard.

 Since I made this at Christmas I have served this ice-cream with lychees, fresh shredded coconut (that I recently discovered in the freezer at the local Asian shop) White Soul strawberries, a ripe Kawa kawa fruit pulled off the stem & finally a drizzle of Linden honey.

 It tastes absolutely amazing together! But as Felicia was want to say- "If you like that sort of thing!"

 These Linden flowers are from a Silver Linden tree & we found them flowering on Christmas day. Their scent is like nothing else on earth- heady Linden plus deep jasmine notes- steeped in a light honey (I used Tawari) for a day or so & you have a truly magical elixir.

So...either keep it simple, or let your imagination run wild. I did!

Katie X