Little Box Brownie

A Baking Blog from Melbourne, Australia

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Guava Jelly

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Last weekend I went to New Zealand to spend the weekend with my brother and his family. I got to spend the whole weekend with my adorable little Nephew, who is just starting to speak. His favourite word is ‘spider’ which he terms ‘pider’ anything and everything that moves like a spider is a ‘pider’, its so adorable. He’s the cutest little chap.

 
They have a smallish guava tree at their place which produces so many little fruits, it was incredible. They were covering the ground turning it red. So me being me thought I have to do something with all these little fruits, and not let them go to waste. I had never seen the fruit before much less cooked  with it, however that didn’t stop me collecting a bowl full. It even started to rain when I was collecting them, and I thought maybe this is a sign that these berry’s are poisonous and I shouldn’t be cooking them, however I persisted and collected a bowl full. When Tracy (my sister in law) got home, she saw the bowl of guavas sitting in the sink soaking and pulled out another two bags from the freezer that she too had collected, as she doesn’t like seeing things go to waste either. So we had a mission, to cook something out of these little fruits. Good old google to the rescue – we discovered the different things you can do with them. In the end we decided to make a Jelly, which is much like a jam, but doesn’t have the pulp of the fruit –  you make it using the liquids.
We needed some mesh to strain it so we set out to a little kitchen shop in Ponsonby called Milly’s, its jam packed full with kitchenware’s and has every possible kitchen gadget you could ever want to get your hands on. Tracy brought the mesh and the beautiful colander you see in the photos, as well as some awesome gadgets that I will show you in other posts. I ended up buying the cute little jars that I haven’t been able to find in Oz, needless to say we were two very happy girls leaving Milly’s. If you’re ever in Auckland check them out, you’re sure to leave with a smile on your dial!
Guava Jelly
 
1.5 kg guavas
1/2 cup water
2 cups of sugar (amount depends on the amount of juice)
half a lemon
 
Place the guavas and water into a big saucepan, and boil until the fruit becomes soft and begins to break  apart. Remove from the heat, and strain through a piece of mesh for 24 hours.
 
For every cup of liquid that you get from the guavas, use a cup of sugar. We had 2 cups of juice so used two cups of sugar. Place the sugar and juice into a saucepan and boil for approximately 20 minutes or until the jelly sets when you put a small amount on a plate. Just before you remove it squeeze half a lemon into the mixture.
Pour into some sterilised jars and seal.

Anzac Biscuits

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The 25th of April is ANZAC day in Australia and New Zealand, it is the day we as nations remember our fallen soldiers.
The ANZAC’s (Australian and New Zealand Army Corp) landed in Gallipoli in World War One, on the 25th of April 1915, to try to take the Gallipoli peninsular in order to open it up for the allied forces. They were met with strong resistance and the campaign lasted for 8 months. The attempt failed and the troops where eventually pulled out, not before thousands of lives where lost.
ANZAC day marks the first major battle undertaken by New Zealand and Australia, and remains the day we remember those who lost their lives.

It is said that this next recipe ANZAC biscuits were baked by the wife’s of the soldiers because of there longevity, they would take months to get to the soldiers and had to last the journey to the troops. This recipe is my Great Aunt Joyce’s and is delicious. I have added the ice cream in the middle for something a bit different, its up to you, they are great on their own and a great staple to have about the house.

Enjoy.

ANZAC Biscuits
 
1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
125g butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 
Pre heat the oven to 180C
 
Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut into a bowl, and stir to combine. Place the butter golden syrup and water into a saucepan and heat on a medium heat until the butter has melted and the ingredients combined. Remove from the heat and stir through the baking soda. Stir through the dry ingredients until the mixture is combined. Roll into balls and place on a tray, press down with a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. 
 
Makes 20

Lime Madeleine’s

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Bonjour! I hope you have all been well, I have been neglecting my little blog over the past couple of weeks, but I have a great excuse……  I’ve been on holiday. Yay!!
I have spent the past nine days cruising the seven seas, ok maybe not quite seven seas. I have been on board a P&O ship, the Pacific Jewel. I haven’t had to cook, clean or even make my bed, I have had other people doing it all for me. Now thats what I call a holiday, complete laziness. My sister and I sailed to Port Vila, Mare, and the Isle of Pines. If you want a nice tropical island, to get lost on, I would highly recommend the Isle of Pines, amazing beaches, I have never felt sand like it (and I live in Australia the land of amazing beaches), beautiful, friendly people and great food to try. I would pass on Mare, and I really didn’t see much of Port Villa, but the people seemed friendly and others said it was stunning. Because I visited a couple of French speaking Islands, I thought that gave me the prefect excuse to bake some Madeleine’s, after all they are very French.

Madeleine’s are a cross between a little cake and a biscuit, there crunch on the outside and a dense sponge in the middle. I had never made them and didn’t really know what the fuss was all about, I was expecting a sponge in the form of a sea shell, but boy, oh boy was I wrong. They are Devine, and I would definitely bake them again. I had problems with my first tray they all stuck to the moulds, so my big tip is use lots of butter, as the second batch was just fine and they slipped out, you could use a non stick tray, but I happened to have and old french one that my mum had found in Akaroa at La Folie Jolie, so naturally had to use that.
Now as the french say, and Julia Child…. Bon-appetit
Enjoy xxx

Lime Madeleines
 
60g butter
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain flour
1 tablespoon of lime rind
 
Syrup
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup icing sugar
 
Pre heat oven to 180C. Butter moulds.
 
Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside.
Using and electric beater, whisk the eggs until they becomes light in colour, then slowly add the sugar, whisk for about 5 minutes on high. 
Fold through the flour and lime rind until well incorporate. Pour the melted butter into the bowl around the sides and fold into the mixture. Leave the mixture to the side for 20 minutes, this will make the madeleines a little denser. Spoon the mixture into the little moulds and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked. 
 
To make the syrup, mix the lime juice and icing sugar together, once incorporate brush onto the madeleines and serve.

Chocolate Cheese Cake

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I bet you can’t guess where I am? Go on give it a go!
 Nope not even close!
I’m sitting on a ship in the middle of Sydney harbour. I can look across and see the Opera house and the Harbour Bridge. This would have to be one of the most impressive views in the city if not the whole of Australia. All I need now is a cocktail and perhaps a slice of this next recipe, that I prepared earlier, a Chocolate Cheese cake and I would be in total heaven. Happy Eating!!
Chocolate Cheese Cake
 
Base
 
125g plain biscuits
1/4 cup dutch cocoa
1/4 cup chocolate chips
80g butter
 
Filling
 
1/4 cup warm – hot water
2 teaspoons gelatine
250g cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup castor sugar
100g dark chocolate
1 cup of whipped cream
 
To make the base, place all the ingredients into a food processor and process until fine bread crumbs form. Tip the crumbs into a spring form tin and press down until the base is firm.
 
To make the filling, place the gelatine in the water and stir until the gelatine dissolves, then put aside.
 
In a separate bowl beat the cream cheese and sugar with and electric beater, then slowly add the milk until incorporated. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or a double boiler, then stir into the cream cheese mixture along with the gelatine mix. Then slowly fold through the whipped cream and pour onto the base in the tin. Place in the refrigerator for 3 hours or until set. Before removing from the tin use a knife to cut around the edge so the cheese cake doesn’t stick.
 
Serve with your choice of topping, or on its own.