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Lavender's Green

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November 22, 2016  ·  Recipes, Uncategorized

Christmas Cake

Christmas cake (gluten free)

Makes a large 23cm round or square cake.

INGREDIENTS

500g sultanas

500g raisins

500g currants

½ cup (125ml) sherry

Rind of one lemon and one orange

1 ½ cups brown sugar

250g butter, softened

1 tablespoon golden syrup

5 large eggs

2 cups “strong” gluten free flour suitable for bread making

½ teaspoon ground allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and nutmeg

METHOD

A day before needed, put dried fruit and sherry into a snap lock bag, seal and leave on a sunny bench.  Flip the bag over occasionally so that the sherry is absorbed and the fruit plumps up. Preheat the oven to 150°C.  Line the sides and the bottom of a 23cm round or square tin with a single layer of baking paper.

Peel the lemon and orange rind with a potato peeler and place in a food processor with the sugar.  Blitz until the zest is finely chopped.  Add  butter, process until pale and fluffy, then add the golden syrup and mix again.  Next add the eggs, one at a time and add one tablespoon of flour in between each egg to prevent the mixture from curdling.  Mix well.

In a very large bowl mix the rest of the flour, the spices and the plumped up fruit together.  Add the creamed mixture and mix until it drops softly from a spoon.  If the mixture is too dry and stiff, soften it with up to ¼ cup (60ml) of extra sherry or brandy.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and decorate the top with dessert almonds and glacé cherries.Bake at 150°C for one hour then turn the oven down to 140°C and cook for about three hours, or until a skewer poked in the centre of the cake comes out clean.  Start testing after 1 ½ hours.

Drizzle ¼ cup of brandy over the cake edges while it is still hot and fresh out of the oven.  Leave it for at least an hour before removing the cake from the tin. When the cake is completely cold, wrap it in a couple of layers of baking paper and then in a clean linen tea towel and then place in a cool, dark pantry.

It’s not a good idea to wrap the cake in foil or to place it in a completely air tight plastic container, as it can go mouldy.  Give the cake a bit of space to breathe, particularly if you are storing it for a couple of months before Christmas. Every couple of weeks check that the cake is still ok and if desired, feed the cake another couple of spoonfuls of brandy.

If the cake has become too dry, brush all the surfaces liberally with sherry or brandy, place in a plastic bag and refrigerate it for a day or so.  Repeat as necessary.

 

 

November 15, 2016  ·  Drinks, Recipes, Uncategorized

Elderflower Cordial

It’s time to make Elderflower Cordial

(Makes 2 Litres)
November at Te Puhi farm is Elderflower time. Delicate and ephemeral elderflowers teach you the meaning of “Carpe diem” or, seize the day! The flowers take about a week to form their buds then one day they open; sometimes the bract of flowers are as large as a widespread hand, and then the next day they can be ravaged by the bees and the wind. Pick them when you see them in full creamy white bloom – don’t wait for them to turn darker and don’t pick them if their edges are brown.

This is an efficient recipe and the method saves you dealing with a lot of sticky liquid. It comes from a beautiful book by Fern Verrow – A year of recipes from a farm and its kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:

50 Freshly picked elderflower heads, shaken, not washed and remove the stalks
4 lemons
2 litres boiling water
1.5kg granulated white sugar

METHOD:

Snip the flower heads into a large, clean bowl. Slice two lemons, add them to the bowl and pour over the boiling water. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave overnight to infuse.
The next day strain the infusion through a muslin cloth and strainer into a saucepan. Juice the remaining lemons then strain the juice into the pan and discard any pips.
Add the sugar and heat gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until the liquid reaches 90°C on a sugar thermometer.
Pour the hot syrup into sterilised bottles and seal. It should last at least a year if stored in a cool, dark cupboard.

Elderflowers have a lot of natural yeasts on them, so sometimes the syrup ferments and fizzes. It’s really important therefore that you sterilize and keep all equipment scrupulously clean. Perfect for summer….enjoy!

Thought

Maybe if we are surrounded in beauty
someday we will become what we see.
- Jewel Kilcher -

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