Questions Answered and Recipes

Okay, have had a few questions asked recently, so thought I'd do a post for them.

Where did I get my serviettes from for the candles?

All from NZ, the Asian looking ones I bought, they are the smaller size serviette, and most likely got them from Living & Giving.

The stripes and dots were given to me in a serviette swap so I am not sure where they were from.

The poppies were either from Briscoes or Living & Giving.

Recipe for Pavlova Torte

Huh ... didn't know it had such a flash name. This recipe I cut out of a magazine years ago. The picture looks great, but I don't use the topping (don't like jam!).

4 egg whites

1 cup caster sugar

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 x 250g punnet strawberries

1 x 150g punnet blueberries

2 x 200g tubs mixed berry Fruche

2 tablespoons raspberry jam

2 tablespoons orange juice

mint sprig to decorate

1. Cover 2 oven trays with non-stick baking paper. Mark a 13cm and 19cm circle on the paper on one tray and a 23cm circle on the other tray.

2. Beat egg whites in large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating well between additions until sugar is dissolved. Fold in cornflour and vinegar.

3. Divide mixture between circles. Spread mixture just inside each circle; shape sides with a small spatula.

4. Cook in a very slow oven, 120degC for about 1 hour, or until crisp. Turn off oven; cool in oven with door ajar.

5. Combine berries in a large bowl, but reserve a few for decoration.

6. Just before serving, place largest pavlova round on a serving plate. Top with half the Fruche and half the berries. Top with second pavlova round, remaining Fruche, berries and small pavlova round. Decorate top with reserved berries.

7. Combine jam and juice in small pan, stir until combined and heated through. Drizzle over pavlova; decorate with mint sprig.

So there you have it. If you are like me and don't like jam and are a bit lazy :-) Just whip cream and spread that between the layers plonk it together and put strawberries on the lip of each layer. Also - I doubled the receipe for this pav here, it just fitted on the oven tray!!

This next recipe is from a book my sister-in-law gave me. At Home At Play; food by Penny Oliver. I have made this cake several times and it always goes down well, especially when it's slightly warm ... the choc chunks are just right! :-)

Apple, Chocolate and Nut Cake

200g butter, softened

200 g (1 cup) caster sugar

4 large eggs

pinch of salt

225g (1 3/4 cups) plain flour, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted

200g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 applies, peeled, cored and cut into small dice

1 cup pistachio nuts

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest.

Preheat the oven to 180 degC. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the salt, flour and baking powder until well combined. Stir in the chocolate, apples, nuts and lemon zest. Pour into a lightly buttered 22cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire cooling rack. Serve the cake warm while the chocolate is still soft, with lashings of lightly whipped cream. If the cake cools before you serve it, simply warm portions in the microwave.

With fruity, moist cakes like this a skewer test will not always indicate when the cake is cooked. It is ready when the top is firm and the cake comes away from the sides of the tin.

Enjoy :-)