Peanut Butter Cookies

In the midst of a flu-ridden and miserable week the urge for peanut butter cookies struck. These went from bowl to belly in 20 minutes flat...

Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 24

1 cup natural peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 ts salt

1 ts vanilla extract

1 egg

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (160 degrees fan-forced). Line 2 trays with baking paper and set aside.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl then add the egg, vanilla and peanut butter. Mix well. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on the prepared trays. Flatten each ball slightly then bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through.

Remove trays from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before turning the cookies out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Devour.

TWD BWJ - Pear and Apple Pie

Oh how I envy you all in the midst of summer right now. Not because of the heat, I hate hot weather. Just because of all that glorious summer fruit! There were definitely no blueberries or nectarines to be had around here, fresh or frozen. So I chose to make the most of two fruits which I think are perfect in winter, pears and apples. 

I upped the wintery-ness of my pie by adding the zest of a lemon, a splash of brandy and a generous pinch of allspice to the filling. Absolutely delicious and very warming!

My pie was baked in an 8 inch cake pan and I used 4 pears and 3 large gala apples for the fruit. I also replaced the shortening in the pastry with coconut oil (which is solid at room temperature) which gave a lovely flaky result. 

Served with a generous dollop of my best ever custard (which I posted a few weeks ago) this was the quintessential winter dessert. 

Our hosts this week are Hilary of Manchego's Kitchen and Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake. Make sure you check their blogs for the original Blueberry and Nectarine Pie recipe. It sounds delicious!

Meatless Monday - Leek and Cheese Tart with Olive Oil Pastry

I live in a house full of boys and yet this tart still went down a treat! Perhaps it's because I didn't call it a quiche.

While the filling was smooth and creamy and packed with leek and cheese goodness, it was the pastry that was the real revelation. Having run out of butter (gasp!) I trawled the interwebs for a pastry recipe that used oil instead and came across this beauty. It was my favourite part of this tart and could become my go-to recipe for savoury pastry. Absolutely delicious!

Leek and Cheese Tart

4 large leeks, washed and sliced thinly
1 tbs butter

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 eggs

1 cup (250ml) full cream milk

125g strong cheddar cheese, grated

Olive Oil Pastry

Recipe adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini

125g plain flour

125g wholemeal flour

1 ts salt

60ml olive oil

100-120ml cold water

Lightly grease a 28cm tart dish (mine is pyrex). Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius (180 degrees fan-forced).

To make the pastry, place the flours and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Pour in the oil and stir with a fork. Add the water and continue to stir with a fork until it is just absorbed then start to knead with your hand, until the dough forms a ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to fit a 28-30cm tart pan. Transfer the dough to the pan, trim the edges and place in the fridge for 30 minutes (I actually forgot this step and had no problems).

While the pastry is chilling, make your filling. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring often for about 15 minutes or until the leeks are softened and creamy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes or so. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and milk along with salt and pepper to taste.

Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes (I line the pastry shell with baking paper then fill it with rice that I keep just for this purpose) then remove the rice and paper and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until the edges are golden and the base is totally dry to the touch. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

To assemble the tart, fill the pastry shell with the cooked leek mixture, sprinkle over the cheese and then pour over the egg mixture. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. The filling should be just set and the edges of the pastry a deep golden brown. Cool for a few minutes before serving with a green salad.

This post is linked to Veggie Mama's Meatless Mondays:

Vanilla Mint Tea Cake

I am most definitely a tea girl. I've been through phases of enjoying coffee but I always come back to tea, mostly herbal and green teas lately.

Since T2 recently opened near us we went for a look and came up with some beauties including the Vanilla Mint Tea. It's a blend of, unsurprisingly, vanilla and spearmint and it sounded delicious! We bought quite a few varieties that day though and that one has been sitting in the pantry unopened. We may not feel like drinking it right now, but what could be better that incorporating actual tea into a teacake? So here is my Vanilla Mint Tea Cake ...

Vanilla Mint Tea Cake

Recipe by me

1/2 cup boiling water

2 tbs vanilla mint tea leaves

1 ts vanilla extract

185g butter, at room temperature

1 cup caster suagr

3 eggs

225g self-raising flour

1/4 cup milk

icing sugar, sifted, to serve

Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (150 degrees fan-forced). Lightly grease a 22cm round cake pan and line the base with non-stick paper.

Place the water and tea in a mug and allow to infuse for 10 minutes then strain, discarding the leaves. Pour the milk into the tea and set aside until needed.

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix the flour and milk/tea alternately into the butter mixture, beating until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to gently bring in the last few bits of flour around the bowl.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Once cool, dust with icing sugar and serve with your favourite cup of tea. 

The taste test ...

Just wonderful! Both the peppermint and vanilla shine through perfectly in this moist buttery cake, without being overpowering. It doesn't need any adornment other than the dusting of icing sugar. But a dollop of double cream on the side would be lovely, as would a dark chocolate icing if you wanted to really dress it up. I will definitely be making this again.

Meatless Monday - Red Lentil Dhal

You really can't beat a Saturday night curry and this one was fantastic. Actually I'm loving all curries at the moment and could quite honestly eat them every night! Luckily my boys are all as keen as me and this one was especially well received. My 3 year old gobbled his down in what seemed like 5 minutes.

My 20 month old was not so keen but that's mainly because he's developed a fear of his high chair and screams bloody murder every time we try to put him in it. Mealtimes have not been pleasant for the last few days and I'm dreading going out for dinner this week because of it!

The recipe below is for a double batch because I wanted the leftovers for the following night and a serve for hubby's lunch during the week. You could of course halve it for a standard 4 serve meal.

Red Lentil Dhal

Adapted from Taste.com.au

serves 6-8

2 cups red lentils

6cm piece fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic

1 tin diced tomatoes

60g butter

4 bay leaves

1 ts cinnamon

4 ts turmeric

2 ts cumin

1 ts coriander

1 ts garam masala

1/2 ts chilli flakes

1-2 ts salt

4 tbs lemon juice

2 tbs fresh coriander leaves

plain yoghurt, rice or naan bread to serve

Rinse the lentils well under running water and discard any discoloured ones. Place the lentils, ginger, bay leaves and tomatoes in a large saucepan. Cover with 6 cups of water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until lentils are soft. Discard the bay leaves.

While the lentils are simmering, melt the butter in a frypan. Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garam masala and chilli and cook for another minute or so until the spices and fragrant. Add the lemon juice, mix well and then pour the mixture over the lentils. Increase the heat and boil for a few minutes or until the sauce has thickened, stirring often to prevent it sticking on the bottom. Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander.

Top with a dollop of plain yoghurt and serve with brown rice or naan bread.