Cheese biscuits

I have always loved the idea of little cheesy home-made biscuits which are great to have a bowlful on the table when you are having a glass of wine. I am sure I have had a recipe tucked away although I do not recall ever making them but when I went hunting for this recipe a few weeks ago I could not find whatever it was anywhere.  So to Google I went and after trolling through all the American cheese biscuit recipes, which to an Australian are really scones, I found something that looked like it might be what I was after and so decided to give it a go.  The resulting biscuits were exactly what I wanted.  I have now made them several times and they are easy, fun and tasty and have the seal of approval from my daughter and son-in-law.


This is my version of these tasty little morsels:

125 grams unsalted real butter
150 grams plain flour
1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch of salt

pile all these ingredients into a food processor
process until a dough ball forms
take out of bowl, break into two pieces
roll each piece into a sausage shape using plastic wrap
roll up in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
take out of fridge and unwrap
slice dough into thin circles
place on baking paper on oven tray
sprinkle a little chilli powder or paprika and sea salt on the top of each biscuit
bake for 10 - 12 minutes in 180 deg oven
best to cool a little at least before serving otherwise people will burn their mouths

these wrapped dough rolls can be frozen - in which case make at least a double quantity of the dough
take dough roll out of the freezer, turn on oven and by the time the oven is hot you can slice the dough, place on trays, sprinkle and bake

All the usual things apply such as you can use margarine, olive oil spread, low cholesterol such as Pulse instead of real butter (my preference is Lurpak unsalted butter); with the flour it can be stoneground, wholemeal, spelt, whatever you wish; the cheese does not have to be parmesan - I used fetta once.
These biscuits are easy to make and fun to eat. 


Be prepared for the fact that there will not be leftovers.

Harissa recipe

I love having a jar of harissa in the fridge.  When I am feeling lazy I can put 1/4 teaspoon of harissa into whatever it is I am cooking for myself and it livens everything up very well, particularly leftovers!  If I am cooking for more people, yes, I would put more.  

There are many recipes out there for harissa.  This one I have used for many years now and it always works and tastes good, which is the the important part.  I do tend to make a larger quantity which will make a couple of jars as I enjoy giving the extra jars to friends and relish the momentary adoration I receive.

HARISSA 

½ cup	dried red chillies – stalks removed
4 cloves	garlic
2 tablespoons	lemon juice
1 teaspoon	ground coriander
	oil
	salt
	retained cooking water

start by bringing chillies to boil in a pan, using just enough water to cover them        

remove from heat and set aside to sit in water for one hour

drain chillies and place in blender

add the coriander, lemon juice and salt

whizz, adding enough oil and retained cooking water to produce a purée

store in tightly covered jar       

chocolate self-saucing pudding

I have just been asked for this recipe by my ex-husband.  Yes, the Italian chef!!  My mother used to make this recipe for special occasions and it was always good - it was one of the few dishes that mum could cook very well and Bill used to ask for it if we were eating with her.  


You can change this recipe to have less sugar (it is sweet), use really good Dutch cocoa or even put choc chips through it for that double choc taste and wow factor.  The main thing is to enjoy.


Here it is below as written up in my collection of recipes.

MUM’S SELF-SAUCING CHOCOLATE PUDDING

My memory does not stretch to whether this recipe came from my grandmother, possibly does.  My mother made it throughout our lives and I was happy to have the recipe and make it for my family.  My mother was not an exceptional cook and being really honest, was not even a particularly good cook and never really enjoyed cooking.  My ex-husband was (and still is) an exceptional chef.  Surprisingly, he loved it when my mother made this dessert when we had family meals.

This is very easy to put together and can be prepared up to the hot water on the topping stage before dinner.  Just before you serve the main course, pour over the hot water, pop it in the oven and it will be cooked when you are clearing the main course plates.  Letting it rest for a moment, it is still hot when you are ready to serve it as the dessert – with double cream it is wonderful.

1 ½ cups	plain flour
¾ teaspoon	baking powder
1 cup	sugar
¾ cup	milk
3 tablespoons	butter – melted
½ teaspoon	salt
2 tablespoons	cocoa
1 ½ teaspoons	vanilla essence
2	egg
TOPPING
1 cup	sugar
1 ½ tablespoons	cocoa
2 cups	hot water

sift flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt

add sugar and egg

stir in milk, vanilla and melted butter

place in a greased baking dish    

for topping

mix together sugar and cocoa

sprinkle over pudding mixture

carefully pour over hot water

bake in a moderate oven (180 C) for 35 – 40 minutes

sour cream pastry

Having the young ones over for dinner last week I decided it was time to look into my cookbooks and cook something that I had not attempted.  About time really.  I settled on my version of a timbale in a sour cream pastry.  Okay.  It wasn't a timbale but a chicken and mushroom pie in sour cream pastry.  Things change from the original thought to the final placing on a plate and that is what I love about food and cooking, the way ingredients take on a life of their own and develop into what they think they should be served as.


The main thing here is the pastry that I am so excited about.  I think this pastry recipe is the one that Rosemary Nott gave my then husband back in the early 1980s.  It always worked and Rosie said it was exceptionally easy.  I remember eating terrines, baked ham and other wonderful things wrapped and cooked in this pastry.  Using the recipe that I have WAS very easy and the end result was very good to eat.  Thank you, Rosie, if this is your recipe and if it isn't, what the hell, it is good anyway, though I do like to think that it is yours as there are wonderful memories around eating something made with this.

SOUR CREAM PASTRY

200 grams	butter
370 grams	plain flour
300 mils	sour cream
1 teaspoon	vinegar
pinch	salt

melt butter and set aside to cool

put flour into mixing bowl

add sour cream, mixing slowly

while mixing, add vinegar, salt and melted butter

cover with plastic wrap

place in fridge until very cold

if needed quickly, dough can be placed in freezer to cool

dough must be very cold to work with       

this dough should be rolled out fairly thick

very good around terrines, ham and like things