'S’ is for……Summer Strawberry Sponge

S’ is for……Summer Strawberry Sponge. with an Eton mess filling topped with fresh english strawberries and lemon shortbread hearts

Hello all....once again a little late with this post as time has won. The colourful bunting adorns the local town ready for the annual gala, and although the skies have been grey most of June they add a lovely splash of colour. Strawberries are ripening so fast now, we have picked around 30lb of delicious sweet juicy fruit. I have made lots of jam, baked scrummy cakes, made smoothies and of course a dessert of strrawberries and cream always goes down well. Another delicious way of eating them is with a splash of good quality balsamic vinegar and a little sugar. And everyone's favourite.....strawberries dipped in chocolate mmmmm
This summer cake was inspired by my local church. Ten years ago my family attended our local gala. After the carnival procession, the park spills over with lots of stalls raising money for charities, dog shows, a fair and so on, all the usual that make up events like this up and down the country:)
As I walked on by taking in the atmosphere two young people approached me with the offer of a free fresh strawberries. Me well I rarely refuse a freebie, especially juicy fruit! This was to be a turning point in my life!

I discovered these friendly teenagers were representing a local church, and somehow their whole spiritual enthusiasm was something to really smile about. They gave me leaflets about something called 'The Alpha Course, and I vowed one day I would be able to take part. Rather than waffle on about it I have included a link.alpha.org
I went home and pinned the leaflets onto my notice board......and they stayed there for nearly 10 years! My children had grown up and I had a little more time for me, so off I went and thoroughly enjoyed the course and met so many friendly people. My spirituality grew and I finally took the leap, and was Baptised.....my journey was finally completed....and all because of a strawberry! So here it is a Strawberry sponge as a thank you to those young people who offered me a juicy ripe strawberry !!!

Make 2 sponges using your favourite Victoria Sandwich recipe.
When cool fill with whipped cream mixed with crushed meringues, chopped strawberries and strawberry jam
Decorate with cream, strawberries and little meringues and shortbread biscuits.
I made my little heart shape biscuits ....but to save time you can buy ready made ones.......Dust with icing sugar.....and serve!!!

Enjoy Love M xxx

'Q' is for.... Quandong, Lamington Roll

The inspiration for this cake was 2 very special trips I took to Australia. The first was way back in 2005, a family trip of milestones, my children had reached 21, 18 and 13years old, my husband 50 and we had been married for 25 years....it was to be our last family holiday together. We had a lovely time seeing all the sights and being adventurous, well apart from me that is. While my family were doing all things scary like skydiving and climbing Sydney bridge I opted out as I had a fear of heights.So while they did these once in a lifetime challenges I spent my time travelling around Sydney Harbour on the many little boats and ferries.  On my return home I regretted not joining my family in the walk over the bridge, and vowed one day  I would return and face my fears. 

So in  June 2009 I returned and walked that bridge....and as I got to the summit I cannot begin to describe the elation and sense of pride I had in myself. It was a spiritual moment and as I looked down through the bridge then across the harbour I suddenly realised I had left that awful fear of heights behind. I now wear a little gold charm of the bridge around my neck and in times of fear or uncertainty I hold the little charm and it reminds me that I have faced my fears once and I can do so again.

Quandongs are a native bush fruit that are quite tart in flavour, so a good choice for the letter Q. I have been unable to purchase any here in the UK, but after some research I found they are of the peach family and have a tart taste like peach, apricot and rhubarb. 

I wanted to create an essence of Australia, so I used peaches, apricots and passion fruit to give tartness to the recipe, like a quandong would. A light sponge cake and coconut which are used to create Lamington cakes. And I have included some little meringues as a tribute to the Pavlova, which was created in Australia . The passion fruit is also for the passion I have for a wonderful city. Thank you Sydney for giving me some confidence back, and for you I have created this cake as a tribute :) x

Ingredients

3 eggs

85gr castor sugar

85gr plain flour and I tsp baking powder sieved together

Filling

300gr double cream

Apricot conserve

 fresh apricots chop 2 and slice 2

3 fresh peaches chop 2 and slice 1

Pulp of 2 passion fruits

Tblsp dessicated coconut

a few small meringues halved

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Grease and line a 30 x 24cm Swiss roll tin with nonstick paper. Put the eggs and sugar into a large bowl and beat with electric beaters until thick and light, about 5 mins. Fold in the flour and baking powder. Tip into the tin, tilt to level the mix, then bake for 12-15 mins until golden and just springy. Turn onto another sheet of paper, dusted with 1 tbsp caster sugar. Roll the paper up inside the sponge, then leave to cool completely. 
2. Whip the cream until stiff. Unroll the sponge, spread with apricot conserve the half of the whipped cream,top with the chopped fruits and pulp of 1 passion fruit, then roll up. Pipe cream on top, sprinkle coconut over then decorate with sliced fruits and .passion fruit. yumm .....enjoy x

Lamingtons are a quintessential part of every Australian's childhood. The little sponge cake is dipped in chocolate icing and then rolled in desiccated coconut.These little treats are sold at school fairs and bake sales around the country.These days Lamingtons are also commercially produced however they don't taste as good as the homemade versions.

Pavlova.....This light, fruity pie with crust made of meringue is the national dessert of both Australia and New Zealand. Pavlova is a colorful, elegant dessert that usually boasts lighter-than-air meringue, juicy green kiwis, luscious strawberries and/or raspberries or tangy passion fruit, and mountains of whipped cream. The meringue shell is creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. 

Images of Quandongs below

 

Quandong Facts

• Fossilised Quandongs have been discovered in the coal seams of Southern Victoria. Apparently these fossils date from 40 million years ago - a time when Australia was still linked to the Antarctic continent.
• Australian people often refer to Quandongs as the Wild Peach, Desert Peach or Native Peach.
• Quandongs have a vitamin C content higher than oranges and and almost certainly saved many early Australian explorers from scurvy.
• Quandong fruit can be dried and frozen for 8 years or more, without losing any flavour whatsoever.
• Quandong trees possess an aromatic wood that was traditionally used by aboriginal people in "smoking ceremonies".
• Rural Australian children often used Quandong seeds as Chinese Checker pieces.
• The President of the New York Explorers Club once imported Quandongs for one of their annual dinners - along with some Polar Ice!
• To date the only Australian food plant to be successfully domesticated is the Macadamia Nut.The Macadamia Nut was successfully domesticated in Hawaii. Will the Quandong be the second domesticated food plant?
• Aboriginal Name Goorti (Narungga