'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

'P' is for....Pizza Pavlova

When I lived at home I baked on a Saturday morning and usually made lunch as well. The family favorite was pizza, in those days there was not so much choice in the supermarket  as there is now, ready meals and  Pizza were limited and quite expensive. So after making a few batches of rock buns and fairy cakes out would come the bread flour to make dough. While I kneaded it seemed for hours until I reached the right elasticity I would have the TV on and watch Noel Edmund's 'Multi Coloured Swap Shop'. If you remember that program then you are roughly the same age as me! 
I enjoyed making and eating these muddled up pizza creations....I would add as many different toppings as I could find....I made a few mistakes with my savoury combinations .....they made their way to the bin! The best bit of my morning then was walking away from the kitchen and leaving my mum to clear up while I got ready to go out and party! nowadays I have to clear up my own mess!
Sundays would find my mum making meringues, she was not really a cook but she always managed a good balance of crispiness and stickiness in her little cakes. My job would be to whisk the cream for the filling, which I hated doing as she made me do it by hand.....but it was worth it as come tea time they would be on the table and mmmmm delicious.
In this recipe I have used meringue for the base, red coloured whisked cream to look like tomato sauce, the fruit represents the mixed ingredients used on a pizza, grated chocolate for cheese and sliced chocolate mini rolls to represent pepperoni!!! So the regular pavlova goes all regular fruity  pizza :) Enjoy.....hugs 4 smiles M xx
                                                         

Ingredients
for meringue base
2 egg whites
4oz castor sugar

Pre heat oven to 150C
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment
To make the meringue, place the egg whites in a large bowl and, using an electric hand whisk on a low speed, begin whisking.
Continue for about 2 minutes, until the whites are foamy, then switch the speed to medium and carry on whisking for 1 more minute.
Now turn the speed to high and continue whisking until the egg whites reach the stiff-peak stage. Next, whisk the sugar in on fast speed, a little at a time (about a dessertspoon), until you have a stiff and glossy mixture.
Place onto a lined baking sheet and with the back of a spoon push into a circular base shape
Place on the centre shelf of the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 140°C and bake for 40 minutes.
After that, turn the oven off and leave the meringues to dry out in the warmth of the oven for 4 hours or overnight
Topping
Double cream
Red food colouring
4 different fruits of your choice
White chocolate grated
3 Mini chocolate rolls, sliced
Whip cream until thick and add food colouring. Spread over meringue base.
Arrange fruit on top
Sprinkle on the grated chocolate then pop sliced chocolate rolls on top to finish off. Keep the chocolate rolls in the fridge, they slice easier when cold :)
Have a go this weekend, you could use just blueberries, strawberries and white chocolate for a Jubilee theme!