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Choc Sultana Hot Cross Bun

Preparation 105 Minutes

Cook 30 Minutes

Serves 12

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Method
Ingredients

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C

Sieve plain flour and mixed spice. Rub butter into the flour until well incorporated and add dry yeast, castor sugar, sultanas, currants and chocolate dots. Add the milk and eggs and mix well. Place on a floured surface and gently knead dough for ten minutes until smooth and velvety. Cover and leave to rise for one hour or until mixture has doubled in size.
Gently knead for 2 minutes then divide into 12. Gently knead into balls and shape into buns. Arrange in a greased baking tin and leave to rise again for 15 minutes.
Combine ingredients for flour paste crosses and place in a piping bag. Pipe crosses onto buns.
Bake for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 170°C and bake for a further 20 minutes.
Turn onto a wire rack, serve hot with butter, if desired

Ingredients

4 cups plain flour

2 tsp mixed spice

2 tsp cinnamon

125g butter, softened

2 x 7g sachets dry yeast

½ cup castor sugar

250g Sunbeam Sultanas

80g Sunbeam Currants

250g milk chocolate dots, chopped

250ml warm milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Flour paste for crosses:

1/3 cup water

½ cup plain flour

1 tbs castor sugar

Recipe Collection

Custard-stuffed Hot Cross Doughnuts

Place the water, sultanas, currants, cinnamon, vanilla bean and honey in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer to cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Liqueur 43 (if using). Set aside for 30 minutes to steep and cool. Discard the vanilla bean and cinnamon quill. Drain through a sieve set over a jug, reserving the steeping liquid. Set aside.

To make the custard, place custard powder in a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and mix until smooth and well combined. Stir in the remaining milk, then add the cream. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until smooth. Set aside to cool. Spoon into a piping bag and place in the fridge until required.

Place the warmed milk in a jug. Add the yeast and 3 tablespoons of reserved steeping liquid to the warm milk. Set aside in a warm spot for 5-10 minutes until foaming. Place flour, mixed spice and butter into the bowl of a large food processor (your processor needs to be at least 12 cups). Process until butter is incorporated. With the motor running, pour the milk mixture and egg. Process for 1-2 minutes or until dough has formed a ball and is smooth and elastic. If the dough is a bit to sticky, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it is the right consistency. Add drained sultanas and pulse to combine. Turn onto a floured surface and bring the dough together. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl. cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour or until mixture has doubled in size.

Line two trays with baking paper. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes, knocking the air out. Cut the dough into 16 even portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place on the lined tray and flatten slightly, allowing a little room between each to expand. Cover with a tea towel and set aside for 30 minutes to prove.

Place 4 doughnuts in the wire basket of an air fryer and brush with melted butter. Air fry at 180°C for 8 minutes or until crisp and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts. (Alternatively, heat a saucepan of vegetable oil to 160°C and deep-fry doughnuts, turning halfway through, for 2-3 minutes or until golden and cooked through).

Cut a small slit into the base of each doughnut. Pipe custard into the slit on the base of each doughnut. Return to the rack, cut side down.Step 7

Brush the doughnuts with the remaining reserved steeping liquid and set aside for 5 minutes to set.

Place the melted white chocolate melts into a piping bag. Snip the corner and pipe a cross over each doughnut. Set aside for 5 minutes to set.

Last Minute Christmas Cake

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir over the heat for 3-4 mins until combined.

Add dried fruit, bicarbonate of soda, rum, cognac and 125ml water and stir well to combine. Increase heat to high and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium then cook for a further 4 mins without stirring. Remove from heat, cover and allow mixture to cool overnight.

Preheat oven to 150ºC (130ºC fan). Grease and line a 23cm square baking tin.

Add eggs to the cooled mixture and stir. Add flour and spices and stir well to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 mins before spooning into the prepared tin and smoothing the surface.

Decorate the top of the cake with blanched almonds then bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Check your cake every hour to ensure it is not browning too quickly on top. If it is, cover with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.

Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before inverting to remove. To serve, brush with a little apricot jam that has been warmed in the microwave.

This cake can be stored for up to 3 months in the fridge – cover the cooled cake in 2 layers of plastic wrap and foil.

Spiced Lamb in Lettuce Cups

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and garlic, cooking for several minutes until tender. Add spices, cooking a further minute. Increase heat and add lamb mince, cooking until well browned.
Add dates, pomegranate molasses, herbs and pinenuts. Mix well and season to taste.
Spoon mixture between prepared lettuce cups. Drizzle with yoghurt and lemon juice, finishing with additional mint leaves.

Sunbeam Christmas Cake

Soak fruit overnight in brandy, if you warm the brandy it infuses faster and you can soak for a few hours instead of overnight.

Place soaked fruit, water, butter, maple syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil then remove from heat and add bicarbonate of soda mixed with one tablespoon boiling water. Cool for 15 minutes.

Add lightly beaten eggs, mixing thoroughly. Fold in sifted flours, spices and vanilla essence.

We used a 21cm bundt tin. Bake at 160°C for 75 to 90 minutes. Cool in tin.

Decorate with Caramel glaze and Sunbeam flake almonds.

Spice Roasted Cauliflower & Sunmuscat Sultana Dressing

Preheat oven to 220°C. In a large bowl, combine 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, sweet paprika, and smoked paprika. Stir well, add cauliflower, and toss to evenly coat.

Transfer cauliflower onto a baking paper lined oven tray. Bake 25 – 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden.

While the cauliflower is roasting, drizzle remaining 2 Tbsp oil into a skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced shallot and cook for 5 – 7 minutes, stirring regularly, until shallots have started to turn golden.

Remove pan from heat, add capers, vinegar, honey, water, and Sunmuscat sultanas. Stir well, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss parsley through cooked cauliflower and transfer to a serving plate. Spoon dressing over top, sprinkle with walnuts or pine nuts to serve.

Roasted Cauliflower Steak with Cashew Cream

Preheat oven to 425°F. Set aside a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prepare cauliflower by trimming away any green leaves. With the cauliflower sitting on it’s stem, use a knife to slice it in half. Cut one thick slice from either side – so that you have two “steaks”, each about 1 ½” (4 cm) thick. Set cauliflower steaks aside.

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil, and once hot, add cauliflower steaks. Let them sear, undisturbed, for 3-3 ½ minutes on each side (cooking for approximately 6-7 minutes total). Remove once they’ve developed a golden crust on either side. While the cauliflower cooking you can assemble the harissa glaze. In a small bowl combine 2 teaspoons water, maple syrup, paprika, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika. Mix well. Once the cauliflower is seared, transfer steaks to lined baking sheet. Brush harissa glaze on both sides, coating all the nooks and crannies. Transfer to oven for 5-7 minutes or until tender.

While the cauliflower steaks are in the oven, prepare the warm chickpea salad. Add the spinach and chickpeas to a large bowl.

Squeeze lemon and drizzle avocado oil over the greens and beans. Add Himalayan sea salt and black pepper. Toss well to combine.

Assemble your dish with chickpea salad, seared cauliflower steak and drizzle with cashew cream.

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