Asparagus Pastries
Preparation 25 Minutes
Cook 30 Minutes
Serves 8
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Cut each pastry sheets into 4 squares. Mark 1cm in from the edge of pastry to resemble a photo frame. Place on paper lined baking trays.
- Panfry onions in oil for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour in wine and brown sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes stirring continuously. Stir in pine nuts and cool.
- Place heaped spoonfuls of onion mixture into the centre of each pastry square. Arrange mushrooms and asparagus on top. Sprinkle with feta and brush edges with egg. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Serve.
Ingredients
70g Sunbeam Pine Nuts, roasted
2 sheets puff pastry
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup red wine
2 tsp brown sugar
6-8 button mushrooms, sliced
2 bunches asparagus, trimmed and blanched
100g feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg, lightly beaten
Recipe Collection
Mini Indulgent Puddings
Preheat oven to 150°C
- Combine fruit, jellied cranberry sauce, brandy and spices in a large bowl, cover and leave to stand overnight.
- Brush ten 1-cup pudding basins (ramekins) with melted butter and line base with baking paper.
- Mix eggs, butter, brown sugar and flours until well combined, then stir through fruit mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared basins.
- Cut a large circle of foil and baking paper and place over each pudding, foil side up. Secure tightly with kitchen string.
- Place pudding in a large saucepan and add enough boiling water to fill halfway up the sides. Cover and bring to the boil, reduce heat and cook for 11⁄4 hours, replenishing water when needed.
- Remove from water and store well wrapped until Christmas.
Chocolate Fruit Truffles
- Add chocolate to a food processor and blitz until very finely chopped.
- Transfer chocolate to a bowl, pour over the hot thickened cream, add butter, currants and salt and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until firm but still able to be scooped with a spoon.
- To make truffles, scoop 1 heaped tbsp of the mixture and use clean hands to roll into a rough ball. Repeat with remaining mixture (you should make about 24)
- Arrange crushed nuts, desiccated coconut and cacao powder in separate bowls. Roll each of the truffles into different coatings to decorate.*to make coloured coconut we combined desiccated coconut with a few drops of food colouring
Gingerbread Almond Wreath
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Pre-heat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Lightly grease and line a 22cm ring tin.
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Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
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Stir in the almond meal, coconut, bi-carb and spices. Mix well, then stir in the currants and sultanas. Pour into prepared pan and scatter the top with flaked almonds. Bake for 55-60 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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Serve on a platter surrounded by fresh rosemary sprigs and fill the cavity with raspberries.
Bread and Butter Pudding
Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
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Combine sultanas and juice in a small bowl and set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, sugar and vanilla.
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Sprinkle some of the sultanas and chocolate over the base of a rectangular baking dish. Arrange half of croissants in the baking dish, slightly overlapping. Sprinkle with more of the sultanas and chocolate. Top with remaining croissants, sultanas and chocolate.
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Pour egg mixture over croissants allowing time for it to be absorbed, approximately 30 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds.
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Bake pudding for 35-40 minutes or until set. Serve warm with cream or ice-cream.
Cauliflower & Currants Salad
1. Preheat oven to 220ºC (200ºC fan forced). Line a baking tray with non stick baking paper.
2. Place cauliflower onto prepared tray; drizzle over olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until just tender and golden.
3. Spread hummus onto a serving plate; top with cauliflower; drizzle with glaze. To finish, sprinkle with currants and parsley. Serve.
Australian Ice-cream Pudding
Preheat oven to 180oC.
Brush a 2 litre pudding basin with vegetable oil, then line with plastic wrap, trying to keep wrap smooth without wrinkles. Place in the freezer to chill. In a bowl combine Sultanas, Raisins, cranberries, apricots, Macadamias and orange liqueur. Leave to soak for 30 minutes. Place softened ice cream in a large bowl stir in soaked fruit. Fold in whipped cream and pour mixture into prepared pudding basin. Place in the freezer and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
To prepare orange cake, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in Almond Meal, orange juice and rind. Pour into a greased and paper lined 20cm cake tin and bake for 1 hour. Allow too cool in the tin, before turning out onto a board.
To finish pudding, ease ice-cream pudding from basin and place on top of cake. Trim the cake edges if required and serve cut into thick slices.
