Chocolate Chip Plus Biscuits

I’ve been going through Ma’s multitude of recipes which include old books and torn out magazine clippings from the 1960s.  I love the history of our taste-buds.  They used a lot more offal – lovely recipes like braised brains and pig’s trotters.  Among my favourites are the old cook book collections compiled by the P&C of the schools we went to; the Innerwheel Club to which Ma belonged plus churches and the CWA.  They were real family recipes so you knew they should be yum!  Best thing about them is the ingredients are usually in the pantry.

I came across this Chocolate Chip recipe the other day and fell in love (so did Ma).  It was listed in my infants school cook book (go back around 30 plus years).  It’s a nice one for Christmas as it looks festive and it’s yum.

Ingredients
3 oz butter (28.35g)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups SR flour
1/2 cup salted peanuts or walnuts
1/2 packet of choc bits (I’m not sure how much used to be in a pack back then but I don’t think you can have too much chocolate!)
1/2 cup sultanas
glace cherries

Method
Place sugar in mixing bowl and pour melted butter in top, stir to dissolve (ok, I had a problem with this as it wouldn’t melt properly so I kept using the microwave to heat the butter and sugar – I think next time I will melt the butteron the stove top with the sugar until it’s melted and transfer to a bowl to cool).

Cool – beat in egg and add the nuts, sultanas and choc bits and stir in flour.

Drop by teaspoon full onto greased scone trays (I used grease proof paper) and place 1/2 a glace cherry on top.

Bake in a moderate oven for approximately 15 minutes (it’s around 150 in my fan forced oven).

Allow to cool on trays.

 

 

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Curried Banana

Weird I know, but surprisingly good.

Equal parts thick sour cream and mayonnaise (a little less mayonnaise at first and add to taste).  Mix together and add curry powder to taste.  Slice banana and cover with lemon juice and then add to mixture.

Chill.

Creamed Velvet

An old favourite.  Ma used to always use more sherry/rum than what was required.

2 Jam Rolls
8 ozs cooking chocolate
3 eggs – separated
3 tablespoons of sherry or rum
Melt chocolate and sherry/rum in saucepan over boiling water, stir in beaten egg yolks, cook a couple of minutes.  Allow to cool.  Beat egg whites until they form peaks, add to chocolate mixture.  Line a basin, about the size of a small mix-master bowl, with grease proof paper.  Put a layer of jam roll then a layer of chocolate mixture, alternate these to the top of the basin.  Cover and leave in refrigerator a day or two to set.  Turn out and cover with whipped cream and slivers of almonds or grated chocolate.

Corned Beef and Onion Sauce + what to do with leftovers

Corned Beef (at least 1.3kg will feed 3 people and give you enough for sandwiches)
I usually buy from Aldi or the butcher at around $7.99/kg.

Rinse the Corned Beef and trim all the fat off

Place in a large saucepan and cover with water.  Add around a tablespoon of brown sugar; a good splosh of brown vinegar and 4 cloves.  Bring to boil and then simmer for around 30 minutes per 500g.  If the fork comes out clean, it’s done.  Wrap it in foil and place it in the oven to keep warm.

While you are cooking your Corned Beef.  Make your Onion Sauce – slice 2 medium brown onions and place them in a saucepan just barely covered with water with a bit of salt.  Boil the bejeepers out of them until they are translucent.  Add cracked pepper and thicken with cornflour mixed with evaporated milk.  Keep adding the evaporated milk until the sauce is as you like it.

Empty your Corned Beef saucepan and add your vegetables and water and bring to boil.  We usually have potato, carrot, suede and anything that takes our fancy. Enjoy!

Leftovers

Sometimes there are some… If you have around 300g or more you can make Red Flannel Hash or Corned Beef Fritters (if you have less).

Take your leftover Corned Beef and roughly chop it into pieces and put it through a hand mincer or similar.

Add a Red Capsicum, Carrot and Onion.  Add Tomato Sauce and mix until just holding together and place in a casserole dish.  Top with mashed potato and sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Bake in a moderate oven until heated through and cheese melted.

This was always a big family favourite.

If you don’t have enough corned beef to make the hash try Fritters.  Mix up 3/4 cup self-raising flour; 1 egg, 1/3 cup of milk until smooth.  Mince up your Corned Beef and add it to the mix.  Cook in a frypan with oil until golden brown.