Carol Picks the Recipes

In the past, the hostess has chosen a theme and everyone chooses what they would like to bring. This time Carol stumbled upon this fabulous book, Afternoon Tea by Susannah Blake and decided to send out the recipes she fancied for us to bake and bring along. it was great to recieve a recipe in the mail that maybe you wouldn't normally fancy - and the results? Well let the pictures speak for themselves!

Caramelized onion pastries, made by Carol. These biscuits were super short and tasty and topped with delicious onions, parmesan and thyme. Absolutely fantastic!

Summer Berry Tartlets by Sherrise. Crisp almond pastry filled with a mix of sour cream and lemon butter topped with fresh berries.

Dark chocolate, prune and armagnac mousses by Nadia. The white chocolate cases were a fiddle to make, but the filling was very rich and the presentation worth the extra effort.

Macaroons by Christina. I made three varieties of these tasty cookies - Hazelnut with frangelico filling, Almond with a lemon curd filling and Pistachio with a chocolate filling.

Vanilla and strawberry millefeuilles by Sheridan. Delicate pastry filled with homemade vanilla custard and grand-marnier strawberries. Yum.
This is the lemon butter made by Christina to fill both the macaroons and the berry tartlets. I decided to package it up with a Cookteasesr logo - just for fun.

*Please note: Carol also made an orange and almond cake - and while it tasted good - it looked bloody awful - and this cookteaser reserves the right to not post ugly food photos!

Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies

Blondie Batter
125g butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 ¾ cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla

Cream Cheese Swirl
180g cream cheese
¼ cup caster sugar
2 tbsp butter, soft
2 tbsp flour
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract


1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a buttered 8 inch square baking pan with baking paper, allowing a 2 inch overhang. Set aside.
2. For the blondie batter, beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until well combined and then add the dry ingredients, and beat on low speed, scraping down sides, until well incorporated.
3. For the swirl, place all ingredients in a separate bowl and beat until just smooth.
4. Spread half the blondie batter into the prepared tin. Spoon two thirds of the cream cheese mix on top and spread evenly. Alternate dollops of the two remaining mixes over the top and then gently swirl with a butter knife to create a marbled effect.
5. Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs, but is not wet, about 35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies

Blow me a kiss...or three!

Apple and Cinnamon Cake

Sandwich Selection: "Mock" Chicken, Ham Spread and Asparagus Rolls

Mock Chicken Sandwiches a la Eleanora Cull
Mum says that in her day, no supper party would be complete without a platter of these tasty sandwiches. They don’t taste like chicken, look like chicken, or even smell like chicken, but I love them!

1 onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, skinned and diced
2 Tbsp butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp mixed dried herbs
Salt and Pepper

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 tbsp butter and gently sauté onion until soft, but not brown. Add tomatoes and herbs, salt and pepper and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the eggs, and continue to stir with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens. Add the remaining tbsp of butter and keep mixing until melted and combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Spread generously on white bread.

Asparagus Rolls
Another one of Mum’s favourites.

Asparagus spears (canned of course!)
Crustless bread and butter
Salt and Pepper

Do you really need a method? Just roll em up, and fasten with a toothpick.


Ham Spread

This recipe comes from one of the original Cuisinart food processor cookbooks, and was sent into the American Magazine ‘Gourmet’ by a lady named Stephanie Gordon Hogan, from New York. The recipe has become a standard request in her home at holidays and other special occasions.

200g leg ham, chopped
250g cream cheese
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp ground cloves

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Serve with bread or crackers. Makes about 2 cups.

Victoria Sponge Cake