Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch sauce and almond praline

oozy, buttery, caramely, sticky, YUMMY!!

If you want to impress someone, this is your dish!!

Lots of components? Yes, but worth it! This time I have uploaded the recipe so you have no excuse.

My tips:

Be careful with the sugar once it has melted and you are pouring it over the almonds. It is really hot!! I even have a large blister burn on my finger to prove it.

Don't over cook the almonds. I think I left mine for a minute too long and the praline would of tasted better if I hadn't over cooked them. Once they are slightly golden, take them off the heat.

When you are pouring the mixture into the moulds, don't be worried if it looks as watery as water. I thought the recipe must of been wrong because the mixture was not thick like a cake recipe or something like that. But Mum said puddings are generally like that and they turned out perfectly!

So get cracking people! or baking I should say! Only took an hour max to make this delicious desert. But then I guess there is the washing up. But don't let that turn you off. ENJOY!

VANUATU!

Just wanted to put up some pics from my time in Vanuatu...mostly food related..



ABOVE: just cooking chicken on the fire at our beach picnic..as you do



ABOVE: Local food lap lap: Ground manioc with chicken and coconut milk cooked underground in lap lap leaves..AMAZING!



This coconut crab was massive!! and a bit of a struggle to kill also! But sooo yummy..coconut flavoured crab meat..mmm

Meals in paradise..

So I was in Vanuatu visiting Dad and decided I would cook for them one night. I wanted to make the most of the amazing local produce so I went off to the local markets which are such a food cultural inspiring experience. Absolutely surrounded by amazing tropical fruit and veg, I couldn't go past the avocados as big as coconuts! Seriously they are HUGE, not to mention really cheap. So for entree I made guacamole with crispy garlic batar (french bread from local french patisserie).

Vanuatu has the most AMAZING organic beef in the world! It is so tender and juicy and flavoursome! Even Lily says it's the most amazing beef she has ever had! So I marinated it overnight in Soy sauce, garlic, olive oil and honey (local honey) which is my favourite steak marinade. I then did garlic beans and kumala (sweet potatoe) mash as sides. Simple yet exquisite. The beef is definitely the star of the show!

Then for dessert I did tropical fresh fruit salad, which I am not sure where the photo is.

Anyway try the steak marinade! Please! You will LOVE IT! and go to Vanuatu! It's incredible! and eat steak! and coconut crab!

CHUNKY BEEF PIE!!

oooooo yeah! Seriously what could be better than chunky beef pie!! SO EASY TO MAKE also!

I didn't use a recipe...So all I did was use frozen puff pastry and for the mixture I seared some chunky chuck steak with onions and herbs. Once it is browned pour in some beef stock, chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper, and simmer for an hour at least. Then I add some cornflour to thicken. SO quick and easy..and delicious! I also added chilli flakes for a bit of spice!

Great to cook for men as well...a very manly meal! haha...not to be sexist or anything..it is also great for women!! haha.. any aussie would love this!

Baked Berry Cheesecake delight.

This cheesecake was absolutely delicious! I know you are all dying to know where I got this recipe, well I thought I would keep you in suspense no longer! Wait for it!.........I used the recipe from the coles frozen blueberry box, and added some other berries such as raspberries. The recipe was for a blueberry cheesecake, however you can use whatever berries you like; strawberries on top would be nice also. This cheesecake was simple to make, although I had some problems with baking it in the oven. I cooked it for longer than the recipe specified as the middle was not cooking. In the end I just took the cake out before the edges burnt and the middle of the cake sunk. However you couldn't tell as I heaped up the berries in the hole! haha. Chuck a bit of icing sugar on the top and no body would know (except if they read this which I doubt cause I think I am the only one who ever EVER reads these posts and thats only really when I write them). Anyway monkeys are cute! I like monkeys!

So a lovely christmas dessert. It got demolished! It was way more popular than Mum's christmas pudding from coles. Sorry Mum. Home made always beats shop bought. It's just a given. Maybe if you had made a christmas pudding we would of had a real showdown. Anyway try it next christmas: Baked Berry Cheesecake! Monkeys!

Christmas feast.

I just had to post this photo up. Check this out! What a feast! Christmas 2010 was a busy crazy christmas. The house was filled with people, both our current family and our future family with my brother's fiance's family all here from Kenya. After we all served ourselves, it didn't even look like we had made a dint in the food. Oh well I was happy; leftovers for days! oooo yeah!

Picnic Time!

Well we were all off camping down to seven mile beach on a beautiful summers weekend. On the drive down we stopped at Gerringong for a picnic lunch. These snacks were just perfect accompanied by an ice cream! Bran muffins were yumm and healthy. The mini quiches were an experiment on my behalf. I just folded some pita bread into the ramekins and filled with chives, tuna and egg or with sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs. A bit of pepper and salt, some herbs and cheese on top and a beautiful simple flavour is the outcome!