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The 4th of July is Independence Day in the United States, and also the first day of the National Cherry Festival in the cherry capital of Traverse Bay, Michigan. The US is the second highest producer of cherries after Turkey. In Australia fresh cherries are abundant around December and January as cherries ripen in the summer.
In the following recipe and step by step pics I demonstrate my take on cherry pie. I have previously demonstrated how to make the sweet crust pastry shells and the Frangipani filling on Rawfish. Frangipani is a mixture of almond meal, butter, sugar and eggs that is sweet and spongy. Just click the links below to go to the recipes.
Ingredients
6 Sweet crust pie shells
30ml Cherry, raspberry and plum jam (or similar)
100g Sweet Cherries
200g Frangipani mixture
Method
Partially pre-bake the pastry shells for about 5 minutes on 170°c.
Spread the bottom of each shell with a small amount of the jam. Do not be tempted to overdo it as the jam will ooze out during cooking.
Remove the stones and place 2 cherries, split in half, on the bottom of each shell. Reserve a small fragment of cherry to decorate with.
Place a desert spoon of Frangipani mix, shaped into a flat disc, on top of each shell. Smooth the Frangipani to the edges of the shell but dont be too fussy. The mixture will melt evenly.
Place a dot of cherry flesh on top of each one to decorate. There is no need to press it down as it will sink a little.
Bake on a wire rack at 180°c for a further 10 minutes.
Serve hot or cold.
A Rawfish subscriber recently left a comment on a recipe I posted for a cheap and easy vanilla slice. He suggested making a chocolate slice, and that is exactly what I have done. The following recipe, with step by step pics, is so easy a child could make it, as there is no heating required. Getting kids involved in cooking is fun, and teaches them self reliance. My three brothers and I are all good cooks thanks to a weekly family tradition called make your own night.
Ingredients
1pkt Arnotts Lattice Biscuits @$2.59
1pkt Chocolate instant pudding mix @$1.26
300ml Cream @$1.68
250ml Milk @$1.91L÷4= $0.28
Total cost= $5.81÷11 portions =$0.53 EACH
Method
Brush the underside of the biscuits generously with milk to allow them to start softening.
Line a suitably sized tray with greaseproof paper and lay half the biscuits face down over the bottom.
To make the chocolate filling, follow the recipe on the pudding mix, substituting 300ml of cream for 300mls of the milk.
After adding the pudding mix to the milk (and cream) and beating it by hand, spread it evenly over the bottom layer of biscuits.
Arrange the remaining biscuits face up over the top and gently apply downward pressure.
Use a spatula to smooth along the sides if necessary.
Refrigerate for at least half an hour to allow the filling to set.
It is preferable to refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the biscuits to soften, but it is hard to wait that long!
Wakame is a type of seaweed commonly used in Japanese cuisine. In Australia wakame can be purchased fresh or frozen, from an Asian grocery store. It can be served as a simple salad, made into sushi ships or combined with other ingredients, eg. Cucmumber and wakame salad. Dried wakame is also available but when reconstituted the colour is khaki. It is used in some Chinese dishes.
Ingredients
150g Wakame
10ml Rice wine vinegar
10ml Sesame oil
½ tsp White sesame seeds
½ tsp Black sesame seeds
¼ tsp Chili flakes
Salt
Method
Simply combine the wakame with the other ingredients and it is ready to serve.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has landed on the Gold Coast amid a storm of controversy. The potty mouthed Brit arrived in Australia to perform at the Sydney and Melbourne Good Food Shows and will now be demonstrating his culinary flair at a series of exclusive dinners at the Hyatt Regency, Sanctuary Cove.
Mr Ramsay made headlines in Australia and the old Blighty during a recent A Current Affair interview with Tracy Grimshaw. During the interview Mr Ramsay made numerous derogatory remarks, including referring to a mole on Ms Grimshaws lip as your little sister
[ Click here to read more ]
The 21st annual Wintersun Festival was held at Coolangatta and Tweed Heads last week from 29th of May to the 8th of June. This hugely popular nostalgia festival features Rockabilly bands, rock and roll dancing competitions and a plethora of Elviss. The festival culminates with a spectacular street parade of immaculately restored classic cars from the golden era of Rock and roll.
[ Click here to read more ]
Mining giant Rio Tinto has rejected a 24billion dollar buy in of 19 per cent by Chinas Chinalco in favour of a deal with BHP. Instead Rio Tinto announced it will raise 15 billion from its shareholders for a joint venture with BHP on its iron ore operations in Western Australias Pilbara region. The 5 billion dollar merger between two of the biggest iron ore producers will give them strong leverage over the price of iron ore, once markets normalize.
The decision, which is bound to thwart Chinese steel producers, excuses Prime Minister Rudd of making a sensitive decision an whether to allow the Chinalco deal, preventing further loss of face and a voter backlash in Australia
[ Click here to read more ]
The eighth annual Blues On Broadbeach Festival opened yesterday with Adam Hole and the Marji Curran Trio, and will run until Sunday the 31st of May at a variety of venues throughout the village. This free festival will feature more than forty-five acts, including the17 year old winner of Australias Got Talent, young guitarist Joe Robinson.
Blues On Broadbeach will also feature Dai Pritchard, the guitarist in the House Band for all the "Long Way to the Top" concerts!! Dai has opened for some of the worlds biggest Music Stars including the likes of Guns n Roses, Motorhead and Iron Maiden
[ Click here to read more ]
This simple recipe, using just four ingredients, makes 14 serves of homemade vanilla slice and costs about seven dollars. The four ingredients are; a packet of Lattice biscuits, a packet of vanilla instant pudding, 600ml of cream and 200ml of milk.
Simply arrange half the biscuits neatly on the bottom of a tray. Combine the milk and cream with the pudding mix and spread it evenly over the base. Then layer the rest of the biscuits on top and press down slightly
[ Click here to read more ]
The 21st Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show opened today, a day later than planned due to the wild weather lashing SE Queensland. New products confirmed at the Show include the Australian debut of the 75 Lazzara LSX and Bluewater Cruising Yachts Bluewater 450M seen for the first time at a boat show.
The internationally acclaimed Marten 49 offers sailing luxury while first time Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show exhibitor NorseBoat introduces sailing and rowing cruiser, the NorseBoat 17.5 to the Australian market
[ Click here to read more ]
This large spider weaves an orb web, of strong yellowish silk, in excess of a metre wide. It is usually strung in a sunny spot between trees or, in suburbia, across paths and around buildings. There are over 300 known species of arachnids on the Gold Coast, belonging to 50 different families, with many more yet to be identified.
Golden Orb Weavers (Nephila sp.) have purplish grey bodies with black and yellow legs. They inhabit warm moist areas along the East coast of Australia. They are capable of biting people when forced to defend themselves, but their venom only causes mild irritation.
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Comment by GlenB
on Are we headed for a one world government?
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