Sultana scones

Scones are apt any time of day, be it breakfast, morning tea, afternoon tea or a late night treat! I especially like them when big Commonwealth events are on, like Royal weddings or when Australia gets a new Prime Minister (…and that can be quite often)!! I have previously posted a few scone recipes here with wholemeal flour or plain. This is my white flour and sultana version. However you like your scones, I hope you eat them fresh in large quantities, as it should be!!

Ingredients

60 g butter

3 cups self-raising flour

2 tbs caster sugar

1 ½ cups buttermilk

1 cup of Australian sultanas

1 tbs milk for brushing

 

Method

Rub the butter, cold, into the flour until it looks like crumbs. Add the sugar and buttermilk, stirring with a flat knife. Now add your sultanas. Once combined, knead a little, add a little more flour if you think it needs it, and then work into a ball. Flatten out to about 4cm tall and then either use a scone cutter to press out your scones, or use your hands and freehand it. Place the scones in a baking tin close to each other so they are all touching. Brush with a little milk and bake in a hot oven around 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes or until brown. Enjoy your beautiful sultana scones!

Speck salad

My daughter loves speck! Really, anything smoked becomes a favourite for her, so as a very quick midweek dinner, we made a little speck salad. It is so lovely, we keep making it. I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients

Double smoked speck

Splash of olive oil or grapeseed oil

Eggs for everyone

Handfuls of lettuce mix

Roasted carrots and beetroots, sliced

Some cherry tomatoes

Half a handful of parsley

1 tablespoon of balsamic glaze

1 tablespoon of olive oil

 

Method

Combine the olive oil and balsamic glaze in a cup and stir a little. This is your dressing for later! Heat a pan with your oil until medium. Cut your speck into small cubes, about 1cm or so and fry in the pan. Whilst this is happening, plonk your salad ingredients, whatever you’ve got, on however many plates for people you are serving. Once your speck is nicely browned and your kitchen smells amazing from the smoky goodness, remove from the pan and crack everyone an egg. Cover your pan to half steam the egg and leave for 2 minutes. Now sprinkle your speck around the salad and pop an egg on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with love!

Vanilla pear cake

This cake is scrumptious! It is the walk around your hometown you crave, the memory of grandmother reading you a story book, the smell of ‘home’… wherever this delight takes you, may it be a wonderful journey shared with loved ones.

Ingredients

125 g butter

½ cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence or the scraping from a vanilla pod

2 cups of self-raising flour

A dash of milk

5 pears

A sprinkle of cinnamon sugar

 

Method

Beat your butter and sugar until well combined then add your eggs one at a time, beating in between additions. Now add your vanilla, flour and milk and mix until the batter is smooth. The mixture is thicker than other cakes, this will give us a nice crumble texture when we eat! Spoon your mixture into a lined cake tin. Now place your pears, skin on, in the mixture, nestling them in to place.

Pears washed and dried ready for the cake!

Nestled into place.

Dust with cinnamon sugar and she will be ready for the oven. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes or so, until golden brown and smelling amazing!

I like to serve this cake in slices with a little dollop of double cream, a scoop of ice-cream or just on its own. It is incredible hot from the oven, lovely warmed up and beautiful cooled, so serve as you wish, but always serve with love! x