Tag Archives: macadamia nuts

RASPBERRY AND MACADAMIA BLONDIES

09 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by in bars and cookies, Recipes

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While visiting with family in New Zealand, we had a really lovely dinner at my younger brothers home. He and his beautiful family had recently moved to a lifestyle block, right outside of town, complete with cows and chickens and a pig on the way.

It was so wonderful to be with our family, have fabulous conversation in comfortable, gorgeous surrounds, and an incredible array of delectable dinner dishes – which these Raspberry and Macadamia Blondies followed.

cutlery at Debras

Charming display of plates and cutlery

dinner at warren and debras

Delectable dinner dishes

RASPBERRY AND MACADAMIA BLONDIES

raspberry macadamia blondies

125 grams butter, chopped
2 x 180 gram blocks of white chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and chopped
125 gram punnet of raspberries
icing sugar for dusting, optional

Heat oven to moderate, 180C. Lightly grease a 20 centimeter square cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 2 centimeters above the edge of the pan.
Place butter and half the chocolate in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until melted. Cool for 10 minutes.
Stir in flour, sugar, eggs, macadamias and remaining chocolate until combined. Fold raspberries through. Spread into pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool in pan before cutting into squares.
Serve dusted with icing sugar, if desired
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Woman’s Day
recipefinder.msn.co.nz/womans-day-recipes/‎ MSN

ROASTED BANANA PUDDING CAKE WITH HONEY CREAM AND MACADAMIA NUTS

10 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in Celebrations, Dessert

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After being out of town for the week, my husband arrived home around 4pm, just in time for my oldest Sons birthday party. It was one of the easiest, most laid back parties ever! Pizza and a cookie cake and a few friends to spend the night.
I took full advantage of the relaxed atmosphere, and having my husband back in town to supervise the 8 boys, and briefly popped out to meet friends for Magazine Club.
However, as undemanding as my child was, I couldn’t NOT cook for my Sons birthday, so our family birthday dinner concluded with this masterpiece of deliciousness (plain whipped cream for the kids).

ROASTED BANANA PUDDING CAKE WITH HONEY CREAM AND MACADAMIA NUTS

CAKE
2 large ripe bananas, unpeeled
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons cream
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 cup roasted macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

HONEY CREAM
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 tablespoons Kahlua
2/3 cup cream

MAKE THE CAKE
Heat oven to 350F.
Butter a 7 by 11 inch baking dish. Put the bananas on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes, until dark and soft. Let the bananas cool, then open the peel and scoop the roasted banana pulp into a large bowl.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg and salt.
Using an electric mixer, beat the roasted bananas with the sugar until a puree forms. Then beat in the eggs. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and baking soda, then add to the banana mixture. At low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture. Gently beat in the melted butter, cream and orange zest.
Spread the batter in the prepared dish and bake for 25 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool.

PREPARE THE HONEY CREAM
In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt with the honey, finely grated lime zest, finely grated orange zest and the liqueur. In a large bowl, beat the cream until softly whipped. Gently fold in the honey yogurt mixture.
Serve pieces of cake with dollops and honey cream and a sprinkle of macadamia nuts.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food and Wine, November 2010
www.foodandwine.com/recipes‎

WHITE CHOCOLATE KEY LIME BARS

16 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Dessert

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Friends invited us out to their dock on the lake, for a fabulous fish fry. I was so very excited – fish caught that very morning, prepared that afternoon, right beside the water that produced them – heavenly.
Served with the perfect accompanying sides and a good measure of companionable conversation, it could not have been a better time.
I offered to bring dessert, and thought these lovely tangy bars would round out the menu nicely – even though we were beyond satiated, we managed to fit in a bite and enjoyed a sweet ending to a sweet afternoon.

WHITE CHOCOLATE KEY LIME BARS

CRUST
2 cups gingersnap crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Heat oven to 350F.
Combine all ingredients into a 9 by 13 baking dish lined with foil that extends 2 inches beyond the short end of the pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, remove from oven, then reduce oven temperature to 325F.

LIME FILLING
1 egg
4 egg yolks
2 (15 ounce) cans of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of freshly squeezed key lime juice
1 teaspoon of freshly grated lime zest
pinch of salt

Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour the filling over the prepared crust. Bake until the filling is almost set, about 20 to 22 minutes. Cool the bars completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Refrigerate the bars for at least 2 hours, until chilled.

WHITE CHOCOLATE TOPPING
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces of white chocolate, chopped

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a gentle boil. Add the chopped chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Whisk the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set the topping aside to cool to room temperature for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cool. Poor the cooled white chocolate topping over the chilled bars and spread into an even layer. Chill until topping is cold.
Garnish with toasted macadamia nuts and cut into bars.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from the Food Network
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/white-chocolate-key-lime-bars-recipe/index.html