food hits and misses

With not too many days to go until Christmas, it's definitely time to get my act into gear and make a proper start on the Christmas cooking. But since I tend not to start anything today that I can put off until tomorrow, I've made some more no-bake coconut ball things for a Christmas party instead.

These are along the same theme as the rum balls. If the only people eating them will be grown-ups, then using coconut rum for flavouring is a nice change. Since there were going to be small people at the party, I used coconut essence instead.

The verdict? According to Hotmo, even better than the choc cherry ones.

Apricot and coconut truffles

250g milk arrowroot biscuits
395g can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 tspn coconut essence
Extra coconut for coating

Method

Crush the biscuits to a fine crumb. Add the remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll generous teaspoon sized chunks into balls. Roll in extra coconut. Return to refrigerator until ready to serve.

Everyone knows I'm a big fan of afternoon tea - especially if there are scones involved. Morning tea seems a bit more difficult, but this morning, after a text advising that a friend was coming to visit in 45 minutes, I managed to get my act together.

So what to make when you've only got a small window of opportunity and a small person to get sorted out? I checked the pantry, saw a bag of dried apricots, and decided to experiment with them in a cake.

Apricot and coconut cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tspn coconut essence
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups SR flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 20 cm ring tin or 18 cm sandwich pan. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Add the coconut essence and fruit and mix to combine. Add the flout and milk alternately, one third at a time. Place the batter in the prepared cake tin and bake for around 35 - 40 minutes until golden on top. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out.

We ate the cake while it was still warm. I think it would make an excellent steamed pudding, served with creme anglaise.

There's no doubt summer is my favourite time of year. I love the hot weather, the beach, tennis and cricket. And summer fruit is by far the most delicious, and in my opinion, the least boring. The only problem with summer fruit is that it's also the stuff that makes the best jam. And the worst part about summer is spending a hot day or night stirring boiling fruit and testing for setting point. Still, home made jam is definitely worth the effort, both in terms of flavour and cost effectiveness. Best of all, you know exactly what's in it.