Orange And Poppy Seed cake

A good old fashioned orange cake, what could be better? We had been given still more oranges and I was still looking for ways to use them, so I put together this orange and poppy seed cake.

I used a basic butter cake recepie that I have, added grated orange zest, used orange juice to mix it instead of milk, and added 1/4 cup of poppy seeds.

Baked in a ring tin, and iced with an orange butter cream, sprinkled with chopped pistachios and coconut. Yum!

Stuffed Tomatoes

I love stuffed tomatoes, they are a nice accompaniment to have with most meats, especially lamb.

To make them, I try to choose tomatoes that sit level in a dish, but this is not always possible. I just wash the tomatoes, cut out the core part out that attaches to the stem, then gently remove the flesh and seeds from the inside. I save this to add to my stuffing later. There should be enough flesh left to give the tomato structure.

The stuffing is made of soft bred crumbs, grated cheese, the chopped up center of the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and whatever herbs I have at the time. There is usually fresh parsley from the garden, some basil and some oregano. Just mix it all together and place spoonfuls of the stuffing  inside the hollowed out tomatoes.

The tomatoes are then placed on an oven proof dish and baked in a moderate oven for about 25-30 minutes. Yummo!

An Upside Down Tart

I've made this tart a few times now and it is delicious! It's an upside down honeyed pear and  macadamia tart. It was a recepie I spotted being made on the Lifestyle Food Channel some years ago, so Googled and found it in writing. I've tried Googling now to share the recepie, but I seem to be having trouble finding this particular one. Lucky I saved to my favourite recepie book at the time.

It's taken me a few goes to get it right, and it can be a bit tricky as it needs to turn upside down at just the right time. Too hot and it goes everywhere, too cold and it sticks and will not come out of it's cooking dish.

 Its started off with butter, honey and lime zest, melted and placed in a foil lined tart tray. Then there is the layer of pears. Finally there is the base mix of blitzed macadamia nuts, flour, eggs, butter, sugar and more lime zest. The lime zest gives it a lively zing ! It's baked in the oven, then left to sit for a while before tuning out.

I find it best served with some whipped cream and a lime syrup. Yummy!