Gingernuts

Delicious, easy and very very moreish

Ingredients:

* 800 g all-purpose flour

* 1 tblsp baking powder

* 4 tblsp ground ginger

* 2 tsp ground star anise

* 1 tsp sea salt

* 300 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

* 200 g dark brown sugar, packed

* 2 large eggs (approx. 100 g), at room temperature

* 225 ml un-sulphured molasses

* 225 ml Golden Syrups

* Zest of two lemons

Instructions:

1. Prepare Dry Ingredients:

- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, star anise, and salt until well combined.

2. Cream Butter and Sugar:

- In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and dark brown sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add Wet Ingredients:

- Beat in the egg until fully incorporated.

- Add the molasses, golden syrup and lemon zest, mixing on high speed until combined.

4. Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures:

- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft dough forms.

5. Chill the Dough:

- Divide the dough into two equal portions. Shape each into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Chilling the dough enhances flavour development and makes it easier to handle.

6. Preheat Oven:

- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Roll Out Dough:

- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to a thickness of about 6 mm. Keep the other disc refrigerated until ready to use.

8. Cut and Arrange:

- Use round cutters to cut out desired shapes. Transfer the cutouts to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 cm apart.

9. Bake:

- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn dark golden.

Mark Best 4/27/20 Mark Best 4/27/20

Beef Daube

As a young chef I was lucky enough to be pointed in the direction of the seminal works of Elizabeth David. The two that resonated most with me are French Country Cooking [1952] and French Provincial Cooking [1962] for their simple unadulterated love of the French country kitchen. I started my apprenticeship at the ripe old age of 25 in a fashionable French Bistro just around the corner from Kings Cross. It was there that I was able to solidify my love and skill cooking these type of dishes such as the classic Beef Daube.

There is this thing that happens in language, where brands are so ubiquitous they become the common noun or verb: bandaid, yoyo, hoover, granola are some examples. So it is with cooking and the French, where the cooking vessel becomes the name of the dish – casserole, poêle and, as in this case, daube, which is a terracotta cooking vessel from Provence.

wine tip: Use a young vintage in the cooking and an older vintage (of the same wine) for drinking

Serves 4

1 kg beef shin
100 g plain (all-purpose) flour
100 ml olive oil
200 g thick pancetta or lardon (skin on), cut into 8 pieces
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
12 small onions, outer layer of skin removed
1 bottle Shiraz
1 litre chicken stock
3 fresh bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
1⁄2 bunch of thyme
2 allspice berries
2 cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 garlic bulb
zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)

Cut the beef shin into 8 large pieces and dust them in the flour.
In a large, deep, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat, brown the beef on all sides in the olive oil. Drain and transfer the meat to a large ovenproof casserole.
Brown the pancetta in the same frying pan.
Add it to the casserole, reserving the fat in the frying pan.
Brown the carrot in the frying pan then add it to the casserole.
Brown the onions in the frying pan and add them to the casserole, along with the remaining pancetta fat.
Pour the bottle of wine into the frying pan and cook over high heat until it has reduced to a syrup. Add the stock, bring to the boil and then add the contents of the pan to the casserole.
Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F).
Tie the bay leaves, cinnamon, and thyme into a tight bundle using butcher’s string then add it to the casserole with the remaining spices, garlic bulb and orange zest.
Put the lid on the casserole and cook in the oven for 4–5 hours until the beef is gelatinous and just starting to fall apart.
If required - Whisk the cornflour with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the casserole over low heat until it thickens. Serve the daube in the casserole at the table.

Mark Best 4/23/20 Mark Best 4/23/20

ANZAC Biscuits

Anzac Day, April 25th, is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. Specifically it marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War where some 60,000 Australians and 17,000 New Zealanders perished.

The army ration biscuit, also known as an Anzac wafer or Anzac tile, is essentially a long shelf-life, hard tack biscuit, eaten as a substitute for bread. Unlike bread, though, the biscuits are very, very hard. Some soldiers preferred to grind them up and eat as porridge.

Mine is the traditional sweet recipe made from ingredients that could survive the two-month journey sent from loved ones to soldiers on the front line, they were originally called Soldier’s biscuits and renamed following the Gallipoli landings.

The Australia and New Zealand Army Corps or ANZACs as they came to be known are remembered by these simple sweet biscuits that we bake on this occasion. Lest we forget.

90 gms steel-cut oats
75gm plain flour
100 gm wholemeal flour
150 gm raw sugar
30 gms desiccated coconut
5 gms salt
40 gms golden syrup (or light treacle)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
60 mls water
125 gms butter

1. sift flours, salt & baking soda together

2. add oats, sugar & coconut

3. place butter, water & golden syrup into a pan & heat gently until just melted.

4. stir into the dry ingredients & work lightly until amalgamated

5.moisten your hands and roll into small, walnut sized, balls & place onto a paper lined baking sheet

6. allow 10 cm between each as they spread

7. bake at 170C until golden. around 35 min for chewy, 45 for crunchy