Category Archives: Slices

Vintage Cooking: Chinese Chews

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When I was at primary school, I would often fill an afternoon baking something with my mum or a friend who had come over (remember, Louise?). But what to bake? We would pull out all the recipe books and pore over the baking sections. We made shortlists. We made shortlists of the shortlists. I think we spent more time choosing than we did baking.

I always, always came to rest on Chinese Chews. But for some reason, another recipe always won out. It may be because we didn’t often have walnuts, dates or crystallised ginger (or all three) in the house. It may be because the tried and true chocolate cake in Alison Holst’s “What’s Cooking” was too tempting. For whatever reason, I’ve wanted to make these for nearly 20 years.

I don’t know what I expected them to be – that’s half the fun of recipe books with no photos, you have no pre-conceived idea of what they should be or look like. Turns out their like a chewy, short cross between a cake and a slice. Sort of like a brownie but much lighter and   not made with chocolate.

They’re not actually a family recipe, as most of my vintage cooking posts. These are from the Edmonds cookbook that almost everyone has. They’re a lovely wee weekend bake. As with many of these old recipes, what makes these “Chinese”? No idea.  Could be the inclusion of exotic ingredients such as dates and ginger?

Chinese Chews
from Edmonds Cookery Book

2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
75g butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
½ cup rolled oats
¾ cup chopped dates
¾ cup chopped walnuts
¾ cup crystallised ginger

Preheat the oven to 180°(C). Line a 23cm square cake tin (or I used a brownie pan).

Beat eggs and sugar until well mixed. Add butter and vanilla. Into a large bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in rolled oats. Pour egg mixture into the sifted dry ingredients. Add dates, walnuts and ginger. Mix well. Spread mixture into prepared tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cooked. Cut into squares while still hot.

Vintage Cooking: Scott’s Farewell Square

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Several weeks ago I was reading about the centenary memorials for Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his crew, who died returning from the South Pole in 1912.

Scott’s is a remarkable story. His led his second expedition to Antartica, the Terra Nova Expedition, with the express objective of being the first to reach the South Pole. The mission would be a race, with Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen also planning an expedition.

No way home: All members of Scott's expedition, from left Laurence Oates, H R Bowers, Scott, Edward Wilson and Edgar Evans perished on the return journey from the South Pole

Scott and his crew; from left: Oates, Bowers, Scott, Wilson and Evans (photo credit here)

Scott’s expedition was plagued with misfortune, but Scott and his colleagues Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans finally reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912. Unfortunately, they arrived to the heartbreaking news that Amundsen’s team had beaten them by 33 days.

Doomed mission: Scott, right, and his team attempted to be the first to reach the South Pole but on arrival found Roald Amundsen's tent and a record showing he'd discovered the pole two months previously

photo credit here

Scott and his colleagues started the march back to base, but all five perished on the way. Edgar Evans was lost following falls on a glacier. A month later, Oates was barely able to walk, and left the tent voluntarily, famously saying “I am just going outside and may be some time.” The three remaining men marched a further 20 miles and set up camp 11 miles away from their base depot. A blizzard then prevented further progress. Supplies ran out and the men eventually succumbed to cold, starvation and exhaustion.

Why is this on my blog?

The centenary of Scott’s death reminded me of a recipe I spotted in Alexa Johnston’s book Ladies, A Plate. The recipe had originally caught my eye because Alexa had found the recipe in an old book that was produced by St Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Pine Hill, Dunedin – that happens to be the neighbourhood church where I grew up; I was christened there in fact! It would appear the recipe was invented as a farewell when Scott had departed Port Chalmers, Dunedin for the Antarctic in 1910 – Dunedin had been given a half-day’s holiday and thousands turned out to farewell the party. As Alexa says, the square has plenty to sustain a man on a long cold journey.

I must admit I didn’t have huge expectations for the slice – looking through the recipe, it has the hallmark ingredients of any common vintage NZ slice recipe – Weet Bix, coconut, dates… yawn, I thought. But I was wrong.

It turned out far more delicious than I had expected – I think the huge quantity of dates keeps the base really moist, and the chunks of interesting bits makes it perilously addictive. I was supposed to send the batch with my husband to work the next day, but not that much made it there.

I highly recommend making this square in honour of Scott and his team. It’s also my entry for this month’s Sweet NZ, hosted by Frances at Bake Club.

Scott’s Farewell Square
Recipe from St Mark’s Presbyterian Church, Pine Hill, Dunedin
Reproduced in Ladies, A Plate by Alexa Johnston

4oz butter
6 oz brown sugar
1 dsp golden syrup
1 egg
6oz flour
pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp cocoa
3oz coconut
2oz walnuts
4 Weet Bix
4oz dates
2oz raisins

Icing:
1 cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 Tbsp butter
extra coconut, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a  shallow tin with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugar until light, then mix in the golden syrup and the egg, combining everything well. Sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa and mix to combine, then add the remaining ingredients. Stir everything thoroughly together. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin, spread it out evenly, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and put on a wire rack to cool.

Make a thin chocolate icing from icing sugar sifted with cocoa and mixed to a spreading consistency with melted butter and little hot water. Spread over the cake, sprinkle with coconut and cut into squares when the icing has set.

Note: if golden syrup isn’t available where you are: firstly, that’s very sad. Secondly, try using maple syrup instead.

(References for this article come from Wikipedia, and news articles here, here and here, as well as Ladies, A Plate).

Lolly Cake

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The forecasts were wrong! We had a beautiful day yesterday, and we’re not far into today, but it looks fine too! First load of washing is on so I’m keeping the faith it will be able to dry outside. Um, sorry, that is so boring. I take unnatural pleasure in being able to dry washing on the line. Sun and wind-dried clothes make my day. That’s the sad sort of creature I am.

Anyway. We went to a barbecue last week with loads of kids. I wanted to take some baking. But leafing through my book, most of my recipes are aimed at adults. I know kids eat most things, but this barbecue was such a kiwi summer type affair, I wanted to add a classic. Lolly Cake. I’m not sure that I’ve made this or even eaten it since I was a little girl.

I hesitate to even call this a recipe – I think it falls into the category of assembly instructions. There’s not hot stove or oven, or even sharp knives (cut the lollies with scissors), and it’s very easy to get right – so a great project to involve kids in.

I was a little short on fruit puffs, so added in a few dates. They were a little out of place but, hey, it’s just lolly cake. And I remembered after I made it that I had meant to put jubes in. I tried a rocky road recently with wine gums in it, and I loved the chewy. Note to self for next time. I guess what I’m trying to say is, you can put anything you like in here. Go for it.

Lolly Cake

125g butter, melted
1/2 can condensed milk (about 200g)
1 tsp vanilla
1 packet malt biscuits, crushed (about 250g I think)
150-200g fruit puff lollies (the hard marshmallow-y ones)
coconut, for rolling

Melt the butter, and mix in the condensed milk. If they’re not mixing easily, zap them in the microwave for 15 seconds or so (you shouldn’t need to at this time of year). Stir in the vanilla, crushed biscuits and lollies and mix it all up together.

Now comes the sticky bit. Roll the biscuits into a log. I find it easier to make 3 or 4 logs, and I make them fairly small (probably 4-5cm in diameter). There is nothing vaguely redeeming about that ingredient list, so stick to small pieces of lolly cake (plus, wee pieces suit wee fingers).

Roll the logs in coconut, making sure you cover all sides. Wrap the logs in cling film and leave in the fridge to chill. You’ll need to chill them for at least a few hours, overnight is best. Then just cut the logs into slices and voila. The kids (and actually, the grown-ups) at the barbecue will love you for it.

Strawberry Mascarpone Slice

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This is a Truly Special Slice. Believe the hype, people.

I love slices. And biscuits. I know there are people who live for cake, and don’t get me wrong; there are occasions when nothing but cake will suffice. But given the choice, in a normal state of mind (well, as normal as it gets) I opt for slice or biscuit with an afternoon cup of tea.

This means I have favourite slices. They occupy imaginary pedestals in the food hall of fame in my mind.

Make room for another pedestal.

This is, I think, the perfect summer slice. Lots of my other favourites are suited to the cooler months – like caramel slice with its bitter chocolate topping, its cousin tan square, the irreplaceable ginger crunch, etc. But this is a slice to be eaten in spring and summer. It is a celebration of the strawberry.

It comes from Sweet Food, a weird, bargain bin book that I’ve had for ages, but only started using recently. It is full of interesting gems, like the recent fig bar recipe. Next I want to try its ginger panforte for Christmas. But in the meantime, I’ll leave you with this strawberry mascarpone slice…

Strawberry & Mascarpone Slice
from Sweet Food

175g unsalted butter, softened
70g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2 cups plain flour, sifted
300g mascarpone
½ cup icing sugar, sifted
1 Tbsp lemon juice
300g (2 cups) strawberries, chopped into quarters
50g dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180°(C). Lightly grease and/or line a sponge roll tin (20x30cm).

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and beat well. Fold in the sifted flour until well combined, and it forms a dough. Press this firmly into the sponge roll tin and prick all over with a fork. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until light brown. Leave to cool completely.

Beat the mascarpone, icing sugar and lemon juice with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the strawberries. Spoon this mixture over the cold base and refrigerate for 3 hours, or until firm.

Melt the chocolate gently, and drizzle over the slice. I just drizzled and splashed randomly with a teaspoon, but if you wanted to make it extra pretty you could drizzle it on in thin lines with a piping bag. Cut the slice into pieces – I got 24 bars out of mine, but you get to choose your own size and shape!

This photo credited to Alastair McAra!

Ginger Slice

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I went on a bit of a mega baking rampage a few days ago.  I included this ginger slice. I hadn’t made it in years, which seemed a bit of a tragedy in need of urgent attention.

I call it a ginger slice rather than ginger crunch. True ginger crunch should have a crisp base and a thinner topping, so that it can live up to the crunch part of its name. You don’t see it made like this very often! Most cafés sell a fat slice with a softer base and a thicker, more saucy topping. This is a recipe for that kind of slice.  In fact, it comes from a café I used to work at. It may not be a ginger crunch, but it’s still yummy. Different. But equal.

The recipe below is designed to fill a swiss roll/slice tin. I halved it and used a brownie pan (by the way, is it just me or are brownie pans taking over the world and squeezing out swiss roll tins??). The brownie pan yielded 18 bars, so I’d expect you’d get at least 36 from the full recipe below.

Ginger Slice

Base:
250g butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 cups self-raising flour
2 tsp ground ginger

Topping:
200g butter
2¾ cups icing sugar
5 tsp ground ginger (more if you like it stronger)
4 Tbsp golden syrup

Preheat the oven to 180°. Grease, and/or line a 20x30cm swiss roll tin with baking paper.

 

To make the base, cream the butter and sugar. Add the sifted dries and mix to a dough. Press into the swiss roll tin and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the base is very lightly golden. Leave to cool.

To make the topping, mix the butter, icing sugar, ginger and golden syrup together in a saucepan. Stir together over a low heat until the mixture all melts together. Pour over the cooled base immediately and leave to set. When set, cut into fingers.

Vintage Cooking: Apple Shortcake

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I’ve mentioned before on this blog how much I love using family recipes. It’s easy to feel a real connection with your family, even members you never got to meet, when you read their handwriting, follow their instructions, and enjoy food that they once prepared for their family and friends.

This recipe is from my grandmother’s recipe book. Grandma Joan was my mother’s mother and grew up on a farm in Waihola, near Dunedin. She had three brothers, and their father had died when the children were teenagers, so the boys took over the management of the farm, and Grandma would have helped her mother at home. This is Grandma Joan – I think this photo was probably taken in Dunedin in the mid-1940s.

Grandma married my grandfather in the 1950s, and she moved to his family farm at Taieri Beach (also near Dunedin), where they raised their family and farmed for many years. This picture is of my grandparents on their honeymoon:

My mum spotted this handwritten recipe in Grandma’s book and suggested I try it. I don’t remember Grandma making it when I was a little girl; it isn’t a family favourite or anything – but I imagine Grandma would have made it for the farm staff many times. She must have been pretty familiar with it, at any rate – the recipe in her book is just a scribbled list of ingredients and the words, “usual method”!

This isn’t a decadent meal of a slice – like most of our every day farm baking recipes, it makes a delicious but fairly plain sweet to enjoy after lunch or on a tea break. It pays to have a few recipes like this in your book; they’re simple to make, well liked by most people, and while I wouldn’t describe the shortcake as exactly “healthy”, you don’t feel like you need to put an hour in at the gym to compensate for eating a slice!

Grandma Joan’s Apple Shortcake

¼ lb (115g) butter
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1½ cups, plus 1 Tbsp (230g) flour
1½ tsp baking powder
two small apples, thinly sliced (unpeeled is fine)
2 tsp sugar, extra
icing sugar, to dust

Preheat the oven to 200°(c). Grease and/or line either a 26x17cm slice/brownie pan, or a round cake tin, depending on your preference.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and beat again. Add the sifted flour and baking powder, and mix to a soft dough. Add a little milk if the mixture seems very dry (I didn’t need any). Halve the dough (I find it easiest to weigh it; each half should weigh around 250g). Roll the first half out and press it into your greased tin.

Layer the slices of apple over the dough, and sprinkle with 1 tsp of the extra sugar. Roll out the remaining dough and lay this on top of the apple slices. Prick with a fork and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tsp of sugar.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the dough is lightly golden and smells cooked. Leave to cool in the tin before dusting with icing sugar and cutting into squares, bars,  or, if you used a round cake tin, wedges.