Pineapple and Apricot Conserve

“Cookery: The Australian Way”  8^th Edition Shirley Cameron, Home Economics Victoria 2011, First Edition 1966 was reprinted 11 times, photos by Mark Roper

Pineapple and Apricot Conserve

Quantity: 4 X 250ml jars

Preparation time: 35 minutes, plus overnight standing

Cooking utensil: large saucepan

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients: 2 cups (300g) diced pineapple; 100g diced dried apricots soaked in 2 cups (500ml) warm water for 2 hours; 2 cups (500g) sugar; 1 cup (250ml) water; 1 tblspn (15g) commercial pectin mixture

Method:

1 Mix peeled and diced fruit with sugar and allow to stand overnight

2 Place fruit, sugar, water and pectin in saucepan and bring quickly to the boil, stirring continually. Boil for 30 – 35 minutes until gel test is satisfactory (see below)

3 Sterilise washed jars before bottling jam

4 Cool conserve slightly, pour in jars and cover

5 Allow jars to become cold. Then wipe clean, label and store in a cool, dry place

Gel test: Dip a wooden spoon in the cooked mixture. When the mixture starts to drop (not run) from the wooden spoon, place 1 tspn on a plate. Cool rapidly, such as over ice. Tilt the plate. If the surface of the mixtuire wrinkles, it is cooked sufficiently to eat. A jam or confectionery thermometer may also be used. When the mixture reaches 105°C, it is cooked sufficiently to set.

Something beautiful . . .

Thanks to the Griffith Family!

 

 

Something not so good to look at . . . but tasty

 

Party Prescriptions, compiled for your pleasure. All proceeds 1srt Red Hill Scout GroupBuilding Fund, Canberra 1963 

 

Poultry – Braised Duckling (Contributed by Air Vice-Marshal D. A. Creal, Canberra)

1 young duckling; 1 tblspn soya sauce; 1 tin pineapple slices (or fresh pineapple); 1 cup brandy or dry sherry; 1 tspn cinnamon; 3 dstspn oil or lard

Method: Salt duckling and mix soya, one tablespoon brandy (or sherry) and cinnamon. Rub mixture well into skin of duckling. Place oil (or lard) in pan and heat. When smoking, fry duckling until well browned all over. Add remainder of brandy (or sherry) to water (or pineapple juice) to make two cups, simmer in pan for one hour with lid tightly on. Grill pineapple slices and garnish.

 Something strange. Is it an illusion?

(Click on the center arrow)

 

 

If the arrow doesn't work try this link.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=10152336566143889&fref=nf

Something unexpected . . .

 

 

Photos from eShop Africa.com

‘I want to be buried in a giant pineapple': Demand for bizarre coffins rockets after UK art show by African artist, article by Leon Watson, 26 December 2011

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2078772/I-want-buried-giant-pineapple-Demand-bizarre-coffins-rockets-UK-art-African-artist.html

“Demand for 'crazy coffins' - made in the shape of sharks, pineapples and beer bottles - has rocketed after an African carpenter put on a UK art show.

Paa Joe, a 66-year-old master coffin maker from Ghana in West Africa, has rustled up hundreds of coffins in the last few decades - making them in the shape of whatever the deceased desired.

Among the bizarre coffins he has made in the past include ones made to look like mobile phones, pineapples, sharks, coke bottles, beer bottles, chickens, cars and aeroplanes.”

And somebody who's curious.

 

Thank you to Ky's pet ferret, Fantamus.

'Mediterranean Fruit Salad'

A Book of Mediterranean Food, a Penguin Handbook by Elizabeth David, Decorations by John Minton 1956 ed.

Fruit Salad

“Fruit salad can be delicious; it can also be very nasty indeed. Here is a good recipe which includes the making of the syrup which is so important.”

2 oranges, 1 apple, 1 pear, 1 grapefruit, 2 bananas, 3 fresh figs, 2 slices pineapple, either fresh or tinned

For the syrup. Bring 2 teacups of water to the boil; throw in 10 lumps of sugar and the peel of an orange cut in strips. Boil for 3 minutes and the leave the syrup to cool.

Prepare the fruit carefully, put it into a glass dish and pour over it a small wineglass of maraschino, and the prepared syrup.

“It is important that the fruit salad should be very well iced, and it should be prepared several hours before it is needed.”

This fruit salad was delicious but I didn’t leave it sitting for very long before serving as I prefer the fruit pieces crisp rather than too soft, Anne.

Pineapple Heaven

My niece, Georgina, sent this email from London while she was visiting her sister, Katrina, and Tom recently.

“We had an amazing London lunch today at Heston Blumenthal's restaurant Dinner. I feel very spoilt. One of the desserts was Tipsy Cake, featuring spit roasted pineapple with brioche. I took some photos for you! A few through the window to the kitchen featuring the spit roasting, and one of the actual desserts.

I didn't actually get the dessert myself (although three people in our party did). I did get to have a taste and it was nice. I think there is some kind of glaze put on at some point in the roasting process, and sugar and cinnamon sounds about right”.

Thanks for that Georgina! We had to try it for ourselves and, wow, it was one of our best pineapple combinations yet!

Les peeled a spiral around the pineapple and spit roasted it for about an hour, basting it occasionally with melted butter mixed with a little sugar and cinnamon.

He is usually the bread baker in our family but I thought I’d have a go at baking some brioches (yes, I did check the plural of brioche), found a recipe and the combination was sensational! Anne.

I found a fascinating article by Heston Blumenthal online. He includes a recipe for roast pineapple, with pineapple and chilli jelly, and crab syrup that he describes as a fantastic dessert!                                                                                                                              

“The proof of the pudding ... “ by Heston Blumenthal, The Guardian, Sat. 8 December 2001

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2001/dec/08/weekend.hestonblumenthal

Tom took Georgina to (I suspect one of his favourite haunts) Brick Lane, where they spotted this (modified?) poster.

Pineapple with Seoul

 

It's great having a family on constant pineapple alert as they travel the world! Thanks for this wonderful photo of pineapple on sticks grilling in South Korea Ky!! Anne.

Pineapple and Honey mmmmm

The Australian Honey Recipe Book, The Australian Honey Board, Sydney 1973

Rum Pineapple Sauce

Ingredients: 2 tblspn butter; 2 tblspn cornflour; 1 large can crushed pineapple (I used pureed fresh pineapple); 2 tblspn lemon juice; 2 tblspn honey; ¼ cup rum; toasted coconut

Method: Mix cornflour with crushed pineapple. Stir until boiling. Add butter, lemon, honey and rum. Chill and serve over ice cream. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Makes approximately 2 ¼ cups.

Pineapple on the goldfields

Royal Flying Doctor Women’s Auxiliary Historical Cookbook, Boulder WA 1981

Mrs Shirley Agars of Pinjin Station’s Chinese Sweet Sour Pork 

1 medium carrot; 1 medium onion; 1 medium capsicum; 4 shallots; 2 slices canned pineapple; 3 tblspns vinegar; ¼ cup water; 2/3 cup syrup from pineapple; 1 tblspn honey; 1 tspn soy sauce; 2 tblspns tomato sauce; 2 tspns cornflour; 680g pork (lean); 2 tblspns soy sauce; 1 dstspn dry sherry; 1 egg yolk; extra sherry

Method: Cut carrot, onion and capsicum into cubes, cut shallots into sections, pineapple into cubes. Mix together vinegar, water, pineapple syrup, honey and one teaspoon soy sauce and the tomato sauce, heat until boiling. Mix the 2 teaspoons of cornflour with water, add and stir until boiling. Drop  carrot and onion into boiling water, boil 5 minutes. Add capsicum, boil for another 3 minutes, drain and add to sauce, with shallots and pineapple. Cut pork into cubes and place in bowl. Mix together with rest of soy sauce and sherry, pour over pork, stir well and stand 30 minutes. Beat egg yolk with tablespoon water. Drain pork cubes, dip into egg yolk, lightly coat with cornflour. Fry in deep oil until golden brown. Separate pieces and drain. Reheat oil again until very hot, return pork and cook again for 10 minutes. Then re-drain, keeping excess oil and pour over vegetable mixture.