Golden Syrup - A Substitute for Lyle's Golden Syrup

Put 1/4 cup sugar in a small heavy saucepan and shake pan so the sugar is in an even layer. Sprinkle it with 1/2 tsp vinegar and 1 tsp water. Cook over low heat, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium and cook until syrup has taken on a light caramel colour, 5 to 6 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and pour in 1/3 cup light corn syrup. Do not stir, but let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes.
When the bubbling stops, stir well.
It can be stored at room temperature for several months.

It is possible to use this syrup in many different ways. Pancakes, waffles, toast, ice cream.

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BUSH DAMPER
A basic staple bread from colonial Australia. It was originally made with flour and water and a good pinch of salt, kneaded, shaped into a round, and baked in the ashes of the campfire or open fireplace. It was eaten with pieces of fried dried meat, sometimes spread with golden syrup, (There's a recipe for a substitute for Lyle's Golden Syrup above.) but always with billy tea or maybe a swig of rum.
Today it's made with milk and self-raising flour. Salt is optional.

3 cups of self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water

Sift flour and salt into a bowl, rub in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Make a well in the centre, add the combined milk and water, mix lightly with a knife until dough leaves sides of bowl.
Gently knead on a lightly floured surface and then shape into a round, put on a greased oven tray. Pat into a round 15-16 cm (6-6 1/2 inch) diameter.
With sharp knife, cut two slits across dough like a cross, approximately 1cm (1/2in) deep.
Brush top of dough with milk.
Sift a little extra flour over dough.

Bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Reduce heat to moderate and bake another 20 minutes.

Best eaten the day it is made.

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Dr. Rufo's "Melba Toast"
I prepare my own melba toast in this way: Purchase the lightest, airiest
type of "sandwich bread" in your market. Generally this is the
"cheapest" as well. If this offends your sensibilities, hire a child to
make the purchase for you. Once ready, place the slices on the rack of
your oven, if you have multiple racks, use them all. Set the oven to 200
degrees if you can or 250, if you must. (This is Celsius 150 degrees and
Gasmark 1.)

Leave the slices there for about one-and-a-half hours. Test for
dryness at that point. Take one slice out of the oven and "snap" it in
your fingers. If you get two or three big pieces there's only about 30
minutes left. If the slice crumbles into "many" pieces; it's ready.
Of course, if you like "pretty" as well as "goodie" you can trim and cut
the slices any way you'd like before you dehydrate them in the very slow
oven. These can be quite "showy" if you use imaginationand some "cookie
cutters."
It is posible to store these in a "cookie" jar/"biscuit" tin for up to a
week if needed. Mine rarely last that long. You can use this toast in
many ways, once again, apply imagination: soups, salads, pb&j, a drizzle
of olive oil with a couple of "twists" of freshly cracked pepper, Avjar,
hummus, spinach dip, Oh, Lord, there ain't no end to it!!
As I'm sure you can see, this will "work" with almost any type of bread.
The more moisture in the original the longer it will take to dehydrate.
I used to love a "melba" version of cinnamon-raisin bread but I couldn't
keep the family away from it. It performed a veritable "disappearing act."
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A "Peach" of a Cake to Cure the "Dumps"

The name is a feeble joke but the results more than make up for it.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
(180 degrees Celsius or Gasmark # 4)

Use a 9 x 13 "casserole dish for this cake.
1. Place the entire contents of a 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple
("packed in its own juice") on the bottom of the dish and spread it evenly.
2. Take a 2 pound bag of frozen peach slices and spread ½ of the
contents over the pineapple.
3. Spread ½ cup of brown sugar over these.
4. Sprinkle ¾ cup of raisins over these.
5. Spread one box of cake mix over these. This cake mix may be "white"
cake mix or "yellow" cake mix - whichever you have.
6. Scatter ½ cup of pecan pieces over this.
7. Cut a ¼ pound stick of butter or margarine into pieces and melt it in
your microwave. This should take 30 seconds at HIGH power. When you
remove it from the microwave, stir the butter to make sure it's all
melted and then drizzle over the cake mix.

By now the oven should be "ready." Put the pan on the middle rack of the
oven for approximately one hour. Don't forget: Half-way through the
cooking, turn the pan around back-to-front "because the back of the oven
is always warmer than the front." That's what my Mother always said, and
she was right about so many things.

Serve this warm or cold. It's good with ice cream or a bit of whipped cream.

If you are lactose intolerant use margarine rather than butter and serve
it with a "whipped topping."
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"Bobotie" (followed by a second Recipe for the Same -- Bobotie)
.
The name comes from the Indonesian word 'Bobotok'. It is a light
textured curry flavored meat loaf smothered in a golden savory egg
topping. This recipe serves 6 generous portions. Serve it with a salad
and "Yellow Rice."

Ingredients
2 slices stale white bread (remove the crusts)
1 - 2 ozs. cooking oil, (olive oil, is not considered "authentic" but it
tastes good)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2,5ml ground cloves
2 - 3 cloves of crushed & peeled garlic
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tbl curry powder (This is a "personal" measurement. If you like
curry powder feel free to increase this. I like a bit less. It does need
to be "there" in the flavour mix.)
1 tsp turmeric
1 lb of chopped beef (In south Africa it's "mince.")
2 large eggs
2 tbls hot water
3 ozs lemon juice
2 tbls sugar

Topping
1 large egg (lightly beaten)
6 ozs milk
2 bay or lemon leaves for garnishing

Method
Preheat oven to 160ºC. (350 F) Soak bread in water for 10 minutes,
squeeze out excess water and crumble. In a large frying pan, heat oil
and braise onion until golden (about 7 minutes). Add the ground cloves,
garlic, salt, curry powder and turmeric and simmer for 5 minutes. Break
the 2 eggs into a large bowl and beat lightly. Mix in the mince. Add the
onion mixture from the frying pan to the mince as well as the hot water,
lemon juice, crumbled bread and sugar, and mix to combine well. Spoon
the mixture into a well greased oven proof dish and bake for 40 minutes
or until golden brown. Remove from the oven.
Topping:
Combine the egg and beat well. Pour over the bobotie. Arrange bay leaves
or lemon leaves as garnish. Return to oven and bake at 180ºC for 5-10
minutes, or until topping is set.
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The origins of Bobotie can be traced back to the eastern influence on
South African culture. The Cape Malay society are famous for cooking
this dish and it is usually served with yellow rice.

Ingredients
2 ½ lbs chopped lamb (ground lamb) ground beef is also appropriate.
5 ozs milk
1 thick slice of white bread, crust removed and soaked in milk
2 roughly chopped large onions
butter
Salt
1 tablespoon of curry powder (There are many varieties available. Any
will do each will alter the dish. Try a mix of the "hot" and the "Cape
Malay" versions.)
1 chili pepper, finely chopped (This is optional and is most "authentic"
if it is a "serrano" chili that you use. As always, if you use the seeds
in additon to the julienned strips of the chili, it will be much
"hotter." Other varieties of chilies are available and will each alter
the dish, suit yourself is the sum of the Law.)
½ cup vinegar ("apple cider" vinegar is "richer" and "champagne" vinegar
is "lighter."--Your choice)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons of brown sugar (dark brown sugar, please)
1 tablespoon of chutney
8 -10 slivered almonds (optional)
3 large eggs
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
4 bay leaves
1 orange, sliced in wheels
1 lemon, sliced in wheels
Oil for cooking

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the garlic, onion and curry power.
Cook over medium heat for three minutes, then add the chopped meat. Fry
until the meat is almost done, then using your hands, squeeze the milk
from the bread. Discard the milk and add the bread, vinegar, lemon
juice, sugar and chutney to the meat. Fry for a minute or so and then
remove from heat.

Take a deep pie dish and place two bay leaves, two wheels of orange and
two wheels of lemon at the bottom. Now scoop the mixture into the dish.
Decorate the sides of the dish with the rest of the lemon and orange
wheels, wedging them between the mixture and the sides of the dish so
that only a third protrudes. If you are using almonds, push them into
the mixture. Beat the eggs and milk, and pour over the meat. Put a
couple of bay leaves on top of dish. Place the dish uncovered in the
oven and cook for about 30 minutes at 160 deg Celsius (350 F.).

Serve with a plain green salad or chopped tomato and onion, sprinkled
with a little vinegar. Make sure you have some chutney near at hand.
Serve piping hot with the yellow rice.
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Yellow Rice for the Bobotie:

Yellow rice is eaten with the Cape Malay dish called Bobotie.
Ingredients
2 cups of rice
¾ cup raisins, soaked in water for 20 minutes, then drained
1 teaspoon of turmeric
a dash of salt
2 sticks of cinnamon

Place all the ingredients, including the raisins in about 500ml of
water, (approximately 4 ½ cups). Bring to the boil and then reduce heat
and simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.
Dot the rice with a few blobs of butter and give it a light sprinkling
of cinnamon sugar (come on, a little sugar [1/2 tsp sugar] and a little
[1/8 tsp] cinnamon powder, mixed together). Fluff the rice to mix these
into it.

Cover and keep warm.
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