Macadamia and Honey Cookies

Macadamia and Honey Cookies

A bonus of keeping bees is their gorgeous by-product - HONEY.  

Fresh honey extracted straight from the hive is incomparable in flavour, aroma and texture.

Combine this with macadamia nuts and you have a winner.

My mother recently returned from a holiday in northern New South Wales, bringing freshly picked macadamia nuts from a macadamia nut farm.  These were delicious and quickly sealed to keep in the freshness.  Some had been tossed in different seasonings from Italian to Australian bush flavourings, but all I wanted was the plain variety.  Along with the last of the honey harvest for the season, I was tingling with anticipation and reached for the flour and sugar to combine away.

I like to prepare biscuits, slices or cakes on the weekend.  As long as the cookie jar is filled every Sunday with a different offering - which usually lasts for about 3 days - I, and therefore the family, am happy.

Cookie baking is to be done quickly, as opposed to a gallant dessert which one can labour over for hours.

Beat butter, honey and  sugar until creamed.

Macadamia Honey Cookies 

125 butter, softened

2 large tablespoons honey

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 1/4 cups plain flour

3/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup macadamias, finely chopped

2 tablespoons raw sugar (for dipping) optional

Cream butter, honey and sugar in a bowl with electric mixer until well combined and smooth.

Stir in flour, sifted bicarbonate of soda, coconut and macadamia nuts.

Roll into small balls, flatten slightly and dip one side into the raw sugar if desired, 

before placing on a silicon or baking paper lined tray.  

Bake in moderate oven 180C for 10 minutes until lightly browned.

Cool on trays for a few minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool.    Yield 35 biscuits.

Freshly baked biscuits.

Enjoy with a cappuccino, a cup of steaming black tea or a glass of milk.
Perfect for our Autumn weather when on some days, all you want to do is bake and cook.
Buon appetito, cheers Merryn

Merryn's Peking Duck

Merryn's Peking Duck

My simple and delicious version

I am very lucky to have relatives on a dairy farm.  

Cattle, horses, chickens, pigs, lambs, dogs and ducks abound.

I love to walk in the green pastures, and hear the gentle moo of cows and neighs of horses.
It is relaxing and refreshing to meander on country time.

 The other day my Uncle kindly gave me a duck.  He has recently purchased a 'feather pluckier' to make his life easier.  You put the fresh duck that has been humanely killed into boiling water for one minute, place it into the feather pluckier and in quick time, the duck comes out featherless on one side while all feathers come out of the other side.
My Uncle is over 70 so you imagine how many hours he has spent plucking feathers from birds his entire life.
More astonishingly it never ceases to amaze me how many people have not yet tried Peking Duck.  


This could be put down to the expensive price restaurants command for this dish but it is relatively simple to cook at home.  Here is my easy recipe and after you try it, you will find it is delicious.

Firstly wash the duck then place in the sink and pour a jugful of boiling water over the top.

Place duck onto a plate and brush with a mixture of;
1/4 cup molasses with 2 Tblspns honey and 2 Tblspns boiling water mixed together.

After 5 minutes brush with the remaining mixture that has dripped onto the plate.

Wrap foil around the wings and legs to protect them from burning in the oven.



Pull the excess fat away from the cavity entrance, this is pure fat and can be burned down in a small saucepan. The pieces of fat will almost entirely dissolve and can then be strained to store in a jar in the refrigerator to roast tasty potatoes with later.

Stuff the cavity of the duck with three lemon slices, a cinnamon stick and two star anise.

Spray a roasting rack with olive oil to stop the duck sticking, place duck on top and put in a roasting tray filled with 1 cup water .

Bake at 180 degrees celsius for approximately        1 1/4 hours for 2.2kg duck. It will be browned and crispy all over after this time, but moist on the inside.

While the duck is roasting, make the pancakes.  Place flour, cornflour, eggs, butter, water and milk into a food processor and blend until combined.  Cover and stand for 20 minutes before using.



Heat a non stick shallow frying pan, a crepe pan if you have one, add 2 Tblspns butter and 1 Tblspn batter, swirling to cover pan, cook 1-2  minutes then turn and cook the other side for 1 minute until lightly brown.
Remove and store on a plate, repeat with batter, storing on top of each other, until they are all cooked.

(N.B.  If you are lucky enough to live near an Asian supermarket, you can buy frozen peking duck pancake wrappers and defrost before using or heat for 1 minute in the microwave in the opened plastic bag.)

We swapped the convenience of great shopping for a greener lifestyle and stock up on supplies and herbs from Asian supermarkets when in the city.  Our peking duck wrappers usually run out between city visits so I often make my own.

While the duck is still happily roasting away, you could turn it after 50 minutes if your oven is not fan forced to brown the underside.

Take 2 cucumbers; peel them, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.  Then slice into 4cm long matchsticks, place in a serving bowl.

Wash and chop 8 green shallots into similar lengths and place in another serving bowl.

Place 1/2 cup hoisin sauce in a small serving bowl, mix with 1/2 tspn five spice powder and 2 Tbs soy sauce.

Place the duck onto a wooden serving board and rest for 10 minutes.

Slice the duck, placing the skin to one side so it can be finely chopped.  Shred the remaining duck meat.
You can also buy an excellent inexpensive Peking duck knife/cleaver from an Asian supermarket, designed specifically to slice the duck finely.  As you can see, Peking duck is a serious tradition :D

                    

                       Take 1 pancake, 

                      spread a spoonful 

                  of hoisin sauce over top,            

              2 cucumbers and1 shallot slice, 

               then some duck meat and skin.  

                Roll up to enclose and enjoy!

Peking Duck Recipe

1 x 2.2kg muscovy or pekin duck

Basting Mix

1/4 cup molasses

2 Tblspns honey

2 Tblspns boiling water

Mix together and baste over top of duck until it is dry.  You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process.

Cavity Flavourings

3 slices lemon

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

Peking Duck Pancakes

1 cup plain flour

4 Tablespoons cornflour

1/2 cup tepid water

1/2 cup milk

4 eggs

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Blend together in a food processor.  Cover and stand 20 minutes then cook 1 Tblspn batter as for crepes.

Extras

2 green cucumbers, sliced into 4 -5 cm lengths

6 - 8 green shallots, sliced into 4 - 5cm lengths

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

(Optional, you can add 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder and 2 Tablespoons soy sauce to hoisin sauce)

This recipe will serve 5 people, a 2.5kg duck will serve 6.
Please, if you like my recipe, try it and let me know if you found it easy and divinely delicious.

Bees bees bees buzzing bees

Bee Hive Arrival

Our long awaited bee hive is ready!  MOH  (my other half) and I drove 30 kms  into the country just on dusk, passing grazing wallabies along the way.  We found the bee keeper, albeit passing the entrance initially only to back track and discover his driveway. This beekeeper had numerous hives, a large dam in which they could drink fresh rain water, bromeliads, varying flowers, and many eucalyptus trees.  He loves his hobby of beekeeping and entertained us with stories such as 'when the wind blows strongly and they arrive home, they get confused sometimes and you should see them fighting when some go to the wrong hive' or 'when a hive beetle enters, you can see the bees coral them into a corner'.
When we first saw our hive it was purely a joyous feeling.   So much planning and waiting had finally come to fruition.  There it was, with full honey aroma and glamorous white paintwork.

The brood box - the bottom box had been closed up ready for travel and the bees were very quiet.  We lifted it onto the back seat of MOH's ute, as we felt it was disrespectful to place them in the back tray.
Driving very gently, we arrived home 40 minutes later, at which time MOH gently lifted the hive out of the car and placed it in it's new home.

Then, you could hear a distinct buzz buzz buzzing noise from our Italian bees.

We opened the small lower entrance and let them rest for the evening.

The next morning, bright and early I rushed to inspect the hive, shown here with the strap still attached to the top. You will note the two bee 'bodies' on the lower entrance to the left and right.  The beekeeper warned us that we would lose a couple in transit, and bees being the very clean animals that they are, push the bodies outside of the hive.  Two however, wasn't a large number when you consider of the eight frames in this brood box, four are already filling with brood.  One, apparently is totally closed over with capped honey, but we have to wait until this weekend to open the top and inspect inside, as the bees have to recover from their initial trip.

The Lone Ranger

Two bees are better than one!

We are excited to welcome these gorgeous Italian bees to our household and I will publish new photos when delightful ones are taken.  Not only will our garden benefit from the introduction of a hive, but our lives have been enriched by nurturing a unique species.  Any organic honey we extract, will only be a beautiful bonus.

Cheers Merryn from the mid north coast of New South Wales.