The Cook Book

Nobody warned me! There are peanuts in peanut butter? 

No - same as hamburgers have no ham!

Thanks, LE, you saved the day. 

Flourless peanut butter cookies? How do they come out, I mean what is the texture like? 

Very much like normal peanut butter cookies. They are a softish biscuit, as you would imagine. The peanut taste, surprisingly, isn't that strong.

Sounds yummy. I may try it with almond butter instead.

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Peanut butter cookies for the ingredient challenged...

CAUTION: May contain traces of nuts!

Just like this board. 

I've found a really useful site; blogged by my bff's neighbour, Carroll Pellegrinelli

http://baking.about.com/b/

She has about 3 or 4 new baking recipes/tips each week.  I like it best when she has her "from scratch" stuff, as I prefer to do my own baking...and to make modifications (like using Splenda* instead of sugar) to suit my tastes and lifestyle.

This is one recipe that I found on this site and tried out.  

WARNING - it may become addictive !!



SPICY GINGER PEAR BREAD

2 cups Flour
1/2 cup toasted Wheat Germ/ground Flax Seed
1/2 cup (packed) Brown Sugar
1 Tbs Baking Powder
1.1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp ground Ginger
1/2 cup chopped Crystallized Ginger
2 cups chopped Pears = +/- 2 pears (tinned or fresh)
2 Eggs
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
8 oz (= 1 cup)Sour Cream/plain Yoghurt
1/4 cup Pear Juice (easier to get if you use tinned pears)


1.  Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease one 4.1/2 x 8.1/2 inch loaf pan.
2.  In large bowl, Combine first 6 dry ingredients with wire whisk.  Hand stir in chopped ginger and pears.  Set aside.
3.  In smaller bowl, Combine wet ingredients - eggs, oil, sour cream, pear juice.
4.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.  Mix until moistened.
5.  Pour into prepared pan.  
6.  Bake for 45 minutes.
7.  Place piece of foil over top of bread, and continue to bake another 15 minutes (may need more, depending on oven).  Test for "doneness" with toothpick.
8.  Cool in pan, on wire rack for 15 minutes.
9.  Turn out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

When completely cool, wrap in plastic wrap, then in foil.  Set aside to eat next day.

*Note*  We couldn't wait that long.  Spread with butter....Yummmmm.  But it was even better next day

Sounds yummo! I may give it a try for Thanksgiving. Thanks. 

I just figured out how to make my own yoghurt. It's great as you don't need any fancy equipment apart from a vaccuum flask. I love it as it's got no artificial flavours/sweeteners in it and is full of good bacteria as well as tasting great.

You need some natural/live yoghurt as starter, if you can't find any in the import shops try your local Indian restaurant (if you have one) as they probably make their own yoghurt. You need 2 tablespoons for one litre of milk. Heat the milk until it just starts to boil (bubbles around the edge). Leave to cool for around half an hour until it is blood temperature (you can stick your finger in it quite comfortably). While it is cooling fill a vaccuum flask with boiling water. When the milk is blood temperature mix it into the yoghurt then empty the water out of the flask and pour the milk in. Seal and leave for minimum of 6 hours (I make it in the evening and leave overnight). When you get up the next morning the flask should be filled with yoghurt, I decant it into a glass storage jar and keep it in the fridge. It is totally unsweetened (obviously) so will taste quite tart, I mix it with homemade jam and have some every morning.

This is not the most set yoghurt, if you want it thicker you can strain it in a coffee filter for a few hours.

Thanks, this should be a help for me as I hate the sweetened yogurt. 

To make mine thicker I add a couple of tablespoons of pure milk powder.  Amount depends on if you want it mousse consistency etc.  I like it tart, so don't add anything to it later.

Friends from home can sent you the starter - after you have used the yoghurt a few times it loses the ability to make 'good' yoghurt.  I brought back 6 bottles of starter tablets, plus a starter to make Greek yoghurt.  YUM.

LE what milk powder do you use, a Chinese brand? And are the starters actually tablets? Sounds interesting?

One thing I've learned is that you can freeze "live" yoghurt and later defrost it to use as starter, it separates but still works cos that's what I used this time. As I understand it, if you freeze it as soon as you've made it then it is at it's most "live" so your yoghurt should work better for longer.

Nestle. Which would upset my family a little given Nestle's baby formula dumping policy in developing countries, and convincing mums brestfeeding isn't as good, but I figure it doesn't come with added melamine.

Ooooh that sounds so easy I might even be able to pull it off here!

I think plain yoghurt would be lovely with some hawthorn fruit puree. I have a freezer full and have been enjoying it's tart yumminess with pancakes.