Chocolate Almond Cookies

This Chocolate Almond Cookie recipe was given to me by an acquaintance more than ten years ago and it is definitely a keeper.   They look pretty too - see how the slivers of almond flakes stand out against the 'chocolatey' colour of the cookies?  These cookies are so delicate and melt in your mouth and they taste pretty awesome too.  

Ingredients:

250g butter
125g icing sugar
300g low protein flour
30g cocoa powder
100g cornflour
150g almond flakes
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

•  Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
• Sift together flour, cocoa powder and cornflour.  Fold into the butter mixture.  Then add in the almond flakes and combine to form into a dough.
• Divide the dough into two and shape into logs.  Wrap with clingwrap and chill in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
• Cut the logs into slices and bake in a preheated oven of 175 deg C for about 20 minutes.
• Cool the cookies on a wire rack and store them in an air-tight container.

* I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover *

Earl Grey Tea Cake

Source:  Okashi Ishida's Earl Grey Tea Cake with slight changes


Ingredients:

150g butter, softened
130g icing sugar, sifted
3 eggs
150g plain flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
15g almond meal
Earl Grey tea dust from 3 teabags
1 lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice

• Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
• Line a loaf pan.
• Sift flour and baking powder together twice.  Set aside.
• Beat butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.  Gradually add in eggs, one at a time.  Beat well to combine.  Add in tea dust, almond meal, lemon juice and zest.  Mix well.
• Fold flour mixture into the egg mixture.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and make a lengthwise slit down the middle of the batter with a spatula.
• Bake for 50 minutes or until cake is cooked.

Braised Lamb Shanks

My last post for the year ...  

Happy 2013 !

Ingredients:

6 lamb shanks 
2 pcs  streaky bacon, cut into pieces 
2 large onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 celery stalks, cut into chunks
3 carrots, cut into chunks
4 potatoes, cut into chunks
1 small red capsicum, cut into chunks
2 ½ cups beef/chicken stock
2 cup red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup passata
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
½  tbsp brown sugar (or white sugar)
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
4 sprigs rosemary
salt & black pepper, to taste
olive
1 tbsp butter

• Season lamb shanks with ground black pepper and salt.
• Heat a frying pan until hot; add about 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan.  Fry the lamb shanks until browned all over.  Remove from the pan and arrange on a large ovenproof casserole dish.  
• Fry bacon pieces until brown.  Transfer into the casserole dish together with the lamb shanks.
• Add about 1 tbsp olive oil and butter to the pan and saute onion and garlic until just softened (not browned).  Add in all the vegetables and fry for about 2 minutes.  Transfer into the casserole dish.
• Deglaze the pan with wine.  Pour in stock, passata, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and worcestershire sauce.  Bring to the boil and season with brown sugar, salt and pepper.  Pour over the lamb shanks and vegetables and place rosemary sprigs on top.  Cover the casserole dish with a tight fitting lid.
• Cook in a preheated oven at 160°C for about 3 hours or until lamb is tender and falling off the bone.
• Remove the lid and sprigs of rosemary.  
• Carefully transfer the lamb shanks onto a warm serving platter.  
• Blend the vegetables and the juice together.  Pour the thick gravy over the lamb shanks and serve with mashed potatoes and green vegetables of your choice.