I have been making yoghurt for myself for a while, I like plain yoghurt, simple to make, can be used in cooking, dips and add a bit of fruit, coulis, jam, it's great for a snack.
However, I have been having trouble converting my whole family into home made yoghurt, maybe sometimes, but not all the time. They are used to the sweet taste of flavoured yoghurts.
So recently, I have been making Vanilla Honey Yoghurt for them, it's easy, and it has the natural taste and as many natural ingredients I can put in.
It's simple.
1 lt milk, full cream, good quality milk, it's always a good sign to tell if milk is really milk - some milk can't be made into yoghurt. Can we trust any products these days?
2 heap tablespoon of full cream milk powder
1 tsp vanilla essense
3 tbsp white sugar
1 heap tablespoon of good quality honey
2 heap spoon of plain yoghurt (home made will be best, you know what's in there, otherwise try to get organic yoghurt, full cream. There are yoghurts sold in shops that will not make yoghurt)
Bring the milk to boil and then reduce heat to a slow simmer, let it simmer for 15 minutes.
Let milk cool to around 110F or 43-45C, add to the mixture of milk powder, vanilla, sugar and honey, stir through till smooth, and let sugar dissolve, add the room temperatured plain yoghurt to the milk mix.
I use my trust worthy thermo pot to keep the yoghurt warm over night, it can be a slow oven of 43C (110F).
Usually it takes 7-8 hours, the yoghurt will set in pot, and leave it at the back of the fridge to cool. If it's left in a warm spot, yoghurt culture will keep multiplying.
Ready to be consumed when it's chilled!
We have been buying a lot of maple syrup lately because we have been having our weekend pancake brekkies, and most of the time, the children would like to have maple syrup. This time, something really simple and flavoursome.
Vanilla Almond Pancakes with Maple Syrup
150g Self Raising flour
1 tsp vanilla essense
4 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
250ml milk
30ml macadamia oil
50g almond meal
Whisk egg and sugar till light and pale, whisk with oil and until smooth.
Add in milk, vanilla and mix well. Sift in flour and fold in almond meal.
I normally do my pancakes on medium heat on non stick service, and it's a simple brekky if drizzeled with maple syrup...
Will be also nice with a dulop of whipped cream.
A very simple cake. That's what my mother likes, chiffon cake, or sponge cake, no cream, no ganache, no mousse, nothing. She's not much of a dessert person (I got my sweet tooth from daddy) and it's not often, that she will accept a cake from me. She always thinks that I cook too much, and not rest enough - mother, what else do they worry about, I guess I will always be little in her eyes.
But she does enjoy her simple cake. She's not doing much baking, because of the power bills - like all other pensioners, mum and dad have cut back a lot of electricity usage because of the soaring cost. I read from Herald Sun this morning, just a comment from a reader, that he works in Ray's Outdoors - a camping gear shop. The sales of ourdoor lamps and kerosene lamps went up a lot lately. He thought it was because of the long Easter Weekend, but that still doesn't explain the enthusiasm of the needs for lamps. He said he found out later that the pensioners and low income earners are so worried about the new taxes government will put on everything, and the news that electricity will go up again, they are buying those lamps to use at home.
How sad. Once a beautiful country where everyone has a fair go. I've told mum not to worry because I'm paying her power bills, but still.
So, when she can accept a cake from me, that's the time to do something for her.
A simple vanilla chiffon cake:
Ingredients:
150g Self Raising Flour
3 egg yolks
5 egg whites
60ml canola oil
60ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp raw sugar
4 tbsp white sugar
Method:
Beat egg yolks with raw sugar until it's silky smooth and pale.
Add in milk, canola oil, vanilla and keep beating till everything mix smoothly.
Beat egg whites seperately (using electric mixer) and slowly beat in white sugar till meringue is formed.
Fold meringue into the yolk mixture gradually, fold gentally not to lose too much air.
Once mixed properly, sift in flour.
Bake in a preheated oven 200C, in a lined but not greased loaf tin. (I haven't got a proper chiffon cake tin)
Dust with plenty of icing sugar.
