The party's over....

The party's over. Normality is beginning to resume after visitors have gone to the airport; empty bottles have gone into the bin; the left-overs have stocked the fridge for the week ahead. Now, with the new job and all, a new blogging routine has to be established. Stay tuned. Thank you to those who have emailed or posted. Blessings and bliss Miss Eagle

Miss Eagle Regrets and Life Takes Over

Dear Reader, Miss Eagle wishes to inform you that she is taking Leave of Absence. She hopes to resume normal service in about ten days times. Real Life is invading the Quiet Life. Visitors are on the horizon with accompanying preparations prior to arrival and various jollities on arrival. In amongst this are your Miss E's birthday celebrations (26 is reprising) and Herself's best friend is being farewelled to live in England. As well, the coffers are getting a top up with a six month contract of employment - so nine to five time slots with train rides before and after will become the order of the day. Miss Eagle is happy to receive email from the sidebar and will be dropping by the sites and her Feeddemon so she will not be incommunicado altogether. Yours bloggingly, Miss Eagle

On the menu 1: Saucy Seafood & Lemon Pudding

Saucy Seafood

This dish is for those who love shellfish. As the nights get cooler in the Southern Hemisphere, it is a cosy main course. It is a variation on Brie Mussels, provided by Clarice over at Storybook Woods. And while you are there, have a look at Clarice's take on How to roast a chicken. Very interesting and very creative.

SAUCY SEAFOOD 3 bacon rashers with rind removed 1 leek - or replace it with 2 onions Fresh garlic. Mis Eagle loves heaps. 1kg shellfish - this comprised green mussel meat, green prawns, and scallops, debearded

1 cup dry white wine (or water but wine is better) 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard 1 ( around 8-ounce) brie, very cold, rind removed and cut into pieces

In a large pan fry bacon and set aside crisped bacon. Drain off most fat. Keep 1 tablespoon and add oil. Sautee leeks/onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, 1/2 the parsley, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the shellfish, wine, and cream, and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, about 5 minutes. You will know when the shellfish is cooked when the green prawns turn red. Remove from the heat. Discard bay leaf. Stir in Dijon. Add cheese, crumbled bacon, rest of parsley. Pour into a large, deep serving bowl. Serve immediately with hot French bread for dipping and lemon wedges.

And for dessert, straight from Miss Schauer and The Schauer Australian Cookery Book is something quite old-fashioned, Lemon Pudding.

LEMON PUDDING

Grease pie-dish. Butter bread, cut in dice, put 3 layers at bottom of pie-dish. Melt 2oz. of butter in a saucepan, add the juice of 2 lemons and the rind of 1, add 1 cup sugar, small cup water, the yolks of 2 eggs, beat well. Put into oven to set, then place meringue on top, sprinkle with pink sugar.

Miss Eagle's Notes: Yum yum. Luscious. However, would suggest an extra white for the meringue. Felt it spread a bit thin. An extra yolk into the mix would go well.

MISS EAGLE'S MERINGUE

Bowl and beater should be cool and dry. When separating whites from yolks, there must be no skerrick of yolk polluting the whites. Unless Miss Eagle is doing large quantities, she prefers to use her favourite rotary beaters (see previous post). Beat whites until stiff (they will be a soft-ish sort of stiff) and then add caster sugar a dessertspoon at a time to taste. The adding of the sugar slowly and beating well in before each addition gives the stiffness to the meringue. All sugar should be beaten well in so that no grain can be detected. After placing on pie, return to oven which is very low and leave meringue to set and brown slightly.

MISS EAGLE'S PINK SUGAR

Take about 2 tablespoons of sugar and add about two drops of red food colouring or cochineal. Mix in with a spoon. Colouring should be used very sparingly to give the sugar its pale pink colour. A little goes a long way. If you don't use the full amount, the rest can be stored in a jar for use next time.

Great Aussie Scone Fest - Lemonade Scones - 4

Kelvin should be pleased. Thanks to The Old Foodie who has come up with the recipe. Miss Eagle is indebted to both of them. She had never heard of Lemonade Scones. She has baked them and Miss Eagle and Herself have taste-tested them. The conclusion? They are the best ever. Such light dough and they rose quite a treat. And Eve's Gooseberry & Plum Jam was just the thing. Please note the Australia scone cutter. Miss Eagle thought you, dear Reader, might get bored with round scones. Here are the ingredients. The Old Foodie did not include a method. But if you need clear instructions, please go the same way as for Buttermilk Scones.

LEMONADE SCONES

2 cups SR flour

pinch salt

1 dessertspoon sugar

2/3 cup lemonade

1 cup cream.

Note: Miss Eagle had to add a little extra flour. This could be to do with the absorbency of the flour. As Miss Eagle has mentioned before, flour varies in its rates of absorbency.

The Great Aussie Scone Fest Mystery

www.bananamuseum.com

Dear Reader, your help is needed. The Old Foodie has left a comment, informing Miss Eagle of a difficulty.

Well Miss Eagle, I thought I had found the perfect contribution in a book called "The Australasian Cookery Book .. specially written and compiled for the requirements of Australian and New Zealand Homes" (is about 1910 vintage). The recipe is for Pineapple Scones. "these are made in the same way as banana scones, using grated pineapple insted of the banana."Only minor issue is that there is not a banana scone recipe in the book. Looks like I'll have to experiment, but will be on holiday 12-29th so it might be belated!

Does anyone, anywhere in the world, have a recipe - preferably circa 1910, but any will do - for Banana Scones?

Lord preserve us

My local parish church is St Thom's and every few months they have a street stall at the Maxi Supermarket at Upper Ferntree Gully. It is something and is organised by the indefatigible fundraiser in chief, Gwen Brideson. Three tables. One table was burdened with beautiful knits and crafts. A second table groaned with delights from the kitchen. The third had the piece-de-resistance, the raffle of Rosemary Sendin's Mother's Day cake. Miss Eagle made a valiant effort to win this, purchasing quite a few tickets. But the winner was Iola Tilley - without whom St Thom's would probably fall down - who has more counts towards motherhood than Miss Eagle. But Miss Eagle always heads for the preserves. This time - with a vision of all those scones to be baked and tested for the Great Aussie Scone Fest - your author was even more focussed than usual. Miss Eagle does not bother to make her favourite Plum Jam anymore. Bett Connop's is a delight and this time it was made from Blood Plums. The other purchases all came from the kitchen of the elegant Eve Nielsen and, as you will see Dear Reader, her jams and chutneys are elegant as well. Six jars of Eve's produce came back to The Trad Pad: Apple and Sage Chutney; Nectarine and Peach Chutney; Lemon and Fennel Jelly; Fig and Ginger Jam; Gooseberry and Plum Jelly; and Blackberry Jam.

Great Aussie Scone Fest - Buttermilk & Ginger - 3

Dear Reader, you may not be able to tell the difference, but in the photo above the scones on the left are Buttermilk Scones and the scones on the right are Ginger Scones.

Miss Eagle has been busy baking some of Miss Schauer's scone recipes. Now Miss Eagle has never baked one of Miss Schauer's scone recipes. She has another favourite which she always does in the kitchen whizz. But more of that for another post. Ms Robyn, please take note. Miss Eagle thinks the scones you may have been dreaming about are the Buttermilk Scones - and they are the easiest scones Miss Eagle has ever made.

BUTTERMILK SCONES

Sift together into a mixing bowl 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon bi-carb soda, 1 level teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and mix to a dough with about 1 cup of buttermilk. Quickly roll out to 1/2 in. thickness, cut with knife or cutter into shapes desired and bake in a good hot oven 10 to 15 minutes. May be baked on a girdle. Serve butter or with whipped cream and favourite jam, as black currant jam.

Note: These are so easy. Miss Eagle mixed them in the trusty Kenwood Chef with the dough hook. There is no butter to rub into the flour etc. Just put the ingredients in and mix with the buttermilk. The result is a lovely soft dough. When making any form of pastry or batter, it should be recognised that the amount of fluid is, in reality, a guide. More may need to added because all flour is not equal. Absorbency of flour varies. When adding extra fluid, add small amounts with caution so that you don't overdo it, dear Reader. This quantity of dough made six scones when cut with a round scone cutter measuring 6.5 cm ( 2 1/2") in diameter.

GINGER SCONES

Rub into 1/2 lb self-raising flour 1 large tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, add 1/2 teaspoon sugar and a pinch of salt. Work into a scone dough with the yolk of an egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of black treacle and a good half cup of milk. Turn on to floured board, knead very lightly, press out, cut with round cutter, brush over with a little of the milk and egg that it was mixed with. Place on hot greased tin and bake in quick oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Roll in clean cloth till cold.

Note: This recipe makes six scones with enough left over for a little knobby ball not big enough for the cutter (for size of cutter see above). The ginger flavour is very subtle so if you would like a stronger flavour you, dear Reader, will have to experiment with adding a little more. Miss Eagle had no treacle and there was none on the shelves at her local Maxi supermarket. She substituted Golden Syrup. Treacle would provide a stronger flavour. Eve Neilsen's Fig and Ginger Jam was the perfect match for these scones.

Great Aussie Scone Fest - Pumpkin Scones - 2

No discussion of Pumpkin Scones can take place in Australia without reference to Lady Flo Bjelke Petersen. Lady Bjelke Petersen and her husband, Sir Joh, were a controversial political couple in this country. Lady Bjelke Petersen (Flo) developed a famous connection with pumpkin scones although there have been those who have suggested that those served at Bethany, her home near Kingaroy, were not always of her own making but came from a nearby bakery. Oh well - it can be difficult being an Ozzie domestic goddess! But here is the recipe from a cook book she published.

Pumpkin Scones

Chef: Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen

This world-famous recipe is from Lady Bjelke Petersen's Classic Country Cooking book.

Julie Derrett read it on air, and we had many requests for it, so here it is!

You need:-

1 tbs butter- 1/2 cup sugar- 1/4 tsp salt- 1 egg- 1 cup mashed pumpkin- 2 cups self raising flour

(and a little extra, just in case)

Method: Beat together butter, sugar and salt with an electric mixer. Add egg, then pumpkin. Finally, stir in the sifted flour by hand. Turn onto a floured board and cut. Place on a heated floured tray

and cook on the top shelf of a very hot oven (225C - 250C) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serving Suggestion:

Invite the Queen to tea and serve.

Outback Cooking

Miss Eagle could not let the Great Aussie Scone Fest go past without reference to two of her favourite Aussie cooks - Jack and Reg Absalom. Jack is famous as an artist: one of Australia's great Brushmen of the Bush. Jack is indebted to his uncle, Reg, for so many of the recipes in their book, Outback cooking in the camp oven. Reg spent many years as a station cook in Outback Australia. Miss Eagle also has to say that she has done a stint as a station cook - but in a fully equipped kitchen on McArthur River Station. She can cook in a camp oven and, like her Aunty Mame, loves it. Miss Eagle's Dearly Beloved, Big Red, was an accomplished Bush Cook. For luxurious three course meals he would wield his three cooking tools: a steel hot plate, a camp oven, and a kerosene tin with a wire handle over a pit fire. Here is Jack and Reg's recipe for Pumpkin Scones:

60g/2ozs butter; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 egg; 1 cup cold mashed pumpkin; 2 cups S.R. flour.

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Cream the butter and sugar, add eggs and pumpkin.

Add sifted flour and mix well.

Cut in 1 1/2 inch squares

and place in greased camp oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Miss Schauer on Scones

B One of the delights of The Schauer Australian Cookery Book is that, at the beginning of each section, Miss Schauer gives tips and rules. So, dear Reader, even if you choose not to use her recipes but choose to use someone else's, it is wise to consult the notes at the beginning of the relevant section. So here is what she has to say at the beginning of the section headed Scones, Pikelets, Etc., and Baking Powder Bread:

SCONES

Buttermilk is excellent for mixing scones. Sour milk, using 1/2 teaspoon of bi-carb soda to each cup of sour milk or 1/2 milk and water. A yolk of egg beaten into milk with pinch of sugar makes scones richer. (Also cream with milk.)

NOTE:- A sharp knife or a sharp round 2in. cutter must be used for cutting scones; also a hot tin to place them on. They must be placed in oven immediately they are finished. Plain white or wholemeal flour, with 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder to 1 cup, or plain white, Cerevite, or wholemeal self-raising flour may be used in all scone making. All white flour must be sifted twice. Wholemeal and Cerevite must never be sifted.

Rules for Scone Making

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder twice. Rub the butter in lightly with the tips of the fingers. Make a well in the centre. Add all the milk at once. Mix into a moist dough, with a knife. Turn out on to a floured board. Knead for a few seconds. Press out with a floured hand, about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out with a round cutter or sharp knife. Place together on a hot greased tin. Brush over either with milk or egg and milk. Bake in a hot oven from 10 to 15 minutes. Turn out into a clean towel and allow to stand still cold.

Great Aussie Scone Fest

Janet over at The Old Foodie has entered into correspondence on the topic of scones.

Well now Miss Eagle,

I have just posted an addendum ("Above and beyond") to today's post "Colonial Kosher", as a result of the comments from Gillian Pollack (her comment was just before yours on the shark/mullet story) at http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/ - she has put up a batch of scone recipes from her Jewish grandmother's cookbook. Now dont you just have to get out your Schauer and post her scone(s) recipe? - she must have at least a couple? You might start the Great Aussie Scone Recipe Fest. In any case, you are duty bound - with the name of your blog and all - to find a pumpkin scone recipe for the rest of the world. I await it eagerly. Janet

Please note: Miss Eagle has used a pumpkin colour for The Old Foodie's letter.