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08/06/2008


my photo

return to oz ...

Our great adventure at the beginning of the year almost seems like a lifetime ago now. Even after less than six months some memories have started to go hazy. I have known since my return all my friends wanted to meet up to see the photos etc and last night we all finally got together for an Australian evening at my place. Each friend bought a savoury item and a bottle and I was in charge of the desserts and had decided as best I could to keep to a theme.

Australia has its own mango industry so I adapted my usual party trifle recipe to include a tin of mangoes in syrup, which I can say worked really well. We needed more than one dessert so I decided to try my hand at making some Lamingtons, little sponges coated in chocolate icing and dunked in coconut. Whilst searching on the net for a recipe I found a very handy one for us Brits which measures in metric, I confess not to being au fait with cup measures. They were really nice served warm with clotted cream ice cream. In a previous post I told you about Anzac Biscuits (bikkies) which I occasionally buy from the supermarket, the same site showed a recipe for these. They were really simple to make, although I misjudged the tablespoon measures of golden syrup and once cooled they became rock hard, and came with a denture health warning! Last but not least I made some sugared macadamia nuts, another export from Australia.

I really enjoyed going through the photos again and relating some of our tales of Oz. It really did remind me of the great time we had.

A great tip, two funny facts and a serious warning.

Fresh mangoes freeze really well. They can be sliced and bagged, or pureed and placed into ice cube trays.

Lord Lamington was known to have hated the dessert that had been named in his honour, once referring to them as "those bloody poofy woolly biscuits"!

Anzac biscuits are as Australian as a bunyip!

Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs, causing weakness and an inability to stand within 12 hours of eating. The exact cause of the why this happens is not known, but recovery is usually within 48 hours of ingestion.


15 comments:

Gina said...

You can't beat home-made lamingtons.. so much better than bought! Lord Lamington's description of them made me laugh so much I nearly lost my mouthful of coffee! Brilliant :) Gx

Simone said...

I want to make some 'poofy woolly biscuits'!!!

Anonymous said...

I like the sound of mango trifle - something different.

Christy Amular said...

Your lamingtons look divine! I found another great anzac cookie recipe here.

Anonymous said...

Photographs are a godsend when it comes to bringing to life a dormant memory!
I bet you were taken straight back to the good times you had!
.
Your party sounds like it was a blast and a great idea too!
.
Wow! who knew about the dogs and the nusts... Good warning Louise!

Sal said...

Great idea to have an Australian evening. I love anything with mangoes in it.
Glad you had a good time ;-)

Mrs Moog said...

I've never tried a Lamington and think the first time I even heard of them was on Neighbours years ago!! Now that I know they are 'poofy and woolly' I'll just have to make some :)

xxx

Chelle said...

I got a good laugh out of the denture warning bit. While it is frustrating to have a baked goodie not turn out, it is still quite commical. :)

Linda said...

Hi Louise,
It's lovely to hear that you love our Aussie desserts, I must admit I must be a bit of a lazy Aussie as I have never made my own Lamingtons before but I know the best bakeries to get them from. We had a couple of chocolate Lamingtons from a local bakery on the weekend they were devine. Didn't know about the Macadamia nuts and dogs, lucky they come in a hard shell so our dog can't get to them when they fall off the tree.
Cheers from OZ
Linda

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hi Louise! I never heard of Lamingtons, but a dessert sponge cake in the states that is covered in frosting and coconut we call "snowballs" sounds similar.

I bet you had a wonderful time going through all your Australain trip photos! It's like taking the voyage again, isn't it?

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

I love chocolate and coconut combinations and would cheerfully travel to Oz to eat these... or Sussex!
In fact I would prefer Sussex..it's closer and the spiders are smaller!
Hope your party went with a bang Louise!

Michelexx

Country Cottage Chic said...

Mmmm...a mango trifle sounds yummy! Very summery & tropical.

Twiggy said...

Your Australian evening sounds fab, I love the idea of poofy woolly biscuits too !!
Twiggy x

Pretty Practicals said...

Oh heck, how did the time slip past me? Sorry I haven't dropped by for a couple of weeks Louise. The tabby chat on the previous entry is really cute.
I had Lamingtons when I was in Australia, I wasn't sure I like them very much, but I'm not a great coconut fan.
Chat soon, Liz

Anonymous said...

What a lovely way to relive some of those memories! Your desserts looked scrumptious, Louise :-)