Broad Bean and Mint Soup

We found ourselves with a whole bunch of broad beans from Sharon's garden, and thought we'd give this recipe a go. It's also a great way to use what's left in the fridge and pantry. Yum!

"We also do a broad bean and mint soup, which is basically hot stock, a potato, the shelled beans and a bunch of mint added to an onion and garlic that have been sweated in olive oil. When the potato is cooked, blend and pass through a colander, then put everything back in the pan, season and add a handful of parmesan before serving with bruschetta."

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider purchasing this cookbook at The Book Depository!

Coconut Meringue Cake

What a wonderful way to start the New Year! The sky was overcast, so it wasn't too hot a summer's day for baking. I also stumbled across this recipe by accident, when I realised I didn't have enough butter for the Chocolate Brownies. It so happened I had just enough ingredients for this recipe, and I was up for the challenge of beating egg whites that day (I'm usually unsure of when it's ready, but this boosted my confidence). It was a big hit at the Glenlyon Sports Day that afternoon! Best served with Orange and Cardamon Ice-Cream.

120g butter

1 1/2 cups castor sugar

3 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup milk

1 cup desiccated coconut

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a 22-cm springform tin.

Cream butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar, then beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add sifted flour and milk and beat until combined. Pour mixture into prepared tin.

In a clean bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add remaining sugar and beat until glossy. Gently fold in coconut.

Pour meringue mixture over cake mixture in tin and smooth top. Bake for 45 minutes, until risen and crisp on top.

Serves 8.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider purchasing this cookbook at The Book Depository!