Family Mess Hall - whole food meals dinners recipes

A chocolate cake like no other, panforte is packed with dried fruits and nuts and has a rich chewy, chocolatey flavour. Chocolate panforte - Italian Christmas cake Ingredients: 1/2 cup plain flour 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper 1 cup hazelnuts or pecans 1 cup roasted almonds 1 cup candied mixed peel 2/3 cup coarsely chopped dried figs 1/3 cup dried currants, cranberries or apricots 1/2 cup honey 3/4 cup soft brown sugar 30 grams butter 1/2 cup icing sugar (for serving) Method: Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan-forced. Grease a 20cm springform tin and line the base with baking paper. Sift the flour, cocoa and spices into a large bowl. Add the nuts and fruit; toss to combine. Place the honey, sugar and butter in a small saucepan; stir over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a simmer for about 45 seconds. Pour the h...

Pecan, oat and chocolate chip cookie These pecan, oat and chocolate chip cookie are crisp and sweet. Their nutty and caramelly goodness is nicely enhanced by an all important dash of salt. This recipe will yield two dozen (48) cookies. I like to bake half and  freeze the other half in a flat disc.  I save that for a rainy day.  When that rainy day comes, simply defrost your cookie dough for about 30 minutes and then cut your dough into pieces then bake. Ingredients: 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup white sugar 175 grams butter 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp salt 1/2 - 1 tsp ground cinnamon ((add to your liking)) 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 tsp bicarb soda 1/2 cup oats 1/2 cup pecans ((roughly chopped )) 1 cup dark chocolate chips Method: Preheat oven to 180C / 350F In a bowl, mix together softened butter and sugars until creamy. Mix in salt, cinnamon, egg and vanilla extract. Fold through flour, bicarb soda to combine to form a soft dough.   Mix through oats,...

Yeasted cardamom and cinnamon doughnut recipe These yeasted cardamom and cinnamon doughnuts are crispy on the outside and both airy and chewy on the inside. The heavenly aroma of cinnamon and cardamom made them irresistible and this batch didn't last five minutes in our household. Doughnuts Ingredients: 1 1/14 cup milk ((microwave for 30 seconds or until lukewarm)) 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast 3 tbsp sugar ((raw or white)) 2 eggs 100 grams butter ((melted)) 4 1/4 cup all purpose flour ((plus extra for shaping doughnuts)) 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 1/2 tsp salt Method: Add lukewarm milk, raw sugar and yeast to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.  Allow to rest for ten minutes to activate the yeast.  The mixture should become foamy.   Whisk in the eggs and melted butter. Add flour, salt and ground cardamom to the yeast mixture and combine to form a sticky dough.  You can do this quickly by hand with a wooden spoon. Drizzle over one teaspoon of oil and cover with a da...

Blackberry and blueberry pie recipe Ingredients: Pie crust 250 grams butter 2 1/2 cups plain flour 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp sugar 1/4 cup water Pie filling 2 cups frozen blackberries 2 cup frozen blueberries 1 tsp cinnamon zest of 1/2 an orange 3 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar / lemon juice 2 tbsp plain flour Assembling the pie 1 tsp raw sugar 50 grams butter Method: Pie crust In a bowl, rub cold butter into flour until is resembles fine breadcrumbs.  Add salt and sugar. Add water and mix to create a soft dough.  Place in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Pie filling Combine apple pie filling ingredients in a bowl and allow berries to defrost until the crust is prepared.   Assemble the pie Remove the pie crust dough from the refrigerator and divide it into two pieces - one (2/3 of dough) in size and one (1/3 of dough). On a floured surface, roll our large piece of dough until it is the right size for your pie dish.  I use ...

Cheat's no-cook tiramisu  I love the bittersweetness of tiramisu, the lightness of the cream layers and the soft, sponginess of the coffee soaked savoiardi.  It's definitely comfort food.  This version is kid-friendly and doesn't contain alcohol.  However, you're welcome to add a shot (or two) of Italian masala wine (as is traditional), sweet dessert wine or brandy to the coffee at the soaking stage. Ingredients: 500 g large packet of savoiardi ((Italian sponge finger biscuits)) 1 cup double strength black coffee 250 g marscapone 600 mL thickened cream ((whipped)) 300 mL store bought custard 2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 100 grams dark chocolate Method: In a mixing bowl, combine mascarpone, 300mL whipped cream and custard. In a large serving bowl, make a single flat layer of savoiardi biscuits.  Sprinkle 1/3 cup coffee evenly over the biscuits. Pour over 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture and spread to cover the surface evenly.   Grate over a fine...