Everyday Epicurean

Tonight we had a light dinner so I decided to make dessert. Given I had some puff pastry sheets in the freezer, I opted for a pear strudel.
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Lately we’ve been getting back into family outings and as such it’s always a good idea to take yummy treats with you rather than spend money buying something inferior while out. So in that vein, I set about making a slice for an upcoming trip.

I came across a recipe for that old favourite, Chinese Chews, but didn’t have all the requisite ingredients and figured I could make something a bit different anyway and here it is:

Ingredients.

• 1/2 cup of Self Raising Flour
• 1/2 cup of Plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of Mixed Spice
• 1 cup of Caster Sugar
• 2 oz. of flaked Almonds
• 3 oz. of Dates, chopped
• 1 oz. (roughly) of halved Glacé Cherries
• 2 teaspoons of Candied Peel (finely chopped)
• 1 egg
• 1 oz. of butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons of Maraschino liqueur
• 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla essence

Method.

Sift together the flour, spice and sugar.
Mix in the nuts, cherries, peel and dates.
Add the beaten egg, melted butter, Maraschino and vanilla.
Stir together with a butter knife or similar implement until well combined.

Line a slice tray with greased baking paper, place the mixture on top, cover with another sheet of baking paper and press it into the tray. Once you’ve obtained an even covering, remove the top layer of paper, and bake in a moderate oven (175C) for 30-35mins.

Slice into fingers while still warm.

There are many ways to make apricot chicken, but this is by far one of the easiest.

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