LEST WE FORGET...

I just love that when some people see cupcakes they think of me!  Over the last couple of weeks I had my niece send me photos of cupcakes in Macca's at Champs Elysees, when she was in Paris on her honeymoon...

And my friend Bianca from Eat Drink Write sent me photos of her visit to Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village New York...

Photo courtesy of Bianca from Eat Drink Write

Photo courtesy of Bianca from Eat Drink Write

Photo courtesy of Bianca from Eat Drink Write

Oooh, I do hope I get to taste-test those cupcakes in Paris and New York for myself one of these days!!

Back to the home front though, the Easter and ANZAC long weekend caused somewhat of a cooking frenzy in my household.  There are certain sweets that are must-haves at this special time of year.  Firstly, Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday, with a giant variety from Bourke Street Bakery Sydney making their first appearance at our family gathering this year.  These over-sized buns were delicious...

The second must-have was on Easter Sunday - Mahmool, proudly made by me...

These little delicacies are traditional Lebanese Easter Walnut Cakes.  Every year since I can remember my beautiful Mum would lovingly craft them at Easter time, but this year, she was a bit too tired to make them, so I decided to have a go (after all, she is turning 80 in a couple of weeks, so I thought I'd cut her some slack!)

Although time-consuming, the Mahmool were surprisingly easy to master.  If you're brave enough to try them, the recipe is below, and trust me, you won't be sorry!  They really are the most delectable little sweets imaginable.  Traditionalists may not like what I'm about to reveal, but I added two very unconventional ingredients to my Mahmool.  For a bit of a twist, I added cranberries and white chocolate buds and my family absolutely loved them!

Easter Walnut Cakes
Makes 45-50

Pastry:
4 1/2 cups coarse semolina
1/2 cup castor sugar
250g unsalted butter
1 cup milk
1/2 tspn bicarbonate soda
Icing sugar, for dusting
1/8 cup rose water
1/8 cup orange flower water

Nut filling:
3/4 cup walnuts
3/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate buds
1/4 cup castor sugar
1/2 tbspn rose water
1/2 tbspn orange flower water

Method:
1.  Mix semolina and sugar together.
2.  Melt butter and add to semolina mixture.  Mix to combine.
3.  Heat milk.  Do not boil.  Take off heat, add bicarbonate soda and stir.  Add to semolina mixture and stir.
4.  Add flower waters and mix until well combined and let stand in bowl, covered, for 5 hours.
5.  To prepare nut filling, place walnuts, almonds, cranberries and chocolate buds in food processor and grind.  Place in bowl, add sugar and flower waters and mix to combine.
6.  After the resting period, knead the pastry.  Preheat oven to 230 degrees celsius.
7.  Roll pastry into golf-sized balls. Make a well in the pastry ball, fill it with about 1/2 tbspn of nut mixture, seal and shape with the special mahmool pastry mould.  Place on baking trays.
8.  Reduce oven temperature to 180 degrees celsius.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden. Cool, cover with icing sugar and wrap in greaseproof paper.

And as if we didn't have enough sugar on Good Friday with the Big Buns and Easter Sunday with the Walnut Cakes, then came ANZAC Day, which just wouldn't be the same without a batch of Anzac Biscuits.  My recipe is easy peasy, so be sure to give it a whirl (and you don't even have to wait for next Anzac Day, because they're truly delightful any time of year)....

Anzac Biscuits
Makes approx 40

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups plain flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
4 tablespoons glucose syrup (or golden syrup)
250g butter
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
2 tablespoons hot water

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius.
2.  Place oats, flour, sugar and coconut in a bowl.
3.  Place syrup and butter in a saucepan over low heat and allow to melt.
4.  Mix bicarbonate soda with water and add to the butter mixture.  Pour mixture into dry ingredients and mix well.
5.  Place tablespoonfuls of the mixture on baking trays lined with baking paper, allowing room for biscuits to spread, and flatten slightly.
6.  Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.  Cool on wire racks.

ANZAC Day is a wonderful day of remembrance for all of us, for obvious reasons.  But it is extra special for me as it is my late Dad's birthday.  I miss him dearly, and always think of how blessed I am to have had such an amazing father.  He was such a good man and made so many sacrifices for his family.  At one stage, when I was growing up, he actually worked three jobs to bring home enough money to meet all our needs.  There was never any doubt that us kids (all 10 of us) were truly loved!

Thinking on the sacrifices my Dad made, reminded me of the ultimate sacrifice signified by the Easter weekend...when Jesus Christ was crucified and died on a cross and then rose again after three days in a grave.  At Church on Sunday, the preacher made an excellent point...he said whenever he's asked, "how do you know that Jesus existed and died on a cross and rose again?" he answers, "just the same way you know that Captain Cook discovered Australia!"

Historical records have been passed down through generations - history text books record Captain Cook's story and another historical text, the Bible, records the story of Jesus.  Just as every Australian should check out Captain Cook's story, I reckon every human should check out the Easter story.  But when you read it don't just open up your mind, but open up your heart too - this is how my faith kicked in, and I was able to truly appreciate the greatest sacrifice of all time.

Then there was the ANZAC story to think on this weekend as well...so many young men and women remembered for sacrificing their lives, hopes and dreams for all of us...to give us the freedom and liberty we enjoy today.

So thanks Dad for the sacrifices you made for me;

Thanks Jesus for the ultimate sacrifice you made for me;

Thanks Anzacs for the sacrifice you made for my freedom;

And thanks to all our soldiers, even today, who are still sacrificing their lives for ours...

LEST WE FORGET!