Homemade Pancakes Makes 8 Servings Ingredients: 1 1/2 Cups of Flour 3 1/2 Teaspoons of baking powder 1 Teaspoon of salt 1 Tablespoon of white sugar 1 1/2 Cups of milk 1 Egg 3 Tablespoons of butter
Directions: 1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth. 2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Australian Pie Makes: 2 Large Pies
Ingredients: -
2 Tablespoons of Oil
1 onion Finely Diced
3 cloves of crushed garlic
500g beef mince
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 Cups of beef stock
1 Beef stock cube
2 Sheets of shortcut pastry
2 Sheets of puff pastry
1 Egg whisked
5. Cut the puff pastry to make the top for the pie tin(s). Brush the shortcrust pastry edges of the pies with water to moisten and top with the puff pastry. Press the pastry edges together to secure. Trim the excess pastry with a sharp knife then crimp the edges. Cut a small cross in the centre of each pie and brush the top with beaten egg.
Directions: 1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan then add the onion and garlic then cook stirring often until the onion is soft. Add the mince then increase the temperature to high and cook stirring with a wooden spoon making sure to break up the mince as much as possible so there are no lumps. This will take about 10 minutes.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and cook for 1 minute, this should make the mixture appear dry and crumbly.
3. Add the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and additional stock cube. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to medium and simmer stirring to prevent the meat from sticking to the base of the saucepan for 10 minutes until the sauce is thick. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
4. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Cut the shortcrust pastry to line the base and sides of the pie tin(s). Fill the pastry with the meat mixture being careful to avoid spilling any on the edges.
6. Bake the pies in the preheated oven for 10 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 180 degrees C and bake for a further 20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Serve the pies immediately .
Pancakes: I have plated this dish on a plain white plate along with a dish of maple syrup, the photo was taken on a chopping board with decent lighting at home. I chose the chopping board as a background because it looked more presentable than a tablecloth. This photo doesn't really put focus away from the food, it focuses on the food as the main attraction.
Australian Pie: This photo was taken not at home but at a family members home, this photo wasn't as prepared as i would have liked but, this photo still presents the appeal of the actual food not glamourised by any other elements. The pie is in a glass bowl siting on a red table cloth. The lighting is room lighting at nighttime.