Saturday, June 02, 2012

Weekend Cooking: Merle's Kitchen by Merle Parrish

For someone who didn't really watch the last season of Masterchef Australia, I do find it kind of interesting that today I will be talking about my second Masterchef related cookbook in three weeks! A couple of weeks ago it was Kate Brack's The Sweet Life. Kate was the winner of that particular season, but one of the people to make a big impression was a person who was a guest and not an actual contestant.

Her name is Merle Parrish and she was a 78 old woman when she appeared on Masterchef who started competition baking from the age of 7. Over the years she won many Country Women's Association cooking contests. Most Australian homes would have had a CWA cookbook or two in their house or at least one from a similar type of organisation. Even if they don't have one now, either their mother or grandmother would have.

Merle was invited to Masterchef to represent the Country Woman's Association and was given the chance to compete against one of the Masterchef contestants. For her Masterchef appearance, Merle cooked her Peach Blossom Cake and won!  From there, this cookbook was born.

Here is a look at the Peach Blossom Cake recipe Merle cooked to win the challenge:





This cookbook is chock full of classic recipes - sponges, puddings, biscuits, cakes and scones. There are no fancy flavour combinations or overly chef-fy techniques just honest cooking that will be useful in any home. In fact, this book would make an excellent gift if you have youngsters moving out of home for the first time who want a good variety of different types of recipes from Never Fail Spongecake to Banana Slice to Jam Drop biscuits and much more!

I probably wouldn't really have even looked twice at this cookbook in the shops except for the fact that Bree bought it, and then made a recipe from it which she was very impressed with. I have been trying to suggest to Bree that she should post about it as a Weekend Cooking post, but it hasn't happened yet.  I am pretty sure however that I am going to buy this cookbook next time I am in the bookstore because there are lots and lots of recipes that I can see myself making at some point in the future.

This week I have to take cake to work and I am thinking that I might make the Bung-in Chocolate Cake from Kate Bracks' book and from this book I am going to make Raspberry Slice (recipe below). Actually, I  don't have to make cake. I could buy them and that might end up happening yet, but if I am going to make anything it will be these two recipes.


Raspberry Slice


Base


90g butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
1 tspn vanilla essence
1 egg
2/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup raspberry jam*

Topping

2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup white sugar
2 cups dessicated coconut


1. Preheat oven to moderately slow (160 celsius). Grease a 28x18cm (base measurement) slice tin and line with baking paper, hanging over the two long sides.

2. Use electric beaters to cream the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla together until white and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Mix in the sifted flours, and press evenly into the tin, using the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Bake for 15 minutes.

3. Spread jam over the base. Combing the topping ingredients and spread over the jam. Bake for a further 20 minutes until golden. Cool, then cut into squares to serve.

*Jam being the equivalent to jelly in the US I believe.



Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.  

24 comments:

  1. Hi Marg
    Many years ago I went on a couple of long day trips from Perth, to see Wave Rock and the Pinnacles (both must-see destinations BTW). En route, the coach stopped at small towns where the CWA laid on tea and cakes. I have never ever tasted any cakes as good as these were: perfect sponges, not too sweet; light, scrumptious scones; glorious slices. If Merle's recipes guarantee that I could make sponges like those (all beaten by hand, the ladies told me!), it will be a bestseller for sure.

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    1. I have been to the Pinnacles several times Lisa, usually on my way further up North, but I have never made it to Wave Rock. I have thought about it quite a few times!

      I have never tried to make a sponge. Maybe if I buy this book I will try one day!

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  2. This looks really good. Might copy this one down. Jam in the U.S.is like jam here in Australia or like conserve. Jelly in the U.S. is jam w/out the fruit bits. It is more translucent and all one texture but has the taste of the fruit. It is jiggly but then not like jelly in Australia which is Jell-O in the U.S. and you wouldn't put it on toast or cake! Clear as mud right??

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    1. It's very confusing isn't it! I try to give equivalents if there might be some differences but it isn't always easy!

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  3. Merle just looks like she would be a wonderful cook, doesn't she?

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    1. She definitely does! You can totally imagine being one of her grandkids and going to visit to see what treats she has for you!

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  4. Oh I agree with Caite -- Merle looks like someone who it'd be fun to cook with. I like her personality. The Peach BLossom cake and the Raspberry Slice both sound good.

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    1. The Peach Blossom cake sounds a little fiddly, but the concept itself is one that you could take with any colour for a birthday - blue, orange, any colour really!

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  5. Peach Blossom Cake sounds heavenly, and my son would just love Raspberry Slice. (And I too agree, Merle looks like fun.)

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    1. My son isn't quite as keen on Raspberry Slice as I think I am, but still.

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  6. Merle looks like a lot of fun! I would love that raspberry slice. The book sounds good to me, nice and homey!

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    1. That's a perfect description - nice and homey!

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  7. Enjoyed the video -- love Merle's Australian accent!

    The Peace Blossom Cake looks so yummy :).

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    1. What accent? lol!

      Actually, she had a much broader accent than I do!

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  8. In the States we have Junior League cookbooks from various parts of the country. Good home cooking....


    The Peach Blossom cake sounds so good!

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    1. Libby, it will be a similar concept I am sure.

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  9. Merle sounds like an impressive woman - can't imagine entering a baking contest at 7! The raspberry slice would be a big hit around here. I hope Bree decides to do that Weekend Cooking post :-)

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    1. I don't think that she has noticed that I was publicly goading her into posting it!

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  10. I do admire people who can bake! Have a great week.

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    1. I admire people who can bake well. I am not necessarily one of those people! lol

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  11. Online vendors in the USA show this book will be distributed here. The cakes look tempting. I concur with Pam on the difference between jam and jelly. We also have preserves, which sounds like your conserve? Like jam but with bigger chunks of fruit?

    Also noticed these words. Your vanilla essence is our extract. Your corn flour is our cornstarch. We say shredded coconut, not dessicated. For baking paper, we usually say baking parchment. Icing sugar looks like powdered sugar aka confectioner's sugar. English as a foreign language! But the meanings are clear.

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    1. English is a foreign language isn't it! Thanks for those translations!

      Icing sugar is very, very fine so maybe powdered sugar. Whatever you might use to make icing on cake.

      I am not surprised that her book is being sold in the US as I know there are quite a few fans of the Australian Masterchef series in the US.

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  12. I have no idea what the difference between jam and jelly is. I always say jam but it's always a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Ha! ;) I love the idea of unpretentious recipes that are delicious and easily acheivable. Will have to look for it when it hits here in the US.

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    1. The peanut butter and jelly thing is why I suggested that jam is jelly!

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