Christmas Cheesecake

250g mixed dried and glace fruits

3T dry sherry

90g chopped almonds

Grated rind of 1 lemon

400g cottage cheese

125g cream cheese

1/2c castor sugar

3/4c cream (whipped)

2t gelatine

3T lemon juice

Method: Line a 15cm x 27cm lamington tin with alfoil and grease. Chop mixed fruit finely, add almonds and lemon rind and set aside. Beat cheeses in a blender with sherry and sugar. Fold in thickly whipped cream and fruit and nut mixture. Sprinkle gelatine over lemon juice and dissolve over hot water. Cool and stir into cheese mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared tin, cover and refrigerate overnight. Invert onto a serving plate and decorate.

Source: Festive Fair: Christmas Menus (Adelaide: South Australian Gas Company, 'From the Home Service Department'; n.d. [early 1980s?]), pp.26-7.

Celebration Icecream Cake

1 cup powdered milk

2 cups water

400g can condensed milk

1 vanilla junket tablet dissolved in 1 tbspn. water

1 tspn. vanilla

1&1/2 tbspns. gelatine

3 tbspns. water (extra)

125g sultanas or raisins

60g crystallised ginger

60g glace cherries

60g slivered almonds

1/3 cup brandy

1 cup cream, whipped

Method: In a saucepan combined powdered milk, water and condensed milk. Mix well. Heat over low heat until just warm, remove. Stir dissolved junket tablet and vanilla into warm milk. Soften gelatine in extra water, stir into milk mixture, combine well. Pour into shallow tray and refrigerate until set. Turn into a large chilled bowl and beat on high speed for 10 mins. (The mixture will increase in bulk.) Combined fruits, nuts and brandy and fold into icecream. Gently fold in whipped cream. Pour mixture into a 23cm greased and lined spring form tin. Cover with foil, freeze overnight. To serve, release sides of tin and slide onto plate. Decorate with whipped cream and glace fruit. Serves 8-10.

Source: Mantle of Safety Cookbook 2 (The Port Augusta Women's Air Branch Auxillary of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, c1987), p.110.

Australian Christmas Pudding

4 Eggs, separated

1/2 cup Icing Sugar

2 tbspns Cocoa

2 tspns Gelatine

1 tbspn hot Water

2 oz dark chocolate

1/4 cup brandy

8 oz Glace Fruit

2 oz Glace Cherries

1/4 cup Sultanas

45g Honeycomb bar

1 cup Cream

3 oz white Chocolate

1&1/2 oz Almonds

1/2 oz Copha

Method: Finely chop glace mixed fruit and cherries. Place in a bowl, add sultanas, pour over brandy, cover and leave to stand overnight. Beat egg whites till firm, gradually beat in combined sifted icing sugar and cocoa. Gradually beat in lightly beaten egg yolks. Place chopped dark chocolate into top of double saucepan and stand over simmering water till chocolate has melted. Allow chocolate to cool a little then beat into egg mixture. Pour chocolate mixture over fruit and mix well. Stir in chopped almonds, chopped honeycomb. Sprinkle gelatin over hot water and stir till dissolved. Stir gelatin into chocolate mixture. Beat cream till firm and fold into chocolate mixture. Line 1&1/4 litre (5 cup) pudding basin smoothly with plastic food wrap. Pour mixture into basin, smooth over top, cover and place in freezer overnight. To serve: place chilled serving plate over top of pudding, invert, remove basin and peel away foodwrap. Return to freezer. Place chopped white chocolate and copha in double saucepan over hot water till chocolate has melted. Allow to cool and spoon gently over top of pudding. Return to freezer immediately - use a warm knife to cut through pudding if white chocolate is hard to cut neatly.

A pleasant change from the usual hot Christmas Pudding.

Source: Oodnadatta Cookbook (Oodnadatta: 1986), p.119.

Glace Fruit Balls

90g (3 oz.) walnut pieces

60g (2 oz.) glace apricots

2 slices glace pineapple

125g (4 oz.) dark chocolate

1/2 cup coconut

60g (2 oz.) red cherries

60g (2 oz.) green cherries

60g (2 oz.) butter

60g (2 oz.) packaged cream cheese

Method: Chop glace fruit and nuts finely. Put chocolate in top of double saucepan until melted. Remove from heat. Add butter and cream cheese. Mix well. Put into fridge for several hours to firm up. Roll teaspoons into balls and toss in coconut.

Source: contributed by Mrs. E. Wood in The Adelaide Children's Hospital Recipe Book 1982 (Adelaide: 1982), p.53.

Gala Ice-Cream

1&1/2 gallons vanilla ice-cream
4 oz walnut pieces
2 oz green cherries
2 oz red cherries
Pineapple and other glace fruit if desired
1 pkt chocolate mint biscuits (or chocolate ripple biscuits & 1/4 lb after-dinner mints)
2 tbspns Crème de Menthe
4 tbspns Rum

Method: Soften ice-cream in a large mixing bowl, then add other ingredients (fruit & biscuits chopped). Makes 1 gallon.

(It is best to work with half the ingredients at a time). Serve with cream and rum sauce (c.f. Rum Sauce).

Rum Sauce:
4 oz dark chocolate
1 cup strong coffee
1 tbspn rum

Method: Chop chocolate, & melt over hot water. Add coffee & rum & stir until smooth.

Source: Well Tried Barossa Recipes (St John's Lutheran Ladies Guild, Tanunda; reprint 2000 of 2nd edition 1975 [1st edn 1974]), p.29.