mutteringhousewife

This one is still a work in progress. I asked the Horror what he’d like for afternoon tea and possibly in his lunchbox on Monday. He had to consider for quite some time, and finally came up with raspberry slice. He had reservations about taking it in his lunchbox because it has a tendency to shed, and he can be quite a finicky child. However he thought it probable that it would all be eaten on the weekend and the issue would not arise.

Using your hands, rub together 125 grams of nice butter with 1 1/2 cups of flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder. You don’t have to do it to crumb stage, but fairly well rubbed in. Mix in an egg. Gather dough into a fairly crumbly ball and dump into a lined roasting tray, mine is 20 by 27 cm and I only just get enough coverage. Press it down into a reasonably well packed layer. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until just starting to change colour.

While that’s baking, mix together 1/2 cup caster sugar, 1 egg and 1 cup desiccated coconut. This is an occasion for using the expensive coconut you bought from Honest to Goodness at the markets on the weekend, it makes a noticeable difference.

You don’t have to wait for the base to cool before you spread it with raspberry jam, or any other jam you may be trying to get rid of. It’s the major flavour, so I don’t recommend the Home Brand plum jam. You have to slice that stuff anyway.

Hoik on the coconut mixture with a fork and spread it out relatively evenly. Bake it at 180 C for a further 25 minutes, or to taste – I like it fairly brown and crunchy on top, but you may not. Wait until it’s completely cook before cutting it up, although it’s probably best to nip a bit off the corner while still warm to make sure it’s not poisonous.

The picture is the slice under construction. I’m still not terribly happy with the base, it’s a touch too crumbly. It holds together OK, but I’d like something a bit more uniform, without being tough. I’ll let you know when I work it out.