Spiced Anzac Biscuits with Whipped Goat Curd

Tomorrow is a big day. I’ve been just a little caught up in preparations for the book launch.

It’s a modest thing, in a bijoux sized, independent book store and cafe; ‘Books for Cooks’ in Notting Hill. The sun has finally peeked out in London, so I’m hoping some of us can spill out onto the footpath.

I’ve volunteered to do the catering . It’s had to be constrained to things that can be served cold. I’ve been tracking the book musing over options.

As much as I’d like to serve the sweet corn popovers, or the pea, basil and feta fritters, they really don’t shine when not served straight from the pan, so they’re taking a back seat.

In the end I’ve resolved on the following simple menu; crostinis with two of the Australian inspired toppings; the Bondi Beach ricotta, mint, lemon zest and chilli and the Hunter Valley labna with roast red grapes and walnuts.

I’m making big bowls of fava (that glorious yellow split pea puree from Santorini) to have with toasted pitas. And then cucumber crowns topped with salmon poke.

For sweets I’m going to turn the London Fields elderflower almond layer cake with berries into mini cupcakes (yes, I hate cupcakes, but in this instance ease of consumption wins out).

And I may pull out one of the latte banana breads to slice to send people home with, to help soak up some of the fizz.

Then there’s the small trifling issue of what to wear. The bump is changing in size and shape day by day at the moment. It’s closest to an isosceles triangle right now (an elbow? a petulant rump sticking out? Who knows)- so what looks sensible is entirely up for grabs each morning. Some days one frock is fine- the next it looks more like a scrappily latticed pie. Some sort of dress/sack and some ballet slippers is the most likely combination (last week I tottered into central London in 9cm heels. It was a tactical error. Lord knows where my centre of gravity has gone). But there’s a good chance that this will be getting a showing.

It wasn’t until yesterday that I realised what tomorrow also is. It’s Anzac Day. A day close to the heart of antipodeans, in honour of the  Australian and New Zealand servicemen’s bravery at Gallipoli during World War 1.  These days it’s an occasion to honour all who have served and sacrificed  (Anzac being a truncation of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps). As a child it was a day marked by school assemblies out on dark bitumen, wearing hats to protect us from the still-searing April sun, while the lead trumpet from the school band rang out a rendition of The Last Post.

So much of the book-  is about my Australian background. An Anzac biscuit is for me a blessed childhood encapsulated in sugar and oats. It would be wrong not to have some there.

For those unfamiliar, these were the perfect treat to be shipped to soldiers in World War 1- their simple structure of coconut, oats, butter and golden sugar could survive the journey in parchment. They are a simple construction of melt, dump and mix. Beyond which, they contain no eggs, which were rationed at the time.

Their fans are cleaved into those who prefer a crunch versus chew. I’m more of a crunchy girl- I like my biscuits to be able to stand up to dunking- both in tea, or back in the day- in a glass of milk. The Hungry One is a vehement supporter of chew.

These below are a slightly more adult version, boosted with a bit of mixed spice and salt for mystery and made smaller than normal, for ease of consumption. In the past I’ve crumbled left over Anzac biscuits over pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni- much in the same way that amaretti cookies are. This is a continuation of that theme- to serve tomorrow night I’m going to top each cookie with a small cloud of whipped goat curd for a sweet/savoury tang.

I have a feeling they will go pretty well with a half glass of fizz. All in all, they’re a good bite, perfect for day on which I can be grateful for many, many things.

Spiced Anzac Cookies with Whipped Goat Curd

Makes around 50 small cookies- best baked in batches of 16-18

Shopping/foraging

125 grams of unsalted butter
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
1 tsp Bicarb Soda
2 tbsp hot water
1 cup of rolled oats
1 cup of plain flour
2/3 cup of caster sugar
3/4 cup of desiccated coconut

Optional; 1 tsp of mixed spice/pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp of salt

Optional topping: 350 grams of goat curd, whipped with a hand mixer for 40 seconds until fluffy.

Here’s how we roll

1) Preheat the oven to 160C/320F.

2) Place the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat to melt the butter. Stir to combine.

3) In a small bowl, combine the bicarb and hot water.

4) In a large bowl combine all of the remaining dry ingredients and stir to mix.

5)  Pour the bicarb/hot water into the melted butter and syrup. Then pour that over the dry ingredients.

6) Stir to combine.

7) Line a baking tray with greaseproof baking paper. Use a half tablespoon measure to portion out biscuits, leaving at least 3 cm between each biscuit (they will spread as they bake).

8) Bake for eight minutes, until the cookies have spread, taken on a golden hue but are still soft. If your oven is a little unpredictable/uneven, rotate the baking tray 180 degrees  at four minutes to ensure an even bake.  Eight minutes should ensure a slightly chewy centre but crisp outside. If you prefer something much chewier, take them out as soon as they turn golden. If you prefer harder, bake for another couple of minutes.

9) Allow to cool on the tray for another minute, then transfer the sheet of baking paper onto a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter.

10) To serve as a sweet/savoury treat whip some goat’s curd (around 350 grams for the whole batch of biscuits) and top each cookie with a blob of fluffy curd.

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