WHB Apricot Delight and Dusty Magazine Clippings

I cleaned out a box of papers and books on the weekend.  I found books I had been meaning to read, Sylvia's baptismal certificate and a stack of magazine recipes.  Most of the magazines were bought in the past year or so.  But among them was my file of magazine clippings that I collected as a child.  It re-emerges every so often, I thumb the well worn pages, laugh at the old pictures and remember sitting at my nan's reading her magazines.  Now that I am a blogger, I also take photos and make a recipe to post.  Prepare to indulge me.

I love pouring over my old recipes but it is often the incidentals that delight me.  For instance, the  fashions of my childhood.  Some are so cool and some are just downright embarrassing. 

Or take this advertisement below.  When was the last time you saw an advertisement for cigarettes in a magazine?

Then there are old advertisements that make me laugh.  Does Paul McCloud really think this packaged meal (or his hair) will impress her!  Oh please, Paul, take some cooking lessons!

It just shows that there is nothing new about magazines both telling you how to cook like a professional at the same time as providing advertisements for processed foods.  Or celebrity chefs telling you how to cook!  Before Matt, Gary and George, there was Peter - g'day - Russell - g'day - Clarke.  Come and get it!

I particularly loved the Women's Weekly Cooking Class recipes.  These were ones like the one below with step by step pictures of how to make the recipe.  I still want to make these Finger Buns as much as I did when I was a child.

Other recipes just fascinate me because I am not sure that I really want to make them any more.  This Baked Alaska once looked exotic but after sampling a modern version at Taste Melbourne last year, it looks frumpy and old fashioned.

Then there are the recipes that seemed far beyond my abilities.  These "Matches" below is an Aussie version of the French "mille-feuille".  They look so complicated but it is just a puff pastry sandwich of jam and cream with some icing on top.  Yet they are so pretty!

As a young child (some of these clippings are from before I turned 10), I dreamed of making these sticky, gooey, sweet, chocolate recipes.  They abound in my clippings.  Yet I managed to find a healthy one to make on the weekend.  It came from the below clipping, opposite the Gustave comic, which I loved to read along with the Helpful Hints.

The recipe may not be typical of my childhood fantasies but it does contain dried apricots and coconut, which I loved as a child.  And honey.  That's all!

It was simple and oh so good.  I love the apricot delight you can buy in a supermarket but the ingredients list makes me think twice.  This easy recipe is so much better.  I have even let Sylvia have a piece at breakfast when she is being picky and I am in a hurry.  Great for lunches, a healthy gift, friendly to those with allergies, and absolutely delicious.  I will be making these again!

I am sending this apricot delight to Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook for Weekend Herb Blogging #299, the event coordinated by Haalo and founded by Kalyn.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Smoky Parsnip Muffins
This time two years ago: Spring garden and WIP pasta
This time three years ago: Choc chip and cherry cookies

Apricot Delight
makes 36
adapted from the Australian Women's Weekly

250g dried apricots, chopped
3/4 cup boiling water
2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 cups dessicated coconut
extra coconut, for coating

Place half the apricots, the boiling water and honey in a small saucepan.  Soak for about an hour.  Bring to the boil and gently simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.  The apricots should be quite jammy.

Puree apricots in a blender.  I use the little attachment that comes with my hand held blender.  Add the rest of the apricots and the coconut.  You will have a stiff paste.  Spread into a lined 15cm square cake tin and leave overnight in the fridge.  Next time I would place a piece of baking paper on top of the paste to keep it sticky for tossing in coconut.

The next day, take slab out of the cake tin and chop into about 36 squares (or any size you want).  Toss each piece in coconut.  I found that the top of my slab had dried out a bit and was harder to get the coconut to stick to it - so I wiped it with a damp wad of kitchen paper. 

Keep in an airtight container.  I have kept mine in the fridge for almost a week. I don't think the fridge is necessary but it helps the squares keep their firm shape.

On the Stereo:
Adagio 2: Herbert von Karajan