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Pam’s Mayonnaise Recipe

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As part of our South Island adventure, I asked our hosts if they would be willing to share their favourite recipes.  Over the coming days/weeks these will be posted.

Sari and I had the pleasure of staying with Pam and her husband Colin while we were in Wanaka.  They were wonderful hosts, very kind and generous with their time, sharing their home, and showing us a special lake within a lake, within a lake etc.  And of course many interesting conversations and laughter was had.

This recipe is one of Pam’s favourites and I’m sure you will love the background story that goes with it!

Ingredients

1 tin sweetened condensed milk 1 tsp dry mustard
6 – 8 Tbsps milk 6 – 8 Tbsps malt vinegar
1 egg 2 Tbsps melted butter
Pinch of salt

Method

  1. Melt the butter then cool enough to add the beaten egg.
  2. In a Kenwood (or similar) mixing bowl put in the condensed milk, mustard then gradually add the milk, the vinegar and the egg and melted butter mixture.  (If it starts to curdle then grab the kitchen whizz to blend until smooth.)
  3. Pour into a small preserving jar.
  4. This mayonnaise will keep for 6 months in the fridge!

Story behind the recipe

This recipe was given to me in a recipe book from Phyllis Aspinall, of Mt Aspiring Station just prior to my marriage into the farming fraternity of the Wanaka area.

Phyllis trained as a music teacher in Dunedin before she married Jerry in the 1950s and went to live at the station.  Electricity arrived about 1956.

At the second homestead the generator was driven by a waterfall. The  generator could be somewhat temperamental at times. Two heat storage ranges were installed to cook for the family, the farming men, and the numerous mountaineers on their way to conquer Mt Aspiring.

In time Phyllis was also able to have lights, a washing machine, a freezer, a vacuum cleaner and a dish washer, but not all these appliances could go on at the same time.  Water came from the stream behind the house.

In this beautiful isolated valley, the station could only be accessed by road if the four fords were able to be crossed as there were no bridges over the mountain streams.  In heavy rains you had to wait till the streams went down.

Phyllis never learned to drive. To get to the nearest town of Wanaka for groceries etc was at least an hour away, on a good day and she was reliant on her husband to take her.  There was no delivery service.

As well, Phyllis taught their four children through the Correspondence School lessons until they went to boarding schools for their High School years.

Mt Aspiring homestead 1879 – 1921

 

Rafer’s Favourite

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My mother Violet Wickham (known as Vio) was a great ‘cook from scratch’ cook; as were most cooks in those days!!  One of her tastiest and most requested recipes was a fruit square which ended up with the title “Rafer’s Favourite, Fruit Square”.  How did that happen?

When Rafer (my son) and I were living with my parents (for a short time) in Stratford, New Zealand; this fruit square became Rafer’s most requested recipe. ” Gran” was she was known to all her 28 grandchildren, always seemed to know or make what people loved to eat.  She was a very observant woman when it came to people’s likes and dislikes.

Rafer found the fruit square  irresistible, never knowing when enough was enough – hence it became known as “Rafer’s favourite fruit square”.  It is hard to put a number of times and frequency Gran made this fruit square especially whenever Rafer was around or about to visit.  It has also become a popular recipe request from many of my friends.  It is time to share this simple recipe with family, friends and readers wherever you may be.

Rafer’s Favourite – Fruit Square, by Violet Wickham

Fruit square filling:

Previous day/night make up the following mixture.  The longer this mixture sits the more the flavours blend and make a yummy, lip-smacking  filling.

  • 8 ozs sultanas
  •  ¾ cup water approx (maybe more)
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1 heaped of tsp cinnamon, mixed spice & cocoa.
  • Stir together and bring to boil together gently (but do watch closely as this can burn easily).  Add more water if it seems too thick.  Let it simmer gently for 5 minutes and turn off heat and let rest until needed.
  • When ready to use bring mixture to boil again and add more water if necessary.  Consistency should be not to runny or too thick.

Making the shortcake

  • Cream 5 ozs (150 gms) of butter with ¾ cup sugar (or less) until light & smooth
  • Add 2 / 3 Tbsp milk and mix thoroughly
  • Add 3 cups flour and 1½ tsp Baking Powder (sifted)
  • Mix  well and turn out mixture onto a floured bench and gently knead until smooth and shape into a ball.
  • Divide ball in ⅓ – ⅔ portions.
  • Wrap  ⅓ portion in plastic and place in fridge (to firm up so you can easily grate this mixture over the square filling).
  • Roll out ⅔ portion to fit a pie dish (approx 25 cm or 29 cm)
  • Spread hot sultana mixture over pie base and then grate ⅓ portion over the top.
  • Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until golden in 170 degrees oven.
  • Sift with icing sugar just before serving and accompany with either whooped cream or plain yogurt.

Enjoy, it will keep for several days – if you are lucky.

I would love to hear your comments/feedback after you have tried this recipe.  Or even better, have you a family favourite recipe?

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