From the blog of WillyBMum
Christmas 2012, marks my 10th Christmas in New York City, away from my home country of Australia. I cannot believe it has been that long. Christmas time could not be anymore the opposite between the two – in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia) it is now summer time, and in the Northern Hemisphere (USA) it is clearly winter time.
I miss Australia a lot around this time. There is nothing like having Christmas BBQ’s and break up parties with friends/family in the sweltering heat on the beach and in the beautiful parks that adorn my home city of Melbourne. Christmas time is both a sad time and a very exciting new time having a vibrant 2-year-old!
For many years, I have tried to make this traditional seasonal Australian dessert called “White Christmas”, (which is ironic because unless there is a Blue Moon the last thing that will ever be experienced in Australia around this time is a White Christmas), but it never eventuated.
This year, having Miles Storm, I finally made my very own White Christmas Slice. Very exciting. I guess, now that I have a family it is important to me to start incorporating as much as an Aussie Vibe as I can into our life, so he can learn about where his Mummy originates from.
The thing is to make “White Christmas” you need an ingredient indigenous to Australia called –Copha. Copha is made from solidified coconut oil. It is not easily obtainable in the USA, in fact the only way you can get it is if you order it online from an Australia distributor like Californian based Aussie Products or Cincinnati based Simply Australian. Keep in mind though around Christmas Time it is really hard to find Copha at either of these places so I recommend ordering at least 6 weeks in advance to keep ahead of the demand.
As a side note, as an even healthier option, you can use coconut oil, which you can find easily in the United States.
This is a very decadent dessert which, if in an airtight container, will last a long time.
It is also really pretty to give as presents wrapped in some clear cellophane.
This is my Vegan take (no-animal products used) on the traditional “White Christmas” recipe!
WHAT YOU NEED
- 1 packet or 250g Copha
- 1/2 cup pure confectioners sugar
- 1 cup roughly chopped organic turkish apricots
- 1 cup roughly chopped organic cherries
- 1 cup of roasted unsalted organic almonds
- 1 cup finely shredded coconut
- 1 cup soy milk powder
- 1 cup rice krispies
- 1 Teaspoon of vanilla essence
WHAT TO DO
- Line a medium-sized pan with baking paper.
- Melt the Copha in a small saucepan over simmering heat, it should take at least 20 minutes to completely liquidity this way.
- Sift the confectioners sugar into a large mixing bowl
- Add the apricots, cherries, almonds, soy milk powder, coconut and rice krispies in a bowl until evenly mixed together
- Add the melted Copha and vanilla essence and stir until everything till it is mixed together thoroughly
- Transfer mixture to the pan (either with clean hands or a spoon), firmly pressing the mixture down so it is a tightly packed solid form
- Cover with foil or plastic wrap, refigerating until the it is cold and set. Give it at least 30 minutes to do this.
- Cut into small pieces and serve
AWNY | Australian Women in New York 