Leapfrogs Unlimited: April 2012

This post is dedicated to my Dad who passed away in 2010 - he was in the army as a young man but was lucky enough not to be called up for active service overseas. He's the one in the middle with a couple of his Army mates.

ANZAC Day, the 25th April, is one of Australia's most important days, marking the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. This passage from The Australian War Memorial website is a really good summary of the history of Anzac Day:

The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated, after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers had been killed. News of the landing on Gallipoli had made a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.
Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the “ANZAC legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways they viewed both their past and their future.

So on Anzac Day we all need an Anzac Biscuit - long associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I. It's been claimed that the Anzac Biscuit tradition started with the wives of soldiers sending them to their husbands abroad - the ingredients were cheap and easily obtainable, and the biscuits kept well during transportation which could take several weeks. There are now many variations on the recipe, but the original recipes were quite basic and didn't contain eggs which were scarce during the First World War after most poultry farmers joined the war effort. There is also some debate about whether an Anzac should be chewy or crisp - my preference is for crisp and I used the following receipe from Taste.

1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup caster sugar

3/4 cup desiccated coconut

2 tablespoons golden syrup

150g butter

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

* Preheat oven to 170°C.

* Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl and stir to combine.

* In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and butter and stir over low heat until the butter has melted.

* Mix the bicarb soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons water and add to the golden syrup mixture. It will bubble whilst you are stirring together so remove from the heat.

* Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined.

* Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper, pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly.

* Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown (mine took slightly longer)

* Leave on the tray for a few minutes to firm up when they come out of the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.