Forgive me for doubting you, CWA

For those who aren't of the Australian persuasion, you might not be familiar with the Country Womens Association (CWA).  Really, it's a fabulous network designed to offer support and companionship in the bleak, sparsely population of rural Australia.  It has a reputation of being something of an old-fashioned, fussy type of organisation, but they do amazing things.

This was especially brought home to me many years ago when one of my aunts died out in a tiny country town between Melbourne and Sydney.  The funeral itself was filled with such sympathetic and warm-hearted people (a woman who I never met, and I never saw again stood up and helped me leave the church because I was so distraught).  After the funeral came the wake, and just about every single person from the town turned up; the CWA was there in force, providing food, tea and generally taking care of everything so the family didn't have to.

I've always steered away from CWA recipes in the (mistaken) idea that they were fussy, fiddly and old fashioned.  I've found as I've grown older, however, that there is something infinitely comforting in old fashioned recipes, be they from my adoptive home (Australia) or from my family's traditions (Danish, American and Hungarian).

I accidentally chose the following recipe because it seemed simple and tasty.  The problem with it is that is one of those (what I call) "Nanna Recipes".  There's always one Nanna Recipe in every family that is written on a scrap of paper and serves only as a reminder - not an actual recipe.

This is a modification of Mrs Arlene Roberts, from the Mount Morgan Branch in Queensland that I got from the CWA Classics cookbook.  It isn't really much of a modification, but instead a bit more detailed for us folk who aren't used to Nanna Recipes.

Forgive Me For Doubting You Jam Slice

50 g softened butter
2 cups self-raising flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
Strawberry jam (although plum or raspberry are more common)
1 cup dessicated coconut
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F)
Grease a 30 x 20 cm baking dish, and line the bottom with baking parchment
Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs (I've started using a pastry blender because I hate getting butter under my nails)
Add sugar and egg, and mix with a fork
Add enough water to form a dough, kneading it into the mixture until it is no longer dry (I ended up using about 1/4 of a cup - you don't want a soggy dough!)
Press dough into the pan, all the way into the edges and corners, trying to keep the layer smoothish
Spread jam over the top (about 1/4 cup) - just a little thicker than you would spread on toast, but not swimming in jam
Combine the coconut, sugar and remaining egg in a bowl with a fork
Sprinkle coconut mixture evenly over the top of the jam, and press ever so lightly to make sure it sticks
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the coconut starts to turn golden brown

Just like anything from the oven with jam in it, leave this to cool before you explore it too closely because the jam will be hot sugar napalm right out of the oven.  Once it has cooled, you can cut it into squares or fingers - what ever you fancy.

This slice is amazing.  It's not too sweet, it's not too crumbly, and it has a lovely soft base.  This is the kind of thing you can serve equally as a snack with tea or after a low-fuss dinner.  Highly recommended, and really super easy!

Noms.