The last time I had these in Canada was several years ago now. I had enthusiastically and joyously purchased a large tray, certain that I was feeling so deprived of one of my favourite treats that I’d devour most of it. All 1.87 pounds of chocolate, coconut, custard, cookie and icing. 0.04m² of pure, wonderful, sinful sugar.
As you can imagine, a few bites in and enough was enough. My stomach wasn’t having any more of my brain’s silliness.

Three years later, the thought of Nanaimo bars finally crossed my mind again. But mini sized. Bite sized.
To do this, we turn the recipe inside out.

As we start with the shell, it’s best to use a chocolate or ice cube (if you want a bigger size) mold. 

Shell: Melt chocolate and coat mold. It’s best to do this bit by bit, pouring a little bit in and swirling it. Just remember you’re creating a shell, not filling the mold. After each has been filled, pop them in a cool place to set (the fridge works wonders).

Filling: Once solid, you can fill them with the centre. In a bowl, combine the following:

1/8 cup of room temperature butter,
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp gf vanilla custard powder,
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pure powdered icing sugar (the pink bag with no clumps and is gluten free)

 It doesn’t matter what order you put them in, it all ends up the same in the end. But if it’s too drippy, add more icing sugar, bit by bit. If it’s too thick, add just a little bit of milk until you have the right consistency. Fill each mold and set them in the fridge until firm. 

Base: Next, mix together in a bowl

¼ cup melted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/6 cup cocoa powder

until the brown sugar has dissolved and the cocoa is blended in.

Then add in:

1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup crumbled chocolate cookies*
½ cup shredded coconut
¼ cup crushed pecans 

Scoop with a teaspoon the base and press into the molds. Don’t worry if you packed the filling to the brim. I did the same thing and the base just was pressed on top. They stayed together nicely. Once you do each one, back in the fridge it goes. Once chilled, pop out the Nanaimo bites, serve on a plate and watch them disappear.

*usually Nanaimo bars are made with graham cracker or digestive biscuits, but they either a) can’t be found (graham crackers) or b) taste totally different (digestives). Plus chocolate cookies were the only available gluten free cookie on the grocery store shelf. Which makes me want to point out, you know how gluten free food is usually crumbly? This is the one time we can celebrate being able to crush a cookie with ease. Made this part of the recipe that much easier.

And it was here in Spain that she learnt Spaniards (and herself apparently) had no fear of good food, hence her jeans no longer fitting, was introduced to Chupitos (shot bars), and found that four months of backpacking can leave you 'bathmat deranged'. She emailed me at the time saying, "by the time I get home, I'll run to the cupboard weeping for bathmats and cuddle each one individually."

Meanwhile, while making paella, there's a few things I've learnt.
First, when deciding what type of paella to make( there are many variations), take into account that when you have someone who is:

a) allergic to seafood
b) fussy about seafood
c) vegetarian

seafood paella probably isn't the best dish to make.

If you do get as gung-ho as I did, you may be reducing these people to eating bread and butter at dinnertime.

The second thing I've learnt; when making Spanish food, a large glass of sangria makes your cooking so much better (really!).

Third. prep. prep. prep.

So here we go. We're starting with the stock that goes into the paella.

Start with 10-12 tiger prawns (they called for 8, but 8 was too few). They need to be fresh-- frozen doesn't work here. Lob off their heads and shells and cook them (the heads and shells) in a good dollop of olive oil in a large stockpot for 2 minutes. The actual prawns get set aside in the fridge for the paella.

Next add 1 onion and 1 fennel bulb, both sliced n' diced for 10 minutes until caramelised. Whip in 4 tsp tomato puree, 1 big fat chopped tomato, 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1/2 cup brandy. My mind momentarily wandered around this point, and 1 cup went in. The more the better!
No brandy? Scotch or bourbon can take it's place.

Stir it all together, toss in a bunch of thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves
and add in 2 litres of water. Bring all of this to a boil, then bring down to a simmer, and leave for 45 minutes until reduced to half the amount of liquid.

Meanwhile, drink more sangria. Then prep for the paella.

Dice 1 onion, 1 red pepper, and 1 green pepper. Slice 3 garlic cloves, and set aside 2 bay leaves. Clean 250g squid and slice into rings. Spoon out 1 tsp paprika and measure out 400g of rice (supposedly Bomba or Calasparra). Have your little saffron packet ready. And clean any other seafood. They called for 300g each of mussels and clams, but we added a handful of mussels and chopped chorizo instead.

When the 45 minutes of stock brewing is done, strain the liquid into a bowl, ready to be used.

Fire up the stove, add the paella pan and a good drop of olive oil.
Now, add everything, with 2 minutes in between each item, and stirring each item in until I say otherwise.

Onion, 2 minutes. Both peppers, 2 minutes. garlic, 2 minutes. Squid, 2 minutes. Bay leaves, 2 minutes. Paprika, 2 minutes. Rice (mix it in well), 2 minutes.

Add the saffron and most of the stock, bring back to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Now, do. not. stir. This is your first time? Don't worry, you'll burn the bottoms for sure. But it'll still taste good.

After 10 minutes, push in the rest of the seafood into the mixture. Prawns? check. Mussels? check.

If it's getting too dry, add a little more of the stock, but in 8 minutes, you're finishing cooking paella and it should be a drier dish ( you're not aiming for soup).

Set aside for 5 minutes with al foil over, before serving with lemon wedges.
And don't forget to serve bread and butter for the others.

Now, if you're looking for the giveaway, scroll back to the top of this blog, and look to the right column. Fill out your name, email and hit submit (but just remember, it's open for Australian residents only). Easy as that!

cooking photography © Bryton Taylor, Spain photography © Madi M.

First stop was The Imp. My biggest problem was what to decide. Bubble and Squeak (how could you not resist with a name like that?), and the fried butterbeans. Eventually the thought of chorizo that came with the fried butterbeans had me drooling. Complete with feta, tomato, spinach and sumac, the sauce and chorizo was delectable. I had a couple of the butterbeans, but I guess the way it had been cooked, caused them to have a rather gritty texture, so I chomped down a few, before leaving the rest.

Butterbeans $15.50 

The set up is cozy, with red brick exposed, wooden tables, and food served in rustic looking bowls and wooden boards. Better yet, I was able to order breakfast with a $20 note. Good times.

Antz Inya Pantz is all about the quality of the product. They don't spread themselves thin, focussing solely on the coffee.

From what the BFG has told me, their beans are freshly roasted on site everyday, and they use the best machinery out there. Heck, even the water is purified on site. Sounds like a lot, but if that's what it takes to make coffee as good as theirs, it's well worth all the effort.

serious awesomeness

2011 Bryton thesaurus
Gluten free= food denial.

Or at least that's the way I've always felt so I pretty much gave up last year. Unfortunately I was faced with a reality check at Christmas and I had to rethink this. My updated version of thinking?

2012 Bryton thesaurus
Gluten free= the push to experiment with new cuisines.

I naturally tend to get a little overenthusiastic about ideas. I've raided my nearby asian supermarket and come back with bottles that I don't know how to pronounce. Taco shells have replaced bread on the shelf. And there's Moroccan cooking dishes on the shelf that are going to require some serious Googling. It's fair enough to say I take an all-or-nothing approach.

Bring on 2012!

The beginnings of a taco gorge!

It was mid afternoon on New Year’s Eve and we had gathered across the road from where we were celebrating New Years, to eat, drink and be merry. Very merry, as was the case...

Goat Cheese Croquettes
Date purée, pumpkin seed granola

Citrus Cured Salmon
Pickled beets, bitter leaves, horseradish and citrus vinaigrette

 Grilled Ribeye of Beef

Slow Poached and Roasted Breast of Free Range Chicken
Confit leg croquette, truffle butter, asparagus and mushrooms

Cable Bay Tiramisu
Coffee, chocolate, Marsala and mascarpone

  Lemon Curd Crème Brûlée
With strawberries, meringue and buttermilk

Chocolate Tart
With marshmallow ice cream and raspberry

 wine: Cable Bay Rosé 2011, Waiheke Island

Some of fashion's top names chose to set up shop, new lux apartments popped up and cafes surrounding the mall updated themselves. One such eatery was Madrid. What was once a cafe that not many people raved about, took note of the current trend for tapas bars and did a 360o, transforming themselves into a cool place to be.The first week it opened, Jess and I were there to try it out. We popped in on a Wednesday evening and were pleasantly surprised to be able to get a seat, since we were certain the place would be packed. 

 Overall it was a pleasant laid back experience, that consisted of us making our way through part of the tapas menu. First up was the panko crumbed bocconcini. Served with squiggles of basil and chilli, the bocconcini was crispy on the outside, yet wonderfully moist inside. 

Panko crumbed bocconcini, basil & chilli coulis $14

The meatballs had a nice simplistic balance of herbs mixed in. These, however nice they were to eat, were my least favourite, with an after effect of furriness. Jess didn't have this problem, while it left me smacking my mouth and reaching for a glass of water.

Spanish meatballs, vine- ripened roma tomato, spiced chutney $12

 The toasted ciabatta that comes with some dishes, had us wishing we had ordered more. It was set on our table with a wonderful lingering woodfired smell and taste. It may have just been toasted, but geez was it good!

toasted ciabatta (from the mushroom dish)

 The ciabatta came with the mushroom dish, served with melted strings of cheese and bites of lettuce. Together they complimented each other to perfection, nothing fighting other flavours, simply working together.

Rosemary, lemon marinated field mushrooms, toasted ciabatta $10

Overall, they've structured themselves as a tapas bar at heart. It's easy going, simple, a nice place to catch up with friends, and doesn't go to bed with the rest of Perth at 9pm on a weeknight.

As I sat there with my plate presented before me laden with raw seafood, and slurping back a fresh local mussel, I couldn't help but agree with an online article I had read. It stated that fresh seafood such as oysters are best served 'naked', or without laden with sauces. When just-plucked-out-of-the-ocean fresh, raw fish doesn't smell or taste fishy, and shellfish doesn't need to have a deteriorating taste masked by chilli sauce or garlic.

I had just arrived in Paihia in Northland, New Zealand, and had found my way to Only Seafood Restaurant (original, I know). Housed in a building that looked like a New England beach house, our table gave us picturesque views of the Bay of Islands.

My kiwi had ordered the snapper, which was cooked just right, keeping it moist. While it looked like it had been covered in sauce, it was very light in taste, enhancing the delicate flavour of the snapper, rather than hiding it. I had ordered an entree sized seafood platter (which was main meal sized for me), complete with mussels, oysters, sashimi, raw salmon (not smoked), and sushi. Don't be surprised if in a few years I announce I'm moving. It'll be here, and it'll be for the food!

Vodka in the form of an espresso martini is a completely acceptable start to a Saturday morning. At least in my book, and it seems as well, Cantina 663’s. Add some lemon polenta cake with strawberries and vanilla ice cream to that mix, and I'm ready to take on the weekend. 

Lemon Polenta cake, with strawberries, mint and vanilla ice cream

On the other hand, my kiwi needs a good strong coffee and a hearty serving of... well, everything. Bacon, eggs, toast, beans, mushrooms, sausage. But that wasn't a problem, they served that too, and he happily chomped it down.

This little food haven is strategically located on the bustling street of Beaufort. Inside, jars of pickled vegetables line shelves on one end. On another wall, antique scales and pots are placed just so, to add that quaint feel to balance out the edginess of the place.

Mamma's Breakfast -- $20.90

Cantina lives up to its reputation as being one of the best places in Perth for breakfast (and, really, every other meal). The key is in it's flexibility to the seasons, changing the menu to fit what's available during different times of the year. It just means you'll want to keep coming back for more!

Our tree's been decorated. Real, and chopped ourselves at the beginning of December at one of Perth's tree farms. Always a hilarious thing to watch, I'm sure. The presents are wrapped, and the turkey's in the oven. The only thing left to do is drink mulled wine and bake up a storm.

First up is this gingerbread cupcake recipe with it's cinnamon cream cheese frosting that was found (love those google searches!) at Sweet Peas Kitchen, and is definitely a keeper. Surprisingly, I actually followed the recipe (ok...almost-ish).