The Littlest Anchovy

Lavender Lemonade

2014-01-15T12:07:00.000+11:00

Is it too late to wish you all a Happy New Year?!

In any case, let us kick aside the tumbleweeds that have inhabited this space and make something nice and simple to ease us into 2014.

The first time I made lavender lemonade was for the Sydney Food Bloggers Christmas Picnic. I was feeling rushed and disorganised, not to mention a little under pressure to make something decent to contribute to a mass of food bloggers!

Out of sheer desperation and the fact that I had a big ‘ol bag of lemons from the tree where my parents live(that fruits all year round), lemonade made sense. I used dried, food-grade lavender in this batch, as well as a fistful of mint from out the back, and topped it up with soda water.

The second time I made this was on a 36C day when I was staying with my parents in Orange over Christmas. It was a dry, stinking-hot day, one where you probably should stay inside for the better part of the day. The sound of the cicadas was deafening and all was dry and still. The tree was still dependently full of lemons, the grass was brown and crunchy underfoot and there were masses and masses of lavender with bees lazily buzzing from flower to flower. I looked out the window at the bright, yellow balls hanging listlessly on the tree, and I decided that the only way to get through that (“Scorchio!”) day, I needed to make that lemonade again.

There wasn't mint in this batch – and I didn't need it with the fresh lavender, as it had a greener flavour than the dried flowers.

This is the first time since the last time I posted that I have opened up my laptop, I just needed a giant break from it. It was an epic 2013 for me (in so many ways) and I just needed some time to switch off and hang out with my friends and family.

I didn’t stop cooking though!

I revisited old favourites from this blog for various events over the holidays. For instance: this gateau au chocolate fondant de Nathalie was my dessert contribution on Christmas Day. This time, it was draped with rum soaked muscatel grapes instead. It is such an easy cake to make and it always gets compliments.

These salmon rillettes continue to be one of my favourite party foods and I made them on three separate occasions over the last two months. This on a piece of crusty baguette with a glass of sparkling = happiness.

Lastly, these peaches had a work out – but, instead of using mascarpone, I used gorgonzola. Now I will probably use gorgonzola every-time I grill peaches from here on out. I also used this beautiful, wild honeycomb on top - perfection.

So here’s to buzzing bees, lavender and year-round lemons. Here’s to the discovery that you can make an excellent French 75 with this as well….

Happy 2014! It’s going to be a good year.

Lavender Lemonade

About 8 fresh, organic lavender flowers – rinsed / or 1 tablespoon of dried, food-grade lavender.

1 cup castor sugar

2 cups of boiling water to make the lavender syrup.

1 ½ cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Water or Soda Water to dilute to taste.

In a bowl, gently rub the lavender flowers through the sugar using your finger tips to combine.

Pour the boiling water over the suger, stir and set aside to dissolve for a minimum time of 30 minutes or better yet, overnight.

Strain the syrup and pour into a jug or bottle – depending on when you want to drink it.

Stir through the lemon juice and top up with soda water or water along with a good handful of ice. I recommend 1 part lemonade to 3 parts water or soda water.

Optional extras:

Vanilla bean

Fresh herbs like Mint or Rosemary

Lemon slices

Berries

Lavender flowers

Gin

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Mulberries Poached in Red Vermouth and Honey.

2013-11-29T15:30:00.000+11:00

I have a question: do kids today still keep silkworms as pets?

I remember my first batch as if it were yesterday.

For one dollar, I received twelve delicate white grubs, a bag of mulberry leaves for them to munch on, and a shoebox with holes poked in the top – for shelter and ease of transport.

Bargain.

I think they might have lived in the kitchen and each day I would change their leaves and maybe pick up one to let it creep up my hand, tickling me with its feet as it went. That is all they did in the first phase of their lifecycle.

As a 6 year old, I was preoccupied with important things like learning to ride a bike and working out ways to get out of eating Brussels sprouts and what not - these were the perfect, low maintenance pets for me at the time. Before long, they started spinning delicate but dense silk cocoons and I had twelve little butter-yellow pods that really did nothing much but roll around the shoebox when I tilted it.

It goes downhill from there; from the sunny balls of silk hatched some rather sad looking pale moths. The moths laid some tiny eggs, aaaand that is where I lost interest.

A year or so later my family moved to a house that had its very own mulberry tree in the backyard. I had moved on to tadpoles by then and was therefore way more interested in gorging myself on the berries until I was sick rather than bothering to check if any silkworms lived in the tree.

Occasionally I would come across a tart, watery one - those were perfect for throwing at my brother. Then I would find a plump, sweet and juicy specimen, and life, for that brief moment, couldn’t get any better.

My lovely friend Maddy had a glut of mulberries recently from the tree in her backyard. She gave me a large container of them, which instantly transported me back to the time I have just told you about. Unfortunately, I was in a haze of assignments for the course I attend at night, so the mulberries had to be frozen until I could give them my full attention.

Enter this gently quivering panna cotta. The buttermilk gives it a tang that works beautifully with the rich, syrupy mulberries spooned over the top. I was heavy handed with the vanilla beans, adding the seeds to both the panna cotta and the berries because if you've got them, flaunt them – am I right?

The panna cotta was slightly adapted from a Donna Hay recipe, and I have to say, it had the best texture I have every experienced in a panna cotta. It wasn’t too firm, but it was set with a quiver. It was almost as if it were quivering with delight at the prospect of being united with the mulberries, which stained its top a deep, ruby red.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Mulberries Poached in Red Vermouth and Honey.
Panna Cotta recipe adapted from Donna Hay
Makes approximately 6 servings, depending on your moulds.

For the Panna Cotta
1/3 cup warm water
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
1 cup single cream
1 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
1½ cups milk
1½ cups buttermilk

Pour the water and gellatine in a bowl, stir to combine and then set aside for a few minutes or until the gelatine is absorbed.
in a medium saucepan, pour in the cream, vanilla extract, and sugar. Split the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds and add them to the mix, toss in the pod
and stir over a moderate heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring to the boil for 1 minute and then add the gelatine.Stir to combine.
Remove from the heat and strain into a bowl - I used a large pyrex jug and this made it easier to transfer to my moulds.
Stir through the milk and buttermilk and divide the mixture between your vessels of choice and refrigerate for a minumum of 4 hours, but overnight is best.
When you are ready to serve, either turn the panna cotta out onto a serving plate and top with the berries, or leave them in the mould (a much less scary idea) and spoon the berries on top that way.

For the Mulberries

This will produce more than you need. But don't fret! These are amazing spooned over vanilla ice-cream.

500g Mulberries - can be substituted for blackberries if need be.

1/2 cup honey

1 cup red vermouth

seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan and stir over a moderate heat until the berries burst and release their juice. Turn the heat up to high and stir for 10 minutes. The berries will be soft, there will be rich, ruby red liquid and your kitchen will smell amazing.

Take the berries off the heat and set aside to cool.

Once cool, serve spooned over the panna cotta.

Mudgee Part 2: Whole Orange and Duck Egg Cake

2013-10-16T15:22:00.000+11:00

Hi everyone! I am poking my head out from under the mountain of assignments that are crushing my social and blogging life to bring you a continuation of my trip to Mudgee. This one promises to be a goodie...Why? Because we have ducks.

The mere sight of these creatures makes my heart sing. To me, they are hilarious to watch and I wish could have taken one of them home with me.

I like to imagine them wearing tiny cowboy hats.

In my opinion these ducks need names. Creatures that could potentially wear a tiny cowboy hats definitely need to have names. I need to set aside my assignments and do some brainstorming on this.

There is a crow that hangs out in the surrounding trees (where the ducks live) waiting for an opportunity to nab a tasty egg – his name is Fortunato.

So, if the ducks arch-nemesis has a name, I think the ducks definitely need to have one too - that’s my two cents.

On the day that I was there, Fortunato must have been otherwise tied up with some other dastardly deed, because there were eggs for days!

Eggs for days and a tree full of oranges lead to excellent cake for morning tea.

So, as I mentioned in my previous post, my cousin Ed did the baking, and the following list is what I can lay claim to in regards to this cake:

I picked the orange;
I held a couple of the eggs;
I may have opened the oven;
I took photos;
I chatted about everything and nothing – as you have probably gathered by merely reading this blog.

Ed’s little niece (my 2^nd cousin) was also present to provide entertainment (in the form of dancing and climbing in a colourful fairy dress) and to lick clean the spatula.

For those of you playing at home, this cake can seriously be a solo project. Check out the recipe below – you throw a whole orange into a food processor, whizz it up, add some other ingredients, bake it, make a glaze - done.

A simple recipe with excellent ingredients makes for a delightful morning tea in the country.

Now, duck names. Please discuss.

Whole Orange and Duck Egg Cake

Adapted from Teapots and Tractors - A Cookbook and Memoir by Margaret Charlesworth.

Margaret says of this cake: “ This old faithful is suitable for paddock lunches as well as Bridge ladies gatherings…”

1 Whole Orange – skin and all - try and find an orange with a thin skin - like a navel as they have less bitter pith.
180g melted butter
2 duck eggs – or 3 chicken eggs
1 cup castor sugar
1.5 cups self – raising flour

Preheat the oven to 180C

Grease and flour a bundt or ring cake tin. Chop up the orange into quarters - leave the skin on!

Process the orange until completely pureed. Don’t be scared – it’ll happen! Add the rest of the ingredients and whizz until well mixed. Spoon the mix into your cake tin and back for around 40 – 45 minutes.

Icing

Mixed 1 tablespoon of melted butter with some orange juice and zest until the icing is thin enough to spoon over the cooled cake but not so thin that it just slides down the cake and pools on the plate. Start with a small amount of OJ and adjust until you have the right consistency.

Serve with tea or coffee.

Mudgee: Part 1

2013-10-02T23:03:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I took a little trip to Mudgee to hang out with my Aunt, Uncle and cousins for the weekend . Some of my best childhood memories come from spending the summer holidays with them. I love that we have remained close all these years and still have a blast even now that we are older.

One of my cousins (and one of my best friends) Ed, is an amazing cook and gardener. She has the whole locavore vibe going on and owns it!

Not only does she grow all her own veggies, she recently ethically reared a couple of pigs for eating, they were delicious by the way.

She showed me around the greenhouse which is full of seedlings ready for planting this summer. She also taught me about hot composting and worm farms with the kind of passion that this city girl might reserve for a Dirty Martini on a Friday night.

Recently, Ed has acquired three Indian Running Ducks (yes, like the one from Babe!)that swim around in a dam and gift her with eggs every day. Ah, I love the life that my extended family leads and I can't wait to get back there.

I have two posts to follow this one where Ed and I (mainly Ed, I took the photos and passed ingredients) do some cooking with duck eggs and wild asparagus which we snagged from around the property. See you soon!

Gorgeous garden maintained by my aunt and uncle - loads of happy bees live here.

Jack imploring me to throw a tennis ball to him.

My cousins Ed and Ol - don't you just love the Akubra's!?

Onions and garlic for days.

Broccoli shoots.

Textures.

Seedlings in the greenhouse.

Plump, happy chooks scratch around the garden all day and put themselves to bed at night.

Happy chooks lay beautiful eggs, wait till you see the duck eggs!

Wild asparagus hunting in the olive grove.

Cow safari.

Old mangle.. I think.

Smiley Jack

Roland the very tame ram - he will still butt you if you turn your back though!

Blood Orange Ice Cream

2013-09-17T18:53:00.000+10:00

You know that song; "Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"? I apply that song to blood orange season. In my opinion, there are enough Christmas songs to go around. I also apply it to peach and fig season, but predominately - blood orange season. I have already made a massive batch of blood orange cordial to tide me over after the very short season ends. I think it will last me until I start to focus on peaches.

This ice cream didn't last very long (hence the need to make cordial) - who am I kidding, it was never meant to last very long.

Something I have discovered (in my blood orange experience) is that if you nab the ones with the darkest skins, or the ones with deep slashes of crimson across them, you will find that they contain juice which is the deepest in colour. Make sure you wear an apron or an old top. I have lost too many nice clothes to blood oranges. It's sort of worth it... but not really.

There is something so fantastically indulgent about doing a little zesting while listening to a favourite podcast on a Saturday afternoon. I highly recommend it, the zesting and the podcast...

I am on the hunt for a good, long ice cream container. The loaf tin just isn't cutting it for me anymore. Can you see my hand print? I didn't realise that it was there when I took the photo.

It makes me smile to see it there. I like that there is some imperfection going on. My personality is in this photo. I am the sort of person that takes photos without noticing a handprint because I am too worried about what is happening in the tin.

And what was happening in the tin was pretty perfect indeed.

Blood Orange Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups double cream
1 1/2 cups full fat milk
3/4 cup sugar, divided
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
Seeds from one vanilla bean
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup of sugar - for the blood orange syrup
3/4 cup blood orange juice
2 tablespoons finely grated blood orange zest

In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, whisk together the milk, cream, half the sugar, salt and the scraped vanilla bean (including the pod) . Bring the mixture just to a boil - do not boil.
2. While the milk/cream mixture is heating, combine the yolks and remaining sugar in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer on low speed or whisk, beat until mixture is pale and thick.
3. Once the mixture has come to a slight boil, whisk about 1∕3 of the hot mixture into the yolk/sugar mixture. Add another 1∕3 of the mixture, then return the combined mixture to the saucepan. Using a wooden
spoon, stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon. Take special care that this does not over boil as you might scramble the eggs!
4. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer (discard the vanilla pod) and bring to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla extract. Store in the fridge for a couple of hours to cool down.
5. Meanwhile, add the 1/2 cup of sugar to the blood orange juice along with the zest in a medium saucepan.
6. Bring the mixture to the boil and boil (swirling the pot occasionally) until you have about 1/2 a cup of syrup. It should be an even more intense blood colour than before. Make sure you don't strain out the pieces of zest! That is the best part.
7. Set this aside to chill in the fridge.
8. When the custard and the syrup are both cold, mix the syrup through the custard and freeze the blood orange custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. I have one of these that I love.

Sunday Spatchcocks with Fragrant Butter and Honey, served with Parsnips and Kipfler Potatoes.

2013-08-29T22:01:00.000+10:00

“Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” – Oscar Wilde.

Fair call, Oscar. Fair call.

Even though you didn’t come to this page to read about whether it is hot or cold, I am still going to talk about it. However, I can acknowledge that it is not the most exciting topic at the best of times. Maybe my imagination has been channeled into the pile of assignments (for my graphic design course) that I have been chipping away at these days.

My study and assignments feed my creativity in much the same way that cooking and blogging seem to - but I miss blogging regularly.

Sometimes the assignments on my desk cause my eyes to wander, until I am gazing out on a day where the sun is shining and the air is sweet. My senses are confused – it’s meant to be cold and wintry! I can’t concentrate on what is happening on my laptop. I can’t work under these conditions!

One Saturday, about a week ago, I succumbed to the call of the sun and ventured out to my local farmers markets where I spent a slightly embarrassing amount on 3 fat little spatchcocks. To make myself feel better about my expensive purchase, I decided to call them by their French name, poussins - so much cuter.

I made a butter with lavender, thyme and lemon zest and stuffed it under the skins of my little poussins.

I then drizzled them (along with some parsnips and kipfler potatoes) with my current favourite honey and roasted them for a late lunch with friends/procrastination from assignments/I need to cook again meal.

We ate our individual birds with a beautiful rosé that one of my friends brought along. The label on the bottle made me feel as happy as the contents.

Winter and assignments were far from my mind as the sweet, floral scent of the lavender, thyme and lemon filled the sunny dining room at my friend’s house. We ate, laughed and talked about how happy the weather was making us – and for me, talking about the weather was a completely perfect and inspiring topic of conversation.
I like to think Oscar would have agreed.

Sunday Spatchcocks with Fragrant Butter and Honey, served with Parsnips and Kipfler Potatoes.

Serves 3

3 400 - 500g spatchcocks.
100g butter at room temperature.
1 tbsp food grade lavender.
Bunch of thyme
3 lemons and zest from 2.
1 garlic bulb.
Parsnips.
Kipfler potatoes.
Olive oil.
About 2 tablespoons honey for drizzling.

Pre-heat oven to 180-190C.
Put a pot of water on and bring to the boil. Peel the parsnips and slice into thin strips - in quarters, lengthways. Half the potatoes, lengthways. Add the potatoes and parsnips to the pot and and par boil them for about 10 to 12 minutes or until they yield but are still firm when poked with a knife. Drain the veggies before tossing in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and set aside.
Mix the lemon zest, leaves from about 3 sprigs of thyme and lavender through the butter and set aside.
Rinse the spatchcocks and pat dry thoroughly with kitchen towel.
Gently separate the skin from the flesh and work the fragrant butter under the skin. Make incisions in the skin on the drumsticks and push butter under the skin there too.
Rub any leftover butter over the outside of the spatchcocks.
Season the spatchcocks with salt and pepper and a tiny bit of lavender. Stuff the cavity of each spatchcock with half a lemon, a few sprigs of thyme and a couple of garlic cloves.
Place the spatchcocks in a large roasting pan and scatter the veggies between the birds. Add lemon quarters and the leftover garlic cloves to the pan. Drizzle honey over the birds and the veggies.
Roast for around 45 minutes or until the birds are golden brown, slightly burnished and the juice runs clear when poked with a knife. Serve with fresh greens and a glass of rose.

Cumquat Bourbon Sour: A Video

2013-08-06T22:43:00.002+10:00

Here is something I can add to the list of "Things I Can Make With Cumquats". It comes right after cumquat marmalade - which my Mum makes, incidentally, not me. I think I am going to have to make it my personal business to add to that list - they are just so endearing to look at and so deliciously tart. There is a lot of promise to be found in one of those golden orbs.
Enter this cocktail - a riff on a traditional Whiskey Sour. It is the perfect addition to anyone's "Things I Can Make With Cumquats" list - in my humble opinion.
A big thank- you to my mate Brendan who not only taught me how to shoot video on my camera, but shot, edited and helped me drink the subject. It was a fun afternoon.

Cumquat Bourbon Sour
45ml Bourbon – I used Makers Mark
60ml Cumquat sour mix - see recipe below
1 egg white - optional*
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice cubes.
Shake vigorously!
Strain into a coupe glass.
Wait a bit for the egg white to form a frothy head.
Garnish with a slice of cumquat.

*If you choose to use raw eggs in this recipe, please do so at your own risk. I only used the freshest of eggs and take no responsibility for any outcome from using raw eggs in cooking. Head here for more information about consuming raw eggs.

Cumquat Sour Mix
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Approx 15 cumquats, stems removed
Juice from 1 lemon

In a saucepan, add the water and sugar and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar.
Add the cumquats and boil for around 7 minutes.
Ladle the cumquats and the syrup into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Pass the mix through a sieve and add the lemon juice.
Leave to cool.
Store in an air-tight jar the fridge for cumquat-related beverage emergencies.

Salted Almond Brittle - The Sweet Swap

2013-07-14T23:06:00.000+10:00

One of the wonderful surprises that came with starting a food blog is the community that I became a part of - I didn't expect it.
I didn't expect to meet such great, like-minded people - let alone expect to make such wonderful friends from this community. Inspiring, creative and such talented people that remind me why I do this and why I must continue - despite things happening in my life that make me feel less than my best.

Two talented and creative ladies, that I have come to know and love, decided to start something to tighten the Australian food blogging community - and raise money for ChildFund Australia.

They organised this great initiative called The Sweet Swap - and that's the name of the game. Participants are allocated three people to send a package of homemade sweets to - and in an act of sugar-laden karma, you then receive three different treats in return.

How cool is that?!

After what had been a less than perfect week, the packages started to arrive. First, came a beautiful box of salted caramel, popping candy dark chocolate truffles. They were beautifully packaged and sealed with wax from Billy at A Table For Two. I was in awe of this gentleman’s chocolate tempering abilities, these were some special choccies.

Next came a box of one of my favourite treats to eat: Turkish delight from Angie at Angie Eats and Cooks. I have always wanted to make Turkish delight and the bar has now been set high for me! It was sprinkled with chopped pistachios and included was the added touch of some peppermint tea to enjoy with the delight - heaven.

Finally, Simon from The Heart of Food sent me a box of the most decadent and beautiful lamingtons I have ever eaten in my life. These were not your run of the mill "lamington drive" lamingtons - these were Pannacotta Lamington Bites. I have no idea how he did it but I look forward to reading his post and I am wishing he would send me more ...

I received these treats during what was shaping up to be a pretty terrible week. There is something about getting homemade treats in the post to make things seem just a little bit better. Thank you for making my week guys!

This was my contribution. I made some of this brittle as part of an upcoming recipe (next week!) and then took the leftovers to my book-club where it was polished off during (by the book club) and then afterwards by my friends husband. I had some decent feedback from it – hopefully my recipients liked it too.

It was dead easy to make - with maximum salted caramel flavour. The almonds are chewy and the toffee is buttery and crunchy. I loved the textures in this brittle.

Thanks to Sara and Amanda, without you two, I would never have had the pleasure of tasting Angie, Billy and Simon's treats. You did a great thing for the food blogging community and you helped me to get out of my comfort zone. You also helped me to re-kindle my love of butter, sugar, salt, nuts and washi-tape.

Thank-you.

Salted Almond Brittle
Makes one batch
100g toasted, flaked almonds
50g butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
100g castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Grease a lipped baking tray with butter.
Scatter the almonds evenly over the tray, tapping the tray lightly on the bench to distribute them.
Add the butter, sugar,salt and 2 tablespoons of water to a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan and turn the heat to medium/low. Gently dissolve the sugar and salt into the melted butter. Turn the heat up to high and boil for around 5 minutes. Stir occasionally if patches caramelise faster than others. Keep an eye on it. It should not be too dark but a nice rich colour. Carefully tip the caramel over the almonds and move it around with a spatula to distribute. Leave to cool completely.
Using a sharp knife, slice giant shards and store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 days.
Great crumbled over desserts or on it's own.

Welsh Rarebit Gougères

2013-06-23T21:08:00.000+10:00

Hello! It’s been a while.

I feel as if I am putting on my favourite, hole-ridden, woolly jumper and settling back into this space.
I missed this place and I am glad that I'm here. It’s nice to feel glad about things...

Another thing to feel glad about is the combination of stout beer, Gruyere and mustard. Have you ever had Welsh Rarebit? It’s perfect comfort food – and it’s also essentially cheese on toast. Which is fine - and to be perfectly frank, a necessity in life sometimes.

And while cheese on toast is welcome in almost any situation - let's fancy things up a little. Gougères are savoury choux-pastry bites filled with cheese and herbs. Using stout in place of water and adding mustard powder gives the Welsh Rarebit angle. I think these would be fantastic as hors d'oeuvres for some sort of winter solstice party.

Ah, it's a little late for that...sorry.

Knowing what I know about these little beauties, you might feel a tiny bit resentful if you have to share these with guests. They keep in a container for a week or so and you can just quickly heat them up in the oven to bring them back to life. Make them for a party, make them whenever - just make them.

Welsh Rarebit Gougères
125ml milk - full fat
125ml beer - I used stout but any beer that you love will be awesome.
100g cubed butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon mustard powder
170g plain flour
75g mature hard or semi-hard cheese, grated - I used a mixture of gruyere and aged cheddar
2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)
4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 180C and line several baking trays with baking paper.
Pour the milk and beer into a large saucepan and add the butter, salt, sugar and mustard powder. Put the pan over a high heat until the butter melts. Turn the heat down to low and add all the flour. Beat hard with a wooden spoon until the mixture is the consistency of lumpy mashed potato. Add the cheese and chives and continue to beat until you have a smooth paste that does not stick to the sides of the pan.

Take the pan off the heat and continue to beat until the mix has cooled enough to touch. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each one in before adding the next. The pastry will go lumpy when you add the eggs, but consistent beating will smooth it out. Once smooth, spoon the pastry into a piping bag with a 5mm nozzle and pipe the pastry into walnut sized balls, taking care to flick the nozzle up to release. Pipe the gougères 2 cm apart on the tray. To prevent burning on any that have points, dip your finger in some water and gently pat them down.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Best eaten immediately but will keep in an airtight container for a few days. To warm and crisp up, bake in at 150C for around 5 minutes.

Two Colourful, Seasonal Salads

2013-06-01T15:37:00.001+10:00

When asked if I can bring a plate to a Barbecue or Pot-Luck (not including hors d'oeuvres, which, as you can see, I am obsessed with) I will more often than not volunteer myself for salad duty.

Sure, bringing a main dish or dessert might be seen as the more glamorous task – one where you can really flex your culinary muscle – but I think salad duty comes with its own merits, specifically creativity and ease of transportation.

What better way to get as much seasonal produce into one plate than via a salad? You can also be the one responsible for the table decorations if you make a salad colourful enough.

It’s a double-duty that will make your heart sing.

I chose to make these two salads simply because the weather was grey and I needed to get some colour in my life.

Let us first draw our attention to this roast beetroot and sweet potato creation. Let’s imagine you are eating it: at first bite you have a cube each of earthy rosemary scented beetroot and sweet potato. You are drawn to this morsel because the colours remind you of a sunset – especially as the beetroot has tie-dyed some of the sweet potato. You drag these veggies through some of the goat’s curd that happens to have a streak of extra virgin olive oil and caramelised balsamic vinegar slashed across it. You close your eyes and sigh. Next bite is a juicy segment of orange that has a shiny caramelised walnut perched on top. The mint that you spear with it on its way to your mouth creates a herbal foil for the burnt sugar crunching between your teeth. And of course, there are the greens, peppery rocket in this case. Each bite you take is different and yet you never have a bite that does not seem so perfectly right.

Now, on to the slaw. I was drawn to this after seeing Jamie Oliver make it on Jamie At Home years ago when it was on TV. He had a food processor with an attachment into which he just fed beautiful, raw, seasonal veggies – like a wood chipper. Next he made a tangy dressing using yogurt and mustard; I wanted a little sweetness in my adaptation and added a little honey. I don’t have a big food processor to churn out this slaw in five minutes flat, and instead it took me somewhere in the vicinity of forty minutes to julienne everything via my new mandolin. There was something rather Zen about this exercise that required utter concentration to avoid losing a finger and yet it was as rhythmic and soothing as (I imagine)Tai Chi would be.

I have had this with fish – eh, it’s not the best combination. But try it with some slow roasted chicken or pork, or a medium rare steak, and you will be glad you underwent such rigorous discipline to get to this point.

A note about the below recipes: When I make a salad, I don't use specific weights or measurements for most ingredients. I have indicated quantities and a method for certain components such as the candied walnuts or for the cooking time of the beetroot and sweet potato. Adjust things to suit your taste and try to use seasonal ingredients. Most components of each salad can be adapted to suit the season.

Beetroot, Sweet Potato, Candied Walnuts, Orange and Goats Curd Salad

Sweet Potato

Beetroot

Fresh Rosemary – finely chopped

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - EVOO

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 cup raw Walnut halves

½ cup Caster sugar

Rocket (Arugula)

Orange – segmented – here is a good tutorial if you want to learn how to do this

Fresh mint leaves – roughly torn

Goat’s curd

Caramelised balsamic – I used a chocolate balsamic here which was sublime, but regular caramelised balsamic works a treat too.

Candied Walnuts

In a dry pan over a low to medium flame, lightly toast the walnuts for a few minutes, constantly tossing to ensure they don’t burn. Once you can smell them and see a little brown on them, quickly transfer them to a bowl.

Now add the sugar to the pan over a medium flame. Stir the sugar until it has melted and become the colour of amber. Quickly add the nuts and stir to coat them in the toffee. Quickly transfer the nuts to a baking tray lined with baking paper and separate them using two forks. Leave to cool completely.

Roasted Beetroot and Sweet Potato with Rosemary

Peel and cube the sweet potato and rosemary. Mine were about 2cm and they shrank once roasted. Cut the veggies into whatever size you like but note that the larger you cut them, the longer the cooking time. I usually cut them on the smaller side because I am extremely impatient.

Preheat the oven to 180C and either oil or line a baking tray with baking (parchment) paper. Toss the sweet potato and beetroot with a little EVOO and the chopped rosemary, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are done. The corners might be slightly caramelised – this is a very good thing, go with this.

Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Building the salad

Arrange the Rocket (Arugula) on a flat serving platter, top with the roasted veggies, orange segments, walnuts, mint leaves and dollops of goat’s curd. Finally, drizzle with EVOO and caramelised balsamic right before serving.

Autumn or Winter Slaw

Adapted from this Jamie Oliver Recipe

Note: it is highly recommended you use either a mandolin with a julienne attachment or a food processor with the julienne attachment. I would never put myself through the task of chopping this all by hand. Life is way too short.

1 Celeriac

4 Radishes

2 Granny Smith Apples

1 Red Cabbage – finely sliced

3 Carrots

1 large Fennel bulb with fronds

4 Shallots, finely sliced

Chervil

Parsley

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

250ml Greek Yogurt

Honey – about a tablespoon

Mustard to taste – about 1½ tablespoons

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – about a tablespoon

Salt and Pepper

Using your tool of choice, julienne the celeriac, radishes, apples, carrots and fennel bulb and add them to a large salad or mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat. This will prevent the celeriac and apple from going brown. Add the shredded cabbage and shallots.

Finely chop the chervil, parsley and fennel fronds and toss them through the salad along with the lemon zest.

In a jar, add the yogurt, honey, mustard, EVOO, salt, and pepper and screw the lid on tight. Shake the dressing until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust your ingredients to suit.

Pour over the slaw up to an hour before serving. Toss to coat.

Perfect with any meat – especially pork.

Backyard Negronis: A Video

2013-05-20T09:11:00.000+10:00

Sometimes it's fun to change things up, and this week my friends and I made a video! This ties in with previously posted classic cocktails such as The French 75, The Avenue and The Bloody Mary - and now The Negroni joins the party.
We had loads of fun making this and even more fun drinking the finished product.
Thanks guys for a fun afternoon and Bowie and Peaches for all the amazing editing.
Oh, and I almost forgot! The Littlest Anchovy turns two this Wednesday!

Backyard Negronis

Traditionally this drink does not contain Angostura Bitters, but I added it and loved the taste - so it stayed.

1 part Campari 30 ml
1 part Gin 30 ml
1 part Sweet Red Vermouth 30 ml
Angostura Bitters (optional)
Orange peel as a garnish

Pour all ingredients into an ice-filled glass, stir and strain over ice in an old fashioned glass. Garnish with orange peel.

Restoring some order

2013-05-06T20:53:00.001+10:00

Hi! I'm still here and I have missed this place like nobody's business.
I have been sick for over a week and my bleary, watery eyes were unable to face the glare of a computer screen and the rest of me couldn't bear the thought of any food that took more than 5 minutes to prepare.
Now that I am back in the land of the living, I am up to my neck in assignments - basically I am going through a small period of trying to restore some order in my life.

My head is brimming with all sorts of recipes that I can't wait to share with you - and I will be posting a little something towards the end of the week.
In the meantime, here are some snippets of the web that either made me think, made me smile or made me feel inspired.

Thanks for sticking with me, see you very soon.

*******************************

The photo above is of a giant pumpkin at my cousins place. Beyond the pumpkin lives two happy pigs named Dot and Pearl - they have possibly the best names ever - for pigs. You can see photos of them on my Instagram if you like.

**UPDATE**
This is what became of the giant pumpkin.

Piranha's position on food-chain, re-established.

These colours make me so happy and finding a new (to me) cooking blog to follow makes me even happier.

While I was sick, I became re-acquainted with this book. I don't think I will ever get tired of it.

Congratulations to Sneh, creator of Cook Republic for winning Best Australian Blog 2013 in the Australian Writers Centre's annual competition!

Something to think about over your morning coffee.

Musician's riders beautifully styled and photographed - Oh Britney...

A thoughtful and gorgeous site that celebrates seasonal eating.

How to eat an apple like a boss.

For all you Aussie food and lifestyle bloggers: The Sweet Swap is open for registration. Scamper over there to register and start thinking about what sweet treats you might like to create.

I'm heading to Orange (in NSW) again...for apples this time! I'll probably eat them like a boss.

South Carolina She-Crab Soup

2013-04-21T12:10:00.001+10:00

Last year, you may or may not remember me telling you about my holiday to America where I visited North and South Carolina as well as Boston and New York City. I had all these wild ideas about posting about my trip and including recipes from some of the local cuisine that I had.
I have had a few plans for this blog in my time that have often started out with the best intentions and then have died a slow death. What I am trying to say is, it might be a while between holiday posts but I wanted to share a little bite of the trip with you this week because I finally got around to sorting through my photos from Charleston and The Bay of Palms in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
This was a major highlight of the holiday for me - not only because we were there to attend the wedding of some very good friends of ours, but because of the sheer beauty, beyond friendly people and relaxed atmosphere that we experienced.

Oh, I also made the area's local delicacy the other day: She-Crab Soup. I can't vouch for the "She" part of the recipe but tasting it instantly brought me back to that amazing time last year.

The top part of this photo is the view driving from Charleston into The Bay of Palms. See all the green marshland? That is sweet-grass and the locals turn it into beautiful baskets. My friend Sarah (the one whose wedding we were there for) gave all the guests mini sweet-grass baskets to bring home. Thankfully, Australia's Quarantine & Customs Services were totally fine with it.

We stayed in this INSANE beach house for the week leading up to the wedding with a bunch of the guests. Here is the view from the balcony. Many fun times were spent in that pool.

Charleston is full of beautiful restaurants and the visiting Aussies descended upon them with gusto that week. Here is Poogan's Porch. This is where I tried She-Crab Soup for the first time. It is also where I tried Alligator and Fried Green Tomatoes...lots of delicious firsts.

This is a Palmetto Tree which is on the state flag of South Carolina. Walking through Charleston makes you feel as if you are stepping on to the set of a romantic Southern movie.

I got up early one morning to see the sun rise over the Atlantic - I had a bit of a moment...

The wedding was at historic Lowndes Grove Plantation. It was such a beautiful wedding - there was shrimp 'n' grits, local beer, dancing and Aussies and Americans celebrating together. It was so much fun.

Now for the soup. She-Crab Soup is a very well-known delicacy in the South Carolina Lowcountry and something you should definitely try if you should ever visit. It is a very rich soup (not unlike a bisque) and is full of milk and cream which is flavoured with mace and sherry. Traditionally it is made using female Atlantic Blue(She)Crab meat including the orange roe - but I was not able/didn't try to find a "She-Crab" or its roe here in Sydney. I just used spanner crab meat - and a lot of it.
I got the recipe from a cookbook that I bought in Charleston called "Charleston Receipts" (that is not a typo, it was their word for 'recipes' at the time) which contains hundreds of traditional Lowcountry recipes dating back to the Civil War.

I can't think of a better way to bring back the memory of that amazing place.

South Carolina She-Crab Soup
Adapted from Charleston Receipts

4 blades of mace

1 teaspoon sea salt

White pepper corns – about 1 teaspoon

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons flour

800mls milk

½ cup cream

3 ribs grated celery

2 cups freshly picked white crab meat

½ cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

4 tablespoons dry sherry

Smoked paprika and olive oil to garnish

In a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder, bash (or process the mace, salt and pepper until finely ground.

Melt the butter in a double boiler over boiling water. Add the flour and stir until smooth to form a roux. Add the mace, pepper, salt, and stir to combine. Slowly add the milk, whisking it constantly into the roux. Add the cream and celery and stir.

Simmer and stir for around 7 minutes until the soup begins to thicken. Add the crabmeat, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce and simmer over the double boiler with a lid on for around ½ an hour.

Add the sherry and stir before transferring to bowls. Serve topped with a sprinkle of paprika, a drizzle of olive oil and with some crusty bread.

Char-Grilled Eggplant with Lemon Herb Israeli Couscous and a Yoghurt Sauce

2013-04-07T22:57:00.003+10:00

Sometimes you need to pause and re-group. Sometimes it might be the day after you went out and had dodgy, westernised Chinese food that just really didn't agree with you.
It might also be after Easter when you fell in love with chocolate all over again.
Sometimes veg-only dining is what is needed with flavours, colours and textures that can inspire and lift you when you have been giving yourself less than the best.

Lemons, garlic and herbs always sort me out - every time. I had never cooked with Israeli couscous before - and it turns out I had been missing out because it might be my new favourite carb. I love that it soaks up all those flavours and has the most wonderful texture.
Can I tell you how much I love my little tin of smoked paprika (pictured above)? I am a sucker for packaging and that was the reason I bought it. I think I bought it around six months ago and this was its first outing. I made this dish in my friend's kitchen. It was so light and wonderful to cook in - all white walls and benches - to me, it just amplified the whole experience of cooking this healthy, early dinner.

Cooking eggplant this way was also new to me. In the past I have only tossed it into a stew or added it to a tray of roast veggies. I had a couple of false starts but after working out the best thickness, cooking it on a griddle pan gave the most fantastic smokiness. When combined with the tangy couscous and dolloped with some cool, herb-laced yoghurt - that dodgy meal from the night before was but just a distant memory.

Char-Grilled Eggplant with Lemon Herb Israeli Couscous and a Yoghurt Sauce.

Adapted from several recipes in Tender by Nigel Slater and inspired by this recipe from Souvlaki For The Soul

This was made for 3 people at the time.

For the couscous

1 cup Israeli couscous (pearl couscous)

Olive Oil

6 Shallots, finely sliced

2 cloves of Garlic, finely sliced

Ground Smoked Paprika

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Mint, 1 bunch, roughly chopped

Coriander, 1 bunch, roughly chopped

½ cup pine nuts, toasted

Cook the couscous in plenty of salted boiling water according to the packed instructions. Drain well, add a little olive oil and toss to prevent the pearls from sticking together.

In a pan over a medium heat, soften the shallots in a little olive oil until they just begin to colour. Add the garlic, paprika and lemon zest. Stir in the parsley, coriander and pine nuts and stir until fragrant. Season to taste. Add the couscous and lemon juice and toss to combine.

For the yoghurt sauce

Approx 250g Greek yoghurt

Handful coriander, chopped

Handful mint, chopped

Squeeze of lemon juice

Smoked Paprika

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine. Sprinkle the smoked paprika over as a garnish.

For the eggplant

3 large eggplants

Sea salt

Olive oil

Smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to 150C
Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1 cm “steaks”. Lay the steaks out on a board and sprinkle with sea salt. Set aside for 1 hour. A lot of water will have extracted from the eggplant – pat the steaks over with a papper towel. Brush each steak with olive oil and season with pepper, paprika and a little more sea salt.

On a hot griddle or BBQ grill, cook each steak for around 7 minutes on each side. Line up the slices on a baking sheet and finish off in the oven for around 15 minutes.

Transfer to a plate and serve with the couscous and a good dollop of the yoghurt sauce.

Gateau au Chocolat Fondant de Nathalie

2013-03-29T20:05:00.000+11:00

Dear Chocolate,

I love you but we both know that you are no good for me. I made a conscious decision to limit your appearance in my cooking for this blog because of, you know, the effect you have on me.

You tease me with your alluring aroma and dark, handsome good looks - I am powerless when you are around.

And I must say, you do look very dapper at this time of the year with your brightly coloured foil and shaped into eggs...oh who am I kidding, you are wonderful any time - especially when you are at your darkest.

You always seem to be there when I am feeling down. You try to cheer me up, but after you have gone, all I have left is tight fitting jeans and a deep fear of the bathroom scales.

But you are back in my life and on this blog no less. I can't say I blame you, you needed to be here.

You are the star - this cake is and will always be a tribute to you.

I don't know who this Nathalie person is but I think that she might have once been in love with you too, to have this cake named after her. That's OK, I know you have had many lovers.

I'm glad you're here for this. Right now, I can't think of a better way to have you. I took you to a dinner party and shared you with everyone there - they loved you too, especially when I covered you with gold dust. The sheer richness and quality of you in this cake ensured that I only needed a slice and I was completely fine with that. I think I can handle you again in my life - maybe...

Gateau au Chocolat Fondant de Nathalie
Adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini which was adapted from a recipe by Trish Deseine.
200g 70% dark chocolate - the best quality you can afford, finely chopped
200g butter - the best quality you can afford, cubed
1 cup white sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon flour
Edible gold dust - optional

Pre-heat your oven to 190C and grease (with butter) a 20cm cake tin. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper and grease the baking paper.

In a bowl over a pot of simmering water (or in the microwave), melt the chocolate and the butter together, stirring to combine. Add the sugar and stir until combined. Set the mixture aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Add the eggs, one by one whisking each egg into the mixture before adding the next egg. Add the flour and stir in well to combine. You will have a runny batter. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for around 20 to 25 minutes (checking after 20 minutes) until the cake has a barely there wobble in the centre and is slightly cracked on top.

Leave the cake to cool in its tin for around 15 minutes before carefully removing the cake from the tin onto a rack to cool completely. The cake will sink, it's inevitable and completely normal.

This cake is best eaten the next day with nothing more than some softly whipped, unsweetened cream...and maybe a little edible gold dust painted on the top.

When Life Gives You Buddha's Hands

2013-03-22T00:50:00.003+11:00

The other day at work I decided that I needed to pick up some good habits in my life. One good habit that seemed attainable to me at that point in time was getting more vitamins into me via a fresh veggie juice.

The juice shop that I went to was filled with all sorts of beautiful fruit and veg on display, but something caught my eye - something out of the ordinary.

Today I bring you Buddha’s Hand Citrons. Whatever, right? No big deal? Wrong - I have been thinking about this gnarley looking fruit for a very long time. I have a Buddha's Hand tree growing out the back which is about a year and a half old now and probably another year or so away from bearing any fruit. I had to have them like I had to buy yet another pair of ballet flats on pay day.

The Buddha's Hands were not there for juicing, the owner of the shop had them dotted about for display purposes. Apparently they had been given to him by a friend who had a bumper crop in his garden. The owner was more than happy to sell them to me and before I knew it, I had my almost forgotten veggie juice and a bag of yellow hands in my possession.

According to Wikipedia, Buddha's Hands originate from North East India or China. They are used for anything from offerings in Buddhist temples to perfuming a room. They contain no flesh; just pith, and the pith is not bitter at all - so it is OK if it ends up in your cooking. The zest is amazingly fragrant, like blossoms and lemons together. The taste is as it smells - divine.

You might think they look a little bit freaky, but I think they look amazing - like sea creatures. To me, they look as if they have a personality!

I needed to stretch these guys out as far as I could. So I did three things with them to ensure that I would be in good supply of Buddha's Hands until the next time I cross paths with them.

Firstly, booze was on the cards. I zested two of my precious supply into a whole bottle of vodka to make Buddha's Hand liqueur or Buddhacello - if you will. I tried very hard not to let much pith slip in there because I want it to be as clear as possible. In a couple of months time I will add some simple syrup and let it rest again for a time until it is ready to be drunk over ice or slipped into cocktails. There was a fair bit of syrup left over from my next two recipes, so I think I will use that to further amplify the flavour.

Next up I decided to candy one of them by slicing it up into strips and boiling it in syrup. I left about two millimetres of pith on there - any more and I felt it might be a little spongy. I tossed the strips in some vanilla sugar and dried them over night. It took a lot of strength not to gobble the lot and currently, the jar is sitting at work where it is being picked over whenever someone passes by.

For the last two hands, I candied those as well. This time I diced the hands and preserved them in the syrup. These will be fantastic in cakes and other desserts.

I went out for veggie juice with good intentions and life gave me Buddha's Hands - now (because I have actually eaten it) I definitely cannot wait for my tree to start fruiting.

A tip when preparing Buddha's Hands: Dirt gets into the crevices of the "fingers" you will need to scrub the fruit thoroughly and then scrub the fingers as you cut into it.
Store any leftover syrup from the candied recipes in the fridge to make the Buddhacello - I have not included this in the recipe (just the ingredients to make simple syrup.

Buddha's Hand Liqueur or Buddhacello
recipe adapted from frangage.com
2 Buddha's Hand Citron - thoroughly scrubbed and removed of dirt
1 bottle (750ml)of vodka.
225g white sugar
435ml water

Using a vegetable peeler, remove all zest from the fruit and discard the pith.
In a large jar, add the zest and pour over the vodka.
Store for around 40 days, shaking when you remember.
Strain the vodka (discarding the zest) through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth into a jug.
Make a simple syrup by dissolving the sugar into the water over a medium heat - do not boil, leave to cool.
Add the syrup to the vodka slowly. Taste until you have the sweetness you like.
Pour the liqueur into clean, sterilised, sealable bottles.
Store for another month,(if you can)the longer you leave it the further the flavour will develop.
Serve icy cold over ice or add it to cocktails and desserts.

Candied Buddha's Hands
recipe adapted from David Lebovitz
You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe
1 Buddha's Hand Citron
400g sugar plus 1 cup of sugar for coating the strips
300ml water

Cut the hands into thin strips, about 3 mm in thickness - discard the rest of the pith
Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the strips of Buddha's Hand and boil for around 30 to 40 minutes or until the strips become translucent.
Drain and set aside.
In the same large saucepan, stir the sugar into the 300mls of water over a medium heat until dissolved.
Add the strips and attach the candy thermometer to the side of the pot.
Increase the heat and cook the strips until the temperature reaches 110C. This should take around 15 to 20 minutes.
Turn the heat off and let the strips sit in the syrup to cool. Strain the strips (reserving the syrup for other uses) and press out as much syrup as possible with the back of a spoon.
Toss the strips in the extra cup of sugar and spread them on a wire rack to dry out overnight. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Candied Buddha's Hands Preserved in Syrup
recipe adapted from David Lebovitz
2 Buddha's Hand Citron
600g sugar
500ml water

Dice the hands, about 3 mm in thickness - discard the rest of the pith
Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the cubes of Buddha's Hand and boil for around 30 to 40 minutes or until they become translucent.
Drain and set aside.
In the same large saucepan, stir the sugar into the 500mls of water over a medium heat until dissolved.
Add the cubes and attach the candy thermometer to the side of the pot.
Increase the heat and cook the cubes until the temperature reaches 110C. This should take around 15 to 20 minutes.
Turn the heat off and let the Buddha's Hand sit in the syrup to cool slightly.
Using a slotted spoon, spoon the cubes into sterilised jars and seal tightly.
Leave to cool before storing in a cool, dark cupboard.

Dutch Baby with Tea Poached Plums

2013-03-13T23:33:00.000+11:00

When you read as many food blogs as I do, certain recipes start to loop around and around in your mind. It can consume a person.
This recipe has been on permanent replay in my head for a good year now and when something is on replay in your head it is time to address it.
I can't believe I didn't address the issue of this Dutch Baby sooner!
My American readers are probably smiling and nodding as they read this because from what I have seen around the webs; this is a pretty popular dish in the U.S. of A. The recipe originated in Seattle in Manca's cafe and is derived from a German pancake recipe that had apples baked into the batter. The "Dutch" part of the name comes from German immigrants who were known as the "Pennsylvania Dutch".

History and origins aside - what we have here is essentially a great, giant pancake. This giant pancake does not require flipping and it puts on a show by puffing up and then deflating to form a wonderful, gaping crater to hold whatever you please. It's both light and chewy and has a crispy edge that will melt your heart.

Plums poached in black tea was the filling for me. I used a smoky Russian Caravan tea because I was curious to see what it would be like. To be honest with you, I wasn't overly confident with this choice as the smokiness worried me a little. Happily, it ended up creating a wonderful and complex depth of flavour when combined with the brown sugar and vanilla bean.

Have I planted the seed in your mind? Are you thinking about nothing else other than what else could you could place in the centre? Or are you thinking you might like to try the tea-poached plum option?

Now I want you to think about globbing a big scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream right in there.

Time to address it.

Dutch Baby with Tea Poached Plums
You will need a 25cm oven proof pan (cast iron works well) or cake tin

For the Dutch Baby
1/2 cup sugar
3 large room temperature eggs
2/3 cup milk at room temperature
2/3 plain flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
55g butter - cubed

For the Tea Poached Plums
3 teaspoons loose-leaf black tea of your choice - I used Russian Caravan for it's smokiness and it was beautiful.
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 vanilla pod
5 medium plums - skins intact and chopped into wedges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 220C - and put in your pan to heat.
Bring 250ml of water to the boil and add the tea leaves. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes then strain into a medium saucepan.
Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Add them to the tea along with the vanilla pod.
Add the sugar and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the plumbs and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the vanilla extract. Simmer for around 10 minutes or until the plums are tender. You can check this by carefully sliding the tip of a sharp knife into a slice of plum. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and sugar until light and pale. Whisk in the milk and then gradually mix in the flour and salt. Mix until no lumps remain.
Carefully remove the pan from the oven using oven mitts and add the butter to the pan to melt. Swirl the butter around to coat the bottom of the pan and then tip the remaining butter into the pancake batter and whisk to combine.
Pour the pancake batter into the pan and immediately put it back in the oven. Reduce the temperature to 200C and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

The pancake will be golden and puffed-up but after removing from the oven, it will sink quickly. Spoon the plums into the centre of the pancake and serve with vanilla bean ice-cream.

Peach and Lemon Verbena Lassi

2013-03-05T23:43:00.000+11:00

I feel like we are running out of time with peaches and I am experiencing a sense of desperation about them.

Is this normal? Am I crazy to feel like I need to buy every single peach that I walk past? Southern Hemisphere Readers: you understand, right?

I also feel desperate about the end of Daylight Savings and public transport in Sydney in peak hour on a rainy day – but that’s not for here.

I love autumn and all that it brings - but I am not blind to the fact that the colours of summer are starting to fade in the fruit shops and markets. I walk past a guy selling fruit in the C.B.D of Sydney every morning when I get off the bus - the peaches and nectarines are still there, but they have a look about them. It is as if they know that their time will be up soon.

Wow, how depressing. To remedy this, I have made you some lassi.

This traditional Indian yoghurt based drink has had a bit of a makeover (if you will) with the peaches that I cannot say "see ya later" to.

I also sweetened it with honey and thinned the thick yoghurt out with a little coconut water - only because I had some at hand. If it were slightly warmer weather, I would have blended it with some crushed ice instead of the coconut water...or just used regular old H20.

Adding lemon verbena to the mix elevates this to status: Special.
Lemon balm or even fresh mint with a little lemon zest would work here too.

This is a good way to get peaches into you fast – apart from (obviously) actually just eating the peach on its own.

Now comes to the part where I realise that I am silly to be so desperate about peaches leaving us so soon and I should look towards autumn with fresh eyes and apples in my heart.

Bah! No.

I am still in peach mode – I‘ll get to autumn in a couple of weeks.

Peach and Lemon Verbena Lassi
Serves 2
2 ripe peaches, stones removed, chopped
300ml Greek Style Yoghurt
Approx 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon verbena leaves - substitute: mint, lemon balm or lemon zest.
1 tablespoon honey
Coconut water - substitute: milk, crushed ice or water for thinning.

Add peaches, lemon verbena, yoghurt and honey to a blender and blend until smooth and incorporated. Add a splash of coconut water to thin to your liking.
Serve cold.

48 Hours in Orange - Part One

2013-03-01T12:48:00.001+11:00

I have mentioned Orange before in past posts and if you are a regular reader, you will know about my strong ties to this place. I grew up in Sydney, but my Mum’s side of the family comes from here. This meant that most school holidays were spent here either visiting my Nana or my cousins who lived on a property just out of town. One of my cousins Ed (who regularly comments here) now hails from a town called Mudgee which is around two hours away. We were overdue for a catch up and wanted to have a bit of a food adventure and check out the local scenery. This is a very different place to the one I remember growing up. The Orange of my childhood was just a place we went to see family and maybe get some swimming lessons. It did not involve fancy coffee or vineyard hopping … and it certainly did not involve bacon or almond croissants.

Ed and I had a similar adventure last year, but it was just after Easter and many places were closed. This time we were prepared. The only downer to the weekend is that we did not get any time for vineyard hopping, only eating. This OK, it just gives us another excuse for another adventure!

This post is also in two parts – mainly because we crammed so much in and showing you all in one giant post would be overkill.

I hope you enjoy part one of Anna and Ed’s 48 hours in Orange!

First things first.

Byng St Local Store was Ed’s suggestion and this was the moment that I looked over to her with pride and decided that she was now tour leader. She always picks the best places to go.

The coffee here is Allpress – bingo, guys. Orange has a couple of local roasters that supply many of the coffee establishments around town. Bills Beans is extremely popular with the locals and I haven’t had a chance to try Fish River Roasters but I hear that it is beautiful.

Ed didn't want to be photographed staring wistfully into the distance with my coffee beside her – so instead the photo above is comprised of a macchiato... and Ed’s abandoned handbag.

The atmosphere here was so relaxing that we decided to stick around for lunch. I got a ficelle with Parma ham and Manchego - my interest was piqued by the Parma ham, but I purchased because I wanted to know what exactly a ficelle was. Turns out (as you can see) that it is like a baguette only flatter and thinner.

Ed's lunch in the background was a Byng St BLT and mayo. Both were super fresh and tasty - and the fact that our lunches contained ham and bacon respectively only made us more eager to get to our next destination...

Trunkey Bacon and Pork.

This place is like getting into a secret club or trendy inner city small bar - you need to know what to look for. We found this place by accident last year when we went to the butcher next door to buy some Trunkey Creek streaky bacon. This bacon is the bomb and if you live in Sydney, you can find it at a few farmers markets. Here is what you do if you are achin’ for some bacon in Orange:

Go into the butchers shop and ask the butcher for Trunkey Creek bacon.
Watch for the all-important signal (a thumb jerked to the right) and the password: (“next door”).
Give the butcher an awkward, apologetic look because you are after bacon and not the beautiful steak etc he has on offer and;
Walk outside and look for a silver door with grating on it.
There will be a small tell-tale sign as shown above.
Don’t be afraid to open the door and walk down the corridor that smells like heaven.
There, at the end lies the answer to all your cured porcine needs.

There to greet us at Trunkey Pork and Bacon were Zanzie D'Souza and her mum Raewyn Mitchell as well as a bunch of friendly butchers. These ladies know their stuff, and are more than happy to stop for a chat - even though they were super busy packing up their wares for the markets in Sydney the next day. They told us that Saturday is the best time to visit as this is when all the action happens and they often have groups through to learn about the process of smoking and curing. Zanzie was such a sport and did have a few sides of bacon smoking away to show us that day….for you to ogle. You’re welcome.

I originally intended to just pick up some of my beloved streaky bacon, but then they went and showed us other beautiful products like chorizo and salami… and how could we say no? So, with the back seat of the car now piled with cured pork, it was time to bust a move.

Next stop was Cook Park.

I love this park – every direction that I pointed my camera I saw greenery and beauty. There is a sunken rose garden, a fernery and a huge duck pond. There is also a sweet little shop selling crafts as well as jams and slices made that day. You can’t not visit here, even if it is just to sit and have a piece of slice while watching the ducks waddle past.

If Orange were ever to be invaded, they need never fear - for they have their very own army stationed in Cook Park...

Orange is home to a few beautiful and award winning restaurants. Racine, located at La Collene Vinyard, is probably one of the most well-known. I sadly have never had the chance to eat here (hoping to rectify this in the near future) but we could not miss out on visiting the new bakery that they have in town. The sourdough here would rival anything Sydney has to offer – truth.

It was a little awkward taking photos in there due to the line of people and the staff being slightly wary of me wielding my camera:

Staff: “are you a journalist?” Me: “Er, no, but I have this blog…”

Ah, it was awkward but they were very friendly.

Ed was conveniently absent during this exchange.

I wish I could have tried those peach tarts...just look at them! Instead we got an almond croissant - and it was probably one of the best I have ever had. Seriously, I am not just saying this.

I bought the organic rye sourdough - loved it. Loved every crumb of it. We used it for sausage sandwiches with homemade tomato relish. Amen.

Ok that's enough for now. Ill be posting a recipe next but stay tuned for more delicious escapades soon after.

Sticky Roasted Figs on Goats Cheese Bruschetta

2013-02-19T23:02:00.001+11:00

Look, figs!

This is my way of apologising to you (person who has stuck around in my absence) and to The Littlest Anchovy: my little home on the web, my inspiration and my neglected offspring (of sorts).

Amongst other things, I recently started studying at night. The last time I was a student (apart from a semester of basic Spanish six years ago) we were all freaking out about technology turning on us and Cher taught us to believe in life after love with her innovative voice manipulating skills. The Blair Witch Project was (and remains) the scariest movie I have ever seen and I was drinking Midori with lemonade - I also thought Gin tasted like poison.

If I haven’t painted a vivid enough picture, let’s just say that it was a long time ago.

I have had some teething problems trying to fit everything together in my life. I was somewhat prepared for it but I was not ready for the fear of losing something dear to me by not visiting here as often as I would like.

To that end, I have brought you some figs that I manipulated like Cher’s voice in that 1999 anthem that I loved back in the day.

Like Cher’s voice in the song, the flavours twist and turn but there is no mistaking that they are a celebration of the original.

I am dead-set certain that these figs would not have come to be if it were not for The Littlest Anchovy.

If I had never started this blog, I would not have developed the intuition to know that resting sliced figs on a bed of rosemary and thyme before cooking them would ensure that the flavour of the herbs would softly infuse the figs.

I would never have had the inclination to generously drizzle them with honey and balsamic vinegar and gently roast them until they were caramelised yet still held their shape. I would never have thought of figs as something that could be savoury and can be at home on a cheese board or rested upon goat’s cheese and toasted baguette.

And I absolutely would never have volunteered to make something for a friend’s cocktail party – which is where these figs were devoured.

The Littlest Anchovy has developed my intuition in the kitchen and in other areas of my life; it has given me confidence and an arsenal of go-to recipes. In a roundabout way, it has inspired me to better myself by going back to study something that I have wanted to do in a long time.

So I am prepared to juggle – I might drop the ball now and then but I promise that I will never be far away - and I will never mention Midori and Lemonade again.

But there will be Gin.

Sticky Roasted Figs on Goats Cheese Bruschetta

These figs are also perfect paired with a blue or goats cheese as part of a cheese board.

Makes 32 pieces of bruschetta

8 large, ripe figs quartered lengthwise.

1 bunch rosemary

1 bunch thyme

Balsamic vinegar

Honey of your choice

1 log of goats cheese

1.5 baguettes cut into rounds about 1cm thick.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Truffle salt or sea salt - optional

Preheat oven to 150C

Layer the rosemary and thyme over the base of a large baking tray. Place the figs, cut side up onto the herbs in once layer.

Drizzle the honey and balsamic vinegar over the figs – do not drench the figs.

Bake for around an hour before transferring the figs to a plate and bringing them to room temperature. Make sure you spoon some of the syrup that has collected under the herbs over the figs!

Toast the bread lightly on both sides and spread about a teaspoon of goat’s cheese on each piece. Top each bruschetta with a fig and top the figs with a few droplets of extra virgin olive oil and a small pinch of salt.

Pasta with Bread Crumbs and Anchovies

2013-02-06T23:37:00.000+11:00

So check it out everyone - I made pasta from scratch.

As I mentioned here I received a pasta maker for Christmas from my lovely sister-in-law.

Here is what went through my head on Christmas day when I opened my gift:

Ooh a pasta maker!
Carbs.
This is going to be hard.
I am not supposed to be eating pasta after the 1^st of January…
I can make ravioli!
I think this might be a little out of my skill range…
I like pasta.
Squid ink linguine!
Carbs.
Ooh it's so shiny!
Maybe I can have pasta only on the weekends and on public holidays and my birthday and birthdays of friends and family…
It would be simply rude not to use it!

It turns out that I was wrong about three and six – it’s easy as pie. All you need is flour and eggs. Bonus: it’s actually quite fun. If you needed to find a rainy day activity with kids, I think that pasta making would be a great idea.

I don’t think you need a pasta maker to enjoy home made pasta, but you would need a rolling pin, patience and a lot of elbow grease. Italian Nonnas for centuries can probably attest to this.

I made my pasta the Jamie Oliver way. He gives incredibly comprehensive instructions, which I followed to the letter. Read all about it here.

The dish that resulted from my efforts comes from the winner of a giveaway that I held a couple of weeks ago, where I asked my readers to suggest a dish incorporating a jar of truffled anchovies kindly given to me by Tania from My Kitchen Stories via Lario International as the prize. Bel from ”Ooh Look!” suggested a simple dish of pasta with anchovies and bread crumbs. I sincerely wanted to make every suggestion from the giveaway, but I felt that Bel’s dish would be the perfect way to highlight the anchovies and give the new pasta maker a whirl - win-win.

Cripes, this is good - so unabashedly simple and packed with amazing flavours. I made the breadcrumbs from scratch with day old sourdough and herbs from the garden – I felt this dish deserved home made bread crumbs, just as I felt that the truffled anchovies deserved fresh pasta. I think that you owe it to yourself to use the best of what you can find (or afford) when making a dish like this.

I am looking forward to trying out different types and flavours of pasta such as gluten free, buckwheat, squid ink or spinach. And it’s all good, as long as I only make it on the weekends and on public holidays and my birthday and birthdays of friends and family…

That’s not cheating…right?

Pasta with Bread Crumbs and Anchovies
adapted from The New York Times
For The Pasta
200g 00 Grade Flour
2 large free range eggs
A good rule of thumb: 100g of flour to 1 egg per person.

As previously mentioned, I used Jamie Oliver's method in creating the raw, home made pasta. Here is the link.
I cut my pasta sheets into fettuccine because that is what I love the most.

For The Bread Crumbs(approximate measurements)
About half a loaf of day-old sour dough bread - which will make about 1.5 cups of crumbs.
1/4 cup olive oil
sprig of rosemary
sprig of thyme

Blend the bread(crust and all)along with all the other ingredients in a food processor until you have a fine, yet rustic crumb.
Heat a fry-pan over a medium heat and add the crumbs. Continuously stir until crispy and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel until needed.

And The Rest
3 tablespoons olive oil
Approximately 8 Anchovies (truffled or otherwise), chopped
A bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil a large pot of salted water and add the pasta. For home made, it will take about 4 minutes until al dente. For dried paste, cook according to the packet instructions.
While this is happening:
Heat the oil in a fry-pan and cook the garlic over a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the anchovies and mash with the back of a spoon. Turn the heat off and rest until your pasta has cooked.
Scoop out about 1/4 of a cup of pasta water and add it to the pan with the garlic and anchovies. Turn the heat on low to reheat.
Drain your pasta and toss it through the anchovy/garlic oil. Toss through the chopped parsley and 1 cup of the breadcrumbs.
Serve topped with rest of breadcrumbs divided between the bowls and a little extra chopped parsley.

Yellow Curry Mussels

2013-01-29T17:05:00.000+11:00

My first order of business: I didn't make a "My Week That Was" post this week because, well, I was disorganised. However, I will announce the winner of the truffled anchovies right here, right now. And the lucky person is Bel from "Ooh,Look!" Bel suggested that I serve them with pasta, breadcrumbs and Parmesan, and because I love these ingredients (and because I received a pasta maker for Christmas), I just had to go with her suggestion. So you will likely see a post next week where I have all sorts of wacky hijinks making homemade pasta for the first time.

Bel, please send me an email with your address and I will express post the anchovies to you this week - congratulations!

The second order of business: I made some yellow curry paste. Out of red, green or yellow curry - yellow wins, second is red. I don't care much for green - but I'll eat it if it is served to me just in case you were wondering.

The reason why yellow is my favourite is the turmeric that is so prevalent in a yellow curry. It is what gives the curry its colour and a warm, earthy flavour. I used both fresh (which turned my fingers a delightful, artificial shade of buttercup - making it look as if I had been munching on cheese and bacon balls all day) and powdered turmeric (which might not be necessary, but I did it anyway), and the curry was all the yellower for it.

Third order of business: I used that curry paste to make a sauce for some mussels. I am always into mussels. They are the easiest and fastest seafood to prepare and yet they make me feel as if I am eating something very special - which to me, I am. All you need to do is ditch any that have opened before cooking them and ditch any that have not opened after cooking. This advice will ensure that you don't eat a bad one and will go on to have many years loving these little guys. Oh! If you get them home and they have fibrous, gnarly tendrils attached to the shell (called the beard) they should come off fairly easily, just twist them off and throw them away - you don't want to have that travelling down your throat.

Fourth item on the agenda is my new curry tree! Isn't he a beauty? I think we are going to be very happy together.

I used two branches of leaves from him in this curry. If you can get your hands on curry leaves, you will notice the difference that they make. Of course, they are not always easy to find - so it is optional in the recipe. I just really wanted you to meet him.

I think I have covered everything on the agenda this week. And with no further business to discuss I call this meeting adjourned. Next Actions are outlined below.

Yellow Curry Mussels
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of yellow curry paste - please see picture above for recipe
Approximately 20 fresh curry leaves - optional
270ml light coconut milk
white pepper and salt to taste
1 bunch of choy sum or any leafy Asian greens chopped to a manageable size

Heat the oil in a deep pot over a medium heat and and add the curry leaves. Mix and fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the yellow curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 7 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil for a couple of minutes. Season at will.
Add the choy sum and stir, about 2 minutes.
Add the mussels and place the lid on the pot. Shake the pot a little and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Check the mussels and if they are not all yet open give them another minute.
Take the pot off the heat, discard any unopened mussels and serve with or without rice but with the greens and lots of sauce.

Two Things With Sour Cherries

2013-01-25T14:58:00.000+11:00

These cherries come with a back-story and it all started (for me) with a post about a cake on JJ’s blog at 84^th and 3^rd - this post took my breath away.

The cake in and of itself is the sort of cake you would make for guests coming over for afternoon tea. However, then you would sneak sliver after sliver for yourself before your guests arrive only to be left, shamefully and apologetically, with only half a cake. You wouldn't be able to serve this cake to your guests (for fear that your little secret might be revealed) so you end up serving them Tim Tams on a plate, with the other half of the cake safely squirreled away to be consumed Nigella style from the fridge as a midnight snack…

The key ingredient in this cake that made my eyes grow wide and my heart skip a beat were sour cherries - tiny, tart and almost cartoon-like in appearance. The week before, I had been in Orange and had visited two separate farm gates in a vain attempt to find these cherries but had no luck. You see, I wanted to make homemade maraschino cherries.

My friend and I were talking about making homemade maraschinos before Christmas and we both set about making them with the large, black cherries so gloriously abundant around that time of the year – but you should really make them with their sour cousins. The problem there is that they are so dang rare! The ones I made with the black cherries are good (great even) but they are not the same and I will probably end up eating them from the jar– solid-cocktail-meal-style.

JJ had managed to find her sour cherries via a tweet from Katie at The Farm Gate by Nashdale Fruit Co. They were selling sour Morelos at the Orange Grove Farmers Markets here in Sydney.

I was too late to jump on this but upon closer inspection I found out that The Farm Gate is located literally down the road from where my parents live in Orange. By stroke of luck, they were selling some of their last morellos of the season at the Orange (not Orange Grove) Farmers Market that weekend. After careful orchestration and a timely visit to Sydney from my parents, I had 500 grams of morellos in my hot little hands! "Operation Sour Cherry" was a success thanks to JJ, Katie and my legend of a Mum who always brings the best produce to Sydney.

So I made my maraschinos and successfully removed the pips (using a paper-clip while keeping the stems intact in half of my haul. However, one can tire from the delicate task of removing stones with a paper-clip you get to a point where you just want to squeeze the life out of them and make some jam.

I made the jam using jam setting sugar because there was no room for error. If I mess around with natural pectins in lemons or whatever, things could go awry and then where would I be? Without my sour cherries, that’s where.

No, there are times for short cuts and this is one of them. My handy-dandy sugar thermometer also made for a stress-free jamming situation. The sour cherries were deserving of a fresh vanilla bean.

I slathered it on some pumpernickel with cream cheese for a snack: you must try this with any cherry jam you can get your hands on – it’s the business.

I can also imagine myself glazing a Christmas ham with it but I doubt that it will last that long.

Like I said, "Operation Sour Cherry" was a success. Nevertheless, I would not want to repeat that next season. Next season I will be armed and ready with paper-clip in hand.

Sour Cherry and Vanilla Bean Jam

Adapted from Delicious Days

500g Morello cherries (sour cherries)

500g Jam Setting Sugar

1 Vanilla Bean

Wash and pit your cherries and add them to a large, heavy based pot. Put a small plate in the freezer (we'll get to this later).

Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Add the seeds to the pot along with the pod and the sugar.

Bring to the boil and boil for around 5 minutes

Take the plate out of the freezer and drop a small amount of jam onto the plate. Wait around 10 seconds and then gently run your finger through the jam (on the plate) - if it wrinkles then it is ready.

Another way to tell is to use a candy thermometer. Once the temperature reaches the "jam setting stage" it should be ready.

Carefully (CAREFULLY!) ladle the jam into sterilised jars, use a cloth to attach the lid and leave to cool. Label your jars and store in a cool, dark place.

Homemade Maraschino Cherries

Adapted from Katherine Martinelli
1 cup sour cherries, washed
1 cup cherry liqueur - Luxardo is recommended - 1:1
1/4 cup of sugar for every cup of liqueur and cherries

Pit the cherries by inserting a sterilised metal skewer (or paper clip, as I used) just beside the stem. Gently push the skewer through until you feel the stone. Keep gently pushing on the stone until it pops out the bottom. You should have the stem intact and little damage to the bottom of the cherry.
Trim the brown, nubbly ends off the stems and set aside.
Heat the liqueur and the sugar in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Do not bring to the boil.
Add the cherries and stir them around in the syrup for a couple of minutes.
Ladle the cherries into a jar and pour over the syrup and seal tightly.
Leave to cool.
Store in the fridge

My Week That Was: Week 3

2013-01-21T10:58:00.001+11:00

This week I may have found my new favourite place to go in the Sydney CBD. It's called Le Pub and it serves up Parisian, bistro-style meals that are just gorgeous. I don't think I have a cross word to say about this place. I went there with my pal for lunch and we shared a couple of plates - this confit of duck leg was my favourite and those dehydrated mandarin segments were perfect with the rich, silky duck. They have an impressive wine selection and I didn't feel guilty at all about drinking a glass of the Cruse Blanc de Blanc on a Monday at lunch...I'll be back.

I went off to Bowral with The Bearded Gamers family for a wedding. Bowral is such a beautiful place and on this occasion, everything was misty, still and green. It was the day after (yet another) epically hot day in Sydney so the change was definitely welcome.

I was sorting out some of my cutlery that I use for props in my recipe posts. I like the way everything just fell when I dumped them in my pie dish...

Been jammin!
This is for my next post. I had this song in my head as I made it...

My blogging friend Tania from My Kitchen Stories sent me some truffled anchovies on behalf of Italian food and wine importers Lario International!
I can and will eat anchovies right out of the jar - but the fact that they are marinated in black truffle oil...well, things have been taken to a whole, new level.

Tania was so generous that she sent me one extra jar to give to one of my lucky readers! All you have to do is leave an idea for what I should cook with my truffled anchovies in the comments*. I will choose my favourite recipe/idea to cook and post it here on The Littlest Anchovy in two weeks time. The lucky recipient will be announced on my next "My Week That Was.." next week.

* Sorry guys, this giveaway is only open to residents of Australia.

And that was my week that was!

Peach and Ginger Pie

2013-01-16T17:16:00.003+11:00

I’m really proud of this pie.

It has been something I have wanted to make for a very long time and it really tested my skills in the pastry-making department.

Making pastry is not something I felt entirely comfortable with in the past; it stressed me out and generally made me feel unhappy. You see, I am the owner of consistently warm hands. If you want to hold hands with me on a chilly day, I am sure it would be fine (just, you know, ask me first) if you are so inclined.

However if you want me to make pastry for you – well, things get a little more complicated. These hands melt butter quickly and because I don’t own a large enough food processor (just a hand held attachment) to be able to make it in there my only option is to make it by hand.

My friend (who can whip up flaky shortcrust pastry by hand in a matter of minutes) uses a pastry blender to cut the butter through the flour and thus never needing to touch it. I got myself one of those do-hickeys when I was in America last year and I think it may be one of the best kitchen tools I own right now - pastry making wise.

I had a little help from Maggie Beer too. Her sour cream shortcrust recipe is awesome. Three ingredients: butter, flour and sour cream makes for extra flakiness. This is now my go-to shortcrust recipe.

When I was in Orange a couple of weeks ago, I made a little pilgrimage to Hillside Orchard where my family buys their seasonal fruit. I love to buy apples there in autumn but this particular visit had me walking out with a bag of lovely, fragrant peaches and the promise of pie dancing around in my head.

There is rum* in there and for me it is there purely for the fragrance. Peaches and rum are one of those wonderful scents that just belong together - like vanilla and pear, or tomato and basil. Introducing ginger to the pair was an experiment that went very, very well. It harmonises with the peaches and rum in the fragrance department and then provides background warmth behind the delicately sweet peaches. My mouth is watering just writing about this combination.

So what have I learnt?

I learnt that I am no longer afraid of pastry and I do not need a food processor to make said pastry. I have also learnt that there are many paths to happiness, and if you take peaches, ginger and rum with you for the ride, you are sure to have a wonderful journey.

*I purposely left rum out of the title for this recipe because although it is recommended - it is, of course, optional.

Peach and Ginger Pie

pastry via Maggie Beer

Influenced by Smitten Kitchen

I used a 25cm metal pie dish

For the Pastry:

I made my pastry using Maggie Beers sour cream shortcrust pastry recipe – but I don’t have a large enough food processor so I used a hand held pastry blender (like this) to incorporate the butter. I also divided the mixture into two discs before refrigerating.

For The Filling:

6 Large yellow peaches (Approximately 1kg)

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 “thumb sized” piece of fresh ginger, minced

Approx 2 tablespoons of dark rum – optional

1 tablespoon of corn flour

Method:

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and have a bowl of icy water ready. Cut a small X in the base of each peach.
Plunge the peaches into the boiling water for a about 30 seconds and then remove them with a slotted spoon and place them directly into the ice bath.
The skin should have loosened enough for you to peel it off easily.
Slice the peaches down the middle and remove the stone, then slice into wedges.
In a bowl, toss the peach slices with the ginger, sugar, corn flour and rum (if you are so inclined) and set aside for about an hour to marinate. The sugar and corn flour will create a sauce and the ginger and rum will become one with the peaches.
On a clean, floured surface, roll your pastry out into a disc about 5 mm in thickness and about 30 cm in diameter.
Fold the disc into quarters and place it in your pie dish with the folded corner facing the centre.
Unfold the disc so that it fits within your pie dish and there is a few cm of overhang.
Pre-heat the oven to 200C (fan forced)
Roll the other disc out to the same size and thickness as the base and slice into approximately 2.5 cm strips.
Spoon your peach filling into the base. There will be quite a bit of sauce left, you do not need to use all of this.
Place every second strip of pastry over the filling going in one direction and then place every other strip over that in the other direction.
Here is a good guide to assist you with creating a lattice effect.
Brush the top of the pastry with milk or a lightly beaten egg.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling.

Serve hot or cold with vanilla ice cream, cream or on its own.