HomeMadeS

The Imperfections of Black Forest Cake

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:22:00 +0000

This is a sudden crave. I must eat a slice of black forest cake.

To be honest, I have made chocolate cake perhaps hundred times but never ever occur to me to make it black forest. It is so classic that you can see almost in any bakery this cake is sitting gracefully on the counter. So popular that I want to have it on my plate.

The thing is, I don't have cherries. Cherries are Black Forest's best friend. Without cherries, black forest won't be a black forest.

Our cherry trees in the orchard is almost naked with yellow leaves fallen down, piled to make compost for their own food supply, and there is not a single fruit up there, no matter how much I want it. It's early winter here in New Zealand and there is no way I am going to buy $20/kg imported fresh cherries. Besides, I support local produce. I also forgot to buy Morello cherries on our groceries store last week, so well, black forest without cherries? There is the imperfection number one.

OK. How about Maraschino cherries? This has been on my list for such a long time. But, you know what? I can't find it anywhere at the supermarkets, health food stores, and bulk food stores, everywhere. I give up. I don't think that horrible taste of glace cherries will do the topping. So, black forest without maraschino cherries on top? There is the imperfection number two.

Well. Now the search for chocolate cake. I want it something gluten-free. Yes, I can use my own favourite recipe, but I want something different. Something that I have never done before. I browse around. And found the Black Forest Cake on Taste, Australian online magazine website.

Reading the recipe, I must admit that some ingredients I have to omit because of the unavailability. What is Nuttelex? Is it some kind of baby Nuttela? And I don't have baby cereal. Our baby doesn't eat cereal, as she prefers fresh fruit and yogurt or rice pudding instead of a box of cereal (I don't like feeding my baby out of mass produce baby food that comes out of a packet or a jar anyway--I'd rather cook). So I increase the use of almond meal.

I also don't have gluten-free self-rising flour, so I just use gluten-free mix and add a teaspoon of baking powder and half teaspoon of baking soda.

And I begin the adventure.

The cake comes out fine. Rather thinner than I thought. My head is full with speculations that I'd rather split it into two rather than three, because I might have really really thin layers; too thin they will break. But I determine I will split the cake into three thin layers, so I did. And there is the imperfection number three. The layers break as I predicted. The cake is so fragile as well as so moist. Split it to two layers might have been better. But well, there's no time to weep, can't glue the cake back, the show must go on, the crave is still on.

I whip the thick cream with a little icing sugar, spread in between three broken layers, mending as I go along, sort of. I have made the chocolate shards the night before, to decorate the sides of the cake, so what I do is just to get it out of the fridge and unfold it, just follow Donna's instruction on Donna Hay iPad app on back Birthday Issue (can't get the link--sorry). I ran out of the cream, not enough to cover the whole cake, so this is the imperfection number four.

Looking into the pantry, searching for dark chocolate, I find myself disappointed. I had used all my 72% dark chocolate for the side garnish the other night, nothing left for making ganache (to replace the whipped cream). So, OK. I'll use whatever I have. Milk chocolate is my second last to list, and now I beg its mercy.

With whatever leftover whipped cream I have, I melt the milk chocolate along in a double boiler. What did I get than a curdle mixture that started to expose the oil. I removed it out of the stove, beating like mad. The mixture stays curdled. I ran to the fridge and found a little more fresh cream in its bottle. I heat that and pour the hot cream a little at a time into the curdled chocolate. Do you know what comes next?

I just couldn't believe myself, that the mixture is getting smoother and smoother to the right consistency that I expect it should be. I was on top of the moon, in fact, I was going to Saturn!

To finish the cake, I strip off Ferrero Rocher's golden dress to reveal its nutty ball and put it on piped swirled leftover whipped cream. My dream cake is done.

I enjoy every bite. The layers are so moist, so chocolaty, enriched by slightly sweetened cream chantilly that goes well together, so soft that I could just use my tongue to melt it into a creaminess goods for my tummy to digest. Milk chocolate ganache which is another element for me to get worried about before is there actually to complement the dark chocolate that spiked around the edges of the cake and crumbled on top of it.

I love this imperfect black forest cake.

I'm sending this cake for Sweet New Zealand, originated by Alessandra Zecchini. Jemma of Time for A Little Something is hosting this month.

On the Sweet Side

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I was woken up, in the middle of the night, craving on something sweet. I remember I had baked another batch of Butterscotch cupcakes and had also keep the caramel sauce in the fridge. Just need to warm up the sauce, and I'll be good.

I have used Donna Hay's Butterscotch Cupcakes for years, and this time I made the gluten-free version one. I didn't really measure all the ingredients precisely, though, so no need to ask me the recipe. I just did what I did as I went along. If you are not gluten intolerance, you can use the original recipe, link provided up there.

I am sending these cupcakes to Frances of Bake Club who is hosting Sweet New Zealand this month.

Just to add a touch, here is an array of blue sky portraits we have been getting lately. This is what our previous Summer should have been!

Have a great week!

Cezanne's Secret Admire Here IV

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 05:48:00 +0000

A recap of my 366 project on moody light food photography and still life, using iPad2 camera and various applications available on the iTunes.

Torta Pasqualina

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:39:00 +0000

Phew! March is almost gone, and I am so behind everything I plan and do. My new food photography book manuscripts collaborated with my three colleagues haven't been completed yet and I am so slack on writing for it these days, let alone blogging! But, I have to do this one, as it is my form of commitment to the club and to the girls, since I am the chairman. I don't know if I am allowed to resign ever?

We are baking Torta Pasqualina for KBB#28 challenge, this month hosted by Emma, one of my moderators of the club's mailing list and Amy.

I have no trouble with all the ingredients required, but have to make ricotta cheese myself. I haven't got any in the fridge on the day I want to bake it. So yeah. It's an easy deal.

We have a good crops of silverbeet in the garden. They grow wildly this year. We just let the other year's silverbeet go seeding, and this is what we have got: silverbeet anywhere! But since we love it, we don't mind.

I love the texture of the silverbeet in any dish, but I have gone beyond sauteed them in butter and garlic or eaten as pie filling. I made curry out of silverbeet, just because I miss my mother's cooking, to substitute it for cassava leaves.

Eaten with boiled rice cakes, the silverbeet and prawn curry is delicious!

In the recipe of torta pasqualina, we use silverbeet as the filling, together with eggs as to symbolize Easter itself. I have searched the internet about torta pasqualina. Some traditional pie pastry is made of simply flour, olive oil and salt, but some have used puff pastry or add eggs in the recipe for the dough.

I thought the dough without any emulsifier won't be as soft as those Italian pastry for tortellini. However, I give it a go.

Dough

Have ready 600g flour, put it in the bowl with a pinch of salt and make a well in the centre and add in 6 Tbs olive oil. Mix well and pour in cold water just to give a nice soft dough. Knead it for 10 minutes until pliable and glossy. Divide into 14 balls, let rest for an hour. I found that it is important to leave the dough a rest as to let the gluten to relax and make it softer.

Meanwhile make the filling. We will need 1kg of silverbeet, wash, and dry. Cook it in the salted water until it just wilted and retain its colour. I have ready a bowl of iced water and plunge these silverbeet in there to stop it from cooking. Drained, squeezed gently and chopped. Mix it well with 400g ricotta cheese, 50g grated Parmesan, herbs (marjoram and parsley, 2 tsps each), minced garlic and two whole eggs, and salt and pepper to season.

Prepare a 22cm round cake tin, oiled.

Now, we are going to work on making the pie pastry, with 7 rolled dough balls on top and 7 more to go on top. Take one ball, flatten it, and roll out as thinly as possible. Later result had taught me to roll it as thin as a paper, but holy ghost, it is hard to achieve, unless I use my pastry machine--which I didn't bother. Put the rolled pastry on the oiled cake tin, let it overhang the cake tin rim. Oil the rolled dough.

Proceed with the rest of the 6 other dough balls until the sides and bottom of cake tin is all covered by rolled pastry.

Place the filling to cover the bottom pastry. Make 8 indentations to put the eggs. Crack an egg at a time to fill each indentation, season each egg with salt and peper--I sprinkled smoked celery salt on each egg as well. Sprinkle the whole filling with 50g grated Parmesan.

Topped with 7 remain rolled dough. Decorate as you wish.

My torta was too thick on the top and it goes really hard after baked. It's quite crispy which my children didn't mind to peel and eaten it as a 'dough crackers'.

The filling tastes so-so. I quite like to sautee chopped brown onion and garlic in butter before adding to the filling mixture, that will bring the filling a little bit more shout out. Just my two cents.

We had the torta with my homemade smoked paprika plum sauce.

Review:

Fillingnya sih ok, tapi keras kulitnya, apalagi bagian atas karena ditumpuk2 gitu. Sayang sih kalo musti buang2 adonan. Lain kali aku pakai phyllo atau puff pastry aja nih bikin torta ini.

Sweet NZ: Chocolate Truffle Mud Cake

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:46:00 +0000

This is my entry for Sweet New Zealand, currently hosted by Emma of My Darling Lemon Thyme.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Truffle Mud Cake

This cake was developed along the way. I thought it would be nice to give the cake an extra texture and melting sensation of homemade chocolate truffles.

250g dark chocolate, chopped

1 cup hot water (2 Tbs of it mixed with 2 Tbs instant coffee)

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk

2 cups of Gluten-Free Baking Mix, sifted with

1 1/4 tsps baking powder

1 3/4 tsps baking soda

1/4 cup Valrhona cocoa powder

1 cup caster sugar

7 chocolate truffles, either homemade or store-bought

Preheat the oven to 180C. Prepare a 20-22cm round cake tin, greased and lined with baking paper.

Melt chopped chocolate, hot water, and coffee in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring. Remove from the stove when the chocolate is already melted. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and glossy. Let it rest to room temperature.

Whisk in eggs and egg yolk in the chocolate mixture, and then buttermilk. Pour this into the sifted dry ingredients gradually, and mix well to combine.

Pour the batter into the cake tin. Arrange the chocolate truffles on the batter, press a little bit. (Now, what I notice is that this way will make your cake look like sunken, so I would suggest you pour 3/4 of the chocolate mixture, drop the truffles and then cover with the rest of the mixture; that way you will have the truffles melting inside and perhaps have a little peek on the surface that would tempt you and your loved ones--just an idea!).

Bake until cooked through, for about 45-55 minutes. I like the cake is still moist and heavy with slightly undercooked mixture although it is not runny. With the extra addition of chocolate truffles in the batter will give the cake an extra moistness and melting sensations. Beware, this could be addictive!

Cezanne's Secret Admirer Here III

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:04:00 +0000

Just to update my latest 365 project (actually it is 366 this year) on February, from 3rd-29th. All taken with iPad2 camera, and edited on several applications on the very device. Here they are:

Lontong Opor Ayam

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 23:54:00 +0000

This is the third year I haven't been back visit my home country, Indonesia. I miss my mother and... food! The authentic food with lots of fresh spices and which are cooked with love.

Feeling mellow really does not help when you have heaps of things going on and need to be taken care of. Cooking the dish I love is the only medicine to cure homesickness, according to me.

The people at Natural Cooking Club is hosting Lontong Week, a one-off event to promote, mostly, Indonesian food. This time is the right time for cooking and devouring Lontong. This is the right moment for me to kill this nuisance feeling. I give it a go.

Lontong is an Indonesian traditional rice cake which is wrapped in banana leaves and boiled until thoroughly cooked. The finish result is awesome, scented with earthly banana leaves which the greenness resided on the outer layer of cakes.

However, some substitution are made in the recent years, due to the lack of banana leaves found in the traditional markets. If Indonesians can't find banana leaves in their tropical country, how can I? Well, yeah. I haven't found any banana leaves, either fresh or frozen. So I am using grape leaves, freshly picked from our orchard.

Lontong is often served on many occasions, whether it is special gatherings or just a small talk between peers--while you order chicken satay at night with a couple of good friends, perhaps. Yes, Indonesian loves lontong.

Since Indonesia has thousands of islands, lontong is made and served differently. With special musings and morsels in each island, there is always new thing to discover and try. This is what makes me homesick usually.

There are daily food stalls or street food vendors offering good lontong with different morsels. Ketoprak, for once, is known as Batavian specialty. It is lontong (although sometimes some vendors serve ketupat instead of lontong--ketupat is boiled rice cake which is wrapped in woven coconut leaves) served with a handful of cooked rice vermicelli, hard-boiled eggs, fried yellow tofu (yes, there are different types of tofu in Indonesia, just like mango varieties!), steamed mung bean sprouts (some like them raw), and spooned with peanut sauce) and drizzled with a little more kecap manis (sweet soy sauce).

When you buy Sate Padang, the famous Padangese or Minangkabau people (West Sumatrans) curried beef satay, you'll get lontong slices as well. And there is also gulai paku (furled frond--or fiddlehead you might say, curry--fiddlehead fern cooked in spices such as lemongrass, galangal, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, garlic, a little dab of shrimp paste, salt and a little sugar, for a start, with not to leaving green chillies out as to spice up the dish).

In South Sumatra, lontong can be served with vegetable curry and pineapple sambal (hot chilli). In Riau, where I lived for 6 years, my favourite dish was lontong Lek Menjeng which is sold behind the school. I went there everyday with my bosom friends when we had thirty minutes break. Very filling, although often made me sleepy because of full tummy. I'll write about this lontong on a separate post later. Very memorable.

Going to West Java, lontong is served with raw vegetables and spoonfuls of peanut sauce, which is called karedok.

In Borneo island, there is lontong which is shaped into triangle, served with vegetable curry, and other morsels, such as snake head fish sambal.

I can go on.

Other than whining and complaining that I can't go visiting Indonesia this year, I decided to make my own lontong. With a limited skill of what's an Indonesian cook must have, I dare myself to face failures if there is any.

I haven't got any banana leaves at hand (I don't know where Pukekohe keeps their frozen banana leaves they used to sell, can't even find any at the Asian grocery stores!), so I use grape leaves instead. Here's what I do.

Lontong (Rice Cakes)

1 cup medium rice
1/2 cup long-grain rice
Water
banana leaves (thawed when using frozen; wash and dry when using fresh to get rid of the wax-my grandmother used to heat the leaves up on top of the stove heat as to soften or relaxing the leaves and release the oil, so they won't break when folded)
aluminium foil
pandan leaves, cut into strips

Wash the rices under cold water tap in a sift and drained. Put them in a saucepan and cover with water. Dip your forefinger in to measure how much water you should use. If the water is coming up to your first knuckle, drip a little more of water until it's coming a bit more up about 3mm from it. Cook on the stove on medium heat and stir occasionally as not to catch the rice on the bottom of the pan. When it's boiled, turn the heat down to very low, stirring occasionally. When you see water has been absorbed, removed from the heat and cover until cooled a bit.

Prepare the banana leaves. When using grape leaves like I do, you need to wash off the fluffy stuff that covers. Now, this is what I did with grape leaves.

Put the aluminium foil as the outer layer, then cleaned grape leaves, strips of pandan leaves. Spoon the cooked rice on top of the edge of the wrap. Roll to cover and sealed both sides, so you will get nice and firm cylinders. Prick them with a pointy knife several times in different location, make sure you don't make big holes all around, just enough little tiny holes to give water introduced into the cakes and help it boiled and hardened.

Cook for about an hour and a half, using pressure cooker. Give more time if the cakes are not firm to touch and check the water. I add up more water with boiling water from the kettle every time I top up. These cylinders have to be cooked in the water, not floating.

They are ready when they are firm to touch. Remove from the pan, and cool them on a wire rack. I like using a colander-like pan that came with kitchen tap set, so the excess water from the rice cakes can drip through.

When they are cooled, peel off the foil and the grape leaves. Actually, they leaves are safe to eat, like your Greek's dolmades. But, I just peel them and cut into slices. Eat with your favourite curry, sauce, or whatever comes to your creative imagination!

I got opor ayam to go with it.

Opor Ayam (Chicken Braised in Lemon Grass)

1 whole chicken, joint, wash and dry (about the chicken. If you use free-range chicken like I do, you have to boil the joints until half-cooked prior to further cooking. Use the stock in the cooking. If you use commercial chicken from the supermarket, it is optional)
6 hard-boiled eggs

Bumbu (Indonesian Seasonings)

1 Tbs coriander seeds, toasted

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted

8 shallots, peeled, chopped

5 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped

6 candlenuts

4 lemon grass, white stalk only, chopped

2cm ginger, peeled, chopped

2cm galangal, peeled, chopped

2cm turmeric, peeled, chopped

2 kaffir lime leaves

1 star anise

1 cinnamon quill

salt

white sugar

oil to cook

1 can Kara coconut milk (Indonesian product)

Except kaffir lime leaves, star anise, cinnamon quill, salt, sugar and oil, process all ingredients until becomes a paste in a food processor.

Cooking Opor Ayam

Heat the oil in a wok, add in the paste. Cook until fragrant. Pour in the coconut milk and 1 cup of water (or use the remaining stock). Add in the chicken pieces and hard-boiled eggs. Add in kaffir lime leaves, star anise, and cinnamon quill. I also bruised the green part of lemongrass and add them in. Cook in a slow heat will release spices oils completely and absorbed much further in the chicken meat. Season with salt and sugar. Cook through until chicken is tender. Serve hot with lontong slices.

Sambal Udang Goreng (Prawns in Hot Chili Sauce)

1 kg prawns, washed, peeled and deveined, tails on

1 tsp tamarind paste

1 clove garlic, minced

a pinch of salt

Marinate the prawns with the mixture of tamarind paste, minced garlic and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. Shallow fried. Place on absorbent paper, set aside. Cook in sambal goreng paste.

Sambal Goreng paste

1 cup sambal oelek (it's available in Asian groceries)
5 shallots, peeled, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped
1 cm ginger, peeled, bruised
1 cm galangal, peeled, bruised
2 bay leaves
1 tsp tamarind paste + 1/2 cup of water (add more water if you see the sambal is dry)
1 kaffir lime leaf, shredded
salt
palm sugar
oil to cook

Process sambal oelek, shallots, shredded kaffir lime leaf and garlic in a food processor or mortal and pestle. Heat the oil, cook the paste until fragrant. Add in bruised ginger and galangal. Add in bay leaves. Cook until the sauce is thicken. Add in fried prawns. Mix thoroughly and cook further on low heat until the spices are absorbed in prawns and prawns are covered by sambal. Remove and serve.

Serving

Slice some rice cakes. Put in a bowl. Pour in the opor ayam generously with its curry sauce, sambal udang goreng, egg halves, and kerupuk (tapioca/prawn/shrimp crackers).

Selamat Makan!

Peach Lemon Posset Ice Cream

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:54:00 +0000

I am so excited about my new invention. I don't know if anybody has ever done this, but this happens simply like a trial and error.

It is started with a tree of peach that thrives in the vegetable garden carrying a lot of yellow peaches with pink cheeks. While the other trees in the orchard are suffering from brown rot, this throw-and-grow little tree which we have ignored for years is carrying healthy peaches for such a young age. What an irony. Of course, it brings smile on my face because I thought I will never bottle peaches this Summer. I am so thrilled I can!

I stewed and bottled yellow peaches from our orchard last week for out winter supply, and did another batch for making ice cream. Thought it will be nice to have peach to flavour the cream.

Before that happened, I already had jars of lemon posset in the fridge, been sitting there for two days and been devoured every now and then, as desserts and sometimes I nibbled a spoonful while doing house chores. I still had two more jars to finish, so when the custard for ice cream is cooled down and mixed with mashed stewed peaches, I took a spoonful and mixed it with a teaspoon of lemon posset. The result is astonishing!

I just couldn't believe it. But this has to be tested. So, okay. I made the ice cream manually and added the lemon posset in the custard before freezing. When the family gathers for dinner in the evening, I serve ice cream for desserts. I got a lot of nods!

So, try this if you must. The recipe for lemon posset is posted years ago here and you find it on the link above or simply click this.

Peach Lemon Posset Ice Cream

Make Lemon Posset. Chilled. Use 2 Cups for the ice cream.

Make custard

8 egg yolks

600ml cream + 1 cup thick cream

1/2 cup caster sugar (I think I added another 1-2 Tbs)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cook the creams until near boil. Whisk egg yolks with sugar until pale. Pour in whisk in the hot cream. Put this mixture back in the bowl on a pot of simmering water. Cook until thicken. Stir in vanilla extract. Remove and cool down before chilling in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Make Stewed Peaches

10 yellow peaches

1-3 cups white sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla pod, split

Water, just enough to cover the peaches

Boil the water, cinnamon stick and vanilla pod until thicken, stirring the sugar until dissolved while you are cooking. Add in the peaches, cook until the peaches are soft enough to mash. Remove from the saucepan, peel and roughly mashed. You can use the syrup for another use. Add the mashed peaches to the custard.

Ice Cream

When the custard is chilled, remove from the fridge. Stir in mashed peaches, and lemon posset. Freeze for 2 hours or until the edge hardens. Remove from the freezer, then whisk or beat with an electric mixer--it's kinda hard because the mashed peaches will be stuck in between the whisker teeth. I just use a fork, yes, need to be patience and persistent. I don't use food processor either because it will blend all the chunky mashed peaches into one mass form of ice cream, unless you want it so, be my guess. Repeat the process for the third time, and continue freezing until serving time. Makes about 1 liter.

Cezanne Secret Admirer Here II

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:20:00 +0000

A recap of my 365 Project on Moody Light (plus Black & White) Still Life and Food Photography, taken using iPad2 camera only and post-process on the same device with various applications. These photos are shard on instagram (my ID is @arfib if you'd like to view my other photos, taken with either iPhone or iPad2) and Flickr to get the html code and paste them here. Here are the project from Day 20-31.

Have a great weekend!

Raspberry Swirl Marshmallow: Sweet NZ Round-Up

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:48:00 +0000

To start the first month of the year, Sweet NZ has kicked off with sweet entries. Here are the entries, rounded up randomly. The sweets are ranged from Malaysian's to Italian's, classic Kiwi's and of course, they are all homemades!

Thank you for your submissions! The next Sweet NZ will be hosted by our lovely Shirleen of Sugar and Spice.

My first entry was Plum Ice Cream. Celebrate Summer feast from the orchard.

Alessandra of Alessandra Zecchini blog whipped up Castagnaccio and it is gluten-free! How lucky I am!

Castagnaccio by Alessandra Zecchini

Barbara of Winos and Foodies, sent me Sago and Gula Melaka from Brisbane, Australia.

Sago with Gula Melaka by Barbara

Frances of I Love Bake Club whipped up One-Pot Chocolate Deadline Cupcakes. I am thinking of drizzling them with dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled with crumbs of Ferrero Rocher, eaten with beaming ruby red raspberry sauce! What a deadline!

One-Pot Chocolate Deadline Cupcakes by Frances

And who are not tempted to dip her fingers on that lovely lemon curd! Carmella Lee of Easy Food Hacks goes fruity here with her Sable Bretton Galette with Summer Berries.

Sable Bretton Galette with Summer Berries by Carmella

Susan of Couscous & Consciousness brought the best out of plums in Rosy Plum Crumbles which she made also for her Cookbook Sunday projects. I think this will go well with my Plum Ice cream. Now I'm drooling!

Rosy Plum Crumble by Susan

Emma of My Darling Lemon Thyme whipped up dairy-free coconut ice cream and made this dairy-free chocolate sauce to go with it. How good it is! In fact, I am making myself coconut palm sugar flavoured with pandan leaves and vanilla this afternoon (it is Monday the 30th when I am writing this) and will serve it with Emma's dairy-free chocolate sauce. I can believe the taste will be superb!

Dairy-Free Chocolate Sauce by Emma

These classic Kiwi sweets are always a winner on every occasion and are always great wrapped as presents. Bridget of After Taste made Russian Fudge for our sweet treat this month. And who can resist!

Russian Fudge by Bridget

Mel of The Tree House Kitchen brought us a dish of Prune and Apricot Clafoutis together with a plate of 70 Percent Chocolate and Ginger Cookies. Oh double yum!!

Prune and Apricot Clafoutis by Mel

70% Chocolate and Ginger Cookies by Mel

My second submission for the event is Raspberry Swirl Marshmallow. Ever since I saw it on Donna Hay's Magazine, I had wanted to make it. I need a good reason to do it, though, because my children are not familiar with candies which is based on sugar cooking. The early years of training, I suppose, since I had never introduced them with lollies or sugary candies. So, when I made them, they just pinch a bit and that's it. None of them likes it as much as they like my homemade Ferrero Rocher, Indonesian sweets from my childhood Klepon, Rosewater Cheesecake, and the ultimate Almond Dark Chocolate Cookies that always successfully make their eyes sparkling.

However, I managed to wrap the marshmallow and presented them to our good friends, who happened to visit us that day, and bring them home with them. So, nothing is wasted.

Raspberry Swirl Marshmallow
by Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 54, 2011
www.donnahay.com

250g raspberries
80g icing sugar
11/2 Tbs gelatine powder
125ml water
385g caster sugar
160ml light corn syrup
60ml water, extra

Cook the raspberries by putting them in a saucepan with icing sugar over medium heat, crushing them while stirring, to boil for 10-15 minutes until thicken and produce that lovely red syrup. Using fresh raspberries will give you extra scent and that lovely fresh flavour I find. Remove and press through sieve. Seeds discarded. Set aside.

Make the marshmallow. Put the gelatine and water in a mixer bowl, stir well. Leave it to swell for 5 minutes.

Combine sugar, corn syrup and extra water in a saucepan, cook on high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to boil and use your candy thermometer to measure the heat to 120C. Since I haven't got a thermometer, I just use an old school way. To drop the sugar mixture in a cup of cold water and test if it is at soft ball stage, then it is done.

Having this sugar syrup ready, turn the mixer on low speed and drizzle the mixture into the gelatine mixture until it is all in. Increase the speed and keep whipping up for 4-6 minutes until the marshmallow is formed, that when the mixture is fluffy, white and light. When it begins to cool down while whipping, turn the mixer off and pour or spoon the marshmallow into a prepared tin which is greased and lined with baking paper, measured 20cm x 30cm. On top of the mixture, spread or drizzle the raspberry mixture and make a swirl by using a skewer.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave it in room temperature, for 4 hours or until set. Remove from the tin and cut into square, rectangles, triangles, whatever you like really. Never put them in the fridge though.

Makes 25.

Cezanne's Secret Admirer Here

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:38:00 +0000

It's moody and it's still life more than food photography. But that's what my 365 Project is about. Today is supposed to have 20 photos, but I missed a day when I heard the distracting news about Mum.

Anyway, I took all of these photos with iPad2 camera and post-processed them on several photo & video applications available on iTunes, and shared them on instagram and Flickr.

Why iPad2? Reading many thumb-downs on iPad2 camera reviews everywhere, I want to make a prove to at least myself, that although it only has 0.92mp, I still can do something about it rather than complaining and whining for higher resolution on a tablet PC.

I haven't really printed out the photos that I took just yet, but I don't think it matters. So, my project is on moody light, inspired by many still life paintings produced either modern times or Renaissance's. I'm a secret admirer of Cezanne. Don't tell anyone!

These are the 365 Project on moody light from Day 1 - Day 19

Have a great weekend!!

Sweet New Zealand January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 03:14:00 +0000

Happy New Sweet Year!

January is going to be sweet, indeed. I'm taking the baton from Bron to host Sweet New Zealand, originally created by our very own author and creative blogger, Alessandra Zecchini. Have a look at December's sweet round-up Bron had collected last year.

This event is open to all Kiwi food bloggers living in New Zealand or overseas. It is also open for expats living in New Zealand.
Send me anything sweet, as many submissions as you like.
Your entry must mention "Sweet New Zealand" and linked to the original page Alessandra Zecchini had initiated. You may attach the badge with the size to your liking on your post.
Submit your entry/ies to arfi.binsted@gmailDOTcom, with your Name, Blog Name and Link, your Post Link, and a 500pxls resized photo, please. I will still receive the latest submission until on the 30th January 2012, then I'll publish the round-up hopefully on the 1st of February 2012.
Hoping to see many great Summery entries!!

Although our weather hasn't given much an improvement for summertime, we can't wait to scream for ice cream. Since plums are abundant in our orchard, wasted by birds and rain, we picked them the other day just enough to make ice cream and sorbet. At least, some are not going to be wasted.

Before Christmas time, my beloved bought me an ice cream maker. A small one. I haven't used any ice cream maker before, so this is my first try out.

It went okay, though some features mentioned on the manufacturers manual instructions don't actually work. The ice cream did not freeze in 20 minutes, for instance, but it has to be frozen overnight after being churned.

Here is my entry for Sweet New Zealand.

Plum Ice Cream

500g blood plums

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

a little water

Cook plums with sugar and a little water until blistered and tender. Remove from the heat. Add in vanilla extract. Strained through sieve and discard the stones. Set aside.

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup vanilla caster sugar (I always have it handy, homemade and store in a separate jar)

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar. Put on top of a saucepan of simmering water. Keep whisking until double in volume and thicker, and the egg mixture is warmed through. Remove from the heat. Set aside to cool and then keep in the fridge.

300ml fresh cream

Whisk until fluffy and smooth. Whisk in the cooled egg mixture, and then plum, mix until well-combined. Pour into the ice cream bowl and churn.

You need to consult your ice cream maker manual on how long you should churn. I still have to put mine in the freezer overnight after being churned.

Have a blast January!

Dairy-Free Pannacotta

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:02:00 +0000

I am not really good at staying away from dairy products, as much as I have to. I still love nibbling my favourite cheese Camembert, or spooning a dollop of Mascarpone on a bowl of freshly picked orange juice macerated strawberries. I still like enjoying homemade cappuccino with heaps of milk foam on top and love devouring over creme brulee as my favourite desserts on a special occassion. All of those are too good to be substituted with dairy-free ingredients, if I have to be frank, but they are not without consequences that I have to deal with afterwards. If they are in any way substituted, I cannot find a parallel satisfaction I can get from dairy products counterparts.

Sometimes the consequence is so ugly that makes me promise myself right to the bone not to go back to the previous diets (although I often don't keep).

The older, the wiser I am (says me). If I want to live longer and healthy, please Arfi, don't break your own promises. If dairy-free products can keep me enjoy the world much longer and watch my kids grow up, then stick with them. It is a long-term conduct of well-being, I suppose. And (perhaps) self-discipline.

So, yes. I have to switch my palate to another direction my body tells it's safe to consume. Perhaps with a little adjustment, I will be alright.

I am sure I am not the only one.

The good news is, I am a bit lucky that I can find a lot of gluten-free and dairy-free baking substitutes at our local (Pukekohe, The Heart of Franklin, that is) specialty store, 'N Tolerance. They have Milk Alternatives, Soy Condensed Milk, as well as other baking substitutes you find on the website. Besides, you can just find milk substitutes at ordinary groceries, such as 'Pak n Save. Coconut milk and coconut cream are also widely available at local groceries or Asian shops. I don't think I would be able to complain anymore.

It's now the matter of being creative.

I have been experimenting on these products for such a long time to make pannacotta, not that I am paid to say these things, but just as you know. Soy milk and Rice milk are equally good. Almond milk will give slightly richer texture with nutty flavour more than the previous mentioned. But when you make pannacotta, you will need something quite thicker than milk. Therefore, I use coconut cream.

Dairy-Free Vanilla Rice Milk and Coconut Cream Pannacotta

Allison of Pease Pudding sent me a jar of agar-agar weeks ago (thanks, Alli!) and I use it to make this dairy-free pannacotta. The result will be a firmer texture of pannacotta, not as wobbly as a jelly would be like. I have been familiar cooking with agar-agar because this is what we mostly use to cook desserts in Indonesia, like Casablanca Pudding I made years ago, although nowadays gelatine has been introduced and been used widely. We enjoy this pannacotta with blueberry compote.

The interesting thing about agar-agar is that you can cook it with the other ingredients without the need to soak it in liquid firsthand. If you have some mixture left on your saucepan, it will slide away easily when you rinse it in cold water.

400ml coconut cream
100ml rice milk
1 Tbs agar-agar powder
1 vanilla bean, split and scrapped
1/2 cup caster sugar

Whisk all the ingredients in a large saucepan until well-blended. Boil on high heat until bubbly and then on low heat to simmer until the mixture is thicken. Discard the vanilla bean. Pour the mixture into prepared glasses. Let cool and then transfer into the fridge. Serve with your favourite topping.

Happy Holidays!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Crackle Biscuits

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:13:00 +0000

What is so attractive about cracked biscuits? They are photogenic if you ask me.

These biscuits are my gluten-free version. I use milk chocolate for that what I only can find in my pantry, therefore, less sugar is used.

This is my entry for Sweet New Zealand, initiated by Alessandra Zecchini and now hosted by Bron Marshall for a sweet December treat.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Crackle Biscuits

1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1 Cup white rice flour
2 Tbs cornflour
1/2 tsp Guar gum
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
250g milk chocolate
60g margarine
1/4 cup caster sugar (use more if you want it sweeter and crispier)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
icing sugar to coat

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line baking trays with baking paper.

Sift the flours, gum, baking powder and salt together in a bowl, set aside. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl which sits on top of a pot of simmering water. Let cool.

Beat eggs and sugar until thick, add in vanilla essence, beat again. Add in chocolate and butter mixture. Mix well. Fold in flour mix. Mix well. Let cool in the fridge until hardened and easier to work on.

Roll into little marbles, roll into a bowl of icing sugar. Arrange the coated balls on trays, and bake for more or less 12-15 minutes or until firm when touched. Let cool on trays for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Keep them in an airtight jars. Makes 20.

KBB#26: Panettone

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:00:00 +0000

I have made this draft weeks ago in Bahasa. I hope you don't mind. It's just another task of our baking club, KBB, to make Panettone (I think Alessandra will be able to tell a story about this further on, won't you Alessandra?). I quite like it. I like bread with dried fruits, like Bara Brith in England. Things are getting Christmasy the end of the year, so perhaps this will be one of your sweet on the table? Happy Holiday!!

Tantangan KBB kali ini bikin panettone, cake/roti-nya wong Itali. Sudah pernah bikin ini dulunya, pakai resep King Arthur Flour Cookbook. Menurutku sih seperti roti bluder yang dulu pernah dibawain Mbak Ine ketika ketemuan di Depok, cuma buah2an keringnya menclok-menclok diseluruh penjuru. Kalo roti bluder-nya Mbak Ine kan diisi dalemnya pake macam2 filling.

Ga ada masalah dalam pembuatan. Cuaca di NZ menyemangati pembuatan roti-rotian karena sedang musim panas.

Panettone (traditional Italian christmas bread)
Source: The Worldwide Gourmet

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cakes of fresh baker's yeast
- 65 ml (1/4 cup) sugar

- 6 tbsp. warm water
- 6 egg yolks
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- A pinch of salt
- 500-750 ml (2-3 cups) flour
- 100 ml (6 tbsp.) diced candied peel
- 100 g (6 tbsp.) + 2 tbsp.butter
- 4 tbsp. sultanas
- 4 tbsp. currants
- 1 tsp. vanilla

Method

Sprinkle 1 tbsp. granulated sugar and the yeast over the warm milk and let sit 3 minutes; mix and let rest in a warm draft-free place (e.g., a warm oven that has been turned off) until the mixture has doubled in volume, approximately 5 minutes;
pour the mixture into a bowl, add in the egg yolks, vanilla, lemon zest, salt and remaining sugar;
gradually mix in 500 ml (2 c.) of the flour by hand until a smooth consistency is attained - the dough should easily come together into a ball;
gradually add the butter cut into small dice and beat until the dough becomes smoother and more elastic;
add 125 to 250 ml (1/2 to 1 c.) more flour until the dough is firm and silky but not sticky;
place the ball onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. When the dough is smooth and shiny, place into a buttered bowl; dust lightly with flour, cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm draft-free place for about 45 minutes until doubled in volume;
punch down the dough firmly with your fist and flatten it out in the bowl; add the candied lemon peel, raisins and currants and knead until well distributed but without working the dough more than necessary;
line a large bread pan with brown paper that has been well buttered on both sides; place the dough in the pan and trace a cross on top;
cover with buttered paper and let rise again in a warm place for 15 minutes;
remove the paper from the top; brush the top with softened butter.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400° F);
place the bread pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes;
reduce the oven temperature to 160° C (350° F) and continue baking for another 30 to 40 minutes, brushing again with melted butter; the bread is done when the surface is golden and crispy;
remove from the oven; remove the paper and let cool for 15 minutes before unmolding.

Praktek pertama dari resep ini, aku ganti sultanas dengan chocolate chips karena pada saat itu sultanas sudah habis ternyata di kotaknya. Selain itu aku pakai loyang roti kecil. Ketika memasukkan adonannya ke loyang roti, perasaan kok rada kekecilan, bakal tumpah nih adonan. We'll see. Eh ya ternyata bener. Di pertengahan baking, sebagian kecil roti dari bagian yang kena silet di atasnya melorot turun. Jadilah aku ikat pakai benang, selamat.

Praktek kedua lebih mulus lus lus. Adonannya aku masukkan ke dalam loyang chiffon kecil minus bagian tengahnya. Letakkan di atas baking tray dialasi baking paper. Sultanas aku rendam dulu ke dalam orange juice hangat supaya ga kering, ga pake currants. Lemon aku maksimalkan tiga buah, supaya lebih wangi.

Review:

Rasa panettonne enak, crossing antara roti dan cake. Empuk, cocok untuk sarapan, diolesi mentega dan lime atau orange marmalade, sedaaaaapp!!!

Sweet NZ: Donna Hay's Brownie Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:21:00 +0000

Ever since I saw the recipe on Donna Hay's iPad app, I suddenly felt a crave for chocolate and peanut butter. You can view her recipe on her website, here's the link for brownie cookies.

Served it for morning tea with Mairi on the weekend. My entry for Sweet NZ #4, initiated by Alessandra and this month is hosted by Mairi of ToastNZ.

Have a great Sunday!

I'm a Food Blogger!

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:49:00 +0000

I still remember the expression of my optometrist when he asked what I do, that I casually answered 'I'm a food blogger'. He said never heard of that occupation before and never thought it ever exists. I had no intention to argue whatsoever, for I, myself, don't think that food blogging is an occupation. I simply supplied an answer for him to fill in the form for me. In the end, he asked my blog link and for a little while taking his time browsing through, while I was by his side, sitting on the chair staring at the letters beyond the wall. Then he murmured 'Oh, you're a food writer.' I was almost knocked out of the chair.

Should a food blogger be an occupation? Is there?

I don't even know if someone ever food blogging for money, however, I have acknowledged some food bloggers receive fund for ads on their blogs. But still, you don't earn a living by food blogging, do you?

I have been food blogging for 6 years now. I forget when I actually started, because I didn't use blogger dot com as my hosting right back in 2005 and don't keep the archives. I even forget the password to log in although I can just simply retrieve it by clicking 'forgot your password' button. I only don't think it's quite necessary by now.

Anyway, food blogger does exist!

And New Zealand Food Blogger Conference had just held its first gathering, initiated and organized by Allison of Peasepudding. I have read so many stories from so many local food bloggers. And many more food bloggers yet to be discovered. I am sure.

I did not come to the conference, no matter how much I wanted to. I promise though, that I will go to the next one. I believe that my baby will be old enough to realize that her mother deserves to get a life... well, (a little) time for herself.

But I managed to meet up with Bron of Bron Marshall and Jaco Swart of Rainbow Cooking, accompanied by Allison on their way back to Christchurch. It was a lovely short catch-up as Bron and Jaco needed to catch their flight.

I have been lacking of interest in blogging these past months and have been thinking to 'resign'. The main reason is that I just haven't got much time to write. My spare time has been filled with gardening, pulling out those darn weeds, making vegetable beds available for planting, and what's not. Sitting down and writing like this one I managed to squeeze in is a luxury. Luxury, indeed.

Well, I am not sure if this post is a sign that I'm coming back for more posts, but let's hope the time is on my side and my mojo kicks back in and then I still can say to my optometrist that I'm a Food Blogger!

Have a wonderful blogging out there!

HHDH: Anniversary Drinks

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:28:00 +0000

My entry for HHDH: Drinks, hosted by Barbara of Winos and Foodies and facilitated by Chez Us.

I also uploaded the iPhone version on instagram of this drinks.

Happy Anniversary, Donna Hay!

Cheese and Potato Bake

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 22:14:00 +0000

This is our dinner last night. Served with roast chicken and a large bowl of our fresh garden salad. While eating, I was thinking and thankful at the same time. What we eat is what we grow. Apart from cheese, these are all homegrown and homemade.

Cheese and Potato Bake

by Arfi Binsted

1.5kg potatoes, peeled, washed and diced

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

300ml fresh cream

350g Gruyere cheese, grated

100g Parmesan, grated

salt and pepper

oil for cooking (I am using my homemade garlic-infused rice bran oil)

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Boiled potatoes, about 15 minutes. The potatoes will be half-way cooked. Drained, set aside and put them in a butter or margarine-greased ovenproof dish. Meanwhile, heat the oil, enough to cook the onion, until fragrant and soft. Add in garlic, cook a little bit more until fragrant but not brown. Add in cream and most of the grated cheeses. Cook until cheese melted, and then pour over the potatoes. Bake in the oven for around 20-25 minutes until bubbling and brown on top. Enough for 4 large portion.

Have a great weekend!

BW Wednesday: Eggs

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Been really slack with blogging, I finally can manage to squeeze myself at the desk and upload this photo for Black and White Wednesday, hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. These are our farm free-range fresh eggs.

Donna Hay's Classic Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Just a short note. I made this Classic Brownies from Donna Hay's latest 10th Birthday Magazine. I got the mag online on iPad. Have you heard? Yes, Donna Hay has got an app. Check your iTunes store, and you won't go wrong! I love, love, love Donna Hay!

Have a great (early) weekend!

on instagram

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 03:35:00 +0000

I know I have been slack on blogging. It seems to me time flies too quickly and the next thing I know I am too exhausted to be able to think and write. In the end of the day, I'd prefer to have my feet up and watch Rugby rather than to be bound at the desk and computer keyboard.

But I am not quite off of the internet though. iPhone and iPad have helped me sharing what I have done almost everyday on instagram. I have an account there. If you happen an IGer like I am, please search for me. My ID is arfib.

Here are some food photos I took using instagram that happened to be uploaded on Flickr, too.

And this is me, fertilizing our strawberries. I feed them once a fortnight with wormcast, diluted with water. Plants love wormcast!

So I have been busy in the garden and orchard. We almost beat kakuya grass weeds! That strawberry patch was covered with kakuya months ago, now it is as immaculate as your manicured nails.

Spring has been so pretty with all of the blossoms, buzzing bees and weather which is supposed to be improving. But you know how New Zealand weather is!

So, See you on instagram? Have a great day!

BW Wednesday: Fresh Walnuts

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 22:37:00 +0000

My entry for Black and White Wednesday, hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. Got ideas for food in BW? Come join and share with us!

The Best Peanut Biscuit I Have Made and Eaten

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:46:00 +0000

If you are crazy about something, you might never get bored. That's what I feel about this peanut biscuit. Although I have come to bake any sort of peanut biscuits from time to time, I will always come back to this one, with more appreciation that grows bigger ever since.

I just love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, no matter how unappealing to some of you they are. To me, the combination is meant for each other. The chocolate biscuit with saltiness-if not sweetness-peanut butter filling for each bite, how can I resist?

Introduced first time by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook through her post some years ago, adapted from King Arthur Flour. I have made it many times since and include the photo on a post here. Just love it.

We've been through thick and thin, but it seems none of us can decide which one is the most favourite. They will always be finished quickly!

Today, I make them gluten-free. So thankful I am not allergic to peanut butter!

Magic In The Middles (Gluten-Free Version)
Source: The Well-Seasoned Cook; King Arthur Flour.

I am adapting the original recipe for gluten-free version and reduce some sweetness from the biscuit dough, and I also use icing sugar instead of caster. I think the slightly sweeten biscuits actually go quite well with saltiness and mild sweetness of the peanut butter filling. My gluten-free version yields 31 biscuits.

Biscuit Dough

1 cup + 1 Tbs rice flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I use Valrhona-superb!!)
1/4 cup potato starch
2 Tbs millet flour
2 Tbs corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup icing sugar + 1 Tbs brown sugar
115g unsalted butter + 15g margarine
50g smooth peanut butter

Extra caster sugar to coat

Sift all the flours with Xanthan Gum, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside. Beat butter, margarine, sugars and peanut butter until fluffy and pale. Beat in egg, mix well. Fold in sifted flour mix, mix well. The dough should be smooth, not wet and not dry. When you roll them into balls, the dough will feel silky on your palms. Roll 31 balls. Now, this is what I do with the balls: take one ball, make an indentation in the centre and goes from there flatten it a little bit at a time using your forefinger and thumb, as thin or thick as you prefer. Then, put this flatten dough in the centre of your palm, like when you holding an egg on it, fill the peanut butter balls in, then bring the biscuit dough up and around the peanut butter balls until you don't see any sign of it. Roll this filled ball in your palm to make it smoother, roll into a bowl of caster sugar to coat, and put it on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Or you may grease your baking tray with a little butter or margarine. Flatten the dough as to your liking. I would sprinkle some more caster sugar on top, just to add more crunchiness. Repeat this until all your dough and peanut butter filling all use up.

Bake at 175C (my oven), for 8-10 minutes or until the biscuits feel firm when touched with the tip of your finger. Remove from the oven, leave it on the tray for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Or you may gobble down if you wish. Eat it warm is a bit dangerous, though as the peanut butter tends to be hot inside.

Filling
195g smooth peanut butter + 1 Tbs
85g icing sugar, sifted
a drop of caramel essence
a pinch of salt

Mix the peanut butter, icing sugar, salt and essence well, and roll into 31 balls.

These biscuits are sooooooooooo good enjoyed with black coffee!

BW Wednesday: A Moody Cup

noreply@blogger.com (arfi binsted) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:32:00 +0000

My entry for Black and White Wednesday, hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. Come join us!