Family Moments

Lacking time or energy for the last month (being quite sick while juggling work, house construction, and more), today I finally feel as if I'm returning to the land of the living... and blogging!  A quick post this time - just to capture some moments and stories.

Anya and Callum have been playing together more and more and are becoming really good friends.  I am so glad because when I was growing up, my sister was my best friend, and she was a major force of good in my life.  Thanks, sis!

Little things they do for each other: when I offer Callum something nice (toy or treat) he always immediately asks that Anya should get one too.  And when racing through the park, Anya stopped short several times and made sure that Callum got to the finish first.  Right now they're having breakfast on the patio and pretending to be Shark Boy and Lava Girl.  I can hear them collaborating: "And I was the queen -- " "Mmm-hmm, and I was over here -- "  "Pretend I was at the -- "

In other developments - we are gradually moving toward eating the same meals at the same time.  I know many families who do this already but it never really suited our adult lifestyle to eat dinner at 5:30.  Also, the kids tend to prefer really plain food.  Recently we introduced "family meal time" on weekends when we had more time to prepare and enjoy the meal.  Also we've been preparing things more to our adult tastes but just not quite as spicy: corned beef, moussaka, tuna pasta bake, Asian stir fry...

I was pleased last night to whip up a cake in about 10 minutes from a recipe that had just six ingredients.  As I was already baking moussaka it was simple to swap the cake into the oven while taking the main meal out.  The cake turned out very nicely so I thought I'd share the recipe (from "The Flavours of Buderim" with some added notes from me):

Pineapple Cake

150 g butter
150 g sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
150 g self-raising flour
450 g pineapple, drained well (recipe calls for crushed, but I find it better to chop whole pieces)

Preheat oven to 175 C (or 155-165 C in fan forced oven).  Beat butter with sugar until creamy; beat in eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy.  Fold in flour and vanilla, then the pineapple.  Line an 8" round cake tin with non stick paper (bottom & sides).  Pour into tin, and bake 45 minutes or more until done, testing with a skewer.  Note: make sure the pineapple is really well drained otherwise the cake will be sloppy and never seem  "done" when you're testing it!

David's Birthday Duck

David's favorite meal being duck, I bought two duck breasts on impulse last week and stashed them in the freezer without an actual meal plan.

Some research found me the following recipe: http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/12162/spiced-duck-breasts.aspx which I liked for being spicy and NOT sweet.  It is tedious how many duck recipes involve fruit sauce.  Not that I dislike duck with fruit sauce, but other options are very welcome.

I didn't quite follow the recipe, so here is my version:
(1) For baharat spice rub, I substituted a mixture of Cajun spice mix and ras-el-hanout (because I already had some of each made, and didn't want to make another spice mix), plus I added some Chinese five spice.
(2) Rather than cut slits in the duck skin, I loosened it over each duck breast while keeping it attached on the side.  I rubbed the spice into this cavity and all over the outside as well.
(3) As per the recipe, I cooked it over medium heat, skin side down first, until the fat had rendered, then on the other side.  I didn't really time it and was worried that it would be overcooked, but the spice rub protected it and it actually came out perfectly.
(4) Rather than the sweet potato mash in the recipe I made Tunisian carrot salad and served it warm, as well as garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.  I kind of modified the carrot salad recipe as well, by using coriander paste (rather than fresh chopped) and lemon juice (rather than vinegar).  The carrots went really well with the duck.  So did the Riesling!

Dinnertime Challenges

Anya and Callum sometimes get very restless sitting and eating dinner.  Rather than enforce a "bottoms on seats" rule, we help them finish dinner by setting physical challenges.  In between the challenges they have to come back and eat some more.

Originally the challenges were fairly easy, such as "run over to Grandma and give her a kiss."  Next was "run as fast as you can down the hall."  More recently it's evolved to much more advanced challenges.  This week Anya and Callum ran down the stairs and up again, repeating it several times trying to beat their previous times (I used an egg timer). Tonight there were bunny hops, walking backwards, hopping on one leg backwards, and running around Grandma's chair.  Raema loved the challenges as she usually got lots of kisses as they rounded her chair.

Last, I asked Anya what the next challenge should be.  She cocked her head, put her hand on her hip, and said, "Hmmm... I think it should be to eat all the vegetables on my plate!" and proceeded to eat as fast as she could while I timed her.

Arty Partying

So much to tell, so little time.  Do I give a ginormous report, or throw together a tossed salad of amusing anecdotes?  It's very daunting to think of trying to catch up to where we are now, but for you, my loyal readers (I know there are at least two of you), it's my duty to try.

Three Great Cakes

Lately I've been trying new cake recipes and lucked across a few really good ones. So, I thought I'd share. Warning: I tend to prefer cakes that are intensely flavored and moist. If your favorite cake is angelfood, these recipes are not for you.

CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE (from Brisbane News)
150 g plain flour
25 g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
115 g unsalted butter
200 g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium-sized bananas, mashed
120 g sour cream
115 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
250 ml cream, softly whipped

Preheat oven to 175C. Grease a 23 cm round cake tin, dust with flour and line with baking paper. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 1 minute until pale. Add sugar and beat until creamy and light. Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time until combined. Add vanilla and banana, mixing on speed 1. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream. Stir in chocolate, and pour batter into tin. Bake for 1 hour. The cake should be firm to the touch and an inserted skewer should come out clean. Cool in the tin on a rack. Once cool, top the cake with the whipped cream. (Also nice with ice cream.)


PUMPKIN CITRUS SYRUP CAKE (from Womens Weekly cakes cookbook)
250 g butter
2 Tbs orange rind
2 Tbs lemon rind
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups self-raising flour
1 cup mashed pumpkin

Preheat oven to 190C. Cream together butter, orange & lemon rind & sugar. Add eggs, flour & mashed pumpkin. (To make 1 cup, boil 350 g cubed pumpkin until tender.) Pour into 23 cm round cake tin and bake for 1 hour. The cake should be firm to the touch and an inserted skewer should come out clean. When the cake is ready, combine 2 Tbs ea. orange & lemon juice with ¾ cup sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to medium heat and allow to thicken (approx 1 minute). Pierce cake all over the top with a fork or skewer, and pour the hot syrup over the cake while it is still hot (in the tin). Stand at least 10 min. This cake lasts four days (if you don’t eat it all right away!) and tastes best the second day.


PUMPKIN SWIRL BREAD (from allrecipes.com)
224 g cream cheese
¼ cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1¾ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cups white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup water

1. Blend cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 beaten egg. Set aside.
2. Combine flour, 1½ cups white sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
3. Combine pumpkin, butter or margarine, beaten egg, and water. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, mixing just until moistened. Reserve 2 cups of the pumpkin batter. Pour the remaining batter into a greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over pumpkin batter, and top with reserved pumpkin batter. Cut through batter several times with a knife for a swirl effect.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 70 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. [Note: as muffins/cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes.] Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then remove from pan to cool completely.

Holiday Recipes

I know, the holiday season is over. This post is more about simple recipes we prepared while away at the beach house -- in other words, when we didn't have a lot of ingredients handy.

Herb Infused Roast Chicken
This recipe idea originally came from a cookbook and I have tried lots of variations. This version is the result of about 10 years of experimentation. It is simple and delicious!
(1) Finely chop about 2 sprigs rosemary & 2 cloves garlic, or grind into a paste using mortar & pestle. Tip: sprinkling the pile with a bit of salt helps stop the pile from flying away while you chop or grind. Note for absolute beginners: don't include the twiggy stem of the rosemary!
(2) Rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Gently loosen the chicken skin over the breast and break through to the area over the drumsticks as well.
(3) Spread the rosemary-garlic paste evenly between the skin and the flesh where you have just loosened the skin. Also insert a few fresh basil leaves here and there.
(4) Rub the chicken all over with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground pepper, and salt. Insert half a lemon into the cavity. Place in the oven at 180C (or 350F) or 160C for a fan-forced (convection) oven. If you don't have a convection oven, I highly recommend you use a vertical roasting dish.
(5) Halfway through cooking, squeeze lemon juice all over the chicken. Tip: the chicken is done when the legs feel quite loose when you wiggle them. Note for absolute beginners: timing depends on the chicken's size, of course, but usually an average chicken takes at least an hour to roast.

Simple Chicken Burritos
My husband has occasionally yearned for Mexican food, but I tend to avoid preparing it because I don't want to sully my memories of the Mexican meals I had in LA. However, to satisfy his craving I recently made up the following.
(1) Toss chunks of chicken in seasoning mixture. You don't need to buy special "burrito seasoning" -- you can just use a blend of Cajun spice mixture (something we always have to hand), chili powder, all-purpose seasoning, and/or paprika.
(2) Fry up the chicken pieces -- approx 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
(3) Serve as a buffet for "roll your own" with tortillas, lettuce, chopped tomato, shredded cheese, refried beans, sour cream, sliced capsicum (bell pepper), and avocado. Tip: it's nice to spread the tortilla with the warm items (chicken, beans & cheese) and heat briefly in the microwave before adding the fresh ingredients and rolling together. Alternatively you can place rolled burritos (without the sour cream) in a bakinng tray, sprinkle with cheese, bake to heat through, then garnish with sour cream and salsa upon serving.

Potato Pizza
This sounds odd until you taste it. I often order a local pizza caffe's version of this and decided to try making it at home.
(1) Make your pizza dough (very easy!) or use a good pizza base.
(2) Thinly slice one potato, place in cold water in a pot, and boil for one minute. Lay slices around the bowl of a colander to drip dry.
(3) Spread your pizza with the following, in this order: tomato paste; shredded cheese (I like a mixture of cheddar & mozzarella); finely chopped rosemary & garlic; finely sliced onion; slices of potato; shredded ham or Pancetta; more cheese to cover lightly (how cheesy do you like it?) and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan (optional).
(4) Bake at 180C (or 350F) on the lowest rack of your oven until cheese looks melted and crust is quite firm. Move to the top rack to brown the cheese and finish. If you have a fan-forced (convection) oven then you can probably just place it in the middle!

Hungry?

If you know me at all, you know that I love food. Unlike most people who love food, I don't even have a love-hate relationship with food, just love (and mutual respect). There was a time when having lunch out was an essential part of my day, and I also loved having dinner out when I could swing it. I like to think that some of my reviews got into the LA Zagat Guide.

However, I am finding that with my current work-life balance, although it's generally working out well, there doesn't seem to be time for food.

This is what I find myself doing lately: in the morning, I stand in the kitchen sipping my coffee and snatching bites of breakfast, partly because I am barraged with a continuous interrupting stream of requests for more food or drink or intervention from our kids, and partly because if I sit down, I am very likely not going to get to eat all of it (food on grown-ups' plates is oh so much tastier!) The only way out of this maze is to either prepare a giant quantity of something that we can all eat at the same time (pancakes are great for that but really only plausible on weekends), or skip it altogether and wait until I can eat in the relative tranquility of my office.

At work, where I only have six hours to focus, I tend to feel so far behind all the time that I just make a sandwich on the spot (I keep supplies at work to make going-home sandwiches for the kids), or I duck out and buy something that I bring back, or worst of all, I forget about eating until about 3 pm by which time it is too late to get food from anywhere so I just have a snack.

Luckily, at home we share the meal prep work, so there is a much higher likelihood of my eating a proper meal. If not for this I would probably start to disintegrate with this "food on the run" craziness!

Eating Well

Tonight I made Hainan Chicken and veggie stir fry. Delicious. I am still so in love with the simplicity and intense but subtle flavour of Hainan Chicken. If you have never tried this dish, here is a short version of the recipe (but please do look up "proper" recipes on the internet which will include fancier directions for the rice and sauces!)

Half fill a stockpot with water (or chicken stock), sliced fresh ginger, smashed garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon salt (or 1 tablespoon soy sauce and/or fish sauce). There needs to be enough liquid to cover your chicken. Bring to a boil, add a whole chicken or chicken pieces (preferably with the bone in - my favorite is the Maryland), turn down to a simmer and cover. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Turn heat off and leave for a further 20 minutes.

You can use the stock from the chicken pot to cook the rice, for even more flavor in your dish, but save some for the sauce (see below).

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, grate or finely mince fresh ginger to make 2 tablespoons. Also finely mince garlic or put through a garlic press to make 1 tablespoon. Mix together with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon of the stock from the chicken pot. This is enough for 2 serves, so scale up accordingly!

Serve the chicken over rice with the sauce drizzled over. Optionally also drizzle over some hot sauce (such as sambal oelek).

A Big Serve of Yuck

I’ve been out of commission recently due to a revolting stomach bug. I never realised how much of my time I spend thinking about food, anticipating what to buy, cook and eat next, until I was limited to “plain food” which I hate and which was making me sick anyway. I was thrilled tonight to sit down with a proper serving of pasta with Bolognese sauce (although I put on much less sauce, butter and oil than usual, to be on the safe side). If I made a mistake in doing this, I’ll know in about an hour...

Meanwhile, Anya has been making up for me, by eating about three times as much as she normally does. I thought at first that she was just being greedy about snacks, but she was happy to have second and third helpings of the meals themselves, and seems to be eating all day. I wonder if she will suddenly shoot up in size next week (like Jack’s beanstalk)?

Callum, of course, has always been a big eater. He reportedly had three helpings of pumpkin and spinach pasta at Kindercraft yesterday, so I begged Pin (the chef) for the recipe: mashed pumpkin, thickened cream, salt & pepper for the sauce, with baby spinach mixed in. Amazing! She is a great cook and always seems to come up with dishes the kids all like. She even makes mild curry for them!

In other developments (not to talk about food endlessly!) Callum has still been trying to learn how to jump. He pumps up and down but doesn’t quite get that he is supposed to bend his legs first. (Maybe if I dangled some food on a stick above him!) He loves trying to do the same circus tricks that Anya and I practice at home: flying (my feet on her hips while I hold her hands), rolling (he did some great sideways rolling in a rage this evening), even holding a chair up with his legs (when he saw Anya doing it, he immediately carried the other small chair in from the other room, and tried to do the same thing).

Broccoli Souffle with Tapenade Sauce

This wonderful recipe from one of my favourite cookbooks, The Impoverished Gastronome by David Chater, was our dinner last night.  I’m pretty sure I’ve made this before, as broccoli is one of my favourite foods, but I think I made the mistake of leaving out the sauce last time.  The soufflé is very mild tasting on its own (milk, butter, eggs, flour, cheese, almonds), so the tapenade really makes the difference.  Interestingly, the tapenade itself is slightly different from the usual, as it includes mustard.

I won’t give the full recipe here, as it’s probably not that hard to find a recipe for a broccoli soufflé.  The main things that make this dish are the combination of the soufflé with the tapenade, and the inclusion of mustard in the tapenade.  I tweaked the recipe a little too, as I couldn’t bring myself to boil the broccoli (just seems like a travesty to treat broccoli that way!) and instead I sautéed it in a little butter, then added a dash of water, covered the pan and steamed it until soft.  If you do this just right, the broccoli keeps its bright green color.

For the cheese I used finely grated Romano, but I toyed briefly with the idea of putting in some blue cheese for a stronger flavour.  I left it out because David doesn’t like blue cheese, but it’s probably worth trying.  Also I wondered if some fresh herbs (tarragon? coriander?) might be tasty.

Baby Banana

Mysteriously, Callum’s latest thing is to get a drink or piece of food, and just hold it for an hour or more without actually drinking or eating it, while steadfastly refusing to give up the item. His appetite has been very small lately compared to usual, because of colds and teething, but normally before now he would have just been uninterested in having anything. This magpie-like behaviour is perplexing and frustrating. I’ve gotten to the point where I am wary of giving him anything squishable, crumbly, or tip-out-able. While I am quite happy to clean up afterwards when he actually eats, this new habit of festooning our carpet and sofa with perishables for no purpose (he usually eventually abandons the item) just drives me crazy.

We have all been gradually getting well after a week of snuffling and coughing, so I took it as a positive sign last night that after eating some pasta, Callum asked for a banana. Like a fool, I actually gave him a piece. You guessed it: he then clutched it, wandered back and forth, clambered over my legs and into my lap and out again, all the while applying just enough pressure to the banana to render the surface slimy. Eventually, it popped out of his hand on to the carpet.

It didn’t rest there for long, because Callum spotted a washcloth on our side table, so he picked up the banana, placed it on the table, and draped the washcloth over it. Next he patted it, and said, “Baby.” This went on for a little while longer, and then he picked up the banana again, this time with the cloth around it, and continued climbing over my legs and lap. He even gave the banana an experimental nibble, so that I teased him that he was eating his baby, but he never did eat it.

But at least I got an amusing blog-able moment out of it…

Cooking the Chef

David had the brilliant idea for a dinner party where each guest would bring a dish from The Cook and The Chef. We decided his birthday was the perfect excuse, and invited everyone over this Saturday evening. The eclectic, but tasty, menu included:

Beetroot, Cannellini & Pear Dip with Rosemary Chickpea Crispbread
Bitter Green Salad
Treasure's Lamb and Pickled Quince Pies
Thai Chicken Stir Fry
Buffalo Mozzarella Souffle
Chocolate Almond and Prune Slab
Vietnamese Coffee

We also brought out several bottles that have been "cellared" under our house in the crawl space (like most timber Queensland homes, our house is elevated about 3 ft above the ground, which helps it stay cool and also deters termites). Yummm... there was a 1996 Jamieson's Run, a 1995 Wynn's Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, and to finish, we shared a port that David bought in Solvang, the year that we started our relationship (1996). The Jamieson's Run was stunning. I can't believe we originally bought it for $10/bottle.

Anya and Callum slept over at their grandma's house, so they had a special time as well (and we got to stay up late and sleep in!)

Green Curry

We make Thai curry quite often, but this one turned out especially well, so I thought I'd share the recipe, since it was fairly simple with not too many ingredients:

1. Fry one sliced onion on medium-high heat until starting to brown.
2. Add meat of your choice (I used pork mince; chicken would taste similar), tossing to ensure even cooking, until surfaces look cooked (the meat will continue to saute or simmer in the following steps).
3. Add several slices of belacan (compressed shrimp paste), stirring into the pan juices to dissolve.
4. Add 1 small tin of green curry paste (about 115 g) and a generous handful of curry leaves (optional) and stir through, cooking for about 2 minutes.
5. Stir in 2 cans (400 ml each) of coconut milk and 1 can of bamboo shoots, baby corn, or a combination.
6. Stir in thickly sliced zucchini or eggplant pieces and simmer until cooked (careful not to overcook!) I used 2 zucchinis.
7. Serve over rice, garnished with fresh basil and friend shallot (a condiment available from Asian grocers).

Anya Turns Four

Yes, our little girl turned four yesterday and I DIDN"T TAKE ANY PICTURES. David is mighty disappointed, but I was too busy being in it! First, the night before, I made THIRTY cupcakes (staying up late, since I had to do it after circus class). Then, in the morning, we brought the cupcakes in, plus chocolate frosting and mini marshmallows. Anya carried the cake holder and was very proud to do it. I was happy that I had decided not to frost the cupcakes beforehand, because then it didn't matter that they got tumbled end over end during their journey in Anya's care. :)

On arrival at Kindercraft, we paused in the lunchroom (which always makes me smile, as it's furnished with miniature tables and chairs) and I applied the frosting while Anya placed a marshmallow on each one. She chastised me when I tried to help and didn't place the marshmallow exactly upright. She also kept Callum pacified by passing a marshmallow to him every few minutes. We had the cupcakes all on a tray, and carefully decorated the central cupcake with four candles, then paraded into Anya's room. Luckily, the various age groups had gone back to their own rooms for the second half of the morning, so we didn't have more kids than cakes.

I lit the candles, then everyone sang Happy Birthday while Anya smiled to herself with pleasure.

A few minutes later, I was sitting to one side with Callum, and I asked, "Would anyone like a ballooon?" and a whole crowd of chocolatey faces looked solemnly at me and nobody answered. Too busy eating...

I spent most of the day there (from arrival to the post-lunch naptime), which pleased Anya and Callum no end. At story time, Anya sat in the front row, and I sat in the back with Callum (who spent the whole day sitting in my lap as much as possible). Every few minutes, Anya would turn around and wave at me, and soon, all her friends were also turning and waving with her. The other kids were somewhat puzzled by my continued presence, and variously said to me, "You're still here?!"

In the evening, Anya had so many presents to open it was like her own private Christmas. Her Grandma was there, as it was the usual routine for her to come over and stay Wednesday night. Her Uncle Rob also came around with a present, and earlier, her Aunt Ann Maree had dropped a present off as well.

All in all, a pretty great birthday.

Babycino at Grub St Cafe, Gaythorne

Melbourne Foodspot

I was in Melbourne last week for a conference and since then have composed this blog entry in my mind about a thousand times. Should it be about being away from home & family? Should it be about the quirks of corporate travel?

I decided it all comes down to food. Melbourne is widely recognised as the food and wine capital of Australia, although now I'm sure I will hear strong protests from Sydney and other capital cities. However, as a self-accredited foodie, I can definitely support Melbourne's claim. Every meal I had in Melbourne was good, even though I was not expecting it -- for example, the catering at the conference was good. So was the dinner at a corner pub, which normally would (by its appearance and location) have led me to expect a stodgy steak and potato menu, unenthusiastically dished out. And I mean good by foodie standards, not just "good enough" for non-foodies. I wonder if Melburnians feel disappointed when they eat in other cities?

On my last evening in Melbourne, I was left to my own devices, so I decided to seek out the Greek precinct. Melbourne once had the second largest Greek population of any city in the world, exceeded only by Athens. Considering Melbourne's food reputation, I thought that I would easily find a restaurant to surpass my favorite Greek restaurant (ever), Sofi's in LA.

Unfortunately, the Greek precinct (one block of Lonsdale Street) is now embedded within the Asian restaurant scene which sprawls like wild ivy creeping out from Chinatown just a block away, taking over streets in all directions. Therefore, during my quest, I passed by many crowded and delicious smelling Asian restaurants -- Korean, Thai, Japanese, Indonesian and Chinese, to name a few. In addition, on my way to Lonsdale Street, I happened across Hardware Lane, with busy Italian cafes on either side of the pedestrian-only laneway. Feeling amazed at how many restaurants there were, and how full they all were, especially for a Tuesday night, I steeled my resolve and continued along Lonsdale Street.

I found a paltry three Greek restaurants in a row and one Greek bakery. The bakery looked scrumptious, but hardly dinner-worthy. I saved the thought for later. Going window to window, I compared the menus of all three restaurants and peered at the empty rooms with only two or three tables taken in each one. Nothing looked terribly inspiring. I thought about the Chinese restaurant that had snagged my attention earlier, with a photo of the chef making handmade noodles. Noodles, especially handmade ones, are one of my favorite foods.

Circling the neighborhood, I considered various Asian offerings, but in the end went back to the place with the handmade noodles: Dumplings Plus. It broke several of my rules around restaurant selection, with decor (too fancy for a lowbrow Asian restaurant), name (sounds like a franchise), and signage (big plastic monstrosity) but I couldn't resist the appeal of handmade noodles. I ordered Northern style noodles (served in a sour spicy broth and garnished with pork mince and pickled vegetables), stir fried mushrooms and seasonal vegetables (a lovely assortment of mushrooms, not just button mushrooms), and steamed man tou.

And, of course, it was good.

Yeasty Goodness

This recipe was so delicious and easy, I immediately made some more the very next day after trying it for the first time.

2 tsp dried yeast (1 small packet)
100 ml warm milk
100 g plain flour, sieved
Mix together & knead for 2-3 minutes (speed 2 on Kenwood mixer). Cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth and set in warm place to rise until doubled in size.
150 g plain flour, sieved
½ tsp salt
50 g caster sugar
25 g butter
1 egg, beaten
Mix together and add to the risen dough. Knead for 3 minutes. Roll out to 13" × 18" on a non-stick surface (baking paper, or plastic board).
40 g brown sugar
40 g butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
30 g dried fruit (eg. currants, sultanas, craisins, etc)
Mix together the sugar, butter and spices, and spread across the dough. Sprinkle the fruit over the surface evenly. Roll up the dough from the long edge. Slice into pieces 4 cm thick, making about 12 scrolls. Place scrolls into a deep, greased baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth and set in warm place to rise until doubled in size and spongy to the touch. Bake at 200°C for 15 to 20 minutes. Glaze while hot (50 g sugar dissolved in 80 ml water on low heat).

The dough is also supposedly suitable for making doughnuts (simply fry and roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture) but I haven't tried it yet.

Late Night Musings

While cooking some pasta last night I wound up thinking about my friend William. I pretty much think about him every time I cook pasta, although I haven't seen him in over fifteen years (though nearly caught up with him at the turning of the millenium) and haven't exchanged email or anything with him in probably seven years. The reason I think about him is that he's the person who showed me how to slightly twist a bunch of spaghetti before letting it fall into the boiling water. I still remember how "Eureka!" that moment felt to me. I suppose to most people in the world, cooking pasta is a very ordinary event, but to this day, when I stand some spaghetti in a pot and then let it fall in a spiral, I feel a little thrill.

This got me thinking later that night about food memories. I guess they keep coming back because you never stop eating and the food still tastes like it did the first time, bringing the memory right back again. Especially if you're as into food as I am. (I do realise that I've just rather inelegantly re-capped that famous bit about madeleines and tea, but they're my own inelegant words, so there.)

I'll think of Jill every time I eat artichokes. A "wow!" moment when she showed me how to steam one and dip the leaves one by one into scrummy dip, after which I willfully broke away from her recipe (lemon juice with a tiny bit of melted butter) and ventured into high-fat territory (melted butter with a squeeze of lemon juice, and aioli, and anything with lots of butter).

Gosh, anyone reading this who's never met me would never know that I am NOT as big as a house. /laugh/

I also remember my sister "inventing" cheese cooked in a pan, after realising that her favorite part of a grilled cheese sandwich was the cheese that melts out the sides and browns in the pan. At the time, we thought she was weird. She was just in the wrong family! She should have been born to a Swiss or French family... of course, raclette is not traditionally made with a slice of American cheese.

Whenever I cook eggs, I think of my first boyfriend, who astonished me by cooking his eggs in butter. As my parents cooked everything in vegetable oil, it had never occurred to me to cook eggs in butter. His mother is German, hence the butter. I now definitely prefer eggs cooked in butter. Also broccoli cooked in butter. And most anything cooked in butter.

Which reminds me, when I first flew to Australia (to visit my not-yet-husband and in fact he was my not-yet-fiance), I went on Air New Zealand and was amazed by the delicious butter served on the plane -- a weird thing to be impressed by, but I later found out that New Zealand is in fact renowned for its dairy. I learned in the Gina Mallet book (see my list of good reads) that a small increase in the quantity of butter fat can make a world of difference in the taste of the butter, so I'm guessing that's what impressed.

This entry is starting to be all about butter... when my hubby (pre-affiancing) first asked me how I like my toast buttered, I answered him truthfully, although afraid of seeming fussy, that I like to let the toast cool slightly so that when I butter it, the butter doesn't melt all the way. I was gratified when he replied that he did exactly the same thing! The first in a long list of things we do the same (to match the equally long list of things we like to do exactly opposite).

Meanwhile, here is the little pasta recipe (without any butter) I made up last night:

2 small onions, diced small
2 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
2 red capsicums (bell peppers), diced small
approx 1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 large chorizo sausage, diced small
handful arugula leaves, chopped coarsely
handful fresh basil leaves, chopped coarsely

Cook the onion on low heat in some olive oil until softened, then stir in the garlic, capsicum, mushrooms and sausage. Keep going until the mushrooms are cooked. Stir in the fresh herbs. Serve over spaghetti tossed with fruity olive oil or chili infused oil, and garnish with grated Romano cheese or crumbled Danish feta. (I think some fresh sage would also go well, but I didn't have any to try when I made this dish.) If this dish isn't saucy enough for your tastes, add some diced tomatoes to the pan as well and let them cook down a bit.

My Latest Shape

Here is my birthday photo... /laugh














We went out to Tukka on the night of my birthday, a restaurant that specialises in "bush tucker" -- food prepared with native ingredients. David had wallaby and I had possum. Neither of us were greatly impressed by the main meals (the service was quite slow, as well). I did like my appetiser of mussels with native herbs & spices, and the palate cleanser of mandarin and lemon sorbet.

Recipe: Zucchini Fritters

This recipe is from a local newspaper's weekend magazine. The fritters were quite tasty and we had them as lunch as well as to supplement other meals afterwards. Below the recipe are some notes, as I think it cam be improved. Anyway, here is the original recipe:

Lightly grease 4 egg rings with some butter. Combine: 2 small zucchinis, coarsely grated; half a small red onion, finely chopped; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 50 g freshly grated parmesan; 1 Tbs flour. Heat 2 Tbs olive oil & 40 g butter in a pan. Place the 4 egg rings in the pan and fill with the mixture. Brown on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes altogether.

Place half a round of matured chevre on top, and grill until browned. Also grill some endive sprinkled with butter and brown sugar. Serve fritters with grilled endive on the side and zucchini chutney. (I skipped all this but the recipe included directions for making zucchini chutney, which basically looked like a sweet ratatouille to me, with onion and tomato.)

Some notes: the zucchini started to release liquid as soon as they were mixed in, which made the second batch of four sloppier than the first. I might try variations to firm up the mixture next time I make these, as the egg rings were not terribly effective, and I ended up browning the fritters under the grill to finish them off a bit more. Some options I've thought of are: less egg; more flour; grated potato; ricotta cheese. I also happened to have a bunch of coriander when I was making these, so I chopped up a generous amount and included it in the mixture, which tasted great.