Posts filed under ‘food glorious food’
apple and oat muffin season
Slack jawed, and with my elbow cast at an odd angle, my eyelids creaked open. It seemed I had fallen asleep. These things happen sometimes. It’s called the sneaky nap. Not a nap that you sneak in, more a nap that sneaks up on you.
There you are going about your business, and then suddenly… whooshka! You wake up slack jawed and no feeling in your arm. The sneaky nap as struck again.
Bleary eyed I staggered out to the lounge room only to find things were looking a little different. Very different. I couldn’t put my finger on it. The Monkeys were quiet and going about their monkey business, surprisingly not causing havoc at that particular moment. So it wasn’t them.
I continued looking about. Things looked clearer, clearer than they had for quite some time. I didn’t think I had napped for that long, so it can’t have been clarity of thought that had returned. I squinted… then it dawned on me, that was it. The fact that I was squinting. Squinting in my lounge room. Squinting in the afternoon autumnal sunlight. At that same moment Mr Chocolate cheerily walked in with a wad of newspaper in hand, and proceeded back to the windows. The light was different…
That was it. The windows were clean!
To celebrate the soft autumn light, and to use up some seasonal apples, Apple Oat Muffins it was.
Apple and Oat Muffins
150g softened butter
3/4 cup raw sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of whole oats
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
2 beaten eggs
3 grated apples *
Cream butter and sugar together. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Spoon mixture into lined muffin tray. Sprinkle with a little extra raw sugar. Bake at 190C for approximately 25 minutes.
*Apple season runs from January to May.
for the love of italy
You know that bubble of excitement you get some times? It starts at the pit of your stomach, spreading a warmth through out your body, and ending at the very ends of your hair strands. Every fibre of your body has just experienced that warm happy feeling, that if you could capture it in a glass jar, would surely radiate a pulsing soft yellow glow.
A whole bundle of descriptive happy emotions all wrapped up in that one glass jar. You might get that feeling on seeing a loved one, the simple touch of someone who cares, hearing something that truly speaks to you on the radio, giving something to another, or simply feeling a warm afternoon breeze coming down off the mountains.
For every different person there could be a hundred different reasons for generating that wonderful feeling. And the best thing about it? It usually takes you by complete surprise. There you are going about your business, and bam. Every fibre of your body has just been touched by that invisible soft pulsing yellow glow. Leaving your mouth smiling, eyes sparkling and your heart just that bit bigger.
There are several things that can quite often trigger these feelings for me. Without completely leaving my soul out on a canape platter for the whole world to snack on, I’ll mention just the one today.
Italy. Bella Italia.
Now for any long term readers, this isn’t a surprise. I’ve often written of my love of all things Italian. Italy runs through my veins like a good custard slice does. It’s part of who I am. Not because of an extensive family tree, but my branches have definitely self sown themselves in that Italian direction.
Reading this article (here) on Italian street food brought forward a wonderful array of delicious taste bud memories from my different times spent there. Piadinas in darkened bars eaten at late hours. Wedges of thick volcano hot foccacia eaten while strolling up and down the one street as a teenager. Towering gelato eaten on freezing cold days, eaten simply because we could.
And the one that stands out as the most novel of all?
Ending all night club dancing with a crema filled croissant at 4am. Not just any croissant, but one that can only be purchased from the early morning baker who opens a tiny portion of his centuries old wooden door through a darkened cobble stoned alley way to tired dancers on their way home. A crisp and flakey croissant, still warm from the oven with custard like crema that brushes past your lips far too quickly. The secret baker who made this sweet delight and will only open up to the friend, of the friend, of the friend, who knows where on earth that secret wooden door can be found again come the next Saturday night.
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Watching Two Greedy Italians recently I was inspired to make something similar to their Lemon and Ricotta Tart. I had limes and I had ricotta and if I talked to The Monkeys in an Italian accent while I baked the thing… maybe just maybe I could be transported even for a minute or two, to the land of vespas, pizza and that crema filled 4am goodness.
I was willing to give it a shot anyway.
Lime Ricotta Tart
(the love child of this Lemon and Ricotta Tart and this Lemon Meringue Pie)
one can of condensed milk
half cup lime juice and one grated lime
3 separated eggs
300g fresh ricotta
one sheet of puff pastry
Mix all ingredients together, except egg whites. Whisk egg whites separately, fold into mixture. Grease pie dish, line it with a sheet of puff pastry. Pour mixture in and bake 40minutes at 190C.
Verdict?… Dead easy. Tastes a bit like a light cheesecake, and a bit like a not so sweet lemon meringue pie.
autumn
a changed beat
different air
cool nights and sunny days
autumn is here
along with school holidays
long walks in the park
the crackle of brown leaves under foot
perfect to build up and then run through
changing colours, changing light
changing rhythms
long days and aimless running
need lots of snacks
healthy ones
Tahini Balls
1 cup whole oats
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup unhulled tahini
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup hazelnut meal
1 tsp vanilla
sesame seeds
Mix it all together, add a couple of tablespoons of water just to bind it. Roll into balls with dampened hands, then roll in raw sesame seeds. Keep in the fridge.
eggs in baskets- Frugal Friday
I always thought Toad in the Hole was an egg cracked into a slice of bread and then fried. Turns out I’m wrong. (Thank you for the correction wikipedia) Apparently Toad in the Hole involves a sausage and instead my fried egg is called Egg in a Basket. I’m not sure that’s got quite the same ring to it, but it will have to do until I think of something else. I always liked the sounds of Toad in the Hole… makes me think of Wind in the Willows.
What you’ll need is some
small round bread rolls and
free range eggs
hollow them out, enough to hold a whole cracked egg
into a low oven (they are a good thing to pop in on your second shelf of the oven while something else is cooking up top)
eat them when you think they are ready
and serve with a little capsicum chilli sauce
(For me an egg is ready when it’s cooked right through, Mr Chocolate likes ‘em runny.)
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As for a new name…any ideas?
Bunnies in Burrows?
Fat Cat on a Cushion?
chocolate vanilla layer biscuits
Biscuits are handy.
They can sidetrack a hungry belly that is calling out for food.
They can quieten a noisy Monkey.
You can eat them with one hand.
They can give a subtle little sugar hit, when the search is on.
You can balance one on your nose… if you felt so inclined.
And most importantly they are really easy to make.
Chocolate Vanilla Layer Biscuits, my current favourites.
Chocolate Vanilla Layer Biscuits
250g softened butter
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
4 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
450g (3 cups) plain flour
2 1/2 tbls cocoa
Beat softened butter and sugar together until creamy looking. Add vanilla and eggs, beat until mixed well. Add the flour and mix until a dough forms. Divide the mixture in half, and add the cocoa to one of the halves. Mix it in well. Roll out mixtures seperately, between two sheets of baking paper to about 1cm thickness with a rolling pin. Pop the dough sheets in to the fridge until hardens completely.
Once hardened, take the sheets out, remove baking paper and line the two doughs on top of each other. With a sharp knife, cut through the two layers, about an inch in width. Place strips on top of remaining dough and cut again, making sure it’s the same size. Once you have the four layers, cut strips into approximately 1 cm sized thickness. Lay them on a lined baking tray, and keep going with the rest of the dough.
Bake at 180C for approximately 25 minutes.
(This recipe makes quite a few biscuits… but it does depend on how much of the dough you eat raw.)
In my kitchen…
This week in my kitchen…
There is a whole lot of wonderful limes from my dad’s backyard tree. I’ve mentioned my love of the humble lime quite a few times, I never get tired of them. I’m thinking Coconut Lime Pie, Chicken Lime Pasta, Lime Cupcakes, Lime Marmalade… limes, limes, limes. (I’m trying not to think about caipiroska’s.)
Dark Almond chocolate for strength, patience and clarity. Works a treat… well for a little while anyway.
A new Italian cookbook. Won over at Not Quite Nigella, (which was a rather lovely surprise.)
Organic, spray free, local, seasonal fruit and vegetable box delivered to my kitchen door. Making life a little easier until I can get back to my farmers market lady.
Baking hotcross buns with a sleeping babe attached. It’s how all the bakers are doing it these days, (well ones with new babies anyway.)
Last year I did a few batches of hot cross buns. Trying to find the right recipe that worked for me. I still wanted to tweak it though, as didn’t feel it was quite ‘right’. This time I did part sourdough, part dried yeast… I’m getting there I think.
Hot Cross Buns
200g currants/raisins
50mls water
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp dried yeast
150g sourdough starter
125mls tepid water
50g melted butter
1 beaten egg
1 tsp salt
3 cups flour (450g)
125mls milk
Soak the fruit in the 50mls water, leave for a couple of hours. Mix all ingredients together and then turn out on to a lightly floured bench to knead until you get a lovely smooth ball of dough. Pop the dough back into the bowl, plastic bag over the top and leave to prove for a couple of hours. Out onto lightly floured surface again and divide into 12 portions. Roll into balls. Pop them on a lined baking tray, cover and leave for another prove (about an hour.) Then bake at 200C for approximately 25 minutes.
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What’s happening in your kitchen this week?
Have a look over at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for other kitchen happenings.
biscuits, cookies and things to nibble
I hadn’t realised I had baked quite so many biscuits over bloggin’ time…
Everyday Chocolate Mint Biscuits
super easy chocolate chip biscuits
Kettles boiled… anyone want to join me for afternoon tea?
Tea or Coffee?
Plum Shortcakes
A good bakery is a wonderous thing. You’ll quite often find me, nose pressed against the glass, eyeballs widened, and probably just the hint of drool coming from the side of my mouth. I don’t usually go in, I don’t need to. I like just looking. Seeing what’s on offer, how they have presented different things, and getting ideas for my own baking efforts.
Many moons ago, I lived for awhile in Germany. Twice a week I would head off, cold crisp air on my cheeks. Hands wedged into pockets and music wedged into ears, I would set forth on my two buses to get to a German language class. I loved this time. I loved the German winter, I loved the alone time, I loved being in a different country, I loved learning the language… and I really loved stopping off at a bakery afterwards.
Germany bakeries are a thing of wonderous beauty. So many different types of wonderful breads, and enough sweet goodies for a young Australian gal to do more than a little drooling. Everything I ever ate was delicious. Really delicious. Sure I probably headed for the same kind of things time and time again, but when you are on to a good thing, why stop eh?
So what did I go for? Anthing vaguely fruity/ sour related. Cherry strudel? You betcha. Plum struesel? Yes indeed. They all had my name well and truly written all over them.
So with a German bakery in mind, Plum Shortcakes it was.
Fruity, not crazy sweet, but enough of sugar kick just to say … ja bitte, das ist lecker.
Plum Shortcakes
200g plain flour
100g self raising flour
150g softened butter
150g sugar
2 tsps vanilla
zest of one lemon
2 beaten eggs
plums
Cream the butter and sugar together, add vanilla, eggs and lemon zest. Then fold through flour. Into your tray/s and add halved plums. Bake at 180C until risen, slightly golden, and smells like you can’t wait to eat it any longer (cooking time will depend on the tray you use.)
Fetta Pumpkin sausage rolls
Fetta Pumpkin sausage rolls. They weren’t shifting out of my head until I made them. A few pumpkins came and went, fetta went into other dishes, and then finally the planets had aligned and voila… there was fetta and pumpkin in the fridge at the same time.
Time to get roasting.
There aren’t too many ingredients in here, so the key to getting it to taste great, is using great ingredients. A very sweet, seasonal pumpkin, some tasty Greek fetta, local whole garlic cloves and pastry.
It’s not often you’ll find packaged pastry in my recipes. I hadn’t had any in my freezer for a really long time. So long in fact that, the pastry and I just sort sat there, eyeing each other off for awhile. In the end though, pastry won. I wasn’t about to expand my culinary skills on making puff pastry just yet, (give me another 15 years perhaps) and a shorter crust pastry just wasn’t going to cut it for this one. So I slit the plastic, and funnily enough the world didn’t end.
Fetta Pumpkin Sausage Rolls
pumpkin
garlic
fetta
salt and pepper
olive oil
puff pastry
Cut your pumpkin into wedges and lay on a tray
add a couple of whole cloves of garlic
drizzle with olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
roast until soft and smelling delicious
All into a bowl, and mash with a fork, cool
add crumbled fetta, stir through.
Spoon mixture into middle of pastry sheet, and roll up
cut into sizes you want, bake on tray at 200C
until golden and smells delicious
a roast tomato tart… or four
I could have eaten four of these
I didn’t… but I could have
Oh, I so could have…
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Pastry
200gms butter
2 cups plain flour (300gms)
110gms natural yogurt
1 tsp vinegar
In a food processor pulse flour and butter until resembles bread crumbs. Tip out into a bowl and add yogurt and vinegar. Mix through, a quick knead until a smooth consistency and then pop into the fridge for awhile. Take out and roll to the thickness you want. I did individual tarts, but it could easily be done as one big one.
Tart
A layer of sliced fresh mozzarella
A couple of strips of free range bacon
Into the oven at 200C until the pastry is golden.
