west coast kitchen

goodbye west coast kitchen x

2009-12-01T17:47:00.007+13:00

It has been a while between postings. Most of this year has been consumed by life, or rather the task of growing a precious new one after finding out in February that my husband Mike and I were expecting a baby.

Inconceivably, my darling Mike died suddenly on September 20th, 2009 while running a half marathon. Five weeks later our beautiful daughter Daisy was born. I no longer live on the West Coast, so it's goodbye to West Coast Kitchen.

From time to time I will be posting on Lovely Wee Days, a commual blog where myself, my dear friend Miriam and my sister Libby will share products from our kitchens and gardens along with other little gems and no doubt snippets of lovely wee days spent with the beautiful Daisy.

hot buttered hot cross buns

2009-02-14T10:56:00.008+13:00

Homemade hot cross buns were on the breakfast menu today. I try different recipes for these every year, and think I have struck upon the best one yet, thanks to Libby, who discovered them. They are based on the Ten o'clock Cookie Bakery Cafe's recipe for their award winning buns, and are delicious!

Often homemade hot cross buns have quite a dense texture and a dry crumb - these are light and moist, and packed with fruit. Enjoy warm, spread with soft butter.

hot cross buns

50g flour

2 tsp dried yeast

2 tsp sugar

1/4 c warm water

Combine together in a mug or small bowl and leave somewhere warm for ten minutes to sponge.

200g raisins or sultanas

100g currants

Cover with boiling water and leave to plump up - half an hour or so.

500g flour

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 c warm water

60g butter, cubed

zest of 1 lemon

Combine flour, salt and spices and 10g of the cubed butter. Mix well. Add the water (I used the soaking water from the dried fruit) and mix until a smooth dough forms - about five minutes. I do this in the kitchen aid with the dough hook.

Add the remaining 50g of butter, bit by bit, beating well into it is kneaded into the dough.

Leave dough to sit for ten minutes. Then mix in the drained dried fruit and lemon zest. Cover dough with a tea towel and leave to rise for an hour or so.

Shape into 9 buns, place on a lined baking tray and leave to rise - overnight is good. To make crosses combine 1/4c flour, 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp oil. Break off small balls, roll into long, thin pieces and lay across the tops of the buns. (You can pipe this but the dough is quite stiff)

Bake buns at 190c for 25 minutes. Transfer onto cooling rack and brush with a glaze made by heating 1/4c sugar and 1/4 c water.

back at last

2009-02-01T15:48:00.014+13:00

It has been a while, so here is a rundown on what has been happening in West Coast Kitchen (& garden) over the past couple of months...a rather eclectic array of photos follows. I shall endeavour to be more a more disciplined and dedicated blogger and provide regular updates in 2009!

no-knead sticky buns with honey and walnuts

First up - 'no knead' sticky buns, based on the brioche recipe from the book 'Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day'. I found the recipe for these sticky buns on this blog here. You make a no knead brioche dough (it has melted butter) and leave it in the fridge until ready to use. I made mine on Monday night and used it on Saturday morning. These are lovely and very easy to make, best eaten half an hour from the oven!

Takaka Spinach and Cashew Pinwheels - from the Takaka Wholemeal Cafe's cookbook. I use my 'all purpose' focaccia dough, the recipe is on the blog a few pages back...) and vary the filling depending on what I have to hand.

For the base recipe, you start by cooking a diced onion an a couple of cloves of garlic until soft, then add about a cup of cooked, chopped spinach. Cook until the excess water from the spinach reduces. Add a couple of tablespoons of pesto, herby vinaigrette and spread over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle with grated cheese and toasted, chopped cashew nuts, anything else you desire (this time I used chopped ham off the bone and some cooked portobello mushrooms) and roll up. Cut the log into 8 pieces and carefully transfer to the oven tray, dough side down, not filling. Brush with a beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for about 30 minutes at 190c - they will ooze so use a big tray. Eat warm.

Summer in the garden

Some brag shots of our homegrown produce - have had lots of courgettes and potatoes...

I dug up the garlic yesterday, impatient to make room for something else - perhaps slightly premature, some of the bulbs are still on the small side, but nice and mild.

Spuds - Mike has been in charge of these, and has grown jersey bennes, ilam hardies and moi moi.

Strawberry yield has so far been approximately 6!! Have to get to them before the rain or the birds do.

Still waiting for a red tomato...

Prized tomato plant #1 - planted this one directly into a bag of tomato food, seems to be doing the trick!

Prize tomato plant #2 - these are the ones I raised from seed, have no idea what variety they are, will be interesting to see...

Courgettes...I planted 2 of the goldrush plants so yellow courgettes have been a staple in our diet of late.

The lebanese cucumber plant - have 2 little ones fattening up and hopefully not too far away from the table.

The fig 'tree'. One precious little fig is slowly fattening up.

Runner beans, rosemary and pumpkins.

Baby sunflowers

Sweetpeas - the most successful crop...not edible but have been able to fill lots of jugs with the delightfully fragranced blooms. Best of all they keep growing back!!

Homemade sausages

Sausage making...one of our wedding gifts were the mincer and sausage making attachments for the kitchenaid. We have had several sausage making sessions so far - here are some pictures from the first. We made -

Pork, sage and apple

Pork, bacon and prune

Lamb, rosemary and garlic

Moroccan spiced lamb with dates and mint

Wild venison and porcini

Wild venision, orange and cranberry

Just like bought ones!!

Getting the right amount of fat has proved to be a little tricky - it can look like a lot when mincing it up, but it is amazing how much will cook out once the sausage is in the pan. The venison ones especially needed a bit of extra fat.

Here is a nice juicy pork sausage with our favourite sauce on the side... Rocket Fuel

Holidays

We spent New Years at a lovely secluded beachfront cottage on the West Coast, at Gentle Annie near Mohikinui. Here is Mike whipping up a batch of whitebait fritters.

Our little cottage...

The view from upstairs...

Christmas

Last but not least, Christmas puddings - last years 200+ production was scaled down to a dozen this year, so Xmas baking was an altogether more relaxed effort.

spring pasta

2008-11-09T20:43:00.009+13:00

A spring dinner for a wintery day...this wet, stormy afternoon I hauled out the pasta maker and made ravioli. With a filling of goats feta (from the goat farm at Kumara Junction with a newly opened farm shop selling goats cheese - great excitement on my behalf), asparagus and mint. The sauce was the asparagus tips sauteed in a little butter, a pour of cream, lemon zest and juice, more fresh mint and a handful of mizuna. Lovely.

homemade ravioli with goat's feta, mint and asparagus

300g flour
3 eggs
1 egg yolk

Blend all in the food processor until clumpy. Remove, ball up, wrap in gladwrap and leave sitting on the the bench for half an hour or so to relax.

For the filling combine equal quantities of goat's feta and cottage cheese, a bunch of chopped asparagus that has been sauteed in a little oil with a clove of garlic, a handful of chopped fresh mint, a handful of fresh breadcrumbs.

Roll out dough with pasta machine, distribute filling, cover with a second piece of dough and use a round cookie cutter to cut out the ravioli.

Poach in boiling water for 5 minutes and toss lightly with a cream sauce, and lemon, fresh mint and baby salad greens.

Also made this weekend - lemonade scones to have with blueberry jam and cream for afternoon tea, almond biscotti and a wholegrain sourdough loaf. A chicken was poached in the slow cooker for Vietnamese chicken salad tomorrow night, a chicken and mushroom pie for Tuesday, and stock for the freezer. And two Christmas puddings.

west coast whitebait

2008-10-25T19:21:00.010+13:00

It is very cool when you can pick up a fresh catch of whitebait at your local dairy, which is exactly what we did today, along with a bag of free range eggs. The best, best batter is simply a couple of eggs beaten, s and p, a pinch of mustard power and a scant teaspoon of flour.

The secret ingredient features below. Yes, Kremelta, the hard white fat otherwise used for chocolate crackles, is the perfect fat to fry whitebait fritters in. Flavourless, slow to burn and guaranteed to give you those nice crispy edges.

Served between (what else but) the freshest white sandwich slice and finished with a good squeeze of lemon. The butter on the bread was a mistake, maybe it was the whitebait being of fresh rather than frozen origin but the flavour seemed more delicate and the butter was too strong. Forgiveable though, and a very nice Labour weekend treat.

spring dinners

2008-10-25T18:57:00.005+13:00

We are enjoying the warmers days now that Spring (and the famous West Coast rain that tends to come with it) has arrived. Loving the asparagus...dinner tonight was a salad with roasted asparagus, tangelo, toasted hazelnuts and baby cos lettuce. To have with was a calzone of the tried and true team of smoked chicken, cranberry and brie.

I often use my favourite foccacia dough for pizza and calzone, which is...

foccacia

2 tsp dried yeast

5o ml warm water

3 tbsp flour

Mix together and leave until it 'sponges' and grows...I have just discovered that on top of an espresso machine is ideal for this purpose!

Meanwhile in a bowl of a mixer place...

300g flour

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp salt

Add the sponge once is it ready. Knead all with the dough hook or by hand until a smooth dough forms.

Another spring dinner - stuffed mushrooms with fresh herbs and bacon (from Murchison meats - just ranked best bacon in NZ and well deserved of the title, nice thick rashers they are, with a very real smoky taste unlike the injected flavoured stuff) The mushrooms were a concoction of sorts, I was trying to use up bits and pieces from our over stuffed freeze. Into the mix went some leftover cottage cheese and spinach cannelloni mix, cream cheese with fresh herbs, diced fried bacon and a few big handfuls of grainy breadcrumbs. Delicious, if not that good looking on the plate...

with it we ate a salad with (more) roasted asparagus, fresh mint and broad beans (courtesy of Watties, the ones in the garden so far have one fat pod that looks to have potential, others will be a fair way off I suspect) and a lemony dressing.

a weekend of baking/eating/drinking

2008-10-19T21:40:00.012+13:00

It has been rather a marathon effort this weekend in terms of kitchen output...Saturday was the West Coast Wine Club's annual challenge. Before hopping in the van and heading up to Shantytown we had a champagne brunch here in Hokitika. Our contribution were little croque monsieur...and some doughnuts with vanilla custard. I was trying to recreate bomboloni last enjoyed in Melbourne...alas mine were more 'bready' than the crisp shelled ones at St Kilda. Quite delicious in their own right, please note the custard owes its saffron coloured hue to free range egg yolks as opposed to Edmonds custard powder(!) Miriam I very much lamented the lack of a Rachel Carley dusty pink cake plate to display these on, Tony Sly just did not do justice on this occasion.

... and some salt and pepper grissini we took along for something starchy once the wine tasting commenced.

It was an interesting evening. Some very nice wines were enjoyed, and I was most excited to see brandy snaps joining the lineup on the dessert buffet. It has been a while.

Today started off with some marshmallows being whipped up, inspired by some I bought recently made by Kapiti Candies that were so delicious I devoured the packet. The recipe was from Taste magazine. Very easy if a messy and sticky process. I think I skimped a little on the gelatine as they set but not super firm. Very sweet and rather freestyle in form but I suspect they will be perfect floating in a hot chocolate.

To use up the 3 egg whites from the vanilla custard for the doughnuts I made some 'Old fashioned Almond Bread' from the new Fleurs Place cookbook. Lovely name and a good recipe. Just beat 3 egg whites until stiff, add 90g castor sugar (I used the leftover vanilla sugar from rolling the doughnuts) and beat until a thick and glossy meringue like mix happens. Fold in 90g flour and 90g almonds (any kind, I used sliced). Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake at 180c for 30 minutes or until firm to touch. Cool, slice thinly and lay out on a baking tray and bake at 140c for 20 minutes or until pale golden and crisp.

Perfect to go in the cookie jar to be served with...

...a flat white from the newest addition to our kitchen, a rocket espresso machine. Still tinkering a bit to get the grind right, we are loving our new 'baby'. A big thank you to all the contributors, hopefully by the time any of you make it to Hokitika our barista skills will be finely tuned!

Lastly, some sourdough...my starter is threatening to explode from the preserving jar that contains it, think I will need to find some new homes to share it amongst. After much playing with different recipes and methods I think I have struck it. I added some kibbled wheat and mixed grains this time, looking forward to a piece toasted with honey for breakfast.

bits and pieces

2008-08-31T20:10:00.004+12:00

The blog has been little quiet...here are a few things we have been eating lately. It has been 'eat from the freezer and pantry stockpile' recently, it is quite fun having to be inventive. Tonight, a warm salad with ebly wheat, pumpkin and cauliflower roasted in moroccan spices, with toasted walnuts and lots of chopped herbs and baby salad greens...tossed in a dressing made of sliced red onion and garlic sauteed with more spices, mixed with dates and lots of natural yoghurt. We ate this with panfried groper and lemony hummus.

I have been making a bit of bread too...vegetable calzone last week for Sunday lunch. I use my favourite foccacia recipe for this, and filled it with a mixture of roasted pumpkin mixed with lots of silverbeet sauteed in garlicky oil, tomatoes that had been cooked down until thick and pulpy, and some crumbled feta.

Foccacia

2 tsp dried yeast
50ml warm water
3 tbsp flour

Mix the above 3 ingredients together and leave in a warm place to 'sponge', about ten minutes.

300g flour
200ml warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

Place flour in a large bowl, add oil, salt, rosemary and the sponge mix from above. Knead until smooth, then leave in a warm place until doubled in size. Press dough onto a baking tray, dimpling the surface with fingers. Brush generously with olive oil so it pools in the dimples, and bake at 200c for about 15 minutes.

This is a versatile dough that also make a good pizza or calzone base. When I made it yesterday I added linseed, kibbled wheat and poppy seeds to it for a grainy change.

energy cookies

2008-08-19T19:47:00.005+12:00

Cookies this week for TWD...granola grabbers picked by Michelle of Bad Girl Baking. These are the sort of cookies (we try to justify to ourselves) that lean towards the healthy side of the treat spectrum because they contain a virtuous ingredient such as wheatgerm. Not so healthy I'm afraid but very yummy...and packed full of energy and at least a little fibre. Using granola instead of raw oats mean they are extra crunchy and have a fantastic texture. I used some homemade honey toasted muesli that had a mix of rolled oats, pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds. The cookies were quite sweet, next time I would cut the sugar down slightly. Couldn't bring myself to use raisins so chunks of dark chocolate instead, although in hindsight the raisins may have been pretty good...

a wholesome dinner

2008-08-18T20:17:00.004+12:00

Dinner in a hurry...panfried turbot (my new favourite fish!) on a 'superfood' salad of wholemeal couscous with grated beetroot and carrot, shredded red cabbage, steamed broccoli, crumbled feta and hazelnuts. Our fish was topped with lots and lots of sloppy homemade hummus...a bag of cooked chickpeas from the freezer, some tahini, lemon juice, natural yoghurt, garlic, olive oil and warm water blended until drizzle-able. Divine, I love dinners like this. Leftover salad and hummus for lunch tomorrow.

blueberry ice cream

2008-08-13T21:21:00.006+12:00

A belated TWD posting this week....it has been an eventful week. This week was Blueberry sour cream ice cream chosen by Dolores at Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity. The ice cream maker was put back into action. I lazily skimmed the recipe and misread it, throwing all the ingredients (blueberries, sugar, sour cream, cream and lemon zest) in the saucepan together. No worries though, this didn't seem to matter, as the mixture blended up and churned nicely to make a lovely creamy ice cream. This must be the easiest recipe in Dories book! The sour cream gave it a beautiful creaminess that non-custard based ice creams sometimes lack, tending sometimes to be a little grainy. Perfect spooned straight from the churn to top our hot apple and almond crumble for pudding tonight on this cold wet night.

a banana loaf

2008-08-05T19:22:00.004+12:00

Another week, another TWD recipe...this time for Black and White banana loaf chosen by Ashlee of A Year In The Kitchen . I followed the recipe for this almost to the t (couldn't resist adding a handful of chopped dark chocolate to the chocolate half of the batter!) I thought this loaf was....okay. The texture of my loaf was rather dense and it had quite a thick crust on it. Maybe my bananas weren't quite ripe enough. The marbling didn't turn out quite like Dorie's picture either...in the meantime the loaf has been relegated to the freezer. I have bigger things planned for it in the form of a chocolate and banana pudding...cubed banana loaf soaked in chocolate custard and packed into ramekins with a filling of chocolate ganache tucked inside. Watch this space.

pear, almond and vanilla 'galette'

2008-07-28T21:03:00.005+12:00

This weeks TWD recipe for a summer fruit galette was chosen by Michelle at Michelle in Colorado Springs.

I approached the recipe in somewhat topsy turvy manner... not being summer here in NZ we had 2 ripe pears in the fruit bowl this week, and pears and custard are so good together. Pears, custard and almonds are also good together, so I added a bit of a frangipane theme to things. To stretch my two pears a little further instead of making a galette I made a small tart shell which I blind baked.

Going the tart route I switched the cracker crumbs for (quite a few) toasted ground almonds and my custard became almost like a frangipane mixture. The pear and vanilla jam went on the top instead to glaze the sliced almonds.

I had been looking forward to trying Dorie's recipe for good for everything pie dough, so was annoyed at myself for undercooking the base of this - the sides however lived up to expectation and were lovely and crisp. This was delicious. Next time I will try making it as a galette pairing the custard with its other good friend - rhubarb.

cute carrots, chicken, cider

2008-07-28T20:45:00.003+12:00

I have not been very disciplined with thinning out my carrot patch. The idea of of pulling half of them out felt a bit wasteful, albeit in order to give the others room to grow. I finally tackled it last weekend, the result being a nice wee bunch of baby carrots for the pot. They are so cute it seemed a bit of a shame to eat them. Some were so cute ie.tiny that we actually couldn't eat them.

The little carrots were added to our Sunday night dinner...chicken braised in cider with bacon and apples. Based on a Judith Cullen recipe this was pretty good. We soaked up the braising juice with the leftover sourdough but I think it woud be vey good with very crunchy little roasted potatoes.

chicken braised in cider with spring vegetables - for 2

4 chicken thighs, halved (boneless)

4 baby onions or shallots, halved with root intact

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 c cider

1 c chicken stock

1 bay leaf
2 rashers bacon

1 apple, peeled and wedged

1 c baby peas

1 handful baby carrots, blanched

Brown the seasoned chicken in a pan with some oil, then remove. Add the onions and garlic and cook to soften, allowing the onions to caramelise a little. I poured bit of cider over them each time they looked like they may burn and let it reduce down. Add the bacon and apples to the pan and continue cooking to caramelise the apples. Add the rest of the cider and the stock along with the bay leaf. Cover and simmer gently for twenty minutes. Add the peas and carrots and simmer another ten minutes until tender and they will have soaked up the flavoursome braising liquid.

West Coast Sourdough

2008-07-28T20:24:00.003+12:00

Here is my weekend attempt at making sourdough bread. Created from a 'mature' West Coast bug this bread was delicious, despite my misgivings when the dough stuck to the teatowel when I tried to remove it from the proving bowl, deflating considerably....the long proving time added to the flavour I think. I used a blend of stoneground organic white, wholemeal and rye flours which gave it a lovely nutty flavour. I am going to try and make this once a week and next time will try adding a few grains to it.

It is a bit of a labour of love but the flavour and texture is well worth it!

sourdough

600g strong flour

50g stoneground wholemeal flour

50g rye flour

260g starter (beg, brorrow or steal this bit...)

1 tsp honey

2 1/2 tsp salt

500ml cold water

pinch dried yeast

Combine all together in a large bowl, it will be quite wet. Knead (hand or mixer) until it forms an elastic dough, do not add extra flour unless absolutely necessary. Place the dough in an oiled bowl (well oiled as will stick!) and leave a few hours to double in size. Fold it back on itself a few times then cover an leave another hour. Gently tip onto a floured bench and cover, leave 20 minutes, shape into 2 tight rounds. Place each of these into a proving basket (I use a teatowel liberally covered with flour which I centre the dough on, then place this into a stainless steel bowl, wrapping the edges of the teatowel over the top of it - you must use a LOT of flour!) Leave another hour then place in the fridge to prove slowly overnight.

The next morning bring out and leave at room temperature for a couple of hours before baking on a preheated pizza stone in a 250c oven for fifteen minutes then turn it down to 220c for another ten minutes or until well cooked and hollow sounding when tapped. A roasting tray of water in the base of the oven helps a thick chewy crust form.

pear, date and ginger cobbler

2008-07-22T20:44:00.004+12:00

TWD this week = Cherry and rhubarb cobbler, chosen by Amanda from Like sprinkles on a cupcake. Owning neither cherries nor rhubarb at this point in time I substituted pears with a handful of dates for good measure, seeing as they go so perfectly with ginger. Not being a cobbler lover I was surprised to quite enjoy this.

After the last cobbler attempt was so bland I decided to add a topping of brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger to the top of the cobbler so it had a nice crunchy sugary crust, and upped the ginger in the dough. This called for a generous pour of yoghurt, hence the pool of it in the pic below...

classic culinary literature

2008-07-17T19:40:00.002+12:00

My lucky find in a charity book sale today, an Alison Holst treasure circa 1967 for the bargain price of $2. Love it.

My vintage cookbook collection is growing slowly but surely...

a teacup of heaven

2008-07-15T19:00:00.004+12:00

The TWD recipe this week is Chocolate Pudding, and was chosen by Melissa from Its Melissas Kitchen and I suggest you visit her blog immediately to obtain the recipe!!

This pudding is divine. The plain jane name comes nowhere near doing this pudding justice, and lacking a picture in the book this is one recipe I would never have been inspired to try without the prodding of TWD. It is like a dense chocolate mousse (I am not into 'fluffy' chocolate mousse) and has the perfect balance of chocolate/cream/sugar so that it is not cloying or overly rich. It has a superb smooth velvety texture and tastes like it should be a lot naughtier than it actually is.

I halved the recipe and still used a whole egg plus the extra yolk. No full fat milk so I figured a splash of cream and some skinny milk would suffice. Dark chocolate with 72% cocoa. I made two generous teacups of pudding, the first of which was devoured spoonful at a time while it was trying to set in the fridge. This is addictive! The second one had been left alone to chill for a couple of days and was even more delicious, the texture was much denser. I ate this one with a spoonful of sour cream which worked beautifully.

Love it and this one shall be reappearing on the menu again soon, just need to figure out a more enhancing name!

spud scones

2008-07-12T20:05:00.013+12:00

To have with our soup this evening - the most divine cheese and potato scones! Adapted from the recipe at Jafa Cafe in Auckland, these are a must try.

The scone dough is quite thin and more of a pastry/crust around the oozing filling, these scones would actually be equally good made calzone style and served in wedges. The filling could easily be adapted to suit what is lurking in the fridge needing to be used up.

I think the texture of the potato makes a difference - a rough mash rather than a smooth puree gives the filling its light texture. My filling was quite wet so oozed out a bit from the scone which made them even more delicious, providing a soft and gooey contrast with the crisp crust...

cheese and potato scones

filling

300g potato, boiled, roughly mashed and cooled
1 spring onion, finely diced
1 handful rocket or baby spinach or chopped fresh herbs
1 handful grated Parmesan
1 handful chopped ham
1/2 c cheese, grated
s&p to taste
2 tbsp milk

Combine all ingredients. Add a little more milk if the spuds are dryish, you want the mixture to be a little wet (not sloppy though) so the filling has lovely creamy texture

1/2 c cheese (extra)

scone dough

200g flour
75g butter
1/2 tsp baking powder (correct, they are not meant to rise much!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp caster sugar
100ml milk

Rub butter into flour, add milk and gently combine to form a soft dough. Roll out into a large rectangle on a floured bench and cut in half. Beat 1 egg and add a little milk to make egg wash, brush one piece of the scone dough with this. Sprinkle 1/2 of the extra cheese over the same half of the dough. Spread over the filling mixture, then sprinkle with the last 1/2 of the cheese. Place the other piece of dough over the filling.

Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, can add extra cheese on top too if you like. Cut into 6 large squares and bake at 200c for 15 minutes, eat while warm!

a warm winter salad

2008-07-09T21:12:00.004+12:00

I pulled out a recipe a few weeks ago from the Sunday paper for a nice looking chicken salad...chicken that has been marinated and roasted in apple syrup and wholegrain mustard tossed with sliced crisp red apple, toasted walnuts, crumbled aged cheddar and rocket leaves with an apple vinaigrette. This salad was a very easy and tasty dinner. It made a nice change from the heavier wintery comfort food-style dinners that are so appealing when the weather first starts to cool but the novelty of which tends to wear thin after a while!

Warm chicken salad with apple, walnuts and cheddar (for 2)

4 chicken thighs

2 tbsp apple syrup

2 tbsp grainy mustard

Marinade chicken in syrup and mustard overnight. Roast chicken at 180c for 20 minutes or until cooked.

While still warm gently tear into pieces and toss with handfuls of rocket, a sliced apple (make sure it is nice and crisp!) toasted walnuts and pumpkin seeds, and scatter with some crumbly aged cheddar. Make a vinaigrette with 1 tbsp each of apple syrup, cider vinegar and rice bran oil and gently toss through the salad ingredients.

blueberry pie raincheck

2008-07-09T20:54:00.009+12:00

You may have noticed that Dorie hasn't featured yet this week with TWD....the recipe being for a lovely looking Blueberry Pie. Last week I seemed to have on hand all of the components (ie. an excess of ripe bananas, toffee sauce) for banoffee pie ...and with a banoffee pie fiend in the house it seemed appropriate. I will definitely try the blueberry pie next time I have some berries to hand. You can check out how the blueberry pies turned out here, it looks like a goodie. In the meantime here was our banoffee substitute. The topping is half cream, half sour cream and the bottom is a cookie crumb meringue cake with dark chocolate and toasted almonds.

Meringue cake with dark chocolate and almonds

4 egg whites

225g caster sugar

250g sliced almonds, toasted and roughly crushed/processed

250g plain sweet cookie crumbs, crushed

100g dark chocolate, melted

Beat egg whites until stiff, gradually incorporate sugar as you would making meringue. Beat until the mixture is glossy. Gently fold in the crushed cookie crumbs and almonds. Pour in the melted chocolate and gently swirl into the mixture. Pour into a cake tin lined with baking paper. Bake at 170c for 30 minutes or so. This is also lovely topped with softly whipped cream and seasonal fruit and served in wedges like a pavlova.

tea for two

2008-07-09T20:23:00.004+12:00

A while ago I discovered the Truly Scrumptious Knitted Food website, where they sell patterns for knitted food of all kinds, including tea cosies. Well worth a look just to see the extensive range of knitted food on offer! I chose the hot pink cupcake tea cosy pattern, which was duly emailed through to me and soon after dispatched with materials to a local granny knitting extraordinaire to undertake the task of creating. Last week amidst the wild weather Anna and I sat down to a cup of tea and a selection of pastries from the local bakery...special treats made only once a week.

cheese, apple, quince

2008-07-01T20:08:00.010+12:00

I love trying out new scone recipes, so this weeks TWD recipe for Cheddar and Apple scones, chosen by Karina from The Floured Apron by was right up my alley.

These are very, very good! Admittedly I struggled to taste the (chopped, dried) apple in them, and using vintage cheddar probably helped elevate these scones to further greatness. Texture wise these scones are extremely light and flaky with quite a 'short' crumb. The small amount of polenta in the dough added a subtle but distictive crispness to the crust.

Next time I would perhaps try this recipe without the apple to see if it does in fact add a subtle something to the flavour. I think it was worth using a strong cheddar, it meant the scones had a good strong cheese flavour but without that slightly greasy texture that a larger quantity of cheese can contribute.

They are definitely best devoured minutes after coming out of the oven, the leftover scone I reheated in the sandwich press the next day came nowhere near the freshly baked experience. I made a full batch and froze half, so will try baking from frozen next time I feel a cheese scone craving comes on...

A spoonful of Moutere Gold Quince Jelly took these to scone perfection.

hot crumpets

2008-06-29T20:14:00.006+12:00

A craving for something hot and comforting last weekend resulted in a batch of crumpets being whipped up. I have always wanted to try making crumpets, and reading the latest issue of Homegrown from the NZ Gardener magazine ('Live off your land for less') they featured a recipe from Bees Online. I don't have egg rings so used a couple of small tins with the ends removed using a can opener, which worked pefectly well, although they do need to be well greased to stop them batter from sticking. I ran a sharp knife around the edge before I turned them over to ease them out of the mould. These are delicious and perfect for afternoon tea when it is cold outside. These homemade crumpets are not as tunneled on top as 'bought ones' but they have a beautiful spongy texture.

crumpets

1 1/2c hot water

1 c milk

1 tbsp dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp salt

1 egg

Mix hot water and milk in a bowl. Add yeast and sugar and stir to dissolve, leaving in warm place for about ten minutes. Combine the flour and salt and microwave on high in ten second bursts until warm (about 30 secs) Whisk four and egg into the yest mix to form a smooth batter. Cover bowl with a teatowel and leave until doubled in size, about 3 minutes. Heat a fry pan, greasing generously, add greased egg rings (or tuna cans with the top and bottom taken off) and spoon batter into the moulds. Cook gently until bubbles form on the surface. After 3 minutes or so turn over to brown the other side. Serve hot with butter and honey.

cobbler vs crumble

2008-06-24T20:47:00.005+12:00

TWD for this week was nice and easy (as much as I love the excuse to try the more elaborate recipes...quick and healthy-ish is good too!) as Beth of Our sweet life chose Mixed Berry Cobbler.

I have yet to fall in love with the cobbler. I love the idea of them - scones, jam and cream work so well and a cobbler is a bit like a pudding version of this. I guess I would just rather have my fruit topped with a crunchy crumble of oats and nuts, and cobblers can be a wee bit much on the doughy side for my liking.

I have never made a cobbler by rolling out the dough the way Dorie suggests, this makes a nice finish a little more like a pie crust, which was interesting to try for a change. The 'cobbled' rustic look is probably more up my alley though. Mine didn't rise particularly well, I did chill the cobbler dough while I made dinner so it went into the oven cold, which Dorie says is okay but I think must inhibit a bit of rising action?!

I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to Dorie's recipe and used granny smith apples and frozen boysenberries. It was a little tart, as the dough wasn't too sweet either. I probably should have added a little more sugar to my fruit, and cream or ice cream would have been a better friend to it than natural yoghurt which was what we had in the fridge last night.

However for all my complaints the leftover cobbler after being warmed ever so slightly and tossed about with a slosh of yoghurt and a squirt of apple syrup proved to be an serviceable after work pre gym pep up!

Postscript- I just read everyone elses pre-posting comments here and am glad I don't seem to be the only one disappointed with the results here - maybe I do like cobbler but just haven't found the perfect recipe yet!!

pumpkin and friends

2008-06-21T18:30:00.005+12:00

Scones were on the agenda this afternoon to accompany general lazing on the couch and reading of the paper with the fire going in the background. This recipe for Pumpkin and date scones is adapted from Belinda Jeffrey's Mix and Bake book, I added orange and cinnamon to spice things up a bit. Nice and sticky and moist these are.

Pumpkin, date and orange scones with cinnamon sugar

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 tbp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

60g butter

1/2 c dates

juice of 2 oranges

1/2 c pumpkin

1/2 c milk

extra milk for brushing on top

2 tsp raw sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Squeeze orange juice over dates and heat until absorbed - I microwave for a minute. Combine dry ingredients and rub in butter (or blitz in food processor...) Add dates and coat with flour. Combine milk and pumpkin and add to the dry mixture. Mix gently and roll out thickly, cut into rounds. Brush tops of scones with a little milk, and sprinkle with the combined sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 200c.

slow dinner fast dinner

2008-06-21T18:04:00.007+12:00

A month or so ago I went to a Judith Cullen cooking class down in Dunedin. The main dish made that night was this slow cooked lamb, served with a barley, lentil and chickpea pilaf, red cabbage and apple salad and a smoky mayonnaise. This is a lovely wintery dinner but not in that overly heavy wintery kind of way. There is a great combination of flavours and textures - the tender lamb, crunchy cabbage and the slightly chewy barley.

The lamb (boneless shoulder) is marinated overnight with olive oil, white wine, garlic, fresh thyme, chopped onion and carrot. I cooked it the next day in the slow cooker, but it can be done in the oven for a few hours instead. The lamb is shredded up while still warm, and served with the pilaf below, a salad of shredded red cabbage, julienned green apple and celery, chopped Italian parsley with toasted walnuts and a whisked dressing made using 1/4 cider vinegar, 1/4 c apple juice, 1/2 c oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice.

A smoky mayonnaise made with 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 clove crushed garlic and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (with 150ml of rice bran oil drizzled in) pulls all the different flavours together and is essential to make this meal work so well. This sauce is served separately but drizzled over everything at the table. Very good!!

Barley, chickpea and lentil pilaf

1/4 c rice bran oil
2 red onions, chopped finely
300g pearl barley
1 litre vege or chicken stock
150g brown lentils, cooked
150g chickpeas, cooked
2 c diced butternut pumpkin, roasted
1/2 c parsley, chopped
1/4 c lemon juice

In a pan that can be used for baking heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic. Add the barley and coat with the oil. Pour in the hot stock, cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes at 180c until the barley is tender. Remove from oven and sir through remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste.

A favourite super quick dinner at the moment is san choy bau, or a bastardised version of. Heat a little sesame oil in a heavy pan and add about 300g pork mince, a diced red or yellow capsicum, crushed ginger, a tablespoon each of soy sauce, fish sauce and sweet chilli sauce.

Continue to cook until the liquid evaporates and the pork is well cooked. Add a couple of tablespoons of oyster sauce, and any combination of the following that you like the sound of - mung bean sprouts, chopped water chestnuts, shredded red cabbage, roughly chopped coriander, crispy fried shallots, dry roasted chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, diced fresh pineapple......for more bulk toss through some vermicelli noodles.

Serve at the table with a plate of crisp iceberg lettuce leaves for rolling the pork up in. Very fresh.

jerusalem artichoke time!

2008-06-21T17:51:00.006+12:00

I was lucky enough to find a jerusalem artichoke benefactor at work, the result of which being I have a decent stash of the things. First on the list was soup - made by sauteing an onion, adding half a kilo of peeled sliced artichokes, then a little of chicken stock and simmering until they are soft. I added a handful of chopped Italian parsley and toasted walnuts to serve. Lovely.

To go with the soup were good old Southland cheese rolls - soup is the best excuse to eat these! I made a load up few weeks ago and for them for a rainy day...recipe thanks Rach/Mrs Lynn...you will need 1 litre milk, 50 grams cornflour, 1 pkt onion soup mix, 400g tasty cheese (grated). Heat milk and onion soup, add cornflour which has been mixed to a smooth paste with a little milk. Stir constantly until thickens, add cheese and stir well. Leave until the next day before making rolls to allow it to set. Brush with melted butter and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes or so, turning a few times until they are golden and the cheesy insides are bubbling...yum!

eclairs for afternon tea

2008-06-17T22:09:00.006+12:00

The naked eclairs fresh from the oven....

...and all dressed up ready for afternoon tea.

The TWD recipe this week - Peppermint cream puff ring - was selected by Caroline of A Consuming Passion. I love choux pastry in absolutely any form, sweet or savoury, and profiteroles with ice cream, chocolate sauce and toasted almonds are one of my favourite desserts - the perfect blend of crisp, soft, hot and cold - love it. I halved the recipe and made eclairs for ease of serving...although I have to say the ring is far more grand looking. We took them over to some friends for afternoon tea - the ulterior motive of which was to have a play on their Rocket espresso machine, in the hope that we will one day (soon?!) own one ourselves.

I found the pastry part of this one was straight forward. Normally I don't add sugar or milk to my choux, so I was interested in how fast these would brown up - they cooked beautifully.I instead had a bit of an issue with the peppermint part of this recipe...I infused the cream as Dorie says but our mint is not the healthiest looking plant at the moment, so the leaves were less than lush. In the end the cream didn't taste particularly minty, and in a moment of haste (we were due out the door as I was titivating the eclairs...) I added a splash of the Mrs Thomas's mint syrup I had in the fridge to intensify the 'mintiness'. Bad idea. This has a white vinegar base and while it is sweet and is fantastic over fruit and other desserts it did not work well with the cream. At all.

Luckily there was just enough cream was left in the bottom of the bottle that could be swiftly whipped and flung ino the elairs. Thus traditional chocolate elairs it was - simple but so good. I love the idea of the minted cream - and will try it again once that mint supply is back up and running...

cheese and poppy seeds

2008-06-15T16:50:00.005+12:00

At home we always have a jar of crackery type things to nibble on. Mostly I buy these from the local bakery, where they bake cracker bread out of the extra bread dough and top it with interesting bits and pieces, but I spotted a recipe in Alison Holst's Cake and Biscuit book for these crackers. She made them with Parmesan and sesame, but I only had a block of good stuff so used grated colby instead. These are very tasty. Next time I am going to try them with half polenta and half flour for a corn chip style cracker - like the Bluebird Tapas corn chips!

cheese and poppy seed crackers

1 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 c grated cheese

3 tbsp poppy seeds

1/4 c warm water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp hot water, extra

Heat oven to 160 c. Measure the first flour ingredients into the food processor and combine well so the cheese blends into the flour. Add the sugar and salt to the first measure of water and mix to dissolve. Add the oil to this too. Add this liquid in a slow stream to the dry mix, processing it in short bursts, until a soft dough forms. On a floured surface roll the dough out very, very thinly (it is easiest to divide the dough into three balls and roll out each piece separately). Prick all over with a fork and cut into triangles. Place on a metal cake rack to bake, I used a roasting rack that I sat over a roasting dish. They can overlap a bit, and poke down betwen the wires of the rack to fit more in, this gives them their crumpled shape. Bake for 10-15 minutes until dry, crisp and pale golden - watch closely at the end as they go from golden to dark brown in a flash!

noodles from Tibet

2008-06-15T16:43:00.002+12:00

There is a cafe in Greymouth called Franks, that opens for dinner twice a week. The food at Franks is unpretentious, fresh and simple with quite a homemade feel to it. Their chef is from Tibet which puts an interesting spin on the menu. We went on Friday and I ate the handmade Tibetan noodles with chicken. This was really delicious, the noodles were short and fat and a little bit doughy, but in a good way. The bread here is good too, they bake it themselves.

tartless

2008-06-10T21:24:00.005+12:00

No TWD for me this week...the recipe chosen by Marie from A Year at Oak Tree Cottage was La Palette's Strawberry Tart, a sweet pastry crust filled with strawberry jam and fresh strawberries. I am bowing out of this round by token of the 'but strawberries out of season in the Southern Hemisphere' excuse. Dorie suggested that other fruit could be used but a pear or apple tart just didn't feel quite right, so I am looking forward to trying this one next summer once berryfruit are back. Check out everyone else's strawberry tarts here.

Pudding tonight was made for nostalgic reasons rather than culinary merit...chocolate self saucing pudding, pictured above in all its glory (is there a less photogenic pudding?!) Tarted up with some vanilla bean ice cream, homemade even.

dinner from the garden

2008-06-08T15:43:00.007+12:00

My garden continues to grow, albeit very slowly since winter has started. Silverbeet and spinach seem to be in constant and generous supply however, so it is an ongoing challenge to come up with new ways to build it into dinner.

Last week = spaghetti with spinach and roasted red pepper - an adulterated version (I add chicken and lots of toasted pumpkin seeds) of the recipe available here at the Sanitarium website. This is a really nice recipe, it is quite a runny sauce though so sometimes I process another handful of toasted seeds with the spinach to add more texture to the sauce and it makes a consistency more like pesto.

Tonight = silverbeet and potato torte, a Stephanie Alexander recipe featured in her kitchen garden cook book, the recipe is here. (It is intended for use by children so the instructions are fairly long winded...) This torte uses an olive oil and cold water pastry, so is very healthy as far as pastry goes. It is a very short dough and crisps up well in the oven. Instead of mozzarella I used crumbled feta. We ate it with some tomato kasundi. It really needs a little something on the side.

I planted some garlic and shallots today, apparently they are supposed to go in on the shortest day of the year, which is not far away thank goodness. Some mesclun seeds were also scattered into a pot, which has been covered with a sheet of glass so it will hopefully warm up enough for them to sprout to life. Great excitement in the broccoli patch, a tiny flower has finally appeared on two of the plants.

cafe @ home

2008-06-08T15:27:00.005+12:00

There is not much of a cafe scene in Hokitika...although the word on the street is that a deli is opening sometime soon. I really miss going out for cafe breakfasts (to places that offer more creative choices than the cliched bacon, banana and maple syrup etc!) but for now weekend breakfasts are best enjoyed at home. Just need that espresso machine to complete the beverage side of things...

Today for a treat a batch of crepes was whipped up, and enjoyed with a selection of accompaniments - the rest of the Moutere Gold passionfruit curd, the old faithful of lemon juice and sugar, maple syrup with cinnamon sugar, and my favourite - dark chocolate custard cream and sliced banana.

Delicious, and so much lighter than the thicker american style pancakes that can leave a lump in your stomach. Having said that our crepe feast managed to suffice for both breakfast and lunch.

de/reconstructed brownie

2008-06-03T19:36:00.014+12:00

Well as you can see things did not go to plan with TWD this week, and I ended up with a bit of a brownie disaster on my hands. I had a catering event on in the weekend and decided to make this weeks TWD pick of French Brownie for this - and took the liberty of making a double batch - having such faith in Dorie by this stage I thought I would be brave...

When making the mixture I was surprised at how pale it looked. I added a bit more chocolate than specified as I don't like the look (or taste) of pale brownies or chocolate cakes, they just seem a little sad and half hearted if you know what I mean.

Oh, and I left out the raisins. I like raisins and they have their place but raisins in brownie is just plain wrong!

I baked it for around the specified time but ended up with a brownie in two entirely separate pieces - the top crust which lifted off in one piece, and the dense, solid bottom bit. This was really strange, I know brownie should have a crust but this is usually papery rather than dry and thick and crunchy...and it tasted dry and thick and crunchy too.

There was nothing for it but to build it into something that looked a bit more presentable (read saleable) so the whole mixture - crumbly top, dense bottom and all went into the food processor. I added some crushed toasted almonds to bind the mix, as it was very moist. Then topped with some dark chocolate ganache, a handful of chopped dark chocolate, some toasted flaked almonds and a drizzle of more dark chocolate to finish!!!

And thus 'Chocolate and Almond Truffle Slice found itself on the menu instead. This was actually really delicious. It was a very good seller too, faring well against the competition (see below). I think the texture of this recipe lends itself more to a fudgy style slice rather than a brownie, as it was very dense. I am sorry to say this recipe will not be entering the brownie hall of fame, I look forward to trying some of the other brownie recipes though!

cakes and sandwiches

2008-05-31T21:29:00.015+12:00

It has been a busy few days, with my last big baking session before I start a new job in the area of nutrition...all things in moderation!

Today there was a fundraising event on at Claremont Estate, a boutique lodge on a farm in Waipara, where I cooked the summer before last. My presence at the event today was in the form of the 'cake and sandwich lady' - a change from my usual market pseudonym of 'pudding girl'.

Here are some of the treats I made. I was a little over enthusiastic with regard to quantities required, however sold most of my wares with the exception of the sticky gingerbread which is on the menu for pudding with friends tomorrow night. It will be joined by some pears poached in mulled wine and a little creme anglaise for good measure.

Louise cake - my pride and joy of the stall today. I have actually never made this before and was a little worried when it came to cutting as the base mixture seemed very dry when raw. But Alison H didn't let me down - this was delicious (and I didn't think I liked Louise cake). The recipe can be found here.

Here, displayed on my new cake stand, an early birthday present (any offers?!) is from top to bottom - chocolate and almond truffle slice (a disaster rehash - more later), Louise cake, date and caramello slice.

I did a rerun of Dorie's sticky buns - this time using local walnuts along with the honey glaze, which worked well with the flavour of the honey. These turned out super sticky and required a strong coffee to wash them down. Now regretting bartering the last few with the coffee cart girls...it shall have to be weet-bix for breakfast instead.

The winner on the day - Oaty Ginger Crunch - the base is a bit like an anzac biscuit, so very good. Not so much crunchy but chewy. For once my icing worked perfectly and didn't crack at all when cutting it!

The club sandwiches mistakenly didn't get a look in while I did the whip around with the camera, the little cakes somehow seemed more appealing...

I really do need to think of a more creative gluten free option - although these little cakes are also enjoyed by wider members of the public. The moussey lemon curd cream and crunchy candied orange zest makes them - lovely with the squidgy cakes and ever so slightly pudding-like.

Banana cakes a la Belinda Jeffrey - the best recipe ever and all made in the food processor. Buy a copy of Mix and Bake today. Featuring banana chips that required numerous shopping expeditions to track down. (Odd but true)

...and now to bed, early rising is on the agenda tomorrow for the Christchurch Marathon - which I shall be attending in purely a spectator/supporter role, marathons of the baking kind being my preference.

sunday lunch

2008-05-27T12:18:00.007+12:00

While in Christchurch last weekend we had been keen to check out the temporary restuarant set up by Richard Till, however this had sold out, so we decided to visit a newish place on the dining scene down here - Petrini. A wine bar, resturant and deli with a bakery and cheese room on site, Petrini has been executed superbly.

We ate the calamari with squid ink sauce pictured above (which has a fancier name that escapes me...) and the ham hock terrine with homemade brioche and an apple salad below. Beautiful - the calamari was among the nicest I have had. We also tried the bread plate to check out their breads, the walnut was divine. Very reasonable prices for the quality of the food, and the casual style of the menu makes it perfect for sharing too.

brioche two ways

2008-05-27T11:27:00.013+12:00

This weeks TWD recipe was for Pecan Honey Sticky Buns and was chosen by Madam Chow of Madam Chows Kitchen. I have a recipe for sticky buns I use regularly, when I used to sell them at the farmer's market. These have an avid fan base, but I now have a new favourite recipe! I made these on a busy day, in between rushing around sorting things for my own wedding and attending another, so did not get to enjoy them in an ideal, sit down with a good coffee kind of way. Instead they were picked at off and on through the course of the day....and were surprisingly good the next day when warmed a little.

These sticky buns are made with a brioche dough. I have never come across this method of making brioche, where the butter is mixed into the otherwise finished dough, piece by piece. The poor Kitchenaid was well and truly put through its paces, but it was definitely worthwhile. The recipe calls for a half batch of brioche - I made the whole batch, figuring it was just as easy effortwise to pump out a full batch at once - and used the other half to make some brioche raisin snails. In the end I ended up making only a half batch of the sticky buns (the rest is in the freezer for a more suitably lazy day) as the dough goes a surprisingly long way...which assists to justify the amount of butter in the recipe - not quite so scary when you divide it on a bun by bun basis!

The picture below is how they look when baking - you pour the glaze into the pan and then sit the dough on top of this, let them rise, bake them, then flip the whole tray over once they are cooked.

These sticky buns were incredibly light - I loved the texture of the dough. Brioche can sometimes be quite dry with a coarse crumb, but not this recipe. You could really taste the honey in the glaze, which was good with the nuts. However I think the amount of glaze was a bit intense for the number of buns. Next time I would do a quarter recipe of glaze for a half batch, as opposed to the half recipe used this time. They were just too sticky and sweet (never thought that possible!) and the dough was so lovely in its own right.

Here they are close up in all their glorious stickiness. Beautiful.

With the other half of the brioche dough I made up some brioche raisin snails, a recipe baked by the other TWD bakers before I joined. These have a layer of vanilla pastry cream, topped with rum soaked raisins and a little cinnamon sugar. I only baked a couple and froze the rest of the roll to use later, so didn't bother icing them with the glaze - which I would definitely do next time as I think it would finish them off perfectly, as they needed a little more sweetness. (Or perhaps only as I was eating mouthfuls of this in between mouthfuls of the super sweet sticky bun?!) These were lovely too - the brioche is so light and they have just enough moisture from the custard and raisins.

a slab of snickery square

2008-05-22T16:03:00.010+12:00

Ever since buying the book Baking: from my home to yours, by Dorie Greenspan I have wanted to try this recipe. It promises to be, as the name suggests, a glorified snickers bar. Or the ultimate caramel slice; shortbread base, a layer of extra thick, gooey, 'proper' caramel embellished with caramelised salted peanuts, and a thick layer of dark chocolate to finish. My sister's upcoming 21st birthday provided the necessary excuse to embark on such wickedness...

The recipe specifies using dulce de leche (spanish for caramelised/sweet milk) for the caramel layer, however this is not available in NZ. Highlander sell a condensed milk product that is caramelised, but I don't think this compares to the DIY version where you boil the can of sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan of water or 3-4 hours. This is how is looks after being 'cooked' - a lovely thick toffee coloured goo. Maybe dulce de leche is thicker, as my slice didn't look quite like Dorie's when I cut it...the caramel oozed out the sides quite determinedly. Not to say this detracts from the eating experience at all, it just makes it rather messier.

This is wickedly good. The texture of the candied peanuts is what makes it I think - salted, roasted peanuts (I dusted them with a little flaky pacific seasalt) with a thin crisp caramel shell. That, and the thick dark chocolate slab like topping and the crumbly, biscuity base, all work beautifully to contrast with the creamy caramel. The messy side trimmings I combined with some leftover whipped cream and sliced banana - like a banoffee pie version of eton mess. So good albeit slightly shameful...

Here is a close up that shows the true 'gooeyness' of the filling, it wants to gush out in much the same manner as a perfectly ripe cheese...Due to this fact it probably wasn't the best choice of baked good to attempt to send to the other end/side of the South Island. So instead of cutting this up I left it as a whole slab, hoping this would enhance the chances of it remaining intact for the next 24 hours.

And here is the slab of snickery square snugly packed in its little box, ready to make the journey south. Fingers crossed it made it safely!

Snickery Squares

Do not be put off by the longwinded directions - this is really quite easy!

For the Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

¼ tsp salt

100g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

For the Filling:

½ cup sugar

3 tbsp water

1 ½ cups salted peanuts

About 1 ½ cups store-bought dulce de leche (I used 2 x tins condensed milk, cooked for 3 hours in boiling water)

For the Topping:
200g bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Cadbury Old Gold)
50g unsalted butter

Getting Ready:

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 8 inch square pan and put it on a baking sheet.

To Make the Crust:

Toss the flour, sugar, powdered sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Toss in the pieces of cold butter and pulse about 12 times, until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Pour the yolk over the ingredients and pulse until the dough forms clumps and curds-stop before the dough comes together in a ball.Turn the dough into the buttered pan and gently press it evenly across the bottom of the pan. Prick the dough with a fork and slide the sheet into the oven.Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, or until it takes on just a little color around the edges. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature before filling.

To Make the Filling:

Have a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet at the ready, as well as a long-handled wooden spoon and a medium heavy bottomed saucepan.Put the sugar and water in the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Keeping the heat fairly high, continue to cook the sugar, without stirring, until it just starts to color. Toss the peanuts and immediately start stirring. Keep stirring, to coat the peanuts with sugar. Within a few minutes, they will be covered with sugar and turn white—keep stirring until the sugar turns back into caramel. When the peanuts are coated with a nice deep amber caramel, remove the pan from the heat and turn the nuts out onto the baking sheet., using the wooden spoon to spread them out as best you can. Cool the nuts to room temperature.When they are cool enough to handle, separate the nuts or break them into small pieces. Divide the nuts in half. Keep half of the nuts whole or in biggish pieces for the filling, and finely chop the other half for the topping.Spread the dulce de leche over the shortbread base and sprinkle over the whole candied nuts.

To Make the Topping:

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove chocolate from the heat and gently stir in the butter, stirring until it is fully blended into the chocolate.Pour the chocolate over the dulce de leche, smoothing it with a long metal icing spatula, then sprinkle over the rest of the peanuts. Slide the pan into the fridge to set the topping, about 20 minutes; if you’d like to serve the squares cold, keep them refrigerated for at least 3 hours before cutting.

pears and gingerbread for breakfast

2008-05-22T15:42:00.007+12:00

A week or so ago we had our engagement party, so with a few extras for breakfast it seemed a good time to do a little recipe testing. I have had my eye on this gingerbread waffle recipe for a long time, but waffles are a little time consuming to attempt on an everyday basis.

These were lovely but not gingery enough for me, being named as they are after gingerbread. Next time I would add another teaspoon of ground ginger, some mixed spice and treacle instead of golden syrup to make them more like gingerbread. The recipe contains no butter, so they were a little less crisp than waffles usually are, I would probably add a little melted butter too.

We ate them with some pears fresh from the orchard that were poached with some leftover white wine, caster sugar, water and a vanilla pod.

With greek yoghurt and a drizzle of fig leaf syrup these made a nice start to the day.

gingerbread waffles - from Everyday Coking by Allan Campion and Michelle Curtis

1 1/3 c self raising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
4 eggs, separated
1 c milk
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c golden syrup

Sift together the dry ingredients. Beat egg whites til stiff. Beat together the yolks with the milk, brown sugar and golden syrup until smooth. Add the egg yolk mixture to the sifter dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the egg whites as gently as you can.

Cook spoonfuls of mixture in a lightly oiled waffle iron (or make hotcakes in a pan). Serve with syrup and fruit.

a variation on a theme...

2008-05-20T13:10:00.004+12:00

This weeks TWD recipe is for madeleines, the little shell shaped cakes...but as these need a special mould to be baked in (and specialist bakeware stores are a little thin on the ground in this part of the country - that is, non existent!) there was the option to choose a recipe already baked by other members of the group.

The most appealing recipe of those baked before I joined TWD would have to be Snickery squares - they look like, as the name suggests, a homemade and far superior version of a snickers bar, or a deluxe caramel square. Both of which I am partial to. However with only two mouths to feed this week (mine included) a batch of Snickery squares simply seemed too excessive.

Instead I made a more modest choice, the Pecan sour cream biscuits (scones in NZ speak) and decided to use the dough to make a cobbler topping, and serve it as a pudding. Possessing no pecans but several kilograms of sliced almonds, I substituted a handful of the latter. The fruit base was sliced braeburn apples and some boysenberries I had frozen in summer.

I had read good things about this recipe on other TWDer's blogs, however my cobbler version of this recipe failed to impress. This is probably due to the variations I made (such as cooking it over a base of hot fruit!) and a bit of heavy handedness with the mixing, and possibly undercooking it slightly, but I found the dough to be quite dense and a little stodgy. Too rib sticking for my liking. The crunchy part on top was quite nice though, especially with whipped cream and the fruit.

I ended up picking the topping off the leftovers and feeding it to the compost, the fruit at the bottom was salvaged and made a pleasant addition to my muesli this morning.

Bring on the Snickery Squares!! Should have followed my instincts. Check out the rest of the recipes made this week here.

not so naughty brownie

2008-05-18T20:03:00.004+12:00

Flicking through the Healthy Food Guide website I came across this recipe for a fat free brownie - the recipe is here. The picture in the magazine looked pretty good, and despite being skeptical of a brownie recipe containing no butter or eggs I decided to give it a chance. (With the outrageous price of butter a brownie recipe that is 'healthyish' and cheap would be a bonus...) The recipe uses apple puree as a fat substitute, which I like the idea of. However with this being the only wet ingredient the mixture was way too dry so I succumbed to the temptation to add an egg. Instead of the specified walnuts and dark chocolate I added raspberries and white chocolate.

It is important to note that this is most definitely not a brownie. It was quite spongy and the top felt a bit rubbery, it didn't get that fudgy crumb and papery crust that the genuine article has. It tasted ok in a run of the mill chocolate cake kind of way, but I am definitely of the school of thought where you indulge less often but do it properly...

beans on toast

2008-05-18T19:43:00.004+12:00

A trip to the local (and only) supermarket proved to be a sobering experience upon sighting the prices of fresh vegetables...lettuce and broccoli almost reaching the $4 mark! The lack of a fruit and vegetable shop or Farmers Market on the West Coast is a real shame. Luckily tinned tomatoes and store cupboard staples like beans remain cheap, hence the inspiration for lunch today.

Baked Beans

1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 rashers streaky bacon, diced
2 cans cannellini beans
1 1/ c tomato passata
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika

Cook the onion in a little oil until soft, add the bacon and garlic and continue to cook gently. Add the beans (drain and rise well) and the remaining ingredients and stir well. Cook over a gentle heat for ten minutes.

We ate the beans with cornbread. This version is made at the Morrison St cafe in Nelson - you can find the recipe here. It is a bit like a cheese scone, but with a coarser texture from the polenta. I halved the recipe which still filled a large loaf tin. This cornbread is nice toasted the next day too.

the perfect pikelet?

2008-05-16T13:10:00.012+12:00

Too late for breakfast but too early for lunch, I felt like something a little bit sweet. I had seen a recipe for pikelets in an Alison Holst book that she claims are 'the best pikelets I have ever tasted'. A pretty big claim but then AH has a similarly big reputation so I thought I would try them out. I usually use a Jo Seagar recipe for pikelets that makes nice thick ones. (Nobody likes a mean skinny pikelet!) Alison's recipe was possibly nicer as the pikelets were still fatly risen but a bit lighter and more tender. Both use cream of tartar which I think must be the secret ingredient. A jar of Moutere Gold citrus and passionfruit curd provided the perfect topping.

Here is the inside of the pikelet, you can see how lovely and light the batter is.

Mrs James' pikelets (c/o Alison Holst)

25g butter

1 tbsp golden syrup

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

3/4 c milk

1 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

Melt the butter in the bowl you will mix pikelets in. Add the golden syrup and warm again. Add sugar and eggs and whisk well, stir in milk. Sift in dry ingredients and mix only to combine - it is important not to overmix at this stage. Cook spoonfuls in a lightly greased pan and serve with the delicious jam of your choice.

one of my favourite places...

2008-05-13T20:34:00.007+12:00

Riverstone Kitchen is one of my favourite cafes. Just north of Oamaru, this is one of those rare cafes that does everything well. The food is simple and delicious, it is one of those places you can feel confident that anything you order will be good. I had duck confit on jerusalem artichoke puree with spinach (a bargain - $17!). Mum had the beef pie (which came with champ and caramelised onions) and is one of the best around, we took a couple of extra away with us...

The chocolate tart with vanilla bean ice cream was stunning. The filling was like that used when making molten chocolate cakes, and is baked to order, resulting in a light crust on the top and a lovely gooey inside that melts out onto the plate when broken into. Perfect.

At Riverstone they have large gardens and orchards where lots of their produce is grown. Here is an autumnal looking pile of pumpkins piled outside the front door to the cafe.

Then it was on to Dunedin for a cooking class with Judith Cullen (more later...) and a stop off at the 'Friday' shop at Highgate Bridge to collect several chicken and mushroom pies on order from various Friday shop pie lovers in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch! This place is fantastic. They bake all week, quite traditional french things - terrines, braises, confit and pate. Pastry is definitely the star of the show however with sweet and savoury tarts, quiches and pies of all kinds on offer. You need to be in early for the pain au chocolat but the pear tart with frangipane = divine.

a flurry of figs

2008-05-13T20:06:00.009+12:00

In the weekend I was the lucky recipient of a bowl of figs, thanks to a friend of Mum's that has a tree and doesn't care for them. (There were many more - this is the remainder that was turned into jam). The bowl is my newest addition to my Tony Sly collection of beautiful things to put food in and on.

Roasted figs with fig leaf syrup. We ate these with gingerbread waffles and poached pears for breakfast (more about that later). The fig leaf syrup comes from the Dunsandel Store. It has a flavour that is hard to describe. It is lovely, not too sweet and less cloying than maple syrup or honey.

Fig and lemon jam - inspired by the new book Pick, Preserve, Serve by Chris Fortune. A good little book with nice ideas for contemporary preserves...the lemon in this is delicious, it really lifts the flavour. I cut the figs into wedges so they stayed nice and chunky. I think it will be perfect in a crostata with some sliced apples.

Pizza with caramelised red onion, blue cheese, fig and walnut. Self explanatory.

lime and coconut

2008-05-13T19:41:00.006+12:00

This weeks TWD recipe is Florida pie, a twist on lemon meringue pie as it is made instead with lime juice and coconut. I used Krispie biscuits to make the crust - unique to NZ I think, Krispies are, as the name suggests, crisp coconut biscuits. These made a great base, light and very crunchy and a little bit crumbly.

I added the zest of the limes as well as the juice to cut through the sweetness of the condensed milk.

I made one large pie and half a dozen baby ones - which look cute in a rustic kind of way but ended up a bit of a mess as they proved impossible to remove from the tins...

Anna (Apple) was gifted this pie to take to a dinner date, however due to a miscommunication and strange coincidence her host had already prepared a lemon meringue pie. What was the verdict Apple? The filling had too many coconutty 'bits' in it for me, I found it a bit stringy in that respect, but would try it again perhaps using coconut cream instead to keep the coconut flavour but with a smoother texture.

Florida Pie

1 9-inch graham cracker crust (page 235), fully baked and cooled, or a store-bought crust

1 1/3 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

4 large eggs, separated

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes)

1/4 cup of sugar

Getting Ready:Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment of a silicone mat.Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thickened. Scrape the coconut cream into a bowl and set it aside while you prepare the lime filling.Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl beat the egg yolks at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the condensed milk. Still on low, add half of the lime juice. When it is incorporated, add the reaming juice, again mixing until it is blended. Spread the coconut cream in the bottom of the graham cracker crust, and pour over the lime filling.Bake the pie for 12 minutes. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes, then freeze the pie for at least 1 hour.

To Finish the Pie with Meringue:Put the 4 egg whites and the sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, whisking all the while, until the whites are hot to the touch. Transfer the whites to a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer in a large bowl, and beat the whites at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 1/2 cup coconut into the meringue.Spread the meringue over the top of the pie, and run the pie under the broiler until the top of the meringue is golden brown. (Or, if you've got a blowtorch, you can use it to brown the meringue.) Return the pie to the freezer for another 30 minutes or for up to 3 hours before serving.

soup and scenery

2008-05-13T13:11:00.006+12:00

Here is some scenery to prove it is West Coast Kitchen. We paid a vist to Lake Brunner the other weekend, lovely, the new Wanaka perhaps? Lunch was a picnic near the lake of alphabet soup featuring homegrown vegetables and rosemary bread sticks. Good comfort food.

Alphabet soup

Soften a chopped onion and garlic in some olive oil. Add diced carrot, potato, pumpkin or vegetabes as desired, and a jar of tomato passata. Pour over a couple of cups of vege or chicken stock and simmer for twenty minutes or so unil the potatoes are nearly cooked through. Add a handful of 'alphabeto' pasta and some diced courgettes and simmer until pasta is cooked. Stir through shredded silverbeet or spinach to finish.

chocolate and peanut butter overload

2008-05-06T15:48:00.006+12:00

The TWD recipe this week was for Peanut butter Chocolate Torte...I am a huge peanut butter fan and also a huge chocolate fan but find the peanut butter and chocolate combination thing a bit much. This was a fun dessert to make though, and the reason I enjoy Tuesdays with Dorie as it means I try recipes I normally wouldn't!

I halved the recipe and made 4 little tortes. I could have easily stretched it to 6 tortes by making smaller portions, but that would not have been in the nature of this recipe which demands to look decadent and over the top rather than sensible I think.

The mousse was a good consistency and once chilled a little was easy to pipe into the tartlet cases. I was pleased with my ganache...it was woth being patient and waiting for the exact moment when it thickened enough to cover the mousse perfectly without turning into a landslide.

I found the cookie crumb base very crumbly to work with and was tempted to add more butter, but after freezing and baking as specified they worked perfectly and came out of their tins obediently enough without requiring the use of a hairdryer...

Here is Miriam and Phil tucking into a torte (in real life they had one each!) Feedback regarding tortes = good but rich and would be perfect if made in mini muffin tins and served with coffee as little afterdinner mouthfuls...a bit like a homemade Reece's peanut butter cup.

Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
2 ½ c. heavy cream
1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.
Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.
Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.
Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.
To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.
Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.
Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.
When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

figs and honey

2008-04-28T15:09:00.003+12:00

This weeks TWD recipe is Polenta and Ricotta cake, a mediterranean style cake with figs and honey, chosen by Caitlin of Engineer Baker . I love polenta, so was interested to try a cake recipe using it. I used Rata honey, a NZ bush honey which has quite a strong flavour. I halved the recipe and still filled (to the brim) a medium sized tart tin, so the whole recipe must make an enormous tart.

I did find the cake was a little sweet, I wish I had read other TWD comments earlier about cutting down the sugar. However served with greek yoghurt it was better.

The recipe specifies putting little dots of butter on top of the cake mix before baking. I was skeptical about this but did it anyway, and it resulted in funny little square patches on top of the cake which looked really odd - so I dusted it with icing sugar to try and improve things!

The inside of the cake is lovely and moist with quite a dense crumb (although is is not heavy to eat). Dried figs of the fat, moist kind are essential for this cake. This is a nice, if plain cake, it would be good served as a lighter dessert, maybe with some poached figs or stonefruit.

back to market...

2008-04-28T10:21:00.007+12:00

I was in Christchurch in the weekend so I made a reappearance at the farmers market on Saturday morning. My Nelson fruit purchases provided inspiration...on the menu were quince and pear crumbles with oats and almonds, spiced apple shortcake (picture above) sticky date puddings with toffee sauce (of course) and pear and gingerbread upside down puddings. It was a beautiful day and a busy market, with lots of stalls, it was nice to be back!

Also made little chocolate and roast almond cookies, and little gingerbread loaves with the extra gingerbread mixture from the puddings.

And date and caramello slice as always....

a plug for poesy

2008-04-22T13:24:00.008+12:00

As far as convenience food goes this flatbread from Poesy (means poetry) is right up there with Pitango. For around $5 you get a pack of three flatbreads, made from the same ingredients you would use at home, that lasts for a few weeks on the fridge or ages in the freezer. I would usually make my own pizza dough, but there are times when you don't need a whole batch, or want food fast.

We ate it for lunch today topped with some reduced tinned tomatoes (had been in the freezer from pizzas last time), the last bit of feta from the fridge, some roasted red peppers and some bog standard grated cheese, topped with basil leaves. Recommended.

You also get a little poem like this in each pack of bread...cute.

a cupcake full of carrot

2008-04-22T12:07:00.010+12:00

This weeks TWD recipe was carrot cake. Admittedly this didn't inspire me too much, as I already have a carrot cake recipe I love to use that is pretty much unbeatable...check out the link for more details.

We didn't need a whole cake this week so halved the recipe and instead made cupcakes. Although I loved Dorie's suggestion to make it as a layer cake...the problem I always find with eating a piece of carrot cake is that it will have a lovely thick layer of icing on the top which requires self discipline to ensure it is rationed out to make it last all of the cake bit. Layering the icing through the cake would solve this problem perfectly!

To the basic mixture I chose to add finely diced dates and a mixture of toasted pumpkin, sunflower seeds and flaked almonds (because this was what I had in the cupboard for sprinkling on my bircher muesli). Usually I prefer carrot cake to be unadulterated ie. pure carrot, but the nuts added a nice bite. In keeping with the 'using what is on hand' theme, I substituted sour cream for cream cheese in the icing, which worked fine. The consistency was perhaps slightly thinner than normal but it still piped perfectly well.

I usually top my carrot cakes with toasted thread coconut, so for something different I thought I would make a praline. In the absence of any pecans or walnuts I used some more toasted pumpkin seeds...they also have a 'wholesome' feel about them, in the way that carrot cake does too (misguided I know!) They worked really well as when toasted their flavour and texture is very nutty, the taste reminded me of caramel popcorn.

This recipe was nice enough but I still think I will stick to my tried and true favourite...

Bill's Big Carrot Cake

Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Yields 10 servings

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots (about 9 carrots, you can grate them in food processor fitted w/ a shredding a blade or use a box grater)
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or dried cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick ( 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound or 3 and ¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or ½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
Finely chopped toasted nuts and/or toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Getting ready:
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter three 9-x-2-inch round cake pans, flour the insides, and tap out the excess. Put the two pans on one baking sheet and one on another.

To make the cake:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, chopped nuts, coconut, and raisins.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the sugar and oil together on a medium speed until smooth. Add the eggs one by one and continue to beat until the batter is even smoother. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing only until the dry ingredients disappear. Gently mix the chunky ingredients. Divide the batter among the baking pans.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until a thin knife inserted into the centers comes out clean. The cakes will have just started to come away from the sides of the pans. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.
The cakes can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to 2 months.

To make the frosting:
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is velvety smooth. Beat in the lemon juice or extract.
If you'd like coconut in the filling, scoop about half of the frosting and stir the coconut into this position.

To assemble the cake:
Put one layer top side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. If you added the coconut to the frosting, use half of the coconut frosting to generously cover the first layer (or generously cover with plain frosting). Use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth the frosting all the way to the edges of the layer. Top with the second layer, this time placing the cake stop side down, and frost with the remainder of the coconut frosting or plain frosting.
Top with the last layer, right side up, and frost the top- and the sides- of the cake. Finish the top with swirls of frosting. If you want to top the cake with toasted nuts or coconut, sprinkle them on now while the frosting is soft.
Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

Serving:
This cake can be served as soon as the frosting is set. It can also wait, at room temperature and covered with a cake keeper overnight. The cake is best served in thick slices at room temperature and while it's good plain, it's even better with vanilla ice cream or some lemon curd.

Storing:
The cake will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen. Freeze it uncovered, then when it's firm, wrap airtight and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin seed praline

1/2 c sugar - castor is better
1/4 c water
1/4 c roughly chopped toasted pumpkin seeds

Heat sugar and water in a heavy pot over high heat until sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, remove the spoon and leave sugar to caramelise, watching carefully. As soon as it changes to a light golden colour add the pumpkin seeds, swirling the saucepan to combine them into the sugar mixture. Continue cooking until colour is a dark gold, then quickly tip onto an oven tray lined with baking paper. Carefully tilt the tray to spread the mixture. Leave til set - this only takes about ten minutes - then break into shards.

giant feijoas and jesters

2008-04-21T13:25:00.007+12:00

I have just spent the weekend up around Nelson. I love the Nelson area and all the farmgate fruit stalls. We picked up braeburn apples, pears, and lots and lots of feijoas, all at bargain prices. Some of the feijoas are enormous, I am having to restrain myself to wait for them to ripen a little more.The market was on at Motueka so we called in. This is not a farmers markets as there was a lot of flea market stuff but some interesting food stalls that were worth a look, and a good vege stall, where I bought these red onions.

We stopped for a coffee at Jester House Cafe near Motueka. This place is very cute. They had a quince tree full of fruit with lots on the ground that they let me collect and take home. Apparently their chef had more than enough quinces to deal with already...

Their hot chocolates are presented as below, whether you are four or forty...when at Jesters I guess...It was a nice place to sit, with lovely gardens and next time I would have lunch there. (We went to the Mapua wharf for fish and chips...)

cupcake heaven

2008-04-16T12:36:00.006+12:00

I have been searching for the perfect cupcake recipe. So many seem to produce cupcakes that are dry and crumbly. This recipe is adapted from the Crabapple Bakery recipe. And it makes the best cupcakes I have tried so far.

I have also been searching for the perfect buttercream icing recipe, one that is not heavy and icing sugar laden (or falls off the cake when you go to take a bite)...so I tried a buttercream recipe from 'Baking, from my home to yours' by Dorie Greenspan. This has a meringue base so makes an icing that is very light and silky, perfect! It is a bit more time consuming to make but very much worth the effort. The texture of the icing is perfect with the cakes, it literally melts in your mouth.

Vanilla cupcakes

100g butter, softened
1 c castor sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
1 1/3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c milk

In a cake mixer beat the butter and sugar until very light and creamy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time and beat well to combine. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Using a spatula,gently fold in half the flour mix, followed by half the milk. Repeat. Spoon into paper cases and bake at 160-170c for 15 minutes or until they feel spongy when gently touched. Makes 15.

Buttercream

2 egg whites
1/2 c castor sugar
150g butter
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place egg whites and sugar in a metal bowl that is sitting over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk continuously for around 3 minutes or until the mixture feels hot to touch. (I used an electric beater). Remove from the heat and keep beating for another 5 minutes or until the mixture is cool. Transfer to a cake mixer with the paddle attached. Mix on medium speed, gradually incorporating the butter. Beat for another 8 minutes or until icing is thick and smooth. Add lemon juice and vanilla to taste, icing is ready to use immediately.

The crumb of these cakes is very moist and soft and not at all dry - which a lot of cupcakes seem to be. You can see the Heilala vanilla paste I used in the cake batter which has the seeds through it, which looks good and gives the cupcakes a beautiful concentrated vanilla flavour. The quality of the vanilla would make a huge difference to the taste of cupcakes, as they are quite plain, so I would only make them using proper extract or paste.

marshmallow mousse

2008-04-15T10:22:00.004+12:00

Marshmallow was the recipe chosen this week for Tuesdays with Dorie. The idea of plain marshmallow didn't really appeal, so I decided to combine it with a base and make marshmallow shortcake.

I don't have a candy thermometer so guessed the timing of cooking the sugar syrup. I also estimated the amount of gelatin required, and also the volume of egg whites (I had some frozen I wanted to use up, and figured 4 smallish egg whites may equal the 3 large ones specified in the recipe). All this estimation no doubt contributed to marshmallow that was less than 'marshmallowy'. Rather than a firm, smooth texture my marshmallow was very light and fluffy and more like a mousse. Suspect there was too much egg white in there for the gelatine to set. I added half a cup of raspberry puree to the mixture, so that may have contributed too...

It set ok, and was firm enough to cut, but collapsed a little on standing and the marshmallow seeped into the shortcake layer a bit too. It didn't taste terrible, just not how it was supposed to!

new additions to the garden...

2008-04-14T11:32:00.012+12:00

I have succumbed to the desire to own my own feijoa tree! This one I planted in a huge pot so it is 100% relocatable...otherwise suspect we would not reap much fruit from it. It has four baby feijoas on it so that is something to look forward to (and savour). They are very tiny and very cute. In a few years when my feijoa tree is all grown up it will have the potential to make some people very jealous...

Also decided we needed a kaffir lime tree. This one is beautiful with so many leaves and even has few little limes growing already. I used some leaves last night in a panang curry but sadly was a little heavy handed with the curry paste so it was a bit disappointing.

Here is my garden at week four, I am amazed by how fast it is growing, the silverbeet is ready for picking already. Have made a few trips down to the river for stones to cover the weeds that are growing around the edges, but it is slow going loading and unloading into the car, will keep working at it...

Pictured below is the newest 'architectural' feature of the garden...I paid a visit to the local Mitre 10 last week to purchase some timber to build a new garden bed. I had crammed far too many seedlings into the garden at the beginning, and they were starting to fight for space. So I transplanted a few into the new bed, hoping they survive the journey into their new low density home without too much wear and tear. The brussel sprouts are looking a bit droopy at the moment... but in the meantime you can admire the craftsmanship shown in the carpentry.

lemon tart

2008-04-09T19:17:00.003+12:00

This tart was the first recipe I made for the Tuesdays with Dorie blog challenge. Instead of a traditional lemon curd filling you make a curd mix without butter and instead whip the soft butter into the egg/lemon/sugar mixture once it has thickened (using a food processor, as you would make mayo). The recipe suggests using a thermometer to get the curd temperature up to 80c but i only manged to make 70c - it had thickened up well by then so I don't think it made any difference. The lemon filling was really nice, this method resulting in a lighter and creamier texture than normal lemon curd. It is even nicer after a few days in the fridge I think.

While the pastry was nice and sweet and 'biscuity' it was very short and crisp and shattered when I cut it...next time I would use it to make little tartlets.

a random find...and tin filling

2008-04-02T16:49:00.008+13:00

Stumbled across this very cute Emma Bridgewater biscuit tin today at the supermarket of all places... I already have some bits and pieces from her Toast and Marmalade collection so quickly snapped up this wee find which was gracing an aisle end of New World Hokitika!

The occasion clearly demanded bisuits be made, so I tried the recipe for peanut butter and sea salt cookies from Belinda Jeffery's Mix and Bake (yes I do own other cook books, am just going through a phase!) I love the combination of salty and sweet, these cookies were good.

peanut butter and sea salt cookies

180g butter

1/3 c brown sugar

1/3 c castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

110g peanut butter

2 c flour

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 c salted peanuts chopped

sea salt to sprinkle - I used Pacific flaky salt

Cream the butter and sugars in the food processor. Add the vanilla and egg and combine well, then the peanut butter. Pulse in the dry ingredients only enough to combine. Mix in the chopped peanuts by hand. Roll dough into a log, wrap and chill for a couple of hours until it can be easily sliced. Slice, sprinkle cookies with sea salt to taste and bake at 150c for approx 20 minutes.

how does your garden grow...

2008-03-31T12:31:00.003+13:00

With all the sunshine we have been getting my new garden is growing beautifully. Given the season I have planted lots of leafy greens - silver beet, spinach and swiss chard. Also some broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, carrots, spring onions and leeks.

I wanted some fancy raised beds but decided for now that the old gym vault we found at the back of the house would suffice...broken into three layers they make pretty good frames.

tart tartine

2008-03-31T11:43:00.003+13:00

We had friends for lunch last week, so I had my first attempt at making Tart Tartine. I used the recipe from Baking - from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan. The pastry was some butter puff I had in the freezer - from the 'Friday Shop' in Dunedin - cheating but beautifully made. I used baby new season Cox's Orange apples, their small size worked well for the tart. We ate it with homemade cinnamon ice cream that was freshly churned so perfectly creamy. Very nice.

west coast wandering

2008-03-23T21:28:00.003+13:00

Well we didn't find too much in the way of amazing food on our travels, however the whitebait sammies at the Karamea pub were hard to beat. Suitably heavy handed with the whitebait, they cook their fritters in a pan then finish them off in the deep fryer so the outside is lovely and crispy. We went back for lunch the next day.

We visited Westport on the weekend and a farmers markets of sorts was set up through the main street. One stall had beautiful organic vegetables including the cute little pumpkin above.

The buffalo restaurant disappointed, the water buffalo had not yet made the transition from paddock to plate so the menu consisted solely of miscellaneous deep fried items, which we gave a miss.

easter baking

2008-03-20T13:51:00.005+13:00

Time to do some baking for Easter - hot cross buns of course as the bought ones never compare to homemade. Also made a brownie recipe I have been wanting to try...part of the continuing search for the most perfect brownie recipe!

I tried a new recipe for hot cross buns, from the Foodlovers website, I usually make them a la Alison Holst. I didn't put any peel in as I hate the stuff, but added some grated orange zest. I baked them in a round cake tin for a change, which looked nice and kept the buns from forming too thick a crust while baking. For the crosses I made a frangipane mixture (added more flour than usual to stop it spreading too much) instead of that nasty flour and water paste that sticks to your teeth.

The Chocolate and macadamia nut brownies come from Belinda Jeffery's Mix and Bake. I love my brownies to be extremely gooey. These brownies are bordering on cakey with a moist centre, although I probably cooked them for 5 minutes too long for the way I like to eat them. I always find it a little frustrating with brownies that they never cook evenly - to get the middle a perfectly gooey consistency rather than raw, the outer pieces have to suffer for it and end up a bit dry. These brownies are a little sweet for my liking, maybe because there was no cocoa in the recipe? So I dusted them fairly liberally with dutch cocoa powder. Normally I am more of a purist with brownies, preferring them to be addition free, or at the most with a handful of raspberries to cut through the sweetness. But the macadamias worked well with this style of brownie. Not the perfect recipe though.

chocolate and macadamia brownies

180g dark chocolate - I used Cadbury Old Gold

250g butter

4 eggs

1 3/4c caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c flour

70g macadamia nuts, toasted and roughly chopped

100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Melt the butter and chocolate over a low heat until combined. Cool a little then ad he sugar. Whisk in eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Stir in chocolate taking car not to overmix. Fold in nuts and chocolate. Pour into a 23cm square tin and bake at 180 for 40 minutes.

We are heading up the West Coast over Easter for a tiki tour, so hoping to eat some interesting food along the way, having dinner tonight at a restaurant that specialises in water buffalo (breeding and cooking it!)

summer vegetables

2008-03-19T10:41:00.003+13:00

We had a nice dinner last night enjoying the last of cheap summer vegetables...made a panful of ratatouille and we ate it with corn on the cob and pan fried sole with lemon and parsley. A fish shop has just opened in Hokitika so loving being able to buy fresh fish at last. Still to try their fish and chips - you can choose your fillet from the fresh fish counter and they will crumb or batter it for you. Perhaps fish and chips on the beach before daylight savings ends...

farmers market baking and a very nice surprise!

2008-03-17T09:14:00.010+13:00

I went over to Christchurch for the Canterbury Farmers Market last weekend to sell my puddings. On the menu was - rhubarb cobbler, apple tortes with cinnamon and almonds, sticky date puddings and chocolate espresso puddings. For the cobbler I tried a Nigella recipe from the Domestic Goddess - topping was flour, cream and sugar - wondered about the lack of baking powder but they worked okay anyhow, nice and crispy if rather flat. Next time I would add some baking powder though as I think cobblers look best a bit fatter.

The apple tortes were based on a recipe we used to make at home. A cakey style base topped with lots of sliced apples and sprinkled with a cinnamon/sugar/sliced almond mixture. Very good with some thick natural yoghurt...or vanilla bean ice cream.

I made brown sugar sticky buns as per usual, and for something different made a big batch of scones (the lemonade and cream sort). Using the leftover rhubarb I made a batch of rhubarb and raspberry compote. Also had a stash of passionfruit that Grandma had sent down from Tauranga, so made some passionfruit and lemon curd. The scones went down very well topped with the homemade preserves and spoonfuls of soft cream.

And last but certainly not least at quarter to twelve I was presented with Mike on bended knee, a beautiful diamond ring and a glass of champagne. Needless to say not much pudding selling happened after this...

banoffee ice cream

2008-03-17T08:45:00.013+13:00

Mum came over to Hokitika on Thursday and pudding was called for. With the fruit bowl being full of ripe bananas, banana ice cream seemed a good choice. I used a recipe from Stephanie Alexander's Cook's Companion - a simple cream rather than custard based ice cream mix. There was some toffee sauce in the fridge which was perfect with it...

simple banana ice cream

350g ripe bananas
juice of half a lemon
300 ml cream
100ml light sugar syrup (1 part sugar boiled with 2 parts water until dissolved)

Blend the banana and lemon juice in the food processer until smooth. Mix in the sugar syrup then the cream, pulsing to combine, and pour into an ice cream machine. Churn only until the mixture is creamy not frozen solid, as the cream can curdle using this recipe. Especially good drizzled with warmed toffee sauce and served with sliced fresh banana.

a very delicious cheese and apple tart

2008-03-12T19:58:00.007+13:00

another Belinda Jeffrey recipe adaptation...and yes that is the actual name of the recipe. My pastry shrunk a little so there wasn't quite enough filling to pastry for my liking, and a deeper tin is needed for the amount of liquid in the filling. I had no cheddar in the fridge so used cumin seed gouda instead which was a little mild, this tart needs a salty strong cheese to balance out the sweetness from the apples. We ate it with a salad of baby spinach, crisp gala apple and toasted pumpkin seeds.

a very delicious cheese and apple tart

pastry

1 1/2 c flour

125g butter

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 c iced water

Combine flour, salt and butter in the food processor and combine until fine crumbs form. Add the water and pulse until a rough dough forms. Gently bring dough together with your hands, wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into disk and chill for half an hour. Roll out to fit a deep sided flan tin. Bake blind.

filling

20g butter

4 apples, peeled and diced

4 spring onions, pale ends only, sliced

350g strong flavoured cheese, grated

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground

4 eggs

250ml cream

S&P to taste

Melt butter in a frying pan, add onions and apples and cook until soft. Add curry powder and nutmeg. Cool. Beat eggs with cream. Place apple and onion mix and cheese into the cooked pastry case. Pour over eggs and cream and bake for 30 minutes or so at 170c.

an old fashioned tea loaf

2008-03-11T15:46:00.006+13:00

It is wet and windy today on the coast, perfect baking weather. This recipe is not fancy but delicious all the same, a homely tea loaf from Mix & Bake by Belinda Jeffery. Crammed so full of grated pumpkin, raisins and nuts, this is one of those recipes that allows you to convince yourself it must be healthy! I soaked the raisins in hot water for half an hour to plump them up a little. It is very moist and ever so slightly squidgy from the pumpkin (maybe I undercooked it a little?) The seeds and nuts add great texture - next time I will scatter more on top as they make a beautiful crunchy topping. This loaf smells amazing as it cooks.

Spicy pumpkin, raisin and pecan tea bread

1 c spelt flour (or wholemeal)

1 c brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 c raisins

1 1/2 c pumpkin, grated

1 c pecans, roasted and chopped

2 eggs

1/2 c milk

1/3 c oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 c pumpkin seeds

Combine flour, sugar, soda and spices and mix well to remove lumps. Add raisins, pumpkin and pecans and coat evenly with the flour mixture. In another bowl combine the milk, oil and vanilla, whisking well.

Combine wet with dry mixes, and mix well. Pour batter into a loaf tin lined with baking paper, scatter with the pumpkin seeds and bake at 180c for 45 minutes or so.

last strawberries of summer

2008-03-11T10:57:00.001+13:00

Whilst fossicking around for 'wild' cupcake ingredients I stumbled upon a local market garden that grows the most delicious strawberries. After some negotiation I was granted permission to purchase one such strawberry plant, to grace my cupcake stall at the Wildfoods Festival. Now taking pride of place on my desk, where it can bask in all day sunshine, the berries are day by day ripening to a rosy hue. A sweet treat for the last few weeks of summer...

WILD about cupcakes

2008-03-11T10:51:00.006+13:00

Well last weekend Hokitika played host to the annual Wildfoods Festival. Being a newcomer to town I thought it a good opportunity to try selling some wares. Not wanting to tread the well trod carnivorous track I settled on cupcakes. With a few mildly wild additions of course...

Chocolate and Wild berry (blackberries painfully plucked from local bushes), Banana, Baileys and Bush honey, Wild Lavender and Lemon (culinary lavender courtesy of Delphi), Orange, Almond and Marigold, and little babycakes adorned with 'snails' and 'ladybugs' of the confectioners as opposed to garden variety. Oh and some Carrot and coconut for the most timid of punters. As predicted the tried and true chocolate and banana cupcakes were the hot favourites but there was a surprising amount of interest in the Lavender and Lemon.

We shared a stall with the 'Richard from Westport, Braveheart and Spiderboy' trio who were peddling champagne of the non alcoholic sort in rhubarb and elderflower flavours. Delightful, and a suitably ladylike accompaniment to a (mildly) wild cupcake.

Wild about cupcakes shut up shop at lunchtime, the cake stands thankfully bare before things took a turn for the wilder...