We're gonna party like it's ma Birthday!

Third time lucky. Third decade luckier.

On Thursday the 12th of August I crashed into my roaring twenties. The celebrations commenced on Wednesday night when Kate one of my neighbourhood besties popped over with a delightful hazelnut vanilla sponge. We tucked into cake with French champagne whilst watching my favourite episodes of the OC (season one of course, the New years Eve and Valentine's day ones). Initially I was going to tune into some disney movies, but realized the best way to end my teenage years was to revisit a show that was the epitome of those angsty years. 

Birthday cake #1

 

Then Thursday morning I awoke to find a bottle of Spanish sparkling wine and an enrollment into a Tafe Sommelier course from my dear parents. Off to university for a long day of presents, study and Spanish. I took advantage of my three hour break to enjoy some bubbly, a mezze plate and a couple of jugs of pimms with some of my favourite ladies: Frances and Annie.

Mezze plate at the Loft

 When the day was done, Pete picked me up from uni and we headed back to my house for a home-cooked birthday dinner extravaganza.

The menu featured a starter of lovely roasted nuts, mersey valley cheese, brie cheese, Maggie Beer Fig and quince paste and drinks. This was followed by the main fare of Duck Tagine with Date and Pomengranate Chutney, a recipe picked up from the August issue of NZ food magazine Dish. It had such a wonderful variety of texture, with the tender duck, crunchy almonds, golden carrots that snapped, soft, salty olives, and smooth caramel chutney.

 

Duck Tagine with Date and Pomengranate Chutney

Dessert had me up in arms all week struggling to pick an indulgent sweet treat, birthday-esque enough, not too rich, but tempting to even the fussiest of palates. I settled with a inventive recipe from my favourite sweet masterchef contestant Callum (the dessert king): Chocolate croissant bread and butter pudding. My was it divine. Coupled with very naughty brandy soaked raisins, it was like eating a pud of love.

Enjoying the chocolate croissant bread and butter pudding. Cake #2

Chocolate Croissant Puddings

Serves 4

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking: 25 minutes

·   50g (1/3 cup) raisins

·   60ml (1/4 cup) brandy

·   300ml pouring cream

·   6 egg yolks

·   55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar

·   2 chocolate croissants torn into 2cm pieces

·   40g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped

·   Roasted hazelnuts

·   Strawberries

·   Pomegranate seeds

·   Marscapone

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Lightly grease 4x180ml (3/4 cup) dariole moulds
2. Cut 4x3cm x 24cm strips of baking paper and place a strip in each mould to partially line the base and side, and extend beyond the rim (this helps to remove puddings from the moulds).
3. Combine raisins and brandy in a bowl and leave to soak until needed.
4. Place cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk egg yolks until thick and pale.
5. Gradually add cream, whisking continuously until well combined. Add torn croissants and soak for 10 minutes.
6. Fill each mould halfway with croissant mixture, then top with one-quarter of the chocolate and spoon over remaining croissant mixture.
7. Bake puddings for 25 minutes or until custard is set.
8. Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to plates
9. Spoon over the raisin mixture and scatter with hazelnuts, strawberries and pomegranate. Serve with marscapone
10. Devour with delight :)

The birthday girl, her Prince Charming Pete and Brown Brothers Muscast mmm :)

Now, I have a little birthday tradition that began way back in 2008, with my eighteenth birthday, It consists of donning a gorgeous vintage dress to celebrate my birthday like a party princess. They say it's my party and I'll cry if I want to. But why cry when you can shine! There truly is no better way to sashay into a room or swing and get crunk on the dance floor than in a ridiculous, but beautiful frock. In 2008 it was a dress with a corset bodice of black sequins and metallic blue ribbon with a metallic blue frou frou skirt. Last year it was a square cut mini dress with rainbow metallic patterns on the fabric. My past two dresses I gathered at Paddington markets and a vintage shop in Newtown respectively. This year I tried something new and tread a road I'd not yet travelled in bidding and buying off ebay. Searching "vintage dress" I found this stunning number from the funki chunki vintage store: A to die for pastel pink lace sequinned and beaded mini dress of eighties vintage! The auction was due to expire on my birthday and I committed myself to being the highest bidder. The only catch, it was a size 6. This made the Saturday (the day of my party) an exhausting experience as I had to knock back my work lunch of an evil enticing ham cheese tomato croissant to commit to pulling the booty hugging dress off!

 'The' birthday dress

Despite wasting away my food and instant gratification, it all had a happy ending as the dress fit like a glove, or like anything on beyonce. That is it was a bootylicious number!

Sam and I enjoying classy cocktails at the Burdeken=

I wore this number out for some smashing snacks with friends at Cafe Lounge in Surry Hills. Recently voted Sydney small bar, this hole in the wall packs a punch and left me whole-heartedly happy. Entering through the red moulin rouge curtain draped over the door frame, patrons are greeted by sunny yellow and ravishing red walls, tonnes of dynamic art work, vairious furniture arrangements and an awesome dj that actually uses LPs.

Cafe Lounge

Sexy red lounge at Cafe Lounge

We enjoyed the $20 function menu. The menu included a trio of moreish dips, baba ghanoush, tzaziki and kalamata olives with shreds of turkish bread, which the only fault I found was that there was not nearly enough bread to soak up the dips, or it simply was gobbled up to quickly. The wedges, extrodinarily golden and crunchy were served with sweet chilli but were enhanced with aioli instead of the traditional sour cream. The salt and pepper squid had a soft coating that just fell of as the perfectly cooked squid melted in your mouth. Served with a pickled ginger sauce these morsels were the catch of the day. The selection of thin crust pizzas included Anna: roast pumpkin, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, sage, blue cheese and dried roquette. The sharp blue cheese just blew my mind with those tender sweet vegetables and thin crunchy base.  Similarly, tasty was the sharpness of the balsamic onion sauce on the chorizo pizza (baby spinach, chorizo and balsamic onions), whilst the  Mediterranean (Artichoke, eggplant, olives and oregano) was lovely but mild in comparison to the other heartier toppings. With our meals I enjoyed a glass of the bubbly Dunes Pinot Chardonnay ($9), a sweet, fresh, strawberry sensation, as well as the strong, but quenching bohemian (green fairy absinthe, creme de cassis, fresh lime and cranberry juice shaken over ice at $17). I finished off with a glass of the wonderfully perfumed sweet Spanish wine, Vina Esmerelda (at $9).

At our next venue, the Burdekin, a wonderful easy to get to place on the corner of oxford street and Hyde Park, I enjoyed a rockstar reception. The Burdekin is a seductive establishment, with five levels. The street level is sparse, has a comforting wooden floor, plenty of booths, stools and chairs for chilling, a long bar, and some well-tuned ambient djs. Some friends that had arrived earlier notified the bartenders of a birthday girl on the way, and when I arrived I was greeted and treated to a sexy strawberry cocktail served in a martini glass (my favourite). Sipping on that sweet soft, slightly foamy beverage was like drinking a strawberry lollypop only more sophisticated :) This flavour conjuring sweet childhood nostalgia but served in an alluring adult glass summarizes my joy on the night. I had such a marvellous night giggling, talking a little too loud, being spoilt and enjoying the company of so many friends old and new. Truly good food and drinks put one in the mood, but friends improve it because they join you in it.

My best friend Jack and I - check out the hectic beading on the left sleeve.

Plus, as if my week couldn't get any better. My iphone 4 arrived yesterday! Hello instant communication and amazing apps! Love that sleek slidey apple box it comes in. Will review some apps perhaps.

x

Cafe Lounge

277 Goulburn St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
(02) 9356 8888

 Open Tue-Thu 5pm-10:30pm

Fri 5pm-12am

Sat 9pm-12am

Sun 9am-9pm

What time is it? Time to wander

Thursday 5^th August 2010

Oxford Art Factory

$15

Who: Step-Panther, Jinja Safari, Gypsy & the Cat

Plus: The Honey Pies

One would speculate that the week following Splendour would be a massive comedown, with the music scene and goers in a somewhat sleepy hiatus after all the camping, drinking, dancing and sideshows from and after the epic weekend. But no, music lovers who had splendour bendered and those who hadn’t, packed out the oxford art factory last Thursday for an evening of up & coming indie goodness.

Arriving a little past nine to that underground music haven, we’d managed to miss out on Step-Panther’s surfy guitar-pop set. With a half hour gap til Jinja Safari we stumbled next door into the Gallery Bar and struck gold. The Honey Pies, a kooky guitar pop band of shaggy, haired flanno-wearing blokes in alternative glasses treated us to their strumming. Echoing the likes of the Artic Monkeys with their dancey hooks in ‘Sex wax’, and then delighting our ears with melifluous numbers such as sixties Beatle-esque song, ‘Fool in love’, the band were a sweet surprise. Sipping on ‘purple rain’, one of Oxford Art Factory’s staple cocktails (chambord, blue curaco, apple juice and lemonade), it was hard not to be swept up in the glorious toe tapping melodies. 

As the Honey Pies were wrapping up, Jinja Safari were heating up the main stage. We strolled in to find the stage transformed into a jumpin’ jungle. With vine leaf wrapped microphone stands, bongo drums, a jangly sitar and cooing vocals, the Sydney boys delivered with their charming performance of ‘peter pan’. One of the singers bore a striking resemblance to Lance, the ‘pretty long-haired one’, of Mighty Boosh fame, whilst the drummer echoed a monkey-like character with his cute hoo hooing into the microphone. After the radio favourite was done, the boys impressed with more jumping and jingling. Cute track ‘hiccups’, actually had a nervousness in the floaty, yet rapid synthesizer and percussion.

Following a short break the black curtains re-opened revealing Melbourne’s Gypsy & the Cat in all their wonder. The very cool cat band warmed the crowd with their dreamy indie electronic track ‘Time to Wander’. There was an air of eighties power ballad in ‘Breakaway’, reminiscent of Hall & Oates and Spandau Ballet, but with higher tenor vocals, whilst ‘Pipers song’ generated a sweet nostalgia for Fleetwood Mac in it’s guitar loops and beautiful harmonies. Much to the delight of the audience the boys closed with the soaring vocals and reverberating keyboard of cleverly named ‘Jona Vark’. The live performance and stage presence of both bands certainly trumps their recordings, which tend to sound a little washed out. Gypsy and the Cat have this indie electronic sound that’s just a little trippy like Pink Floyd, a little airy like Cut Copy, but they bring a stronger beat and I think a bigger heart and sense of hope. These recently unearthed bands deserve all the hype and radio play, as their live performances showcased their mesmerizing, infectious talent. The Australian music scene certainly has a lot of emerging talent to fall for.

PS. You can download a free digital copy of the Honey Pies delightful EP here  and you can check out the cute as a button looney tunes clip for 'Fool in Love' there.

Some Step Panther for your listening pleasure

Check out Jinja Safari if you haven't already

Hope you dig Gypsy and the Cat's groovy 'Piper's song' as much as me

Mama Mia

Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I've missed you

My mum arrived home from an overseas trip on Monday night but I was out pub crawling in the Balmain Rozelle precinct that evening so I didn't get any quality time til Tuesday. When Tuesday rolled around I wandered home like a school boy from his books. After a series of cuddles and a good run down on her trip to Tasmania I of course popped the big question, "Muuum what's for dinner?". An awesome answer excited my ears and satisfied my stomach, "Minestrone soup". Oh boy!

As a general rule I hate winter. We're like polar opposites. I'm fire, it means ice. Except in Australia we barely even get any ice, so it's not even a proper winter! I'd like winter if it mean snow so we could all build snowmen, igloos, have snowball fights and have a kickass ski season. But instead this nation is mostly reliant on a few snowmakers down south and the rest of the time hangs with bated breath for that elusively timed extremely cold temperature and a bit of precipitation to create some sleet we might hope to make some dodgy snow cones out of.


I love summer. The exfoiliating sand in between my toes, in my scalp, in just about everywhere. I love the smell of salt on my skin, on my hands, on the chips, everything wet, then crusty, golden sky, scenery, skin. Making a mess of the cold creamy ice cream dripping everywhere and removing the mess when shelling juicy fresh prawns. The endless days and unforgettable nights of love and laughter with friends and family.

But when it comes to Winter, what saves it for me is food. And a lot of credit for that goes to my mum. Winter means comfort. Lazing in bed til well after 11, late breakfasts that become brunch, early dinners and plenty of movies before sleeping like a log in that ever loving doona. Lazing in front of the heater reading a book for hours until it's finished. Then moving onto the next one.
Winter means comfort food. Stews, ragus, pastabakes, slow roasted meat and vegetables. Beautiful red wine to warm the heart and soul. But nothing epitomizes comfort and love more than soup and pudding. So mum's menu tonight did wonders for a harsh critic of the coldest season.

Minestrone Soup

Mmm minestrone. Possibly my favourite winter soup. Chock a block with goodness in the form of veggies and garlic this is one soup that is great for chasing away those winter blues.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 carrots chopped
• 1.3kg smoked ham hock, chopped
• 2x400g chicken or beef stock
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup small pasta such as risoni
• 300g broccoli, chopped
• 400g cannelini beans, drained
• Cracked black pepper and sea salt
• ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsely
• Parmesan cheese
• Pesto

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Add onions, garlic and carrots, cook for 5 minutes
3. Remove the skin and visible fat from the ham hock and add to the pan with the tomatoes, stock and water, then cover and simmer for 35 minutes
4. Remove the ham bone and dice meat off the bone
5. Add the ham, pasta, broccoli, beans, pepper and salt to the pan and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Stir through the parsley and serve with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese, some pesto and crusty bread.

Maple Syrup and Pecan Steamed Puddings

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe from the July 2010 edition of the ABC’s Delicious Magazine. Jamie’s style of taking lovely fresh ingredients and using simple processes to create something special is just a delightful way of fuss free cooking. The result was a yummy moist, sweet pudding with loads of pecan chunks to munch on. Plus an added bonus of a ramekin perfect for scraping up the tasty buttery nut residue.

Serves 6
Ingredients

• 100g pecan nuts (can use other nuts if desired)
• 175g plain flour
• 50g dark brown sugar
• 75g vegetable suet
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1 large free-range or organic egg
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
• 150ml milk
• 2/3 cup (165ml maple syrup), plus extra warmed syrup to serve
• Cream or custard to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190C
2. Grease six small heatproof teacups (or ramekins) well with butter.
3. Place the pecans in a plastic bag, tie the bag closed and bash the nuts with a rolling pin. You want to end up with a mixture of chunky and fine bits of pecan. Dust the inside of cups/ramekins with the bashed up nuts tipping excess into a large bowl.
4. Empty the leftover nuts from the bags into the bowl too, then add flour, sugar, suet, soda, egg, vanilla seeds, milk and ½ cup (80ml) syrup. Mix well.
5. Pour some of the remaining syrup into the bottom of each teacup/ramekin and pour some mixture on top. You want your ramekins to be about three quarters full.
6. Place cups/ramekins in a large, deep roasting tray. Fill tray with boiling water, making sure the water comes halfway up the side of the cups/ramekins.
7. Carefully place the tray in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until cakes are golden and cooked through.
8. Stand for a couple of minutes before turning them out. Serve with custard or cream and a drizzle of warm maple syrup.

The lovely pudding with a macchiato :) perfect afternoon tea or dessert fare for a chilly home day.

A

Verbaliza on Food

Okay this was originally posted on my old blog savour the flavour, but I just had to put it up here. Read it for a glimpse into my food history. It explains a lot about my adventurous tastes now.

Three small words. Food and Drink. I love you.

Some people eat to live. Some people live to eat. I am the latter served on a platter.

But who am I? Some call me Eliza. Others call me for the late night booty calls.

KIDDING! Mmm…kids are tasty. Okay, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m talking about goat meat!

WARNING: The next few paragraphs contain animal eating references. This is recommended for omnivorous and carnivorous audiences only. My first experience with this meat path not so trodden was on a family holiday in Vietnam. At the Da Lat gardens we were offered goat skewers. Boy were they tasty! It was on this trip after my bravado in trying goat, rabbit, snails and frogs legs that I decided I wanted to try every animal on the planet. This trip marked my second overseas odyssey, and the first big holiday where I let my tastebuds do the walking.

My adoration for all foods great and small may sound both normal and abnormal, but what makes my adventurous culinary pursuits more excting is that it hasn’t always been this way. Like most babies I began receiving my food courtesy of my mother’s hands. ‘Here comes the aeroplane’ she would coo and the aeroplane spoon would land filling my mouth with it’s nutritious cargo. However, when the time came for me to fly my own aeroplane into the hangar there were some technical difficulties. I disliked the texture of fruit and vegetables when I handled them. So what should have been one small step for a baby, became a giant leap everytime I ate where my parents would desperately attempt to hide, force, trick me into eating fruit and vegetables.

My previous and first venture overseas was to America, where I hopped around from New York, to San Fransisco, Yosemite National Park, Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego, Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon and Hawaii. Traveling through these places I drank in diverse landscapes of breathtaking nature and heartstopping cities. Whilst, zipping here and there I also drank in the local culture especially engaging with the national cuisine. But after a diet of coloured corn chips, giant turkey legs, ice-creams that weigh your arm down, and plates of food as big as your head I returned to Australia quite overindulged. With the hindsight of my walk down obesity lane, I decided to haul myself out of my diet rut and embrace all things natural and healthy. It was time to get fruity!

The transformation of my food intake over the next year was like the story of the very, hungry caterpillar. Once upon a time, I had survived on an exciting menu of nuggets, macaroni cheese, baked beans, bangers & mash, and boiled eggs and soldiers. In the safety of that cuisine cocoon I was comfortable and unchallenged by unfamiliar flavours, spices and textures. Gradually my lunches changed from stock standard peanut butter, ham or cheese fillings to a rainbow of grilled vegetables including eggplant, zucchini, sweet potato, red capsicum, spinach. My morning tea changed from packets of tiny teddies & shapes to dried fruit and nut mixes and peels of bananas, apples and oranges. Food began to colour my world rather than define my weaknesses. I came out of my narrow food rut and became a beautiful butterfly, swooping down upon menus and meals to relish the wonders of our natural and man-made dishes.

Now at the keen age of nineteen I have dined upon a zoo of kangaroo, camel, buffalo, emu, snails, frogs legs, rabbit and goat. Not to gloat.

There are so many ways to express the practice of interacting with these life sustaining and enhancing everyday necessities. Consume, devour, eat, feast upon, bite, chew, digest, feed, gorge, graze, inhale, slurp, shovel, sip, guzzle, sip, chomp, munch, bolt, dine, nibble, peck, scoff, snack, sup, swallow, wolf, savour. Each word to match a moment and a morsel. They complement the food in the way they sound and feel in your mouth. Some roll off your tongue. Some make you pout out. Some slide down your throat. Some are gone before you know it. Some echo on in your mouth.

On this food and drink blog I wish to share with you all of these experiences. I will of course be reviewing restaurants and cafes, but why stop there? On this blog I want to offer my 5 cents on everything from espresso coffee, to store bought iced coffee, hot chips, to packet chips. All food experiences should be remembered and able to be recalled for your present and future eating happiness. Every bite you take, every sip you make. Every single day, every time you graze I’ll review it for you. Welcome, to my food life! You only get one shot at life, so if you’re on to a good thing make it last! Savour the Flavour.

Hearts a flutter warmed and soothed

My review of Ernest Ellis w/ The Tourist & The Sleepyhands @ OAF
as appeared on the exciting cultural guide that is Word On the Street

Ernest Ellis
Supported by The Sleepyhands and The Tourist
Thursday 1 June 2010 8pm
Oxford Art Factory, 38-46 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney

On the chilly evening that was Thursday the 1st of July, not one, but three bands brought a heart-warming energy to Sydney’s cool underground indie venue the Oxford Art Factory. Amongst the smoky darkness, all three acts burst out with sounds to inspire, and ignite on a cold winter night. First up of the support acts was ‘The Tourist’, a collective of three inner west youths playing melodious indie folk. The two males commanded their strings and their enchanting female harnessed the magic of synthesizers and egg shakers to create sounds inspired by the likes of Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes in songs such as ‘My little eye’. I myself also felt some Radiohead vibes in their haunting, melancholic arrangements such as ‘Antarctica’. The lead vocalist Dan was honoured to get a comparison to one of his favourite bands of all time.

‘The Sleepyhands’, the second support act of the night emerged from the smoke as a large but dynamic collective of seven Sydney voices. The sounds influenced and assisted by one of the cream of the new Modular crop, Johnathan Boulet, the Sleepyhands hooked in the curious audience with beautifully crafted songs such as ‘The Autumn March’, heavenly harmonies in ‘Cross your fingers’, and bouncy happy-go lucky ditties. Altogether the enthusiasm and talent of this bunch of bright young things lit up the room, which in size and mood provided a fascinating contrast to the small support band that played previously, and the headliner to come.
Whilst enjoying the peculiar perfection of The Sleepyhands I found pleasure in sipping on a similarly unusual but wonderful winter cocktail. Slowly savouring the delightful drink known as the Hot Toddy, a concoction of scotch, hot water, ginger, lemon and cloves, conjured comfortable feelings of cozy, lounge room chilling with lemongrass & ginger tea by a warm fire. Definitely an accompaniment just right for relaxed tunes in the coldest week on record.

The show headlined by Ernest Ellis was arranged to launch their debut album ‘Hunting’, but it didn’t quite launch. It catapulted! Opening with their rockier numbers such as the alluring ‘Pulse’ the melodramatic three-piece band from the Blue Mountains had the excited audience eating out of their hand. It was tough not to be blown away by the magic of Ernest’s rare solo performance ‘Valley Song’, a lovely strumming folk number that had the audience swaying and imaginations soaring far away to green pastures dappled with golden sunlight. The popular tracks that launched Ernest Ellis into the public eye didn’t fail to disappoint, with the ethereal, easy listening sounds of ‘Heading for the cold’ and sheer epicness of ‘Loveless’. The encore set the band soaring with the audience roaring…onto the stage! Ernest’s earnest invitation that the crowd join him on stage to dance out the final song the catchy ‘Want for Anything’, was initially met with restrained desire, which later turned to growing enthusiasm. However, attempts were halted by security, only to be successful when the sheer number of excited fans climbed over the front of the stage and danced amongst the band members. I was one of those too eager to remain grounded, and instead hauled myself onstage to join the dancing celebration of spectacular music. That finale felt like a giant warm hug, an unforgettable moment that just made my heart explode! With the band booked in to play at this years highly anticipated Splendour in the Grass festival in August, it seems Ernest Ellis will continue to generate a magnetic pull of listeners to their marvelous music.




I leave you with a little bit of music to marvel at from these musos
The Tourist (click the link to listen)

The Sleepyhands (click the link to hit up their myspace for my joy)


Ernest Ellis

Baking for your life

I have a confession to make. I am an addict. A masterchef addict! It is the highlight of my day. Things just feel all wrong unless dinner is being devoured to the glorious sights and sounds of Gary, George and Matt stamping, yelling plate up, discussing worlds of pain and scrutinizing the dishes of amateur chefs with their highly trained palates. Many of my friends claim that "life starts at 7:30". When asked by a peer at work the other day whether I ever get angry I claimed one of my pet peeves to be "people talking whilst masterchef is on!" (seriously it gets up my goat!). Anyway, I could honestly endlessly discuss my adoration of a show that encourages a competition about cooking tasty food and showcases amazing culinary masters but what I want to talk about is a particular episode about baking.


Last Wednesday the team challenge was a bake off! Amazing I know, being an avid baker I was salivating at the thought of the contestants road tripping out to a beautiful farm and creating iconic treats such as Lamingtons, Jam, Fruit and Neopolitan cakes and scones for the royalty that is the Country Women's association. But, what should have been an episode that took off like a kite, soaring to the highest heights, what I witnessed was a flop worse than a sunken souffle!

These contestants being the Top Ten clearly have talent! So much skill and passion is evident in the way they have cooked with their heart and soul from Sydney to Melbourne, London to Paris and back again. But, seeing the cooking catastrophe the calamity of cakes on Wednesday was a shock to my system and their own I am sure! Of the dishes put up, there were clear cut winner for 3 of the five baked goods, whilst two were deemed unjudgeable! Overall, the CWA and the judges commended the contestants on their efforts, citing the intimate relationship between a baker and an oven (absent due to the foreigness of the competitors to their appliance) as being the achilles heel in this challenge. Despite this difficulty, I still found the episode painful to watch as the contestants, in their hurried desperation to have the food ready for those lovely country ladies, left me underwhelmed by their demonstration of baking skills. Anyone who has ever made a cake knows the importance of beating, whipping, folding and mixing at the right time, intensity and duration. Forgo this and suffer the consequences, as our amateur chefs did.



At one point in this episode one of the contestants wisely declared that perhaps they should have brushed up on their baking skills before entering the competition! Well spoken. I watch the show almost every night and am utterly baffled at the level expected in the cookery, but even more dumbfounded at the expertise demonstrated in performing often at such a high standard. I would love nothing more than to be a contender on MasterChef, however with my limited cooking ability this is a distant dream. But my love for food shall not die, and I do declare myself to be an up & coming bakestar! Which, by the way leads me to confess a new goal - to be a member of the Country Women's association. What a wonderful world - baking and tasting and attending events :) There is nothing I love more than baking. Whether it be a distraction on a day full of tasks and work to complete, or an indulgence whilst on holidays with oodles of time to spare. Baking for me means love. It means I get to bump around to bossa nova beats and like this like this and soulful swing like this whilst creating something to make my family and friends smile. Baking means I get to lick the batter, and be the first to scold my mouth on fresh and hot goods from the oven. So with that I showcase some of my latest and greatest bake offs that I would be proud to have judged by the CWA!

Vanilla Rose Buttermilk Cupcakes

I baked these beautiful babies in May in honour of the woman who gave me a wonderful life, and continues to sustain my wonderful life through her amazing cooking. Yes, that’s right, I baked these cupcakes for Mother’s Day, although I do believe you don’t need a Hallmark Holiday to bake for the ones you love! I chose this recipe from my little pink pal: Anthony Carrol’s publication, Cupcakes and Muffins after we finally found some rosewater syrup at Harris Farm. I love using buttermilk in cupcake mixtures because it is just to die for.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup caster sugar
• ½ cup milk
• 1 ½ cups plain flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• topping
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon rose water
• musk sticks

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Line your cupcake pans with patty pans (cupcake papers)
2. In a medium sized bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy.
3. Add milk, flour and vanilla, and stir to combine. Beat with a hand mixer* for 2 minutes, until light and creamy
4. Divide the mixture evenly between the cake papers. Use a scraper to get more out of your bowl. Also of extreme importance: make sure you lick up any remaining batter J happy days
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm to touch
6. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack

Icing

1. Combine all the topping ingredients except musk stick pieces in a small bowl, mix with a wooden spoon until well combined, then whisk until light and fluffy
2. To top cupcakes either place mixture into a piping bag with a star shaped nozzle and pipe onto cupcakes or use a knife to generously spread the mixture on for a smooth finish.
3. Chop the musk stick pieces into small bits (they should look like little stars) and top the cupcakes with these beauties

*I prefer using a hand mixer to electric mixers as you can really control the consistency and get a mini workout

Chocolate Honeycomb Cupcakes

These chocolate bombs were baked to mark the birthday of a family friend, Maddy whom I nanny for. The recipe was also from Anthony Carrol’s publication, Cupcakes and Muffins and was selected in response to Maddy’s request for a chocolate treat, and was inspired after watching a recent episode of Masterchef in which Gary taught the contestants how to make honeycomb. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any glucose syrup so I followed another recipe for honeycomb, using golden syrup, honey, water and sugar. I boiled these ingredients on the stove and when they were dissolved poured them into a bowl, quickly adding bicarb soda. However, whilst the mixture did rise as predicted, it never hardened and remained very sticky and gloopy, like the toffees one makes for a school cake stall. Next time I’m trying Gary’s recipe for honeycomb. In lieu of decent homemade honeycomb I went for the next best thing. Chopped violet crumble pieces instead adorned the smooth ganache like icing of these devilish delights.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup caster sugar
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 ½ cups flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup chocolate drops

Topping

• ½ cup chocolate drops
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup thickened cream
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup pre-made honeycomb pieces, crumbled

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Line a 12 cupcake pan with patty pans (cupcake papers).
2. In a medium sized bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy
3. Add buttermilk, flour and vanilla, and stir to combine. Beat with a hand mixer for 2 minutes until light and creamy
4. Divide the mixture evenly between the cake papers. Use a scraper to get more out of your bowl. Also of extreme importance: make sure you lick up any remaining batter J happy days
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm to touch
6. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack

Topping

1. Combine the chocolate and half of the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat. As the mixture begins to melt, reduce heat to low, stirring constantly, until melted.
2. Remove from heat, add cream and stir. Rest for 10 minutes: the mixture will be firm and velvety in consistency
3. Combine remaining butter, icing sugar, and vanilla extract, and stir until light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate mixture, and stir to combine.
4. Apply icing to each cupcake with a knife. Top each cupcake with a cluster of crumbled honeycomb.

Sponge Sandwich

I baked this cake back in March upon a passionate request of my charming boyfriend, Peter, for his 21^st Birthday celebration. This recipe is a classic from my mum’s favourite kitchen guide: The Commonsense Cookery Book. The book, endorsed by the NSW Cookery Teacher’s scholarship Fund, has been a companion to my mum’s preparation and cooking for as long as I can remember. Before baking the final product mum mentored me in a trial run, citing the importance of keeping the dry and wet ingredients separate, and the dry ingredients sifted seamlessly to ensure a light, fluffy, moist sponge. The only error I found was that my choice to use baking paper to line the pan resulted in an interestingly shaped, but overall tasty cake.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons water
• Jam
• Icing Sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Grease two 18cm x 4cm shallow cake pans and dust with flour
3. Separate egg whites from yolks
4. Beat whites until stiff; add sugar slowly and beat well
5. Add yolks and beat until thick
6. Fold in sifted flour and baking powder
7. Add water; stir lightly and quickly
8. Pour into pans
9. Bake in a moderate oven, 180-190C, for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes
10. Turn onto a cake cooler or paper sprinkled with icing sugar
11. When cool, place a generous dollop of jam onto the middle of one of the cakes, and spread it only slightly. Do this same process for the cream on top of the jam.
12. Gently place the other cake on top of this jam and cream cake (with the lovely golden top facing upwards) and slowly push down so the jam and cream ooze slowly towards the edge of the cake.
13. Sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy :)

x