In an ideal world, I would have got the recipe for Christmas fruit cake from my Grandmother, who has been making (and thus perfecting) them for years. But as I am running late on getting a fruit cake together and also low on time to devote to such pursuits, I chose this quick fruit cake […]
Category: Alex
Baby Shower Cake (with marshmallow fondant recipe)
One of my colleagues is shortly due to have her first baby. As she has only moved here recently from Ireland, and has no female relatives in Australia to throw a baby shower, the girls at work felt we would like to throw one for her. My contribution, naturally, was the cake. Having seen the […]
My Grandma’s Pasties
Once again I have been in my Grandma’s ear, asking her for another of my favourite recipes; this time her beef pasties. Another classic Australian recipe, I’m sure many families enjoyed these at the peak of their popularity and even continue to do so now (despite pastry-wrapped meat having fallen from favour due to the […]
Just a quick update (orange marmalade)
Here are the remainder of those oranges I mentioned the other day in my orange loaf post – transformed into tempting jars of marmalade, using the same recipe that we trialled on our Jams and Preserves Day. I can vouch that it is a reliably delicious marmalade, with a good balance between bitter tartness and […]
Spicy Blue Cheese and Avocado Dip*
Blue cheese and avocado are easily two of my favourite hors d’oeuvre ingredients so I can’t understand how I overlooked the possibility of combining them into one magnificent dip. Of course, that’s what the professionals are for; providing flavour inspirations that test the boundaries and occasionally stumbling upon a jackpot like this. Sorry if I […]
Apricot and Walnut Sandwich Bars
These bars were one of the recipes I immediately tagged upon first receiving this book (Mary Berry’s Baking Bible), due to the inclusion of apricots (my favourite stone fruit) and the apparent simplicity of the recipe. Although Mary Berry describes these as similar to those you find in a health-food store; due to the enormous […]
Grilled Cheese and ‘Slaw
I don’t usually eat sandwiches, but the sight of all that melted cheese and the ingredients list for this recipe in Nigella Express were extremely tempting. I also assumed that the meal as a whole must be a step above the standard grilled cheese (or ‘toastie as it’s more often known in my house) and coleslaw to be worth […]
Chocolate Squash Cake (or Chocolate Pumpkin Cake)
For reasons I cannot fathom, the North Americans and the British call butternut pumpkin ‘squash’. In fact, all pumpkin we have in Australia is considered ‘winter squash’ by North Americans and only the big orange ‘Halloween’ pumpkins are ‘proper’ pumpkin. No doubt we are considered the strange ones for labelling so many ‘squash’ as pumpkin […]
Warm Salted Pretzels
As it’s that time of year and as I love a themed party, I decided to host an Oktoberfest-themed dinner. Apart from the Lebkuchen I have already posted, I also baked these beautiful pretzels to have with beers before the main event began. There is a micro-brewery and restaurant in Beechworth, Victoria that we used […]
Lebkuchen Hearts from Marian Keyes
Having recently celebrated an Oktoberfest dinner at home with friends, I needed something traditionally German to end our meals, but nothing as hugely filling as the Black Forest Cake, which is the German cake to end all cakes. Although these are traditionally Christmas cookies (and Marian Keyes tells a charming tale of receiving a 20cm […]
A Tale of Two Kitchens 