It just isn’t Christmas in our house without gingerbread. This year I am using Stephanie Alexander’s reliably delicious recipe again to create gingerbread Christmas ornaments for my tree and also as gifts for friends. Although I haven’t decorated them yet, I will do that at a more leisurely pace over this weekend. To make the […]
Category: Food
Instant Fruitcake (Fast Mincemeat Christmas Cake by Mary Berry)
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 […]
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 […]
Orange Cake by Stephanie Alexander
Ever practical, The Cook’s Companion has always been a reliable source of last-minute solutions, both sweet and savoury. In this instance, I needed a simple cake to whip up to form a part of a more elaborate affair for a baby shower cake. This cake fitted the brief perfectly, used only what I had to […]
Apple Bread
I love Tessa Kiros, her cookbooks are wonderful. I own Falling Cloudberries and Apples for Jam. This recipe comes from Apples for Jam. I’ve made it a few times, and I love it. As someone who doesn’t eat bananas, I love the concept of apple bread instead. It’s perfect for either breakfast or an […]
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 […]
Chocolate Eclair
I have always thought choux pastry would be more difficult to make than it actually turned out to be. While the method is a little more involved in that the mixture is essentially cooked on the stove and then again in the oven, anyone who has ever made a bechamel sauce need not fear this delicious pastry. […]
Chocolate (Vegan) Olive Oil Cake
This cake is delicious. I was expecting a dense cake, and was surprised by its light and fluffy texture. I made this on a lovely lazy Sunday afternoon. When I first leisurely flicked through Nigellissima, I was instantly drawn to this recipe. It reminded me of the Vegan Chocolate Cake I love.If I had to […]
A Tale of Two Kitchens 