Fruit martini with cherries

December 11 2013

2 Comments

by emma

So here’s a festive little drink using pear flavoured vodka I made last Christmas (eep, a bit late posting); the cherries are gorgeous soaked in the cocktail then eaten, so decadent. And I know it’s not really a martini … devotees of traditional martinis would be scandalised no doubt, however I can’t handle the real deal, a bit lame I know.

Although I do find others who drink martinis very sexy. Ant ordered a martini on a night out a while back and I found it very suave I have to say.

And I don’t know if I’ve ever said, but these cocktail glasses are genuine 1960s glasses which used to belong to my grandmother. There’s something about a cocktail in a proper cocktail glass isn’t there? It always makes me feel a bit more glamorous, enjoying it that much more.

Mad Men has a lot to answer for!

chambord cocktail

Christmas candy white chocolate blondies

December 8 2013

6 Comments

tags: autumn, baking, bars, Christmas, spring, summer, winter

by emma

jelly bean blondies

Jelly beans aren’t usually an addition to baked goods however I bought some Christmas jelly beans (red, green and white obv) and thought they’d look pretty studded into some white chocolate blondies for the season. You could, of course, add whichever candy you prefer if jelly beans aren’t your thing (they’re my lollies of choice usually ) but I love how these look and the soft, chewy texture and candy-sweet flavour of the jelly beans go well in these decadent, fudgy, white chocolate blondies. Similarly coloured M&Ms would be great also.

christmas blondies

Nigella’s lime chocolate cheesecake

December 1 2013

7 Comments

tags: baking, cakes, desserts, summer, tv

by emma

nigella's lime cheesecake

In support of Nigella, whom I love (and I won’t hear a bad word about her, or read it for that matter), I thought I’d make one of her classics on the weekend.

I really enjoyed the combination of chocolate and lime in this! Also, this recipe is pretty basic in that there’s no flour or sour cream or anything, just a wonderfully old-fashioned cheesecake brightened up with zesty lime flavours and a rich, dark chocolate base and of course, being a Nigella dish, it’s wonderfully decadent, rich and luscious.

Try to keep it in the fridge for a few hours; we didn’t, as you can probably see, because somebody was champing at the bit to try a piece.

lime cheesecake

Atlantic salmon with summer mango salsa

November 24 2013

1 Comment

tags: health conscious, salads, seafood, summer

by emma

Although I love fruit (not a fan of the no sugar/fruit trend currently), I’m not overly keen on fruit with savoury meals although certain fruit works really well; apricots, figs and currants in Moroccan cooking, for example and our lovely Queensland mangoes which go perfectly tossed through salsa. So for a lovely warm weather meal today, I made a super simple, summer inspired salsa, tumbled over some buttery Atlantic salmon. This salsa is really worth making, it’s ever so slightly spicy, creamy, fresh and sweet and would also be a tasty accompaniment in a soft taco with crispy, grilled chicken or spooned onto Thai fish cakes.

And it’s not as if I’m into low carb particularly, but this dish is that and so healthy and full of omega 3 fats, as well as satisfyingly rich and full of flavour. On hot days, you could make the salsa in advance, chill in the fridge then cook the salmon and plonk on some salsa for an easy dinner.

salmon with summer salsa

Fairy bread nostalgia

November 21 2013

12 Comments

tags: Australian made, bread, desserts, nostalgia, summer

by emma

I don’t know who decided soft, white bread with lashings of butter and 100s & 1000s sprinkled over tasted good but there you go, it does. I, like a lot of Aussie kids, grew up with this sweet snack for morning teas and birthday parties. They’re perfect if you have kids or have small friends visiting as they can always help make them by cutting into cute shapes.

There’s really no room for multigrain, rustic bread and natural coloured sprinkles here, in as much as I would usually buy those. The whole point is you eat these as if it were still the 70s or 80s!

fairy bread

Cheesy mushroom lasagna

November 17 2013

4 Comments

tags: autumn, pasta, vegetarian, winter

by emma

Now I have to warn you, this post is chock-full of mushrooms so if you’re not into them, you should probably look away (it’s also full of cheese but hey, most people like that). I understand that mushies are one of those polarising vegetables that you either love or hate and I myself have only really learned to appreciate them in the past few years. These days, I eat them several days a week including sautéed mushrooms with eggs for breakfast to shiitake mushrooms in my miso soup for lunch or a mushroom omelet for dinner. Endless possibilities.

I don’t make lasagne that often; There’re often too many pots and pans and mine always seem to fall apart a bit after slicing (I think I over-fill mine a bit). Still, I like a decent vegie lasagne and love that mushrooms have a robust texture and flavour which replaces meat very easily. Also, they’re super healthy and most of us don’t eat enough of them.

I’ve had my eye on this recipe by Ina Garten for a while and set aside an hour or so on a Sunday to put it together (that included washing up, the depressing part of cooking). This creamy, lush dish packed full of substantial and meaty mushrooms went really well with a light salad on the side and some garlic bread. Not a diet dish sure, but a great substitute for your usual carnivore Sunday lunch.

mushroom lasagna cheesy mushroom lasagna

Some music for today: Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now

November 13 2013

2 Comments

tags: music, nostalgia, vintage

by emma

Thought I’d play a little Joni today. Isn’t she amazing? I love her.

joni mitchell

image via: wfuv

Brown butter orange vanilla bean madeleines

November 10 2013

6 Comments

tags: autumn, baking, biscuits, cakes, winter

by emma

Guess who purchased a fancy new madeleine tin?! I’m a sucker for cake tins and when I spotted this one I decided I had to have it. I’d never tried madeleines before but their description here of “elegant cakes shaped like scallop shells are the perfect thing with a cup of light, floral French tea” really appealed to me.

They do require a fair bit of resting time of 1-2 hours so keep that in mind but also, if you’re having an morning or afternoon tea, you could always use that time to store them, do the washing up then bake them before your guests arrive. Oh and …. why have I not browned butter before? I’ve seen loads of recipes doing this but never realised that it produced such a delectable fragrance and flavour (hell, I would have happily eaten this mixture raw, it was that delicious).

And on that note, just a curious thing … the recipe states only 40g butter, compared to other madeleine recipes which use a lot more. I innocently went about making these because I had no clue about madeleines, but noticed that my batter was very thick compared to the batter in the video, obviously because there isn’t a lot of butter or milk added. I’m not sure if there’s an error in the recipe though they worked really well.

I loved these little French fancy cakes, they’re kind of a cross between a cake and a biscuit and are crisp on the outside with tender crumb and full of flavour (these keep well, at least for a day or two; the outside becomes softer but they somehow become sweeter and the flavour comes through even more). I will admit to having one or two for breakfast with coffee one morning.

And unlike friands, another little cake I’m fond of, madeleines don’t require egg separating which pleased me (I mean I love friands but I always have to decide what to do with the egg yolks).

(¯`v´¯)
.`•.¸.•´ ★

orange madeleines

Would you care to sit with me, for a cup of English tea

November 6 2013

5 Comments

tags: Australian made, music, shopping, tea

by emma

I love this very British, whimsical song by Paul McCartney, check out the lyrics:

Would you care to sit with me
For a cup of English tea
Very twee, very me
Any sunny morning

What a pleasure it would be
Chatting so delightfully
Nanny bakes fairy cakes
Every Sunday morning

Miles and miles of English garden, stretching past the willow tree
Lines of hollyhocks and roses, listen most attentively

Do you know the game croquet
Peradventure we might play
Very gay, hip hooray
Any sunny morning

As a rule the church bells chime
When it’s almost supper time
Nanny bakes fairy cakes
On a Sunday morning

So anyway I found some gorgeous teapots and teacups from T2. Sadly, I don’t have room for the heaps I already have but maybe one of these would make a lovely Christmas present for someone?

French inspired ham baguette

November 4 2013

2 Comments

tags: bread, health conscious, spring, summer

by emma

french baguette

One of my favourite things to eat on the weekend is a sandwich or roll made with fresh, seasonal ingredients (and is there anything much better than fresh bread?). So we usually go down to the grocery store and bakery and pick up some nice stuff, come home and put it together. Of course, this often means we overdose on bread that day and have endless half-empty bags of bread in our freezer, but hey, it’s worth it.

I find also, that simple is the best so I generally only use 3 to 4 ingredients as a rule (this also applies to pizza and pasta).

This lovely, French inspired baguette tasted great and was perfect on a warm Spring day; crunchy, fresh bread with crisp, hot radishes, savoury fresh ham, creamy eggs and sweet lemon dressing.

french baguette
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