Mixed berry fool with almond biscotti & honey

Sirens blaring, crinkling cellophane pie packets, cat calls and screaming fans - the sounds of an Australian footy game.

Without sounding unpatriotic, I never really got into footy as much as my mum and brother. Whilst I did watch Carlton play during the finals, I could never muster enough enthusiasm to watch their other games on TV. But there's something about being at the large stadiums, surrounded by thousands of excited people that really brings the game alive. Even someone like me can get caught up in the moment and let out a holler or two; and the Mexican waves are always fun.

My husband barracks for Essendon so I support him as best I can through the ups and downs of watching the team you love. We were lucky enough to receive free tickets to sit in Australia Post's booth (courtesy of our account manager) and watch a game without the likelihood of doing so drenched in rain. Who could say no to that?

We didn't have much time in the morning, so I wanted something quick, preferably with a healthy edge (as junk tends to be the plat du jour at the footy) and somewhat filling.


ease: 5/5.
prep time: 6mins (not including thawing time). I also skipped the sieve part.
total: 5mins.

taste: 3.5/5. It's pretty much mixed berry yoghurt with honey and a biscuit - nothing exciting. Overall it is tart and tangy with hints of sweetness from the honey and crumbly almond biscuit. Lovely for breakfast but not for company.

would I make it again: No - prefer plain yoghurt with the berries sprinkled on top.

recipe: Mixed berry fool with almond biscotti & honey from Good Taste - March 2007, Page 56

Savoury tomato bread pudding with basil cream

Logophile: LAW-guh-fahyl; noun:
A lover of words.

Nose deep in paperback books, with a hot chocolate or some other nondescript saccharine snack in one hand, was how I spent most of my childhood. I only ever used barbie dolls to act out scenes I'd read or written myself. My passion for reading helped me greatly in school, and now it is my favourite solitary indulgence, although I imagine I will love it even more as an activity shared with my children at bed time, or any time for that matter.

I must credit my mother for sparking my interest in literature. I looked forward to bedtime with the utmost ferventness. It would signal being tucked into bed with my mother picking a book from the shelf. My mother is a wonderful storyteller; her ability to portray each characters voice and inject absolute magic into each word delighted my imagination and was my favourite childhood experience. It wasn't long before I learned to read and set off on journeys myself, whether it was eating Moonface's delectable Honey Snap biscuits up in the Magic Faraway Tree or visiting the word marketplace in Dictionopolis from one of my absolute favourites, The Phantom Tollbooth.

I would also search out new words in the dictionary, adding them to my textual treasure chest. Instead of digging through endless pages, I get one new word emailed to me each day, just to get my fix.

My passion for food has also led me to discover new names for new ingredients never tasted. I remember 'Balsamic' was something I had not heard of until my teenage years when I tried it at an Italian cafe, needless to say I was hooked on the first bite. And whilst my husband had tried Balsamic Vinegar when we met, he had never tried it reduced, which we both prefer. There is just something about that sweetness with a large acidic kick that takes some meals above ordinary into wonderful. Especially when paired with its best friends tomato, bread and basil. An absolutely awesome foursome ;).


ease: 4.5/5.
prep time: 15mins.
cooking time: 1hour (includes 45mins resting period, which is when I made the basil cream).
total: 1hour & 15mins.

taste: 3.5/5. I had high hopes for these little orange-red pudding which is maybe why they let me down a little in taste. The puddings needed another 10mins as I used normal muffin tins.

They were extremely soft and spongy. The first flavour you get is the sweet, vinegary balsamic (I highly recommend using a reduction/glaze as it is the only sweetness in this dish) followed by the incredibly strong thyme and basil cream and finally the tart, bitter tomato pudding. I would have loved some crunch as it is all incredibly mushy and soft, perhaps staler bread would have been better. It was lovely, but with that classic flavour combination I expected more, the bread could definitely use a little more tomato flavour. Perhaps a tomato tart tatin with the basil and balsamic accompaniments would have been better - with some goats cheese thrown in for good measure.
would I make it again: No - nothing special.

recipe: Savoury tomato & bread pudding with basil cream

Banana & blueberry tarts

Freshly washed bed sheets are magical.

Slipping in between soft, crisp cool sheets fills me with joy, overwhelming satisfaction and comfort. As you can tell I find happiness in small things; I don't need rainbows and fireworks (although they are a turbo boost of happiness) to be chipper, I can be blissfully happy burrowing into my bed or waking up to a stream of sunshine misting my room with golden rays.

Whilst I may overall, be in a state of contentedness, my life is more frequently peppered with moments of happiness rather than pockets of negativity. On the whole, I think my state of mind tips the scale towards optimism. It's hard to stay angry or glum when being nuzzled by your dog or seeing a happy bird singing through the kitchen window.

On those days I wake up with a smile and a Disney-esque effervescence that would put most cartoon princesses to shame, I try to wring as much out of it as I can as you never know how long it will last. Today, after some light cleaning, I decided to pass on some of my cheer to my boys by making them an unexpected sunny treat as a tribute to a gloriously sunlit day.


ease: 5/5.
prep time: 8mins.
cooking time: 10mins.
total: 18mins.

taste: 3.5/5. The puff pastry gave the tart a lack of substantiality. The sweet bananas went beautifully with the tart, juicy blueberries but when eaten with the ice cream it turned into a soggy nothing- it wasn't filling in the slightest. Afterwards I tried one on its own once it cooled down and it was much better as the pastry had firmed up, hubby actually wanted more.

Watch as they cook - the recipe states 15mins but after 10 they were burning.

would I make it again: No, these were a little too light for me.

recipe: Banana & Blueberry Tarts

Creamy tapioca pudding with strawberry fennel puree

Ah, the calm before the storm, or rather the storm before the calm.

Tomorrow I am expecting my three darling girlfriends over for our second book club meet up (perhaps with an episode of Pushing Daisies to follow for good measure). As you can imagine I am working my way through the house like a madwoman vacuuming, wiping, washing and pushing my husband out of every room I am in. Knowing I would be busy during most of the morning I planned the night before to make a treat first thing that I could reward myself with once I was done. I believe cleaning is always sweeter if there is a sweet ending.

Yoshi loved the leftovers.

ease: 4.5/5. You need to be at the stove.
prep time: 5mins to get tapioca on the stove and strawberries pulverised.
cooking time: 25mins.
total: 30mins plus chilling time if you prefer it cold and more set.

taste: 3.5/5. The first taste you get is a big punch of tart, grainy strawberry puree followed by a hint of licorice fennel and lastly the creamy subtle, gelatinous tapioca pudding. Whilst I loved the texture of the pudding I didn't really enjoy the grainy strawberries (which using a sieve probably would have corrected, but I couldn't be bothered), I think I would have loved this even more with some stewed apples or even rhubarb so the tapioca could shine through a little more.

Some people commented that the tapioca was too runny and didn't set so I reduced the water by 1/4cup and it set perfectly. This made 3 decent servings.

would I make it again: Yes - with a different fruit topping and perhaps half a vanilla bean for the tapioca pudding.

recipe: Fruit-on-the-bottom Tapioca Pudding

Chocolate chip cookies

"Me not take cookies, me eat cookies."
Cookie Monster

Out of all the colourful, fuzzy creatures who live on Sesame St, the big electric blue fur ball covered in chocolate chip cookie crumbs was always my favourite. Although he is practically a garbage disposal unit, devouring everything from sweets to picture frames, chocolate chip cookies were his favourite.

I must admit that cookies are not high on my list of sweet treats, I would always opt for fudgy chocolate brownies or donuts, but cookies always got their turn if I was having a tall glass of cold soy milk or a warm milky tea, perfect for dunking. Whilst Oreos and squiggly tops (before I realised they contain gelatin) are my favourites, chocolate chip cookies sit nicely in the 3rd position. My favourite kind are the over sized, Soft King/Mrs Field's-esque chewy ones with large chocolate chunks.

I was hoping these would end up being a close imitation.


ease: 5/5.
prep time: 15mins to get two batches into the oven.
cooking time: 11mins - I did three double trays with 8 cookies.
total: 48mins to make 40 cookies.

taste: 3/5. The heavily sweet molasses sugar was too overpowering, I could barely taste the chocolate in them. The cookies were also cakey rather than chewy and very crispy on the edges. They are OK, but not the best. The also spread like wildfire, so make 2tsp size balls and spread them far apart.

would I make it again: No.

recipe: Chocolate chip cookies

Walnut-orange cake

The wind has not been playing nice with Melbourne as of late.

It has been caught running at 120mph, tearing off roofs and snapping boughs with little regard to us humans. During the day I can withstand its tempestuous mood, but at night, I must admit, it can frighten me out of my soothing sleep and leave me with cowering beneath my blankets reaching for my husbands hand underneath the sheets. Even my little fur ball of love, Yoshi comes whimpering in for a reassuring pat on the head.

Nothing settles my nerves more than a cup of herbal, steaming, fragrant tea. And whilst it is comforting on its own, coupled with a slice of cake, it's downright relaxing.


ease: 5/5.
prep time: 15mins.
cooking time: 1 hour.
total: 1 hour & 15mins.

taste: 4/5. This is a simple cake best eaten with a cup of tea whilst chatting to friends. It is moist but airy with a gorgeous crunchy crust and a tiny hint of bitter orange.

would I make it again: No. It was nice but there are many other cakes out there waiting to be baked.

recipe: Walnut-Orange cake

Baby BLT breakfast sandwich amuse-bouche

Surprises - unexpected ones I do not like, planned surprises however I revel in.

I am one of those annoying people who like to plan everything and always know what is going on or what we are going to do - right down to each meal we eat. I don't know why I am so averse to the unanticipated and spur of the moment, but I just am.

Yet, I love planning surprises for others, whether as small as bringing home an unanticipated sweet treat or something larger like skydiving as a 21st birthday gift. As my husband, brother, father and myself all work from home, I make them lunch everyday, most often consisting of a fried or pressed cheese and meat sandwich. Nothing special but it fills the spot and it takes me only 5mins. As you can imagine though, it does get a little boring after a few days so every now and then I surprise them with something different. Although this recipe is in the 'bread' field it packs a whole lot more flavour, nutrition and excitement into a work lunch.

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 5mins.
cooking time: 10mins.
total: 15mins.

taste: 4/5. Everyone would have preferred this on a Turkish pide or some other much-easier-to-eat-bread - the french stick was just too awkward. Flavour wise this delivered. For me I first tasted the deep savoury sweetness of the balsamic followed by the garlicky bread and soft egg which was then washed away by the tartly sweet tomato before finishing with the garlicky spinach and then the sweet basil to round it all off. The boys also had salty bacon in that mix.

I used a store bought balsamic reduction glaze.

would I make it again: Yes - with a different bread and perhaps a shaving of Parmesan.

recipe: Baby BLT breakfast sandwich amuse-bouche

Honeycomb butterscotch & tapioca pudding

Sleepless nights or frequent wakings have been a nightly occurrence for me since the age of 14.

Last night was a little more interrupted than usual. It started off with my husband coming to bed at 2am, with the subtly of an elephant. Then around 3am came the first siren, one of 4, which included a very loud and hurried fire engine. Then as usual at 7am the construction of the house behind us began and from there I don't think I fell asleep once, my husband on the other hand slept straight through to 10:30am. Lucky bastard.

To stave off the inevitable irritability caused by sleep deprivation, I decided I wanted to make something gooey, sweet and warm for lunch that I could eat in my corner of our couch.

As a child I would mix up and muddle a lot of things, butterscotch being one of them. My palate was unrefined to say the least, and I often mistook butterscotch for caramel. As I got older I realised the difference and more often chose to make butterscotch as it has a much higher success rate for me than caramel does (white sugar has a vendetta against me, that I am sure of).

I've had a bag of tapioca seeds in my pantry forever, so I thought this recipe would be a good starting point to using it up. Expect some more tapioca entries to come.


ease: 5/5.
prep time: 15mins to fridge stage.
cooking time: 10mins to cool and whip cream.
total: 25mins.

taste: 4.5/5. I made a mistake in that I did not soak my non-instant tapioca overnight so they remained tiny and crunchy, the boys however did not mind and wolfed them down the same.
The pudding is a smooth, sweet caramel-y butterscotch which is softened by the cloud-like sweetened cream and the crunchy chocolate honeycomb bar scattered across the top. I used a Crunchie as the crushed candy bar. It would have been even better with the chewy, gelatinous engorged tapioca pearls. Hubby found it a little sweet towards the end once the cream and chocolate had run out.

would I make it again: Yes - fairly quick, simple treat for dessert.

recipe: http://www.mytartelette.com/2008/01/toffee-butterscotch-tapioca-pudding.html

Kefta with garlic yoghurt sauce

Many meals and snacks are served up in my kitchen daily, only a tiny few manage to make it to my blog.

Whilst I enjoy cooking, most of the time I can't be bothered dragging out my tripod and setting up a picture. Lately most of the photographs were taken last minute without fuss and without any prettying up. Just like today's post, which exceeded expectations and therefore warranted a mention on my blog.

This was a quick, easy meal for a Monday night. My husband loved it so much that I thought I'd share it with you.

I slightly modified this recipe from Gourmet Traveller.

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 20mins. Make sauce whilst kefta are in the fridge - the lamb balls took around 8mins to make and roll so I left them in the fridge for about 12mins.
cooking time: 8mins
total: 28mins - less if you refrigerate them for under 12mins.

taste: 4.5/5. Hubby really loved these and wolfed them down in less than 5mins. He loved the sultanas the most but felt everything went well and was tasty.

The original recipe called for 1/2 a grated onion which I did not have, but I would add that next time.

Lamb Kefta with garlic sauce
serves 2 (makes 15 sans grated onion)

500g lamb mince
1tso minced garlic
1 tbs ras el hanout
1/4cup parsley leaves
1 egg
1/2 tsp dried chilli
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbs sultanas
25gm pine nuts, toasted
salt and pepper
oil to cook

1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1 tbs Tahini
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbs lemon juice
salt and pepper

Combine 500g lamb with garlic, ras el hanout, parsley, dried chilli, egg, breadcrumbs, sultana, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Using your hands, wet hands and roll mixture into 3cm balls and refrigerate before cooking.
Heat oil in a large fry pan and cook meatballs, turning once, for 8mins or until cooked.

For sauce mix yoghurt with tahini, garlic, lemon juice and then season with salt and pepper.

Serve kefta with yoghurt to the side.

Apple, pear & vanilla crumble with ginger cinnamon topping

". . . nothing contributes so much to tranquillize the mind as a steady purpose . . ."

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

As a child, the creature created from quilted dead flesh by Dr Frankenstein never truly scared me. If anything, I felt sympathy for the creature who did not ask to be given life and who was abandoned by a society that deemed him monstrous as they did not understand him. The novel and film did however, spark an interest in the science fiction genre.

History aside, I have begun my post with a brief explanation of the origin of the fictional character many refer to as Frankenstein, as it is a term I use when I have 'pieced something together' (not when I have created something that will ultimately self destruct and kill me'.)

There are times when a recipe as a whole is disappointing, but when dissected into parts, I find bits and pieces that I love. I recently made this Deep-dish apple, pear and vanilla pies with crisp sage which as a whole, I did not care for. As it turns out, I was left with an abundance of the pie filling and thought perhaps I might rework it into a crumble and possibly yield a tastier result.

With a single purpose in mind, I serenely threw a bunch of ingredients together for the crumble and have written it out below.


Crumble topping

• 2/3 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• dash of ground cloves
  
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (45g) rolled oats
• 125g unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 tbs of whole hazelnuts

Mix dry ingredients together. Chop butter and toss into bowl, mix butter and dry ingredients together with fingertips until clumps have formed.

I preheated the oven to 190C and placed the left over apples and pears (perhaps 2 pears, 4 apples worth) from the Gourmet Traveller recipe into a glass dish and sprinkled the topping over it. I baked it for 20mins.

ease: 4.5/5. Lots of chopping for filling.
prep time: 30mins (I'm a slow peeler and dicer)
cooking time: 20mins.
total: 50mins.

taste: 4/5. The filling came to life when paired with the heady, warming spices. Hubby would have preferred a little less brown sugar as he doesn't like anything close to caramel in flavour. I would add another 1/4cup of oats as I love their chewiness. I poured in the syrupy juices that accumulated in the bowl from the fruit overnight, probably would leave that out next time as it made it a little too syrupy.

would I make it again: Yes - more oats and no fruit syrup next time.