My Open Kitchen Gathering 2018 + Quince Scones

Kath June 18, 2018

Last month I attended the first ever My Open Kitchen Gathering in Orange NSW which was hosted and organised by Sophie Hansen of the blog Local is Lovely. The My Open Kitchen project stemmed from Sophie’s Rural Woman of the Year win in 2016 and encompasses an e-course, podcast, workshops and now this Gathering. All are focused on the food and farming community and learning to bring social media into the fold to make better connections.

The My Open Kitchen Gathering brought together ‘IRL’ all the things that are taught in the e-course and that are spoken of on the podcast, with a series of panel discussions from some super interesting women in the food/photography/social media space. The keynote speaker for the day was Sara Taster of the blog Me & Orla. Coming all the way from the UK to speak, having Sara there was like an amazing private live episode of her podcast Hashtag Authentic. Sara spoke eloquently on her Instagram and small business journey, and about how we all have a unique and unrepeatable opportunity in life as each of us are unique and unrepeatable.

My Open Kitchen Gathering 2018, held at the Old Convent in Borenore NSW.

My Open Kitchen Gathering 2018 - The final panel discussion of the day

The day also brought together lots of ‘Insta-friends’ and My Open Kitchen e-course friends, and it was so great to finally meet these lovely ladies in person and catch up with those I’ve met at previous workshops. As My Open Kitchen has a heavy focus on farmers and producers, there was a little marketplace where attendees could sell some of their produce/wares during the lunch break on the day. I was particularly interested in the dried quinces sold by Sue of Singing Magpie Produce. After being in the same e-course group as Sue late last year, I had heard a little about her products and was very intrigued by the quinces. I managed to sample a little of the quince - which was absolutely amazing, but missed out on buying a packet. A week or so after the Gathering I ordered some online and eagerly awaited their arrival.

When my package from Singing Magpie Produce arrived it made my week. I was having a particularly bad week having been bed ridden after complications from a procedure in hospital I had the week after the Gathering. The quinces are a deep burgundy colour and have a slightly sticky texture, not all shrivelled up and bone dry like dried fruits from the supermarket shelf. I kept them in my room for a few days as an emergency snack until I was feeling better and was allowed to move about again. I then began thinking about how I could bake with them. The below recipe for quince scones is what I came up with. I figured if dried dates and sultanas can go in scones, then why not these?

Quince Scones

Ingredients:

450g self-raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp icing sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

200ml cream

125ml sparkling water

2 tbsp lemon juice

80g dried quince, chopped into small pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten

unsalted butter, to serve

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper, and dust a little flour over the top.

Place the flour, icing sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl, and sift over the baking powder. Using a whisk mix the dry ingredients together.

In a jug, quickly and briefly whisk the cream, water and lemon juice together, then add to the dry ingredients. Add the chopped dried quince and mix together with a flat bladed knife, then turn out on to a lightly floured bench. Lightly knead the dough to bring it together, then press to dough out until it is 2-3cm thick.

Using a 4.5/5cm cutter cut out rounds from the dough, dusting the cutter with flour if the dough sticks too much. Place the rounds on the prepared tray, leaving no gaps in between each round. Bring the dough back together and continue cutting until it is all used up.

Brush the tops of the cut scones with the beaten egg ensuring only the tops are covered and it doesn’t drip down the sides. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and puffed. Turn the tray around in the oven about halfway through so they cook and colour more evenly.

Serve warm with the butter.

Makes 18-20.

Reference: ‘Bill’s Basics’ by Bill Granger (HarperCollins Publishers, 2010), p.50.

Low FODMAP Easter Spiced Brioche Scrolls

Easter Spiced Brioche Scrolls (Low FODMAP)

Kath March 30, 2018

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone is enjoying celebrating Easter/Passover/the long weekend! It’s about 30 degrees Celsius here in Sydney, so it kinda seems odd that it’s Easter and technically meant to be Autumn. I am very much looking forward to the weather cooling down and really getting back into the kitchen again. Summer was hot here this year, and it definitely kept me away from the kitchen after the necessities of cooking for Christmas were over. Slowly I am finding moments in the kitchen, mostly to prepare for the work week, but also gradually getting back into the habit of baking and cooking purely for the joy if it.

This long weekend I plan to make my annual lot of hot cross buns and have my first foray into making matzo ball soup. I’m thinking these are the best dishes of the two religious holidays celebrated this weekend so it is only fitting to give it them both a go. I have tried Matzo ball soup only once before, so I have been looking through my cookbooks and comparing the recipes from the likes of Yotam Ottolenghi and the Monday Morning Cooking Club to get all the tips and advice possible! Here’s hoping it goes well!

But now on to the scrolls!

A couple of weeks ago I was generously sent some of The Healthy Baker’s Low FODMAP Plain Flour, so I decided that I would use that in my Easter baking and see how it goes.

Since receiving this flour I have done a little research on the low FODMAP diet, and suffice to say the diet cuts out quite a few things across all food groups.

The low FODMAP diet was developed by Monash University and aims to provide relief for those suffering IBS. Luckily the diet isn’t intended as a long term thing, rather a 6 or so week program to determine what high FODMAP foods someone may be reacting to. They can then reintroduce other high FODMAP foods to their diet and continue to minimise those that still act as triggers.

For these scrolls I have used a tried and tested brioche recipe so I could compare how they turned out using this new flour. And honestly, there is no comparison. The texture of the brioche is exactly the same as using regular plain flour. Which is great as it means everyone can enjoy all sorts of homemade baked goods without compromising on the quality of their bakes and not having to feel unwell after. I have tried to make these as hot cross bun inspired as possible by adding the same types of spices as I would to my hot cross buns. You can however use whatever combination you like, or in keeping with these being low FODMAP and for Easter, use dark chocolate instead.

To make these scrolls Low FODMAP not only can you use The Healthy Baker’s flour but also substitute dairy milk for almond. I was also going to add dried fruit to the dough to make the scrolls even more like hot cross buns, but as dried fruit are high FODMAP I have left them out this time - so I guess these brioche scrolls can be like a better version of a fruitless hot cross bun for Easter!

To get an idea about what other foods are low or high FODMAP check out the Monash University website which as some really good resources.

Easter Spiced Brioche Scrolls using The Healthy Baker's Low FODMAP Plain Flour

Ingredients for the Dough:

250ml milk (use lactose free for Low FODMAP)

10g dried yeast

75g caster sugar

2 eggs, beaten

485g Healthy Baker Low FODMAP Plain Flour, plus extra for dusting

75g unsalted butter, cubed and softened, plus extra for greasing

Ingredients for the Filling:

85g unsalted butter, softened

120g panela sugar

1tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp mixed spice

1/2tsp ground ginger

1/4tsp ground cardamom

Pearl sugar*, optional

Method:

In a small saucepan warm the milk over low heat until lukewarm. Add the yeast, sugar and eggs and stir to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour then the milk mixture and mix on a low speed until the ingredients are starting to combine and a dough is beginning to form. Increase the speed to medium-high for 5 minutes. Add the butter and mix on medium speed until it has been incorporated into the dough, and the dough is smooth and elastic.

Use some butter to lightly grease a large bowl then place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.

While the dough is rising prepare the spiced sugar for the filling by combining the panela sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, ginger and cardamom in a small bowl.

Once the dough has doubled in size, lightly flour your work surface and place the dough on top. Gently roll the dough into a rectangle (approx. 25 x 48 cm) allowing it to remain about 1 cm thick.

Spread the softened butter over the dough then sprinkle over the spiced sugar mix. Roll the dough from the long edge to form a log, then cut into about 12 pieces. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper and place the cut scrolls on the sheet in rows leaving room in between each so they can rise. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise again for about 30 minutes until the scrolls have doubled in size.

While the scrolls are rising, pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Once the scrolls have doubled in size, sprinkle with pearl sugar if you wish, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.

Serve warm and if there are any leftovers freeze them in zip lock bags to enjoy later.

*Pearl sugar (or nib sugar) does not melt at high temperatures and can be used to decorate baked goods. It can be found at specialty food shops.

Reference: The Cook and Baker by Cherie Bevan and Tass Tauroa (Murdoch Books, 2015), p.124.

Thank you to The Healthy Baker for providing me with some of their fantastic Low FODMAP Plain Flour!

Homemade Chunky Tomato Sauce + 6 Tips for Work Week Meal Prep

Kath December 1, 2017

For me, the most exciting part of work days, can be food. If I have something for lunch that I’m not looking forward to, it can make a bad day seem so much worse. I really like to be prepared and make things for work week lunches that I will enjoy eating and not make me cave and go buy something I shouldn’t.

This chunky tomato sauce is staple for work week lunch prep for me. I have been making it consistently for the past year, and I am still not sick of it. I love tomatoes, and I have found so many uses for this sauce I never tire of it. For a work week lunch I will pair it with pasta or quinoa, add some extra basil, parmesan cheese and maybe some prosciutto and I have a meal I really look forward to eating. I can prepare a few portions of this in advance, and have it ready in the fridge to take to work in the mornings.

I have also found this sauce is great for:

Pizza bases, just spread a thin layer over the base and then add any toppings you fancy
Adding to scrambled eggs
Using as a dip
Adding to open toasted sandwiches and bruschetta
As a substitute for a relish with things like frittatas
And of course, using it as the best homemade pasta sauce you’ve ever had is really number one on the list.

This recipe is a quicker adaptation to this one I posted quite a while ago. I needed it to be quicker as even though I like cooking, I don’t want to spend all my time preparing for the work week. I tend to use whatever tomatoes are cheapest to buy, like the ‘imperfect picks’ or the ones that are quite ripe and ready for a quick sale. Once the sauce is cooked I store it in large glass jars in the fridge (like the ones pictured in this post).

And as I have had many questions over the year about bringing food to work and how to go about it, below are some of my tips. I have also included a list of other recipes (all of which can be found in the recipe archive) I utilise most weeks to ensure I am super prepared with lots of good food to enjoy.

6 Tips for Work Week Meal Prep

1. Be Prepared

Spend some time working out what meals you want to make and what you need for each. Write a shopping list and work out which shops you need to go to. Prepare what you can in advance (i.e. things that can be frozen).

2. Utilise Your Freezer

Lots of meals either partially prepared or fully cooked can be frozen into portions and defrosted as you need them. Find some freezer safe containers and label them with the contents and date prepared.

3. Have Some Good Storage Jars & Containers

Along with some good freezer safe containers, get some good reusable containers or large jars to store pantry staples, and other condiments and sauces you could make from scratch. Also get a couple of small/medium containers to take your lunch to work in.

4. Cook What You Like to Eat

Start with recipes and meal ideas you actually want to eat. If not buying lunch everyday is a new thing for you, don’t bother planning and prepping meals that you think you ‘should’ eat but probably won’t when it comes down to it. Prepare food that will satisfy you, and that you will maybe even look forward to eating.

5. Make It Fun

Hate food shopping? Make it more interesting by going to a market and getting some fresh produce there. This can also double as an enjoyable morning out on the weekend. You are also then buying fresh and local produce, and getting in touch with the seasonality of food and who produces it. Alternatively you could be super organised and buy your food online and save time.

6. Always Cater For Leftovers

This is especially important on the weekends when you might have time to cook a little more. Cater for 1-2 more people than you are actually serving, especially if it’s something that will freeze or keep well and you would like to eat again. Cooked meats can be used in sandwiches and salads, and left over roast vegetables can make great additions to frittatas.

Homemade Chunky Tomato Sauce

1.5-2kg tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, crushed

50g baby capers

45g anchovies in oil*

olive oil

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 bunch basil, leaves only, roughly chopped

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Have two deep baking dishes ready, I use two enamel ones that are approx. 28 x 20cm.

Slice up the tomatoes into 1cm slices and divide between the two pans. If using small or cherry tomatoes, cut some in half and pierce really small ones with a knife.

Divide the garlic and capers between the two pans. Drain the anchovies over the pans, allowing the oil to drizzle over the tomatoes. Roughly chop the anchovies and add some to each pan. Drizzle more oil over each pan, about 1/2 tbsp for each.

Toss the contents of each pan to combine, then place in the oven. Cook for about 1 hour, checking and moving the tomatoes around in the pan every 20 minutes. Cook time for cherry tomatoes will be less, so keep an eye on them if using.

The sauce will be ready when the tomatoes have cooked down, softened and there is some liquid from the tomatoes still in the pan.

Remove from the oven and transfer all the tomatoes into one of the pans. Stir in the tomato paste and basil. Use immediately or allow to cool in the pans and transfer to large glass jars to store in the fridge until needed.

Keeps in the fridge for about 10 days.

* Yes I know, you don't like anchovies! Leave them out if you wish, however cutting them finely will help them dissolve away into the sauce and give the sauce a gentle touch of saltiness.

Elderflower Chiffon Cake

Kath November 24, 2017

Here are some of the things I have been enjoying this month:

I’m quite late to the party on this one as I think Issue 10 has just been released, but I finally got my hands on Issue 9 of Cherry Bombe Magazine.
This month I am loving all the lovely Spring flowers. I have enjoyed many a bunch of roses picked from our garden, and have picked a bunch of hydrangeas each week for the last four weeks or so. I also bought a small bunch of peonies and they are taking pride of place on my desk at the moment.
Now that I am back working in the CBD of Sydney, I am enjoying popping over to the Food Hall in David Jones to check out all the lovely food and produce. I was excited to find they sell bagels and challah by Brooklyn Boy Bagels (my freezer is now stocked in case of a bagel emergency!).
I finally started listening to this podcast and am so glad I did.
Starting to think about Christmas and eyeing off all the cute festive things at Kikki-K.

Elderflower Chiffon Cake

This cake is Summer on a plate for me. Elderflower and berries are Summer staples, and they both go so well in this cake. If you don’t have any elderflower cordial you can substitute it in the cake for lemon juice (so 180ml lemon juice in total). For the cake pictured in this post I used duck eggs (which are pictured in the above photos), because I can’t not buy them when I see them! I used 6 as they are much bigger than chicken eggs, and they gave the cake and amazing rise. It was the tallest chiffon cake I have ever made!

Using Duck Eggs to Make the Chiffon Cake

Elderflower Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:

300g self-raising flour

330g golden caster sugar

7 eggs, separated

100ml + 1 tsp elderflower cordial

80ml fresh lemon juice

1.5 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

200ml pouring cream

berries & edible flowers to decorate, optional

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (or 170 degrees Celsius fan forced), and keep an angel food cake pan handy, but do not grease it.

Add 165g of the sugar and the egg yolks to the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat for at least 5 minutes or until the egg yolks have become thick and pale in colour.

While the egg yolks are beating, sift the flour at least 3 times to ensure it is well aerated.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the elderflower cordial (100ml), lemon juice, 1 tbsp of the lemon zest to the egg yolks. Mix until combined.

Sift the flour over the egg yolk mixture and gently fold in to the batter. Gently use a whisk if there are lumps of flour remaining in the batter.

Using another large bowl fitted to a stand mixer, beat the egg whites using the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Sift over the cream of tartar, then gradually add in the remaining sugar (165g), and whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the meringue mixture is stiff and glossy.

Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the meringue mixture into the egg yolks in 2 or 3 batches, and stop mixing once everything is just combined. They key is not to over mix, as the air you have beaten into the egg whites will help give the chiffon cake it’s characteristic rise.

Transfer the mixture into the ungreased angel food cake tin, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Once the cake is done, invert it so the hole in the middle of the cake tin sits over the neck of a bottle. Leave like this until completely cooled - if the cake is not inverted once it comes out of the oven, it will sink. Once the cake has cooled, remove from the tin by carefully running a knife around the outside, middle and underneath of the cake.

To finish the cake, beat the cream in a small bowl until soft peaks form. Add the remaining lemon zest and elderflower cordial and whisk to combine. Use the cream to decorate the top of the cake, finishing with berries and edible flowers.

Reference: ‘Indulgent Cakes’ by The Australian Women’s Weekly (Bauer Media Books, 2014) pp.218-9.

How to Make Homemade Caramel Ice Cream (Egg Free)

Kath November 17, 2017

Since I have been using this simple ice cream recipe, there seems to be no end to the number of adaptations I can make with it. This caramel version came about when I was making a Carrot Cake for my Dad’s birthday in August, the recipe coming from the blog My Name is Yeh.

The carrot cake called for making caramel. I can’t say I make caramel that often, it’s one of those things I feel can go wrong so easily. But after making it for this cake, and finding it went much more smoothly than I remember, I decided to make some more and add it to my favourite ice cream recipe to serve with the cake.

I have made it again since then, and I am so enjoying making (and eating) this new adaptation of my favourite ice cream recipe. And with the holiday season coming up soon, I am thinking this may need to be on our Christmas menu.

Speaking of Christmas, I am currently working on a festive baking e-book, filled with our family favourites for the holiday season. Anyone who is already a subscriber to my email list will receive a copy once the e-book is released - so if you aren’t a subscriber sign up now so you don’t miss out!

Caramel Ice Cream (Egg Free)

Ingredients for the Caramel:

75g white sugar

1 tbsp water

65g heavy/double cream

55g unsalted butter cubed, at room temperature

Ingredients for the Ice Cream:

165ml milk

6 tbsp white sugar

250ml pouring cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

To make the caramel, place the sugar into a small saucepan, and stir in the water. Cook over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar until it starts to bubble. Then stop stirring (and don’t stir again or the caramel will crystallise), and leave to cook for a further couple of minutes or until the caramel has turned amber in colour. If the caramel isn’t cooking evenly, swirl the pan to encourage the caramel to colour evenly.

Reduce the heat to low, and add the cream. Stir until the cream has combined with the caramel. Continue to stir and add the butter little by little so each piece has time to melt before the next is added.

Once all the butter has been added and is well combined, remove the caramel from the heat and allow to cool.

Ensure the caramel has cooled right down before using to make the ice cream. Alternatively, make the caramel the day before, store in the fridge and bring down to room temperature before using to make the ice cream.

To make the ice cream, whisk the milk and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved and the milk has become frothy. Then add the cream, the vanilla, and the caramel. Whisk until combined and the mixture has thickened a little.

Transfer mixture into the bowl of an ice cream machine, and process according to machine instructions. I found the churning process took about 10-15 minutes. When ready, the ice cream should have thickened, be softly frozen like a soft serve ice cream, and be clinging to the paddle of the ice cream machine. When ready, transfer ice cream into a freezer safe container (at least 1L capacity) and freeze overnight.

Reference: ‘Lomelino’s Ice Cream’ by Linda Lomelino (Roost Books, 2015), p.13; Carrot Cake with Hawaij and Tahini Caramel by My Name Is Yeh.

Panela Sugar Shortbread + How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract

Kath October 27, 2017

Now that I am well accustomed to using Panela Sugar, I am testing it out in almost every tried and tested recipe I have! And my latest discovering is that Panela Sugar Shortbread is like making a super easy version of a caramel shortbread! The bigger crystals of Panela stay whole within each biscuit, and once cooked they caramelise even more and taste like small pieces of caramel in each bite.

And as Panela sugar is unrefined, it makes me feel a little less guilty about eating a few of these! Other unrefined sugars, such as rapadura, would probably work well too and give a similar caramel flavour to the shortbread.

I made these a little while ago as my contribution for an afternoon tea, and the leftovers were eaten at the host’s work the next day. I am told they went down really well, with one person commenting that they tasted like Irish Shortbread. Now, I had no idea the Irish had their own version of shortbread, so now I think I need to do a little research and brush up on my shortbread knowledge!

How to Make Vanilla Extract

If using vanilla beans for this recipe (or any other!), don’t throw out the pods after the seeds have been used. Fill a small/medium jar or bottle with vodka and add the pods to it as you use them.
Shake the bottle now and then, and keep stored at room temperature. The more pods you add to the vodka the deeper the colour and the better the flavour you will get.
Depending on how many pods are infusing, expect to wait at least two-three months before using the vanilla extract. You can judge it by the colour of the extract and the aroma. I think the deeper the colour the better - I’d rather wait longer to use it and have a more intense vanilla flavour. See below for progress shots of making vanilla extract from day one to four months.
I have mentioned before that vanilla pods can also be used for vanilla sugar, and now that I am using my vanilla sugar I have been rinsing the pods off from that and adding them to the extract too - they still have lots of flavour and it would be such a shame to waste them!
If you are looking for a good bought vanilla extract, I would of course recommend the one made by Grounded Pleasures! It has a rich colour and really wonderful intense flavour, and each tube comes with a vanilla pod inside - and you don’t have to wait a few months to use it!

Homemade Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Sugar

Panela Sugar Shortbread

Ingredients:

160g unsalted butter, at room temperature

60g Grounded Pleasures Organic Panela Sugar

1 Grounded Pleasures Organic Vanilla Bean, seeds scraped

250g plain flour

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees Celsius and line two large baking trays with baking paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place the butter (135g), Panela sugar and the vanilla bean seeds. Beat until well combined.

Add the flour and mix on low speed until the flour has incorporated. Mix on a low-medium speed until a dough starts to form. If the mixture remains too crumbly, add the remaining butter and mix well.

Sprinkle some flour on your work surface, bring the dough together with your hands, then turn onto the floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out, dusting with more flour as needed, so it is flat and and about 2mm thick.

Cut the biscuits out using a small round biscuit cutter (mine is 4.5cm), using a small spatula to lift them over to the prepared tray.

Bake biscuits for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden. I like the check the underneath of a couple of biscuits too, if that is a little golden then the biscuits are definitely cooked.

Cool the biscuits on the trays and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 45 small biscuits.

Thanks to Grounded Pleasures for sponsoring this post and providing the yummy Panela Sugar & Vanilla Beans!

Quince Scones

6 Tips for Work Week Meal Prep

Homemade Chunky Tomato Sauce

Elderflower Chiffon Cake

Elderflower Chiffon Cake

Caramel Ice Cream (Egg Free)

How to Make Vanilla Extract

Panela Sugar Shortbread

Kulinary Adventures of Kath

Food Photography, Recipes & Baking