Off the Shelf - 'The Violet Bakery Cookbook' by Claire Ptak

Bought at: online from Booktopia, a regular online haunt of mine for books. 

Recipes Made: Squash, Brown Butter & Sage Quiche (pp.86-87), Banana Buttermilk Bread (p.104), Lemon Drizzle Loaf (pp.114-115), Ginger Molasses Cake (p.125), Summer Spelt Almond Cake (p.137), Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies (pp.140-141), Quince Ice Cream (pp.184-185) and Roasted Quince (p.241). 

For the Quiche I used the basics of the recipe and instead of squash and sage I used purple sweet potato, goats cheese, thyme and topped the quiche with goats cheese stuffed zucchini flowers. The quiche was amazing and the recipe was really easy to follow. Claire’s recipes are very clearly written and she has managed to keep all the chef-y inside tips in there without making everything seem daunting. 

Purple Sweet Potato & Zucchini Flower Quiche

The Banana Buttermilk Loaf is a great way to use up over ripe bananas and I have made it many times. I have often been known to deliberately buy the over ripe bananas in the quick sale section of the green grocers just to make this bread. When I make it I tend to cut it into slices once cooled, wrap individually and freeze. The loaf is quite different to other banana breads, which can be quite cakey. This one uses 6 bananas so the flavour is perfect and the texture is more dense. 

I made the Lemon Drizzle Loaf when bergamots where in season last year and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn’t think the drizzle added too much to the cake, so if you wanted to skip it and just have the icing I think the cake would still work really well. 

Lemon Drizzle Loaf using Bergamots

I was really looking forward to making the Ginger Molasses Cake as I love the combination of ginger and molasses in cakes. I didn’t end up being a fan of this one however. The flavour was nice but the texture of the cake was too wet for my liking. 

Ginger Molasses Cake

The Summer Spelt Almond Cake I have made many times, in many different forms. It is a great all rounder and works well with lots of different fruits, flavour combinations, sugars and flours. In the version pictured I used raspberries only and the rosewater icing - with the addition of crystallised rose petals it probably looks a bit too much like a Valentine’s cake, but it did taste really good! 

Summer Spelt Almond Cake with Rose

The Egg Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies have been my go to biscuit recipe for a while now. They are great as the recipe uses up egg yolks that may be left over from something else, and the raw dough freezes really well too. The dough also bakes well from frozen as well. I have made this with a few different flavour combinations, however the winner always seems to be raspberry and white chocolate. 

Raspberry & White Chocolate Biscuits

The Quince Ice Cream I have posted about here, and the Roasted Quince I tried out this year when quinces were in season. I have a recipe I usually use which poaches them, but I thought I would try this one out as well. I wasn’t as keen on the final result of the roasting, I found it took significantly longer for the quinces to cook than the recipe said and they didn’t turn a deep ruby red colour like the should have. They still tasted really good, but I think I will stick to poaching next year. 

Favourite Things About The Book: The recipes are really a stand out in this book, which I think is evidenced by how many I have tried (and still want to try)! It really feels like you aren’t missing out on the Violet Bakery in London having this book, and there is such a vast range of recipes that it really covers all seasons and tastes. The recipes also come with great advice from Claire, in a way that feels like you are generously benefiting from her years of experience and training.

Even being someone who has baked for a long time, I still find I learn things from this book. Claire’s flavour combinations and use of less common ingredients is also a real high point of this book. At first glance things to me seemed a little out of left field, and maybe a bit like they were being designed to suit the ‘healthy’ food trends that have been hanging around the past few years. But once I really read the recipes, and tried some of them out, these ingredients (think spelt flour, agave, rye flour, buckwheat flour etc) are really being used as they bring something to the recipe and make the end result the best it can be. These ingredients are used because of their taste or the texture they bring to the bake, and this to me is extremely refreshing.  

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Honey & Rosewater Madeleines (pp.126-127), Chewy Ginger Snaps (p.134), The Violet Butterscotch Blondie (p.143), Loganberry-Vanilla Birthday Cake (pp.213-214) and Carrot Cake (p.219). 

White Peach & Passionfruit Sponge Cake

The idea for this cake came to me when I went into a new fruit and veg shop and saw some donut peaches from the USA. Usually, I really try to stick to what is in season, however there are some things (white cherries and donut peaches in particular) that I can’t resist no matter what season or where they have come from. 

After I bought them I realised they wouldn’t last long enough for me to end up eating all of them fresh. Then I remembered this White Peach & Passionfruit Jam recipe I had made last year. I already had lots of passionfruit pulp in the freezer so I set about making the jam with the donut peaches. The jam is so tasty, just like Summer in a jar. 

I usually serve it with scones, but this time I thought adding it to the filling of a sponge would make a lovely Summery cake for this time of year. I used the same sponge recipe as the Duck Egg Sponge I have previously posted here on the blog, but with regular chicken eggs (5 eggs rather than the 4 duck eggs). If you can find duck eggs I highly recommend using them for a sponge cake like this one, the rise and the texture you get with them are really something else. 

Make the jam a day or so before you intend to have the sponge. And since the festive season will soon be upon us, I would recommend putting the jam into smaller jam jars and gifting it to others. It would be such a lovely gift to receive and a great showcase of the Australian produce that is now in season. 

If you don’t feel like making the jam, use some extra peach and passionfruit to fill the middle of the sponge as well as decorating the top.

White Peach & Passionfruit Jam 

Ingredients: 

1kg white or donut peaches (just ripe)

10 passionfruit

600g white sugar or jam sugar

100g brown sugar 

juice of 1/2 lemon

Method: 

Sterilise 3-4 jam jars (about 280-300ml capacity) by washing them in hot soapy water and then placing them in the oven to dry (upside down) at 90 degrees Celsius. Jars can be left for 20 minutes or until they are ready to be used. 

Place two small plates in the freezer for later.

Remove the skins from the peaches (if proving difficult don’t worry about it too much), and deseed. Roughly chop and place in a large heavy based saucepan. Scoop the pulp out of each passionfruit and add to the pot, along with the remaining ingredients. 

Sit the pot over low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the juices start coming out of the fruit. Increase the heat and stop stirring. Allow the jam to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, then check if it has reaching setting point. Remove one of the plates from the freezer and drop some of the jam onto the plate. Leave for a moment, then run your finger through the jam, If the jam creases it is ready. If not, keep the jam over the heat and test again after another 10 minutes or so. The rate at which the jam sets will depend on the ripeness of the peaches. 

Once the jam has reached setting point, remove the jam jars from the oven. Using a ladle and a jam funnel, fill each jar with the jam and secure the lids. 

Allow to cool at room temperature, then store in a cool dry place for up to six months. Refrigerate once opened, or if conditions are hot and humid. 

White Peach & Passionfruit Sponge Cake

White Peach and Passionfruit Sponge Cake

Ingredients: 

x5 eggs, room temperature

140g golden caster sugar 

160g plain flour, plus extra for the tin

2 tsp baking powder 

300ml pouring cream

butter, to grease the tin

5 tbsp White Peach & Passionfruit Jam, approx.

1 white or donut peach, to decorate

pulp of 1/2 passionfruit, to decorate

Method: 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and butter and flour two 20 cm loose bottomed cake tins. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk for about 10 minutes, on medium to high speed. The mixture will triple in size and become pale and fluffy. 

While the eggs are whisking, measure the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl and whisk together to remove any lumps. Carefully add the flour and baking powder to the whisked eggs, gently and quickly folding it into the eggs with a large metal spoon.

Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared tins, and bake for 15-20 minutes. The cakes will be golden in colour and spring back when lightly touched. 

Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for a couple of minutes. Place a sheet of baking paper on a cooling rack, and remove each cake from their tins on to the paper. This will prevent the cakes sticking to the cooling racks. Alternatively, you can leave the baking paper that is already on the base of each cake, and place them straight on the racks. 

Once the cakes have cooled (this shouldn’t take too long), prepare the cream filling. Whip the cream until it has thickened and soft peaks are forming. Place one of the cakes on a cake stand or serving plate, and top with half of the cream. Dollop over the White Peach and Passionfruit Jam, ensuring it is evenly placed over the cream. Place the second sponge on top and finish with the remaining cream. Slice up the peach and use to decorate the rim of the cake. Sprinkle over the passionfruit pulp to finish. 

Serve immediately.

References: ‘Real Food Projects’ by Kate Walsh (Murdoch Books, 2016), p.62; ‘Local is Lovely’ by Sophie Hansen (Hachette Australia, 2014), p.50.

Roasted Summer Stone Fruit

This is a great no fuss dessert that makes the most of the delicious stone fruit that are coming into season right now. 

We make this a lot all year round, and during the colder months use pears instead. It is often made on the weekends when we make more time for dinner and it is always a nice way to end a meal (and the leftovers are always good too!). 

When I’m making this with stone fruit, I like to use a variety of plums, nectarines and white and yellow peaches as the combination creates wonderful flavour and look to the dessert. 

Roasted Summer Stone Fruit

Ingredients: 

1-2kg stone fruit (e.g. peaches, nectarines, plums)

45g butter, softened

2 tbsp panela sugar (or brown sugar)

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

125ml Moscato 

50g slivered almonds 

thick cream to serve (I use Little Big Dairy Co’s Pure Double Cream) 

Method: 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and cut the fruit into wedges, removes the stones or cores. Place fruit in a large baking dish. 

In a small bowl mix together the butter, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and scatter teaspoonfuls of the mixture over the fruit. 

Pour the wine over the fruit and bake for about 30 minutes or until the fruit is beginning to soften. Briefly remove the fruit from the oven and scatter over the almonds and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until the almonds and the fruit are golden. 

Serve warm with cream (or ice cream). 

Reference: ‘Bill’s Italian Food’ by Bill Granger (HarperCollins, 2013), p.229.

Off the Shelf - 'Small Victories' by Julia Turshen

Bought at: Dymocks Broadway in Sydney. One of the many books I bought there over the time I worked nearby and desperately craved time away from the office and found solace in bookshops. 

Recipes Made: Parmesan Soup with Tiny Pasta & Peas (pp.64-66), Julia’s Caesar (p.83), Turkey & Ricotta Meatballs (pp.168-171) and Afternoon Cake (pp.229-230). 

Parmesan Soup with Tiny Pasta and Peas

The Parmesan Soup uses up parmesan rinds (which I now keep in the freezer we go through so much parmesan), and the flavour is amazing. And like Julia says in the recipe, your kitchen will smell like melted cheese whilst making this (yum). I have made this soup with both water, homemade chicken stock and bought stock, and while my preference is the subtler flavour of homemade stock, they all work well. I have made this quite a few times now, and I have learnt that I always need to make double as we enjoy it so much. 

Julia’s Caesar is an excellent and super tasty recipe for homemade Caesar salad dressing. I love a good Caesar dressing, but unfortunately I don’t think many (if any) of the supermarket varieties are that great. This homemade one is quick to put together and lasts a little while in the fridge. I find we always have the ingredients for it, however we do have a well stocked pantry. If you like anchovies in your Caesar then you will love this one, if not Julia gives a great vegetarian alternative using capers - both in my mind are really good and very flavourful. 

For the Meatballs, I have to admit I used Julia’s recipe as a guide. Turkey mince isn’t as easy to come by here, so I have used both chicken and pork on separate occasions. I also never used ricotta as we didn’t have any, so I just added some breadcrumbs (I will actually have to try the recipe as is at some point!). I loved that the meatballs were cooked in the oven rather than on the stove (it was so much easier!!), and the tomato sauce that is served with the meatballs made the dish a lovely warming Winter meal. 

Afternoon Cake

The Afternoon Cake is a great, and is inadvertently a diary free cake. You just need a couple of bowls and a whisk - no stand mixer required. The flavour of the cake is given by whatever citrus you have at hand. Julia’s recipe uses oranges, however I have used lemon, blood orange, bergamot and mandarin all with great success. This cake is one I turn to often, and can easily be doubled to feed more people. I have also often substituted the olive oil in the recipe for a flavourless oil like vegetable or sunflower to let the citrus flavours shine on their own. 

Afternoon Cake

Favourite Things About the Book: Being a food writer, Julia’s writing in this book is genuinely lovely to read and there is such a sense of cohesiveness about the whole book from start to finish. Each recipe comes with at least one ‘small victory’ about the ease of the recipe, a new skill learnt or a helpful tip to make the process of cooking seamless. Plus there are always extras at the end of each recipe on how to change it up and substitute ingredients. Julia is full of helpful advice, and her recipes have really become a staple in my kitchen. Her recipes are really the kinds of food I want to cook and eat, and I am very much looking forward to getting Julia’s newly released book ‘Now and Again’ (which focuses on utilising leftovers - she really knows what we need doesn’t she?!). 

Bookmarked Recipes (to make later!): Aunt Renee’s Chicken Soup (pp.74-77), Cauliflower with Anchovy Bread Crumbs (p.118) and Berry & Buttermilk Cobbler (pp.234-236). 

Honey Ice Cream

I started making this ice cream a year ago. I thought what a great idea it would be to make a ‘breakfast appropriate ice cream’ and serve it with fresh berries and homemade muesli (which is why some of the photos in this post have jars of muesli in them!). Only for special occasions of course. In theory it was all a great idea, until you have a massive sugar rush before 9 am. 

Despite this, I would still recommend this ice cream for serving with waffles or pancakes (or these ricotta hotcakes) for brunch. And of course it is divine on its own as an easy dessert. I would also pair it with the Apple & Honey Cake I posted recently, with my Duck Egg Pavlova, or a fruit crumble (or maybe at a stretch my Muesli Breakfast Crumble if you were feeling a little indulgent!). 

My massive sugar rush ‘breakfast’ - honey ice cream with homemade muesli and berries!

For this recipe I used the Honey Malt and Vanilla Milk from Little Big Dairy Co. I love this milk as not only does it taste great (and is truely addictive!), but all Little Big Dairy Co’s products are single source. This means everything is produced from their farm in the Central West of NSW. Having tried a few of their products now, I truely believe you can taste the difference. Everything just tastes so good compared to other milks or creams, in a way that makes me think I hadn’t tried really good quality milk or cream until I tried Little Big Dairy Co.

I buy some of their products from Harris Farm Markets (including the milk used for this recipe), and they are also available in the Food Hall at David Jones in the city (I have been known to take cooler bags and ice bricks into the city and carry some of their products home on the train!). 

If you can’t find the Little Big Dairy Co Honey Malt and Vanilla milk, regular full cream or skim will work well too. 

Honey Ice Cream made using Little Big Dairy Co Honey Malt and Vanilla Milk

Homemade Honey Ice Cream

Honey Ice Cream

Ingredients:

40g white sugar (Panela Sugar also works well)

175ml milk (preferably Little Big Dairy Co Honey Malt and Vanilla Milk)

125ml pouring cream

150ml Greek style yoghurt

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

160g mild flavoured honey 

Method: 

Whisk the milk and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved and the milk has become frothy. Then add the cream, yoghurt, vanilla and honey. Whisk until well 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 find the churning process takes about 10 minutes (weather depending), and is ready once the ice cream has thickened, slightly frozen and is clinging to the paddle of the ice cream machine. 

Transfer ice cream to a freezer safe container (at least 1L capacity) and freeze overnight. 

Remove from freezer when ready to serve - due to the yoghurt in the ice cream it does not freeze as hard as other ice creams and is easy to serve straight from the freezer.

Honey Ice Cream

Reference: ‘Lomelino’s Ice Cream’ by Linda Lomelino (Roost Books, 2015), p.13

Homemade Honey Ice Cream

Honey Ice Cream made using Little Big Dairy Co’s Honey Malt and Vanilla Milk

Off the Shelf - ‘Jerusalem’ by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

Since buying, collecting, reading, using and dreaming about cookbooks is such a big part of my life and this blog, I have decided to dedicate some space to them here. Every now and then instead of sharing a recipe, I will share a cookbook profile from one of the books on my shelves. What books other people have, how they use them and what they cook from them (if at all) is endlessly fascinating to me so I hope you will enjoy taking a cookbook off one of my shelves and see how it has influenced me and my cooking. 

The first book I wanted to take off my shelf for you is ‘Jerusalem’ by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi. With all the (much deserved) hype around Yotam Ottolenghi’s latest release ‘Simple’, it seemed only fitting to dive back into some of his earlier co-authored works. I also am unable to buy the new book as with it being so close to the end of the year, and having both my birthday and Christmas in December, I am always told by my family not to buy any new books so they can potentially give me them as a gift. So I am feeling an extreme case of FOMO at the moment, as everyday on Instagram I see another post about the book or about someone cooking from the book - and it all looks so good.

Not to mention Yotam’s new podcast ‘Simple Pleasures’, where he invites someone round to his place and they chat and enjoy dishes from his new book. I am already seriously craving the gnocchi he made for Nadiya Hussain on the first episode.

But until I get my hands on a copy, I still have the vast array of recipes from ‘Jerusalem’ to keep me occupied. See below for a little profile of the cookbook, and what I have made from it. It is definitely one I would recommend! 

Bought at: gifted (I have also gifted this book to someone else as well I liked it so much!)

Recipes made: Shakshuka (p.66) & Clear Chicken Soup with Knaidlach (pp.144-5)

I really like making and eating Shakshuka, however this was the first actual recipe for one I have followed. Most of the time I just make it all up using a can of diced tomatoes, whatever else we have that will go with it, plus the egg. It can be quite a simple dish, and after I saw Molly Yeh demonstrate it at a Local is Lovely workshop a couple of years ago I knew I could replicate it at home. I imagine Yotam and Sami’s version is more traditional than what I often make, and includes harissa and ground cumin. It was really nice making a shakshuka without a can of tomatoes and having a slightly spicy chunky sauce to cook the eggs in (I actually found it easier to cook the eggs this way). 

Adaptations: I reduced the amount of harissa to about a teaspoon as I’m not into really spicy foods, and reduced the amount of eggs as I was only serving one. I also used yellow capsicums as thats what we already had! 

Shakshuka

This chicken soup was my first ever attempt at making a Matzo Ball Soup over Passover. It is an involved affair, but worth it. My soup was not as flavourful as I had hoped, so I’m not sure if I should have cooked it longer or maybe it was the cuts of chicken I used (I didn’t 100% stick to the recipe on that one). I also used freshly ground matzo rather than pre-prepared matzo meal for the knaidlach so I think they would have been a bit lighter and smoother with the shop bought matzo meal. Definitely a recipe to go back to! 

Matzo Ball Soup

Favourite things about the book: This book is beautifully photographed and I really love the lifestyle photography from around Jerusalem. It really brings the essence of the city into the book and the recipes, rather than just showing photos of the completed dishes in isolation. 

I also really like the fact that this is more than a cookbook. Whilst reading you take in recipes you want to try and discover dishes you might never have heard of, but you also get a history lesson through food. The introductions for each chapter and recipes are well worth reading as much of the cultural and religious or historical significance of a dish or ingredient are explained. And sometimes personal notes from both the authors are shared around specific recipes too. 

Bookmarked recipes (to make later!): Swiss Chard Fritters (p.54) & Latkes (p.92).

Lifestyle photography in Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi